[Marc Wielage]

Which hardware (CPU, GPU, RAM, I/O speed)? What source material? What timeline resolution?

Are you using the Studio version or the regular version? The Studio version supports a larger number of H.264/H.265 codecs.

[Marc Wielage]

[ron smith] “Is there a quick way to add a serial node BEFORE the node structure for every clip in timeline without changing any grades. Append node works great for the end of structure but I need to apply a global change before node tree starts.”
It’s for reasons like this that I’ve been using a Fixed Node Tree for years now. Several of the nodes (including some early on) are empty, so if I had a situation where I had to add a node to all or part of the clips, it could be done relatively easily. I think there are better ways to do it than what you’re trying to do. The flaw with trying to make an change early on is that it’s going to change the values of keys and curves later on in the node structure, because of the nature of Node Order of Operations, so I think this is a very dangerous choice.

It would be possible with a 3rd-party macro program to set up a loop command that basically went “next clip, Node -> Add Before Current” and so on until it ended. But I would only do that to a copy of the timeline, not the original, because this couldn’t easily be undone.

[Marc Wielage]

[Eric Santiago] “Marc, which one do you fancy? I had to retire my SGI mouse and tolerate the MS Intellimouse. I miss not having the scroll :(“
I use the HP X500 Optical Wired Mouse, which is only $13 on Amazon. Works great with Resolve (at least for what I do).

[Marc Wielage]

[Félix Pg] “I see that this option of the Central Button is used for several functions here in DaVinci. Or should I buy a mouse that has a physical Central Button?”
For me, the only way I can use Resolve is with a 3-button wired optical mouse.

[Marc Wielage]

You need to read this to get a basic understanding of how Color Management works:

https://jonnyelwyn.co.uk/film-and-video-editing/colour-management-for-video-editors/

You’re going to chase your tail forever if you don’t think about how the operating system and different players affect the signal, and — even worse — how uncalibrated monitors affect the signal. Unless you can control and manage the color coming out of Resolve, and unless the display is at least somewhat calibrated, you’ll go right off a cliff.

[Marc Wielage]

This feature comparison guide should tell you how the various versions of Resolve compare:

https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/SupportNotes/DaVinci_Resolve_15_Feature_Comparison.pdf

I don’t think the H.264/H.265 support changed much between 15 and 16. I do think 16 is a little too buggy to use, but it’s fine for experimenting.

[Marc Wielage]

Is this Resolve Studio or the free version? Studio supports a larger number of file formats, and that may be what you’re encountering.

[Marc Wielage]

The standard method all the SFX editors and re-recording mixers I know use is Speakerphone, which is a somewhat-costly plug-in that does an amazing job at reproducing the sound of speakers, cellphones, and similar devices:

https://www.audioease.com/speakerphone/index.php

[Marc Wielage]

[Enginn Heima] “You think a ProRes 422 is more likely to be my friend? I will do a test…
“
Joe is correct (as always). One key idea is always to export a short segment of SMPTE Color Bars prior to program and check that on scopes. If the export is identical to what you see in Resolve, then you have a color management problem and the playback engine (like QuickTime) is misinterpreting the image. This is discussed in the article I linked to.

Neither 422 or 444 is really any better or worse — they both can be misinterpreted under some conditions, as can DNxHD and DNxHR.

[Marc Wielage]

You basically have to treat something like this as a VFX in any program outside FCPX (or whatever created it). You would have the same problem in Baselight, Lustre, Mistika, or any color-correction software (and also in Avid or Premiere).

One possibility would be to have the FCPX editor export the different layers, color-correct them separately, and then composite them back in FCPX or your VFX software of choice. Another way to go would be to have a VFX person do the composite and then give you external mattes to color correct the individual pieces of the composite as required. (External mattes are covered in the manual.)