That is half 4 of our 5-part series on editing with mixed frame rates in DaVinci Resolve.
Now that we’ve mentioned the assorted workflow choices for working with body charges earlier than modifying in Resolve, let’s transfer on to creating proxies.
In the event you’re creating proxy recordsdata to edit in one other NLE, there are a number of necessary concerns concerning body charges. As with modifying, there are two faculties of thought for making proxies from Resolve on the subject of body charges. You’ll be able to both match the body charges with clip attributes or you possibly can maintain body charges native.
Within the first possibility, you’re simply altering the native body charges to match the challenge settings, however within the second, you don’t change the native body fee, even while you transcode the recordsdata to a different codec or decision. Neither selection is “flawed,” however do know that the usual selection for business workflows is to match body charges to the unique digital camera recordsdata so as to protect timecode (possibility 2).
Let’s shortly have a look at these choices, their makes use of, and their limitations.
Within the first possibility, because you’re altering the native body fee, you’ll break the timecode hyperlink between the proxies and authentic digital camera recordsdata. For many top quality digital camera recordsdata this could be a dealbreaker, however there are some choices for relieving this subject. You’ll be able to create mezzanine (high-quality intermediate recordsdata) variations of your footage, which preserve the standard of the unique digital camera recordsdata, but additionally have new timecode based mostly on the modified body fee settings.
This route might be tough, although, because it requires that you just perceive preserve the standard of your authentic recordsdata throughout totally different workflow processes. Additionally, you will need to create matching units of proxies for the mezzanine recordsdata, in order that render occasions don’t add as much as ridiculous ranges.
With the second possibility, the timecode and body charges would match all through, so just one render batch is required to create the proxies. The unique digital camera recordsdata can be used to evolve.
Listed here are the the reason why altering native body charges earlier than transcoding might be a good suggestion for proxies:
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- You might be conforming, coloring, and ending with the identical Resolve challenge that you’re utilizing to make the transcodes.
- Your supply media might be transcoded into:
- A high-resolution mezzanine format that maintains all the standard and/or flexibility of the unique recordsdata. For decrease high quality cameras or seize codecs just like the GH5, Sony A7S, H.264, drones, and many others., making a high-resolution mezzanine format makes a number of sense.
- Transcodes that match the brand new body fee and timecode of those mezzanine recordsdata for simple conforming.
- There aren’t a number of intensive breakdowns or script notes based mostly on the unique timecode.
And listed here are the the reason why protecting native body charges earlier than transcoding could be the higher route on your proxy workflow.
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- You might be coloring, ending, doing graphics work, CG with an exterior vendor. Sustaining timecode between your transcodes and the unique supply media is critical on this state of affairs.
- You wish to keep away from making a mezzanine format, since you’ll lose one thing you need out of your supply digital camera recordsdata like colour house, RAW information, decision, disk house or transcode time.
- There are intensive notes and breakdowns based mostly on the unique timecode of the clips.
Every challenge has totally different wants. In most conventional business post-production workflows, native body charges are maintained all through. However an increasing number of firms are seeing the advantages of making mezzanine codecs like DPX, OpenEXR or ProRes444/DNxHR. A mezzanine workflow might be actually useful on longer-form items with plenty of combined body fee supply recordsdata, however might be an pointless burden for some smaller/faster initiatives.
Altering Native Body Charges Earlier than Creating Proxies
If that is the trail you wish to take, you’ll first want to return to the “Altering Clip Attributes” part in part 2 to shortly recap what we’re speaking about right here.
After you’ve modified the clip attributes to match, take every digital camera bin and add the media to a timeline. You’ll be able to name it one thing like CameraName_Transcodes_Date.
Everytime you make transcodes, you’ll must resolve on colour house, decision, file names, and reel names within the supply web page as nicely. An excellent choices for many workflows is to stay with Rec. 709 transcodes in a codec like ProResLT or DNxHD36 at 1080p, with matching file names and embedded reel names.
We’ll focus on choices for rendering totally different body charges within the particular person clip rendering part afterward.
Protecting Native Body Charges
In the event you go down the opposite path (protecting native body charges as they’re), the method is much more easy. Observe the identical steps as we did above, however add every digital camera bin to its personal timeline. Then use the identical settings to render out your proxies.
The good factor about rendering particular person clips is that by default Resolve makes use of the native body fee of the supply clips. You don’t want to regulate any settings per clip, so there’s little or no probability the proxy file received’t prove proper.
Since we’re simply speaking about body charges right here, I received’t go too deep into all the main points of the conform course of, however let’s acknowledge upfront that conforming in Resolve might be difficult. That stated, enable me to briefly contact on some greatest practices for XMLs and varied edit timelines.
