For those who don’t know the tool: CrumplePop bundles AI audio cleanup plug-ins plus the SoundApp app, now adding ARA clip-based processing inside supported DAWs.

ARA: less playback, more decisions

CrumplePop 2026.5 adds an ARA plug-in version of SoundApp so editors can run separation and cleanup directly inside ARA-capable DAWs (Reaper, Protools, and most of the relevant ones) instead of bouncing between apps – this is a workflow upgrade for music, voice, and cinema stem separation, plus audio cleanup.

ARA is “audio random access”. (When that triggered a Daft Punk stuck in your head: Welcome to the club). In practical terms, the plug-in ingests and analyses the entire clip in one big chunk, then lets you adjust and update results without relying on real-time playback. Standard insert effects only process what runs through them as the playhead moves. ARA flips that relationship so the tool can work with full context across the whole file.

That difference lands hardest in longform. A ten-minute clip already punishes indecision, but a sixty-minute podcast or a two-hour panel turns every micro tweak into a playhead workout. With ARA, you can process a long recording, jump to the problem spots, and keep iterating without constantly scrubbing back just to confirm what changed.

Why ARA speeds up longform editing

Long pieces usually fail in boring, repetitive ways. Room tone drifts. A guest turns away. HVAC ramps up. The neighbours of their recording location take up tap dancing. In a real-time insert workflow, you discover these issues as you play through the timeline, then you loop and replay sections to judge each adjustment. The longer the recording, the more that loop becomes the job.

ARA reduces that overhead by letting the plug-in analyse the full clip up front and update results immediately after processing. You stop measuring progress in minutes of playback and start measuring it in edits you can actually commit. That changes how you tackle podcasts, interviews, and conversations where the same problems recur every few minutes across a single file.

ARA also stays clip-centric. When you cut a long recording into regions, move sections around, or reuse parts for pickups, the processing stays tied to the clip rather than requiring a new export for every region change. That matters in sessions where long-form edits rarely remain one continuous timeline for long.

Processed Audio Cache makes model comparisons practical

CrumplePop 2026.5 introduces a Processed Audio Cache in SoundApp. The idea stays simple: process a clip once, then switch between models without reprocessing every time. That processing carries over to every instance of that clip in a project, so segments on the timeline retain their processing without needing a redo.

That cache matters because separation and denoise work often depend on comparison. You try one model, then another, then you go back. Without caching, that workflow punishes experimentation. With caching, comparing Music 4 Stems against Voice 2 Stems, or indoor cleanup, becomes a fast toggle rather than a repeated wait. The update also brings faster model loading and optimised performance as part of 2026.5, aimed at reducing slowdowns when switching between models.

Inside the DAW: stems, levels, and render back to track

SoundApp ARA targets stem separation and denoising. The demos show workflows that break a music clip into drums, bass, vocals, and other elements, then refine the vocal further with a denoise model – there is a whole toolbox of different tools and models, including advanced AI models for music, voice, and cinema stem separation, plus GPU-accelerated on-the-fly processing and one-click cleanup tools such as wind, traffic, echo, pop, and noise removal.

The interface supports switching between Demix and Denoise model families, installing additional models via a manage models view, and bypassing processing. Of course, you can render the processed result back to a new audio waveform on the track after isolating content.

Host support for SoundApp ARA includes Pro Tools, Cubase, and REAPER, plus Samplitude and Sequoia, with more ARA hosts. The thing about the Audio industry is that they agreed on a set of standards for Plugins and exchanges. As VFX, we could learn a thing or two from that… Avid also maintains an ARA plug-in listing for Pro Tools. If your DAW does not support ARA, the ARA workflow does not apply. Sorry. But then, you can always use the Crumplepop Standalone.

Multi-host packaging and pricing

Pricing and availability are at a monthly subscription at 25 US dollars, an annual subscription at 175 US dollars, and a perpetual license at 345 US dollars. Upgrade and Support starts at 195 US dollars.

The announcement also states that customers with active CrumplePop, Boris FX Suite, and Vegas Pro Ultimate subscriptions, or with a CrumplePop Upgrade and Support plan, receive the 2026.5 release as a complimentary update.

