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Resolve Feature Requests (The “Too-Late-for-NAB” edition)
For whatever it’s worth, here’s a list of feature-requests/gripes about Resolve8 that I’ve been keeping a log of for the past year. I’m hoping some of these things will find their way into the next major release of Resolve.
TOP PRIORITY FEATURE REQUESTS/IMPROVEMENTS:
• Easier ways to make node-connections:
Node connecting is way too difficult when the node graph is zoomed out, and you have a complex node-chain (an unfortunate drawback of the single-monitor UI convention). There is currently too much precision required to get a node connection to stick, and it sometimes feels like I’m playing “Cut The Rope” because I can never get the connection to stick on the first try.
My suggestion is to implement a node-connection paradigm similar to node-based compositing apps like Shake or Nuke. In Shake, you can easily connect the output of one node to the input of another simply by highlighting the 1st node, then Shift-clicking on the 2nd node. No need to hunt around for the connection point! In cases where a node can take multiple inputs, such as the Parallel node, it would be great if the default action would be to have the input automatically created and connected for you. This would be much more efficient than having to right-click on the target node, selecting “Add One Input”, then going back to drag the connection to it from the source node.
Of course, a simpler alternative to all of this would be to just make the node connection targets more “fuzzy” in how precise you need to be in order to make a connection. But being a longtime user of node-based compositing apps, I would still really appreciate the speed and simplicity of having the “shift-click” method implemented in Resolve.
• External Matte frame offset:
This is a must if you’re working with media that hasn’t been “consolidated” or trimmed before importing into Resolve. If you need to create an external matte of a shot, of which only 20 frames of a 2 minute long source clip is being used, you should be able to bring in a matte of those 20 frames, and be able to line it up to the in point of the edit, without having to render out a 2 minute long matte clip, just so the matte lines up with the portion of the source clip that’s actually being used. If you could offset an external matte, or better yet, auto-align the external matte based on matching timecode, it would be a huge workflow timesaver.
• “Master Frame Markers”
This is a marker you could set on a timeline clip to explicitly denote a frame which you’d always want to use as the master reference frame for the grade, without having to manually save stills for it.
When you select clips with a master-frame marker in the timeline, the cursor automatically snaps to that frame, so you don’t have to search for it all the time (esp. useful with long clips where a key frame may happen in the middle or end of the clips). This feature would probably have to be in its own explicit timeline “mode” (like “Source” mode) so the cursor-snapping behavior doesn’t get annoying for when you just want to navigate the timeline normally.
Master-frame markers could also be used to:
– Generate stills from all existing master-frame marker points
– Set Playhead locations
– Loading frames in Wipe mode
– Display the master frame as the clip’s thumbnail, instead of the clips first frame.• C-Sort/Source mode that actually works.
C-Sort mode is just barely usable in its current state. For it to be a truly useful feature, it must:
– Sort not only on source timecode, but also by reel. Putting the sources from a multi-day shoot into C-sort mode creates a jumbled mess of intermingled sources because the timecodes overlap.
– Play back shots in C-mode. When you toggle the timeline into C-sort mode, you’d expect the timeline to play back in C-mode, and NOT in A-mode, as Resolve8 currently does. The current behavior makes it impossible to play thru a string of shots that appear as consecutive c-sort clips.
• Rendering with source audio
It’s kinda nuts that Resolve doesn’t do this (though in fairness, Apple Color didn’t do it too), but when grading dailies, it’s a huge pain in the ass that source-clip audio doesn’t get passed through to rendered Quicktime files. I assume that this is a vestigial limitation from Resolve’s DPX based roots, but it’s a shame that you can’t easily use it for outputting one-light passes for RED files that can be directly used by offline editorial.
• Node labels
User defined labels for individual nodes, much like the existing labeling functionality with Stills. This can make complex grade management much easier. For example, It would be great to have a visible label on a node that says “Desat Reds” or “Un-clip highlights”, so you can instantly see what a node is doing at that point of the node graph.
• Node grouping
Select a group of nodes and “nest” them in a self-contained, collapsed group, so the node graph doesn’t become cluttered and confusing. This way, you can then treat a complex node-tree as a single entity, rather than as a confusing series of individual nodes. This would be similar to how Shake allows you to group a selected portion of the compositing node-tree into a single collapsible node.
Theoretically makes effects/looks “presets” much more manageable. You could just copy a single, collapsed node-group from one shot into another shot, and get an instant look by simply feeding a single input noodle into the node.
Would make fading between grades easier too (make the actual “group node” Post Mixing/Gain param keyframable), and would put an end to my Baselight envy 🙂
• Qualifiers
More edge blur intensity!
Feather/Softness “bias”. Give more control over which side of the matte gets more or less blur/feathering. I thought Shrink would be able to do this well, but Shrink seems to be doing the same kind of operation that is found in “Matte Choker” type filters in After Effects. This often leads to clumpy, “electronic” looking qualifications, made especially worse by the fact that you can’t infinitely blur qualifiers enough to offset the harshness of the Shrink operation.
