[John Whiteway]

Thanks very much for this information Eric; those two articles are the best things I’ve seen on this subject.

My interest in this question was a result of problems I was experiencing with Resolve 14 – timelines in a project with 70 timelines were doing funny things. If an external GPU was an answer to this (and I must admit I was only assuming that the GPU would play a central part in timeline functioning; as you suggest there are processes that rely more heavily on the CPU and perhaps this is one), then I was hoping the Blackmagic eGPU might be the answer. I had seen some information on the net describing how one could purchase things like the Sonnet box and build an external GPU, but I’ll admit doing that is really going into a strange area for me. The idea of a purpose-built system like Blackmagic’s, built in cooperation with Apple, had a definite appeal to me.

I’ve installed Resolve 15 and am hoping that some of its features may solve my problem, or if the problem was a corrupted Resolve 14 file that the mere fact of installing this new version of the app might do the same. Resolve 15 has two wonderful features that it seems might deal with my specific concern: one can select not to have all timelines open and one can turn off all Colour work in the active timeline. So far none of my old problems have re-occurred in Resolve 15, so my hope is that my problem has been resolved.

Now, if they do begin to occur again I might have to screw up my courage and consider the CUDA system you suggest might help.

Thanks again. Specific and knowledgeable help like your is greatly appreciated.

John

[John Whiteway]

Thank you both for the replies.

Robert, I am, too, heavy on the back-ups and have kept a computer with an older OS so that I still have access to FCP7. But as time goes on I see little likelihood I’ll go back to FCP other than, perhaps, to look at some old projects (I’ve had little luck importing a FCP XML file to Resolve). I’m a true Resolve convert now; it does so much more that FCP.

Marc, what you say makes full sense to me and my understanding of how Resolve works. Inhofer does talk about the partition option early in his piece, so I’m guessing reference he makes later in the piece to downgrading (“Don’t update an existing database already connected to Resolve, in case you need to downgrade and want to use it in the earlier version.”) is meant for those who take this route. Thank you for your thoughts. As I think I’ve mentioned, I’ve watched Inhofer’s colour correction tutorials on Lynda.com. He’s a lucid and thorough educator, and I’ve certainly learned a lot from him.

Thanks again.

John

[John Whiteway]

Hi,

Since I posted my original questions I’ve been reading a bit more and re-reading Inhofer’s article “Guide To Safely Upgrading To DaVinci Resolve 15 (and beyond)” (which I quoted in my original post and which has been mentioned in this thread) https://mixinglight.com/color-tutorial/guide-upgrade-davinci-resolve-15/. I think I understand a lot more of what he’s saying now, but still a few questions remain.

My initial confusion came, I realize now, by misreading these two paragraphs:

A. Decide what you’re going to do with existing projects and databases
Are you going to upgrade active or recent projects? If so, then before upgrading you need to export those projects. And then NEVER upgrade the original project! You will only ever import that exported version of the project, always leaving the original intact and untouched.

Are you going to upgrade an existing Database, with existing projects? If so, then export that database and NEVER upgrade the original database. The key is to always leaving the original intact and untouched.

These paragraphs are discussing backing up both project files and databases, so when he emphasized in italics that one must always leave the original intact and untouched, I assumed he was still talking about these back-ups, which are also “original” files. I was taking him to say we must be careful to always leave these exported and backed-up original copies intact and untouched. I just couldn’t figure why he was emphasizing this, or what circumstances would ever exist where we’d be tempted to alter them. Now I realize, when talking about the “original” database of project files, he is talking of the files that remain on the boot system. Now things began to make a bit of sense.

I understand, too, what added importance he’s placing on backed-up files. Not only do we back them us as a safety measure, to insure ourselves in case something bad happens when installing 15; they also play a central role in the new 15. Inhofer advises that when we open 15 and the Project Manager page for the first time, we should not follow the prompt that will appear (“Would you like to upgrade the database”) . Instead, he advises we open a fresh database and import the backed-up 14 database to it and then upgrade this file (thus “leaving the original intact and untouched “).

Now I can follow all this but I am left with this question: If we do as Inhofer suggests and leave the original 14 database in 15 unaltered – now sitting alongside the new database with the imported and upgraded copy of the 14 database – when will we ever have a chance to use it? When installing 15 isn’t 14 uninstalled? Doesn’t Inhoffer suggest we should uninstall 14 manually first before installing 15? So after taking so much care to keep two versions of the 14 database – one as a back-up on a back-up drive, and one, the original, now sitting there un-upgraded on the newly installed 15, after taking all this care where does the circumstance ever exist that Inhofer describes:

Once again: You only update imported databases! Don’t update an existing database already connected to Resolve, in case you need to downgrade and want to use it in the earlier version (emphasis mine). Database updates are irreversible.

Guess I’m asking: all this considered, where is he suggesting we would retain and have access to 14 (and the 14 database) after installing 15? At one point he even cautions against running two versions of resolve side-by-side, so it seems he must envision them both remaining on our computer:

Tip 2: Do NOT run two versions of Resolve side-by-side
Even if Rohit or Peter (the Lead Software Developer and Product Manager) tell you it’s okay to run Resolve 14 alongside Resolve 15 (which they don’t)… ignore their advice. Don’t do it!