The best thing? These processes and iterations are local, so you don’t need any additional cloud credits, render coins, or tokens. Get your crumple, start popping, and reiterate as long as it takes.

Where this fits in post and VFX reality

If you spend your day in audio post production inside longform edits, ARA helps most when you do repeated cleanup passes or stem experiments across the same clip. It does not remove the need to listen critically, nor does it guarantee clean separations. It also can’t help when the conversation you are cleaning up is boring, sorry.

It does make the iteration loop less annoying, which is often the difference between doing the careful pass and shipping the first acceptable version. For teams already leaning on demixing audio as a rescue tool for baked mixes, ARA pushes that rescue work closer to normal editing. You stay in the DAW, you compare models faster, and you render results back to track without a side trip to a separate app.

If nothing else, it gives your next Pro Tools session a better chance of staying focused on decisions rather than on file logistics. And yes, it also helps when someone delivers a two-hour planning call with a mystery hum, a chair squeak, and a laugh track that should have stayed in the edit bay.

https://borisfx.com/products/crumplepop/

The post CrumplePop 2026.5 adds ARA, and that’s interesting first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Previously in this Series

1. Getting your bearings: Switching from Premiere to Resolve
2. Switching to Resolve: Your first cut
3. Switching to Resolve: Selects and assembly in Multicam editing
4. Switching to Resolve: Sharing and delivery

Transferring to another editing software can be tough, since we’re already fast and efficient with the current tool. No matter what your reasons for switching are, this and the previous articles will help you to get started in Resolve. We’ve already looked into the basics of the software. How to edit your first video, so in this article, we’ll cover the final steps: delivering your video and sharing and archiving your project files.

Sharing formats and what they do

We already established the differences between the Resolves Project Library-based system and Premiere Pro projects. But how does that affect sharing files? Firstly, it’s good to know that there are different file formats you can share. In Resolve, you can share the whole project (like in Premiere Pro, .drp), share individual Timelines (.drt), or create a DaVinci Resolve Project Archive (.dra). The big Advantage: Resolve offers the flexibility to export only what is needed or to export everything.

Like in Premiere Pro, Project files don’t include the project’s footage. They can be exported by navigating to file > export project, or by using the shortcut strg/cmd + E. Alternatively, they can be exported from the project manager by right-clicking the project and choosing export project. Exporting a project is useful for creating backups, switching devices, or handing the project over to another person.

Very useful and different from Premiere Pro: If you only need to transfer an individual Timeline to another project or to another person, Timeline Export is the thing for you. This also doesn’t include footage. To export the Timeline, go to File > Export > Timeline.

If you’re done with your edit and want to archive it, or if you need to transfer your project with footage to another person, Davinci Resolve Archives can be quite useful. These include the project file with all the timelines and the project’s footage. To export an Archive, open the Project Manager, right-click on the project and choose Export Project Archive.

Reminder: all exported files discussed can not be opened directly. They need to be loaded into a project library first.

Media Management: trimming and packaging media

When handing over a project to another person for grading, effects or sound, they usually need a copy of the footage. This can be annoying when the projects get quite big, and only a few parts of the footage are actually used in the Timeline. In this case, Media Management comes in handy. Media Management offers several options for reducing data when working with large amounts of footage before going on. The Key advantage: this offers flexibility to export only what is needed or to export everything

Navigate to File> Media Management to open the Media Management window. In Media Management, we have the option to export the entire project, selected Timelines, or Clips. For all these options, we can then choose between copying or transcoding the media. When choosing to copy, we had the option to copy all media from the project, copy only used media, or copy used media trimmed with handles.

In the last case, we can decide how many frames from each clip to render before and after each cut. All media will stay in the original file format. Important to know: if there are multiple instances of the same clip, Resolve will subclip them, adding a suffix to the files. When relinking the new footage to the original project, it might not match. In this case, try using the “Relink To New Files” option when working with the trimmed media.

When transcoding, all footage will be transcoded to the same file format. This can be chosen for audio and video individually when transcode is selected, and gives us the same options: use all media, use media, or trim used media. Hit start to create a copy of your Project, Timeline or Clips with your chosen settings to the set destination.

