Conforming to 5K

[Simon Ubsdell]

I’ll let someone more capable talk you through the process of relinking to your 5K source (and yes, it is perfectly possible to execute this workflow with the free version of Resolve), but I did want to point out something about your process.

Super 16mm has approximately the same “pixel resolution” as 2K (or slightly less), so your decision to scan to 5K seems like massive overkill.

Was there a specific reason you went that route?

The reality is that you could probably master from your 1080 project with literally no discernible loss of quality …

https://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=14944

Simon Ubsdell
tokyo productions
hawaiki

[Chris Wright]

uh, the free version is limited to UHD size.

[Simon Ubsdell]

Oops. I was forgetting that. It’s been a while since I used the free version.

Simon Ubsdell
tokyo productions
hawaiki

[Marc Wielage]

[John Sniadecki] “we are actually editing a very simple 90 minute feature in Davinci Resolve Lite and want to conform the project for color correction at a post house that will be using Davinci Resolve Studio. The original footage is 5K scans of Super 16mm film (delivered to us as .mov files). We are editing in a 1920×1080 timeline, and I need to bring the project back to the 5K original, i.e. I need to deliver a conformed Davinci Resolve Project with a 5K timeline that can open with all the media linked to the original 5K .mov files.”
It can be done, but you’ll need the paid version of Resolve Studio 12.5. I would suggest buying the dongle version and not getting the Apple Store version.

Relinking and conforming media (chapter 22 of the manual) is one of the most critical in the entire book. What you describe is not that complicated, and it’s done every day. I would question the workflow: I’m not convinced there’s more than 2K of MTF sharpness in Super 16mm to begin with, partly because of the lack of pin-registration. I think 2K would’ve been fine for the scans, but that’s me. At worst, you could’ve gone UHD 3840×2160, and that you can do with free Resolve. Even if you have to deliver 4K (which is extremely rare for non-broadcast indie projects), 3840 would’ve been reasonable, albeit excessive for 16mm. My joke is, at least in 4K, you get more grain.

There are a lot of issues with choosing a workflow that have to be settled before you begin the project, not afterwards. I would give a plug to Patrick Inhofer’s excellent recent “Conforming Giants” series on complex workflows and conforming on MixingLight.com. (Note this is a pay site.)

https://mixinglight.com/insights/