Again, if the installer messes up or if the software gets confused because the two versions are side-by-side – you’re going to need to uninstall both and do a completely fresh install simply to troubleshoot it!

Hope someone can clarify this for me. I suspect, as is most often the case, there is some simple point that’s been eluding me and that once hearing it I’ll go “A ha!”

Thanks.

John

[John Whiteway]

Hi.

Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately the only time all the clips would light up was when I’d use the menu or key strokes to select all or single tracks forward or all or single track backward. Other than that it would just be a strange random assortment of clips within the timeline that would become highlighted if I selected a single clip. Interstingly if I de-linked, either via the icon or the sub-menu you describe, only either the audio or video in a clip that i selected would highlight in red, nothing else in the timeline.

I’ve carefully copied each clip and reconstructed the timeline to a new timeline, and so far so good. In my problem timeline I’d also done a lot of colour correction and work on the audio tracks so that may have made it more susecptible to problems. This time I won’t do that for now.

Thanks again. It’s great to have a place to have these discussions.

John

[John Whiteway]

[Michael Gissing] “accidentally hit link when everything was selected”

Hi.

Not quite sure what you mean by the above. The only “link” instruction that I know is the icon above the timeline. When that is turned off depending on where you click on a clip either just the audio or just the video becomes highlighted, no other clips in the timeline become highlighted. But after I turn the link icon on when I select a clip not only does that whole clip – audio and video – become highlighted as it should, but a random number of other clips in the timeline do too.

John

[John Whiteway]

Hi.

Thanks for the ideas. I broke the 65-timeline project (201MB in size) into parts, leaving the problem timeline in one that is now 107 MB and has 15 timelines. Unfortunately the timeline in question has remained wonky – select one clip and most of the rest of the timeline lights up. When I copy over a clip in that timeline I seem to be able to select it it without the rest of the timeline becoming a Christmas tree, so must be that somehow that timeline has become corrupted. Too bad, a heck of a lot of work put into it. I also re-opened my 65-timeline version of the project and see that other timelines open and seem to work just fine. More reason to think it’s just that one timeline.

Any thoughts? Can’t think of any way I could copy the corrupted timeline and relaunch it without including within it whatever is corrupting it.

While I’m at it, any great surprises upgrading to 15? I see a few things it in that would be useful (a lot that I’d never use too). Always a bit scary to do these upgrades and, as I mentioned, so far 14 has been doing all I want. Based on my experimenting it doesn’t seem now that being able to select only the wonky timeline, as 15 would allow, would change my situation.

Thanks again.

John

[John Whiteway]

Hello Mr. Rofrano,

Actually what I said in my original post was: : “I could, of course, learn how to edit the whole 4K thing on FCP10, but everything I’ve seen about 10 makes me want to stay with 7.”

When I say “everything I’ve seen” I meant exactly that. I did extensive research when FCP10 came out with all its changes and had extensive discussion about it with those who did buy it. Two of those people are professional editors and both rejected FCP10 then and still do.

So though I do truly appreciate your opinions on FCP10, I don’t think it’s fair to suggest I’ve made my decision based on “hearsay” or on opinions that could be described as “blah, blah, blah”. I’m a more serious fellow than that.

All the best,

John

[John Whiteway]

Thank you very much for the helpful reply. I’d just like to make sure I’ve understood all you’ve said.

I think you are agreeing that the route from FCP7 to FCP10 I described in my original post would work. I could create two sets of ProRes files, one 2K to edit on FCP7 and the other 4K to connect to on FCP10 after I have changed the FCP7 project file via the Intelligent Assistance App to a project file readable on FCP10.

It seems you are also saying that I could do essentially the same through DaVinci Resolve, only in this case I’d export my FCP7 project file from FCP7 as an XML file (something I’ve never done before).

Are you referring to the DaVinci Resolve “Lite” version that is free, or the version you have to buy? And are you saying that DaVinci will immediately recreate my FCP7 project, but now in the original 4K?

Suppose I’d also ask, for someone not familiar with DaVinci do you think that that route would be harder and more complicated than the route of FCP7 via the Intelligent Assistance App to FCP10 that I’ve described above.

If you think it an easier and more logical route, and I can do that with the free Lite version of Resolve offered by DaVinci, maybe I should take a stab at learning how to do that.

As for Premiere Pro, I am aware of its greater similarity to FCP7, but it is expensive. With it’s monthly cloud rental fee one is soon paying a heck of a lot of money for it. At least FCP10 sells for a one time reasonable price. That was really the reason I was considering this route

Thanks again. I learned a lot from what you wrote earlier and you help is much appreciated.

John

[John Whiteway]

You might be right. But FCP 7 v.s. 10 aside, do you think the scenario I described using FCP7 could work?

[John Whiteway]

Hello.

Amazing these chat rooms. A computer whiz friend has just forwarded me a link to this page which seems to deal with the problem that has been baffling us. We’d been capturing HDV nicely, then one day we began getting separate clips at every start/stop point. I’ve been trying to figure that one out since. now I’ve begun thinking I’d run a “trash preferences” program and maybe that had unchecked the box this page refers to. Problem is I’ve been looking everywhere – from the Log and Capture window to Preference and can’t find it. Can someone tell me exactly where that button/check box is and how I get there. (I’m using FCP 7 by the way.)

Here’s hoping, fingers crossed, etc.

thanks.

John