• Add Grain/Noise
While I disagree with others who feel that Resolve needs a full blown plugin architecture, I definitely think it at least needs some way of adding film grain or noise to grades. Clients request this ALL the time during grading sessions, and it’s a bummer that I always have to tell them that we have to wait until I bring the rendered grades back into FCP before adding grain to shots.
• Optical blurs/defocusing
This is another one of those things that clients ALWAYS ask for. Gaussian blurs/defocusing is so passé. It would be a huge win if we could apply realistic optical defocusing to shots, especially in a qualifier or Window.
• Re-use/linking tracking data
It’s wasted effort to have to re-track an object more than once. If you’ve already generated tracking data for a CPW, for example, that same tracking data should be made available for use by the LPW, PPW or PCW within the same node.
It would be even better if you could pipe “live” tracking data from one node into another node (much like using Expressions in AE, Nuke or Shake. Copying and pasting from node-to-node is an acceptable workaround, but imagine how much more efficient it would be if you could live-link data like this throughout the entire node-graph? Perhaps via a “Track Data Input/Output” node connector?
• Rendering secondaries in handles
I griped about this problem before in detail on the Cow (https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/277/12436), but rendering with handles in Resolve is all but useless, in my opinion, because any secondary correction you make on a clip (qualifier, tracked window, etc) will disappear or “pop” to a defaulted state as soon as you start rendering into the handles.
At the very least, Windows should just keep the last known track point when rendering through a handle, or even better, should auto-interpolate the general motion that it was currently making (much like Shake’s awesome “KeepSlope” animation curve option)
• Don’t re-enable manually disabled nodes when toggling grades on & off
• Labeled still pages
Or maybe folders within still pages to organize scenes, look etc.
• Playback/loop timeline range
Set specific i/o points on timeline and play/loop-thru only the shots within that range (I know you can do this on the Resolve control-panel, but it’s such a basic need that it’s a tad bit annoying that it’s unavailable to those unwilling to spend $30,000 on the Resolve panel)
• Auto-conform/import RED offline .mov transcodes to original R3D files during EDL/XML import stage
IOW, integrate “R3D collecting” capability into the conform/media pool, so you don’t have to load in unnecessary R3D files into the mediapool in order to conform an offline/proxy RED sequence
• “Render modified shots” Option
Have an option in the Render page to only render shots that have had their grades modified since the last time the Session was rendered. This saves you from having to manually re-render selected shots individually (esp. useful in FCP XML roundtrip renders, since you apparently cannot queue selected clips in the Batch Render queue when in this output mode)
• More extensive/configurable mappings for 3rd party control surfaces
There are a ton of options that are hard-mapped on my EclipseCX panel that I dont want/need. User-configuration of mappings is critical)
THINGS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE, BUT AREN’T THE END OF THE WORLD IF THEY ARENT THERE:
• Dynamically Disabling REDRocket card
There needs to be a way to selectively disable the REDrocket card so that you can fall back to the software-based debayer, when you need to access non-Rocket-enabled parameters like DRX.
• Option/shortcut to temporarily disable Window outline overlay on playback
Maybe shift+spacebar, and have it re-enabled when you hit stop. This would be great if you prefer to work with overlays turned on, but you don’t want to have to keep toggling it on/off for playback
• Index/Table of Contents in the PDF Manual (!!!)
• “Difference” mode as a Wipe Type
Would be useful for eyematching repo’s to offline references
• Remember the last-selected shot when opening up projects
On big film projects, it’d be nice to pickup where you last left off, without having to remember/search for it manually
• DV resolution support
As much as I hate DV, clients ALWAYS want you to use old DV footage for their documentaries
• Faster response of the Jog wheel on the JLCooper EclipseCX panel
It takes way too many revolutions of the Jog wheel to move a simple split-screen across the frame
• Auto-delete all grade Versions which are not currently active
• BIGGER Still-store thumbnails (for the love of God, please!!!!)
• Remove Full pathname from “Source File Name” burn-in option (I only want to burn in the actual source filename, not the fully qualified path)
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21 Replies
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Thank you for the extensive and clearly detailed list. We appreciate your support and will continue to add to Resolves many features based on all the feedback we receive. I hope to see you all at NAB.
Thanks again.
Peter -
Could I just add… The ability to choose and set a default version would be of huge help when loading a new XML into the project.
Cheers
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Peter don’t forget the huge list i sent you months ago … 🙂
That was ahead of time for V9 release … 🙂Anyway , now that we are talking ,
i am not going to re-write Huge lists but quick priorities (the ones while working i miss the most often )-OFX plugin Support (to implement maaaany features from 3rd party without stressing you about everything guys..)
