[Mike Most]

It shouldn’t be and probably isn’t either/or. Adding ProRes on Windows was probably somewhat straightforward, particularly if they’re using the ffmpeg open source version (which is probably the case, given that it doesn’t write 4444 at this point). Fixing the auto replace behavior is a change in the internal code.

Personally, I’d like to see the ProRes integration on Linux ASAP…..

[Mike Most]

The auto replace behavior is driving me nuts, too. I’ve probably lost at least 2 hours on a major network television series because of it. It’s especially annoying because you can’t have two sessions open at the same time. In my case, the show in question is supplied as an Avid MXF mixdown and we get multiple mixdowns over the course of a few days as large numbers of VFX shots are integrated by the editors. We have to use Color Trace to recover all previous corrections, and whenever we get an individual updated shot, the auto replace nonsense forces me to actually open the previous session, save a still with the correction (losing any dynamics in the process), re-open the new one, and reapply the correction by importing the still or opening the previous session in the Gallery. Not only that, it sometimes puts the new shots in the wrong place, and I don’t always discover that until it’s played out.

However you look at it, the auto replace stuff needs to be a user choice at the very least.

[Mike Most]

If you need ProRes4444 encoding support – which is not likely, but possible – I would check to see whether this is part of the Resolve implementation. My guess is that they’re using the open source ffmpeg code, which can currently decode 4444 but not encode.

What you consider “impressive”, I consider a logical move now that an open source version of the codec is available, and other vendors have already integrated it. My question to Rohit would be whether this will also be integrated into the Linux release, which is far more significant in my world….

[Mike Most]

Well, in that case, get rid of any other nodes in the node tree, and save the remaining tree (i.e., your one node) as a Powergrade. You can then call it up any time using the same method I described previously. Or you can select it and use “append to node tree”.

[Mike Most]

On the Wave, I like the fact that almost everything is mapped, even if it does take a few clicks to get to what you need (not many, if you go to the top menu first). I also like the convenience of having direct access to save and play a still, as well as direct access to start and end dynamics, and single button access to things like scrolling by shot and navigating the node tree. I don’t like the loud sounds every key click makes, I don’t like the rather flimsy feel of the panel, and most of all, I don’t like the resolution of any of the controls, which all seem much too coarse and imprecise for someone like me who’s used to high end professional panels with very high resolution controls. I also don’t like not having direct access to stored corrections without going to the computer keyboard. For those two issues (control resolution and storing and recalling corrections) I greatly prefer the MC Color. But I do find that the Wave generally has quicker access to functions and better contextual menu design. For instance, if I create a new node with a CPW, I’m already in the menu to adjust the power window. Not so with MC Color.

Bottom line: Neither of these panels are going to make you anywhere near as productive as you can be with the full DaVinci panels.

[Mike Most]

If you right click on any VSR or any still in the Gallery or Powergrade display, and select “Display Node Tree” you can drag any individual node to the currently selected shot’s node tree and place it anywhere in the tree by dropping it on any connector. I don’t know if this accomplishes what you’re trying to do, though.

[Mike Most]

If most of the projects you work on are cut on Media Composer, and provided you’re not dealing with image sequences, Symphony is a much better conforming tool than Smoke simply because it’s an Avid – which means you don’t have to try and recreate keyframes or any effects that were created in the offline. They simply appear once your media is relinked. Using any other conforming tool means a less than 100% conform by definition. That said, Smoke has a far, far deeper toolset, and great compositing tools. But if your stock in trade is recreating Media Composer projects exactly, you’ll get it done quicker, easier, and more accurately using Symphony or DS. Not necessarily better, though.

[Mike Most]

>Is it possible to apply a LUT or overall grade to get it looking >right? Is that typically how this is done?

>Or does a colorist typically go back over the film in 2D space and >adjust each shot appropriately?

Both.

In most facilities, a LUT has been created to get the values “in the ballpark.” A trim pass is done using that LUT as the starting point.

[Mike Most]

All conforming is based on tape name (aka reel name) and time code. As long as you have those in the EDL, and aa long as you extract them properly from the files, conforming will work. In Resolve 8.1x, you can change the reel name extraction method on a global, folder, or individual file basis, so if things are not relinking, change the extraction method on the files that are not being properly identified so that they match what’s in the EDL.

[Mike Most]

I experience the same thing all the time. 1:1 RGB MXF files created by Avid software (and that includes Avid MetaFuze) are not readable by Resolve, on either Linux or Mac. I usually transcode them to DNxHD175X, which is a pretty solid mastering quality codec, but it’s definitely annoying and should be addressed.