CDL to AVID – Does this work with Resolve?

[Mike Most]

All you need to do is include it in the EDL using the options in EDL Manager. You then do a “color trace CDL” in Resolve and the values will be applied. It works just fine.

[Craig Harris]

Thanks Mike,

However, I was asking about the reversal. Being able to apply changes to footage in AVID based on a CDL / EDL in Resolve.

[Joseph Owens]

Seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but I’m sure you have your reasons.

It might be worthwhile to review the following white paper: https://fp.avid.com/resources/whitepapers/avidasc_wp_sec.pdf

For the most part, the main thrust behind developing the ASC CDL is to carry very basic, primary corrections through the offline process to a grading solution (like DaVinci), and not the other way around.

The CDL itself is limited to very rudimentary lift, gamma, gain adjustments — nothing that is not achievable in AVID’s correction tools.

jPo

You mean “Old Ben”? Ben Kenobi?

[Dermot Shane]

Now I’m not suggesting this is a good idea..

but if you were really wanting to keep a grade made in MC’s 8bit cc… and you could not replicate said CC in seconds flat in a less challenged toolset…

i would bring in the Avid bin into my DS, it opens up a 8bit cc that sits there just for this, and then use DS’s LUT builder to make 3D LUT’s from the MC grades… ugly, silly, but do-able…

Have not seen a cc out of MC that warranted the time & effort tho… not to mention that the number of MC’s that are graced by a class A mon in a controlled environment is limited, making the cc’s somewhat unreliable generally…

d

[Craig Harris]

Sorry, I should clarify they workflow before you assume I’m doing things backwards.
Let me state that I would never finish in AVID.

Here is the workflow…

A. First light grade on EPIC footage in DaVinci
B. Export graded dailies for offline in AVID MC
C. Export graded dailies for studio
D. Conform edit in DaVinci – but on another system

Editorial and post have asked for CDL’s of the first light grades, to keep track of the metadata and values.

[Mike Most]

That just means they want the values included in an ALE so that Avid can include them in an EDL export. It doesn’t mean that they need to apply color on the Avid that’s already baked in to the files.

[Joseph Owens]

I’d export the DaVinci project so that the final grader could do a ColorTrace, but carrying the original Primary-Only corrections is probably equally viable, although it seems dicey that its going to be able to be carried all those steps — how visible is that part of the ALE, ie., that it is still resident and not corrupt?

jPo

You mean “Old Ben”? Ben Kenobi?

[Mike Most]

Ale’s are simple text files. They rarely undergo “corruption.”

The problems with using Resolve dailies sessions and color tracing are numerous. The sessions all have to be separately traced. If the tape names are not exactly the same in the final EDL tracing will not work. And finally, if any LUTs are used, those LUTs must be available and properly placed to recover the original correction correctly. Using CDLs limits you to primary correction, but it doesn’t require the presence of any specific LUT or anything else. It also puts in everything from one list. And in most cases, the daily correction is not likely to be used directly, it’s going to be more of a visual guide for the final colorist, especially if you’re working with log format originals (such as Alexa LogC or Redlogfilm transcodes from R3D files).

Simpler is almost always better, especially when it’s a fairly good bet that everyone from production through final finishing is not necessarily on the same page.

[Joseph Owens]

[Mike Most] “And in most cases, the daily correction is not likely to be used directly, it’s going to be more of a visual guide for the final colorist,”

Agreed with simpler is better, as never mind being on the same page, the same part of the library would be good.

Seems like a “chase” output as a reference might be handy, as in the Offline mode.

jPo

You mean “Old Ben”? Ben Kenobi?