Adding and styling Subtitles

It doesn’t matter whether you’re working on a documentary or on social media clips; subtitles are essential today. Thankfully, Resolve has great options to help you get yours in fast and easy. Firstly, there’s the manual way: To add a subtitle track, right-click on the videotracks header and choose Add Subtitle Track from the menu. After clicking on that track, the Inspector will go into Subtitle Mode and give you the option to manually add a caption by clicking Create Caption.

The style of subtitles can be changed for an individual caption by checking “custom caption” or by switching to the “Track” Tab to customise the whole subtitle track. For fast subtitles, Resolve offers various Subtitle style Presets. To apply one, go to the Effects Panel and open the Titles. Scroll down until you find Subtitles and drag and drop the chosen one onto the subtitle tracks header.

The style will then be applied to the whole track. The little extra when you’re working on social media Clips: There’s a handful of animation presets, which will automatically animate our subtitles directly in Resolve—no need to search for an external tool.

Manual and Automatic Subtitles

I know, typing subtitles manually isn’t really fast. Luckily, Resolve offers the option to generate subtitles from a transcript automatically. Personally, I love this feature, since I most of the time edit from a transcript anyway. To use this, right-click on the timeline > AI tools > auto transcription> transcribe. In this case, the subtitle track doesn’t need to be created before.

In the auto transcription menu, speaker detection is available. When activated, Resolve will automatically detect multiple speakers, which can then be named. After transcribing, a transcription window will open. To create Subtitles from the Transcript, click on the three-dotted menu and choose “create subtitles from audio”. This will save you a lot of time typing, since you only need to check the automatically created subtitles.

Deliver page and rendering.

Once your subtitles are created, it’s finally time to deliver your video, and we’ve got plenty of options to configure how it’s rendered on the Deliver page. The Advantage of Resolve: its encoding engine is integrated into the Deliver page, while Premiere’s companion encoding program, Media Encoder, is an external tool that must be installed and updated separately from Premiere Pro.

When you open the page, you’ll still see our bottom Timeline, but you’ll soon notice it’s not editable here. Still, in-and-out marks can be set. The left side shows all available delivery settings, while the right side shows our render queue.

For a fast render, Resolve offers rendering presets at the top of your Render Settings, e.g., H.264 Master, ProRes422 HQ, YouTube, or Vimeo 1080p. If you don’t want to use presets, you can choose between various Codecs and file formats from the master file, from QuickTime ProRes to a small, lightweight share file with .mp4 h.264 or h.265. Resolve can also be used to deliver advanced formats such as DCPs and Dolby Vision.
The settings to do this are right below the Presets and are split into Video, Audio and File settings.

Entering the Render Queue

When set the way you need, click Add to Render Queue to do exactly that.
Note that there’s no need to create new render jobs when changes are made. Already-added render jobs can be updated by clicking the pen icon in the top-right corner of the render job. It will then be opened in the render settings, where it can be either updated or added as a new job by clicking the button at the bottom.

What I like to point out: the render queue is not project but database-specific. This lets you add render jobs from different projects to one queue. Why is this awesome? It saves me time, since I can work on different projects and hit render at the end of the day. Even better: When working on a network database, everybody can add their render jobs to the render queue, which can be rendered from another powerful computer in the network.

There are three options for exporting the subtitles we’ve created: burned in, embedded in the file, or exported as a separate file. Scroll down to the end of the Render settings to find the Subtitle Settings.

Data burn-in options and where to enable them

Clearly, not every render is a final render straight away. Most of the time, there’s some review loop. To make this easier, burning Data into the render can be very helpful. Resolve offers lots of options for what can be burned into a video. To see them go to Workspace > Data Burn-In.

To select a data type, check the box next to its name. It can then be customised on the right side. After selecting, close the window. The Set Data will automatically be burned into the renderers added after the Data burn-in is set up. To deactivate this, uncheck the boxes in the same menu, or go to advanced settings in Render settings to disable Data burn-in for individual renders.

Creating Dailies with metadata burn-in

If working on a bigger production, rendering dailies might be necessary. For this, burning in metadata is very helpful. Resolve makes it incredibly easy to create dailies due to its built-in colour management, data-burning-in functionality, wide codec compatibility, timecode support and handling of tags and metadata.