-NEW GUI that use a second Monitor to accommodate (eventually( node tree and still store (so having space for bigger Curves and bigger Dynamics tab (or tabs that expand full screen with a click of a button (like adobe product (pressing ~ to expand and collapse))
-Better quality speed changes (so i can actually render out the XML conform)
-Skin Soften tool (mist is old ) and a nice soften tool can resolve quite few problems in terms of color-skin work
-color Temperature and Tint controls (it’s so easy when i use it the one in red SDK tab)
-Improved Keyer : better key refine tools (is a bit incredible how SMOKE can pull much cleaner color qualification )
-Save dynamics on Stills (based on TC values (so if the TC does not match (because apply the still color to a different shot , the dynamics gets discarded )
-R3D SDK settings version independent (i still vote for this one )
Off course i have many more , as anybody else , but this ones are the ones that i care the most .
Hope someone at BMD will agree on some of those .
thanks for listening
g
Davinci Resolve Control Surface
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Agreed on many of your points. Would also like the ability to grab stills for a group of selected clips on a timeline. Right now we either have an ability to grab one or to grab all.
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Hi there,
what i miss most:
- Please let me do everthing on the gradingmonitor, what now is to do on the viewer. Simply switching the cursor between grading and GUI like in baselight. This will also give more space for gui
- synchronice gui/third party control devices
- Configurable window-setting for GUI. And storable window-cofiguration like in baseligth and make that mapable to keybord
- Something like a dkey. Just sampling desired colors from an area defined with the cursor and make unlimeted qualified spaces in the rgb-cube
- enhanced keyframe handling: edit left/right, copy keyframes, show all keyframes for the tracker
- direct select of node with a keystroke, direct select of node-output to the gradingmonitor selectable over menue so that it’s mapable
- less limited powerwindows: let me modify circle by adding curvpoints. Ad gradient / edge shape. ‘Unlimeted’ shapes in a node, say two circles…and let them merge with boolean operation. And please let me control the shapes with the spheres. Another great thing is: let me create two shapes and then generate a gradient between inner an outer shape for easy creating spots.
- direct accsess to the clip rawsource. Rightclick and selecting from the contextmenue is not funny for often needed actions
- Let me ad any video and key from other tracks to nodetree input
(like hdr)- Markers! Please let me set markers in the timeline which i can stepp throu with ease
Howerver i like the resolve pretty much 🙂
It is really fast and affordable and seems to be developed furthermore.
Thanks BM!All the best.
K.
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I did a list a week or two ago that Mel (the OP) commented on. I have a about 4 more versions of it.
https://www.robbiecarman.net/blog/2012/3/11/my-top-davinci-resolve-requests.html
In my opinion software can’t be everything to everyone. Peter, Rohit and the rest of the of the team have done an AMAZING job. Truly I don’t know when these guys have down time. Can the product improve – yes and I know this team is doing that every day.
Robbie Carman
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Colorist and Author
Check out my new Books:
Video Made on a Mac
Apple Pro Training Series DVDSP
From Still To Motion
An Editors Guide To Adobe Premiere Pro -
I don’t disagree with your sentiments, but you’re basically telling DaVinci to make Resolve into Baselight (8 out of the 9 things you mentioned are descriptions of specific Baselight features).That’s not sensible and it’s not a goal. Every manufacturer has a different approach to their system and different ideas as to how to present the functions that users want. Baselight is Baselight, Resolve is Resolve. If you want Baselight, well, then use Baselight. But just as I don’t expect Blackmagic to turn Resolve into an Avid, you probably shouldn’t expect or even suggest that they should turn it into a Baselight. I think you can safely assume that Resolve’s developers are very, very familiar with and aware of what Filmlight does. But they have their own ideas as well. That’s what makes competition, and that’s what produces better products by all manufacturers.
While I agree that better keyers and matte cleanup tools would be nice, a number of the things you state are already in the product, provided you use the full DaVinci panel set. That is also the case with Baselight, as certain functions are only available from the Blackboard. I’ve made my own suggestions to Blackmagic as well (I’d REALLY like to have the Offset controls mapped to the fourth trackball on the new Tangent Element panels, as they are on the DaVinci panels………), but one needs to let go of the notion that one product should be exactly like another. It shouldn’t, and it won’t.
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“• Remove Full pathname from “Source File Name” burn-in option (I only want to burn in the actual source filename, not the fully qualified path)”
Why don’t use the Source Clip Name? It will get the source filename, not the fully qualified path.
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For power grades, I would like to have a list of names instead of thumbnails. Its getting very messy with all that thumbnails. Maybe it is a good thing, but there should be an option I think.
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While we’re on it:
Still RAW support ( Color Grading Stills with a Control Surface is so much nicer than Lightroom )
Lets make Resolve a Finishing tool. More editing functionality.
Resolve has the potential to be the next Smoke and more…..
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