In case you have a timeline coming from Premiere Professional, Avid, or Ultimate Lower Professional X, combined body charges can actually decelerate your course of. However, if that’s what you must cope with, right here’s what you could do.
First, you could examine the combined body fee format within the Common choices of the challenge settings in Resolve. This setting will assist enhance the accuracy of the re-timing from varied NLEs. In case you are being despatched an XML/EDL/AAF from Avid, Premiere Professional, Flame, or some other non-Apple software program, you possibly can simply depart these settings to Resolve.
However for Ultimate Lower Professional, there are a couple of choices you’ll want to change. However earlier than you possibly can change them, observe you can solely achieve this with an empty challenge, so ensure you make the adjustments earlier than importing media.
It’s useful to open the reference QuickTime that your editor or put up home despatched over earlier than importing a timeline by way of an XML or AAF. This offers you the body fee of their timeline. If you create your Resolve challenge, you’ll must match this body fee for the XML or AAF to import into Resolve.
The second factor to do is to import all of the supply media that you just’re conforming. These recordsdata offers you an concept of what sorts of body charges and supply footage you’re working with. And for those who’re actually fortunate, you’ll have entry to the recordsdata that your editor was utilizing, and may load them up right into a bin to examine for any potential discrepancies.
Subsequent, import the EDL/AAF/XML into Resolve. Word, in case your EDL/AAF/XML doesn’t match your challenge body fee, Resolve received’t import it. So once more, examine that you’ve the identical body fee on your challenge that the reference QuickTime file has.
When you import the EDL/AAF/XML, you possibly can level it to your just lately imported recordsdata. If Resolve doesn’t conform the recordsdata correctly and you recognize what you’re doing, you possibly can examine the recordsdata you’re conforming in opposition to the editor’s recordsdata (when you have them). Any distinction in timecode or body fee must be identifiable straight away. In any other case, it’s necessary to speak to whoever ready the recordsdata if the conform isn’t working appropriately.
For instance, in case your editor modified the body fee interpretation in Premiere or Avid, it’s necessary that they convey that to you earlier than conforming. The timecode in your EDL/AAF/XML received’t match the supply file timecode on this case. Generally for those who’re fortunate, altering the body fee of your supply recordsdata in clip attributes to match will assist Resolve join clips which have been re-interpreted in Premiere or one other NLE. However it’s necessary to have that data from the editor as quickly as recordsdata are handed off.
One other instance is for those who had uncooked recordsdata and an identical set of offline clips (like within the picture under) with the identical reel names and timecode. If a number of the file names aren’t precise matches, strive utilizing reel names as an alternative of file names whereas conforming, to assist Resolve discover the suitable clips to match.
Generally, in case your editor was modifying clips with timecode, Resolve will have the ability to hyperlink to the right recordsdata in the suitable location, even when the body charges are combined. Nevertheless in case your editor was utilizing recordsdata or clips that didn’t come from an honest skilled digital camera with out correct timecode, Resolve might not have the ability to join the recordsdata mechanically, which can result in a number of heartache.
In these conditions, it’s a good suggestion to ask an editor to only export these clips as recordsdata that can be utilized straight within the edit. It will relieve the necessity to conform, and (a number of the time) received’t make an enormous high quality distinction, for the reason that cameras creating the recordsdata have been probably decrease finish anyway. This could additionally save tons of time over making an attempt to re-create what an editor did with out correct timecode or re-timing.
After all, you need to at all times conform to the unique digital camera recordsdata when you possibly can, as a result of that’s the best high quality your footage can presumably be.
The large downside of doing that’s that velocity results change into baked-in, which suggests you received’t have management of the impact inside Resolve after the conform. Relying in your workflow and challenge, this may occasionally not matter to you. Generally, although, an expertise editor or put up home ought to ship recordsdata with correct timecode and metadata, so that you shouldn’t face this subject when matching the supply recordsdata.
Picture Sequence Body Charges
If you challenge contains a number of CG or VFX, generally you must cope with picture sequences.
Sadly, picture sequences don’t at all times retailer their body fee data within the header of the recordsdata, so that you would possibly want to alter the clip attributes manually when importing OpenEXR, DPX, tiff, png, or jpeg sequences. This can be a ache, nevertheless it’s not the tip of the world. All the time make sure you ask your graphic artists what the meant body fee is anytime you obtain picture sequences.
Within the last version of this collection, we’ll tie all the pieces collectively by looking at render out your combined body fee challenge. Come again subsequent week for Part 5!