To transcode clips for dailies with data burn-in, go to the media pool, right-click on the bin you want to render and choose “create new timeline using selected bin”. With the new Timeline created, go to the deliver page and activate the data burn-in as discussed. This time, the clips should not be rendered as one single clip but individually. To do so, choose Individual Clips at the point render right below the Location Settings.

Creating vertical versions

Since people are often consuming content on smartphones, creating an extra vertical version of your edit might be necessary. Thankfully, Resolve makes this extraordinarily easy.

Before creating your vertical Timeline, make sure you duplicate your Timeline and add _vertical to your title. To change the Timeline Resolution, right-click on your new timeline and choose Timelines > Timeline Settings. In the menu, uncheck the Use Project Settings Checkbox. What I really love is how simple it is to change to vertical Resolution: click the Use vertical resolution checkbox and hit the OK button.

Even though Resolve automatically adapts to the new resolution, some shots in your Timeline might need reframing to keep the object of interest in frame. To do this, the Inspector would be the right place to go. You can either move your shot with the position parameter and keyframe if necessary, or use the smart reframe tool.

This studio version-only tool can be activated by clicking on the AI smart reframe. When clicking the reframe button, Resolve will automatically reframe your shot to fit the frame. If you want, you can manually set a region of interest, which Auto Reframe will try to keep in frame.

Hopefully, with all that said, you’re already a little faster and feel more secure using Resolve instead of Premiere Pro. For more tips and learning materials, check out the DaVinci Resolve Training website, which has books and tutorials on every page.

The post Switching to Resolve: Sharing and delivery first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jana Johnston.

For those who don’t know the tool: DaVinci Resolve is a page-based post suite for edit, grading, VFX, and audio, with collaboration via Blackmagic Cloud. The Studio edition adds higher end finishing and advanced features on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

What beta 2 actually adds

Blackmagic Design turns DaVinci Resolve 21 into a photo app

The Studio installer now includes additional software for remote monitoring, alongside utilities for hardware control panels. It also installs Blackmagic RAW Player and Blackmagic Proxy Generator into the applications folder. On the Photo page, Studio adds direct image capture via tethered cameras from Sony or Canon. Studio also enables using Resolve’s native AI toolset in this workflow, including AI IntelliSearch.

Also: The new Handbook with the new features and their explanations is online: Resolve_21_New_Features_Guide.pdf

Studio leans hard into AI

Studio adds AI IntelliSearch for searching people or objects, plus AI SlateFinder and AI SlateID for detecting slates and populating clip metadata. It also adds AI Speech Generator for turning written text into spoken voice, and AI CineFocus for refocus with bokeh and lens effects.

Studio also imporves AI Face Age Transformer, AI Face Reshaper, and AI Blemish Removal, plus AI UltraSharpen and AI Motion Deblur. Studio lists improved AI UltraNR quality for UHD and higher timelines, and this is where you should test early, because AI fixes can be brilliant right up to the frame where they are not.

Background work and heavier workflows

Studio adds background renders, quick exports and porxy generation, plus background analysis for transcription and audio classification. It also adds support for remote monitoring of Fusion previews, tying the workflow closer to real review patterns on set and in facilities.

For immersive and VR, Studio lists initial VR180 and VR360 standard immersive workflow support, viewing source clips as immersive or viewport, immersive transform controls, and deliver presets for Meta Quest and YouTube. Apple Immersive workflows add foveated rendering support.

Practical warnings, still the same rule

Resolve 21 aims to keep project libraries compatible with Resolve 20.3.2, but projects created or opened in 21 no longer open in 20.3.2. A full project library backup plus individual project backups stays the smart move before opening real jobs.

Pricing stays simple in the available info: the public beta is a free download, and DaVinci Resolve Studio is listed at $295. If you touch the Color page changes, keep your usual discipline: validate scopes, transforms, and deliverables in your own colro pipeline before you call anything production-ready.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20260414-01

The post Blackmagic Design updates Resolve 21 beta 2 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Headshot is a plug-in inside Character Creator 5 for turning photos or head meshes into rigged CC characters that can move on to Autodesk Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and Unity.

Two ways in: photo or mesh

Headshot now sits at version 3 and requires Character Creator 5. The tool targets digital humans built from either a single portrait or an existing 3D head model, with both paths ending in a fully rigged CC character ready for animation work.

The image workflow starts from a facial photo and runs through automatic 3D head generation plus topology and shape refinement, camera lens correction, normal map creation, and texture reprojection. The mesh workflow targets static head models and runs automatic head wrapping, mesh refinement, and texture baking. The same product page frames the mesh workflow as optimized for photogrammetry, sculpted assets, and mobile scanned models.

Both workflows chase the same goal: convert reference into a character that stays on CC topology so facial animation and downstream retargeting behave predictably. That matters more than the marketing word salad, because your rig cares about edge flow, not adjectives.

Image workflow: faster first pass, more knobs after

The image workflow focuses on building a likeness from a single portrait. Headshot 3 adds AI Image Enhancement tools described as head leveling, expression neutralization, lighting correction, stray hair removal, and 4K upscaling, all applied to source photo material used for the head build.

Headshot 3 also adds AI Image Generation, (text to image generation) with portrait images up to 4K resolution and side or full body images up to 2K resolution. AI Image Generation is powered by Google Nano Banana and requires credits for each generation. The same ecosystem also promises you can swap or replace textures after mesh changes, with texture reprojection that updates after mesh modifications.

For anyone who has ever tried to fix a face by nudging ten sliders and then regretted it on frame 180, Headshot 3 adds preset driven morphing on top. The version has 58 facial presets intended to enhance depth and highlight unique features, with an adjustable slider for fine tuning per applied preset. This is the part to pressure test early. New tools and innovations should be tested before use in production, especially when your deliverable lives or dies on a tight closeup.

Mesh workflow: wrap, sculpt, and keep topology honest

The mesh workflow centers on converting a static head model into a fully rigged CC character using head wrapping, refinement, and baking. It is positioned for turning scans and sculpts into animation ready characters while keeping CC topology.

Headshot 3 adds a spline based reshaper that supports portrait and profile views for alignment of features such as double eyelids and nasolabial folds, described as enabling more accurate facial animation. As well as Bezier controls for refining front and side profiles, with granular adjustment aimed at eyelid structures, mouth curves, and the flow of laugh lines when used with CC5 characters.

Texture work also gets more explicit tooling. The forum post describes a De light function that removes shadows and highlights to produce a clean albedo texture and can generate roughness and normal maps automatically for a full PBR texture set. It also brings a 3D mask brush for removing unwanted blemishes and photo artifacts such as stray hair or eyelashes, with edits on selected texture channels or across all channels at once.

Body matching and the bigger character pipeline

Headshot 3 pushes beyond the head with body matching. The launch post describes using full body reference photos so the AI automatically generates a matching body shape to complement the face, producing a cohesive character build that is fully rigged and ready for animation within the Character Creator 5 ecosystem.

On the promo side, that means a single workflow aims to move from reference to a complete character rather than a floating head. On the pipeline side, it means you still need to verify your own handoff points like shading conventions, texture packing, and how far the exported result matches your studio standards for facial rigs and blendshape naming.

If you are tracking internal workflow topics, this release lands squarely in character animation and the places where facial rigs meet real production schedules. It also sits close to mocap cleanup, since a fast character build only helps if the face holds up once you start driving it.

Again, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production. Do the boring tests now so you do not do the expensive ones later.

Pricing, promos, and what is actually specified

There is an Early Bird Offer running April 27 through May 31 and it includes Headshot Morphs 1400 plus valued at $99 and 100 AI Image Gen Credits valued at $30. It lists a starter package for Character Creator 5 at $329 from $498, Headshot 3 at $129 from $199 as a member special, and an upgrade price of $99 for Headshot 2 customers.All prices are for Windows perpetual licenses.

New users can purchase Headshot 2 for $129 as a special offer and get Headshot 3 free at launch, and that Headshot 1 and 2 owners can upgrade to Headshot 3 for $99 starting on launch day. The early bird offer runs until May 31st, 2026.

If you plan to lean on AI Image Generation, remember the product page also states it requires credits for each generation. Test the workflow, confirm what consumes credits in your actual use, and validate liekness under your lighting and animation range before you commit it to a client deliverable.

https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/headshot/

https://discussions.reallusion.com/t/headshot-3-is-coming-pre-launch-offer-live-now/16736

The post Reallusion ships Headshot 3 for CC5 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

You’ve managed to get your footage into Resolve and create your first cut. But what if your project gets a little more complex? When recording Interviews with more than one camera, you’ll probably be looking for the easiest way to synchronise and edit your footage. For this reason, we’re going to take a look at working with timecode and multicam editing, as well as levelling your audio, refining your Clips, and adding Titles in Davinci Resolve Studio.

Previously in this series

1. Getting your bearings: Switching from Premiere to Resolve
2. Switching to Resolve: Your first cut
3. Switching to Resolve: Selects and assembly in Multicam editing
4. Switching to Resolve: Sharing and delivery

Working with timecode for your Interviews

When recording with multiple cameras, timecode is a useful tool for synchronising multiple recording devices for easier post-production. Even though they are popular, many cameras don’t support timecode recording. For this reason, it is possible to use external devices like Tentacle Syncs to record timecode via the camera’s audio input and store it on the audio track.

When opening files in Resolve, I usually like to scrub through footage to get a first impression. Recording timecode on the audio track is a mistake. Why? The time code on the audio track sounds horrible and loud! To fix this and get a usable timecode track, there’s an easy way. In the mediapool or mediapool panel, right-click on the clip, then navigate to Audio Sync and choose Update Timecode from Audio Track. This will update the video’s timecode to the one recorded on the audiotrack.

If you’re combining cameras that can record timecode with those that can’t, that’s no problem. Resolve supports embedded timecode as well as audio timecode.

Fixing interview audio channels

Now that we’ve got our time code right, it’s time to take a look at our clips’ audio. Often when working in a multicamera setup, I get multiple mono-audios from interviews recorded on one camera. Resolve might interpret these as a single stereotrack rather than individual mono-tracks. To fix this, right-click the Clip and select Clip Attributes. In the now open menu, go to Audio. To change your Stereo track into mono tracks, click on stereo at format and set it to mono, and when you want to set the source for that channel, choose the wanted audio at Source Channel.

To add a new track, choose your format below the top menu under Format, then set the number of tracks to add under Tracks. Then click Add. This can be configured like before.

Building Multicam: Two Ways to get started

After getting the audio settings right, it’s time to build the multicam edit. Resolve offers two options for setting up your multicam source timeline: manually or automatically. If you choose to set up the multicam source manually, it should be familiar to you if you’re switching from Premiere Pro. Start by creating a new Timeline and adding your footage with the different angles on different videotracks. To sync the footage, highlight it, then right-click and choose Auto Align Clips.

In the now-open window, choose whether to sync with timecode or waveform, then hit Sync.

Personally, I like to use option two: letting Resolve handle multicam creation for me. To do this, I like to set some metadata first. In the Media page, highlight all Clips from one camera angle and open the shot and scene Metadata from the Metadata Panel.

At Angle, define what to name your Camera Angle. To make your Multicam source more structured, do this for all your multicam camera angles. If you don’t want to name your Angles, you can skip this part, and the Angles will be named as the Clips.

When all your footage is correctly tagged, right-click the footage bin and choose Create multicam using selected Bin.

In the window that opens, choose whether to sync the angles by Timecode. To choose the angle name set before the Metadata Angle, choose Metadata – Angle from Angle Name. What I do like is the option ‘Detect clips from the same camera’. When you check this checkbox, Resolve will place clips from the same camera in a single videotrack instead of creating multiple tracks when working with multiple clips from the same camera.

With everything set to your liking, click Create to let Resolve automatically create your multicam source timeline.

Multicam editing basics

Now we’re ready to start editing. Firstly, create a new Timeline to edit your Interview into. When double-clicking the multicam source, it opens in the source viewer, just like a normal clip. You’ll notice that instead of one big image, you’ll see multiple angles, depending on the number of tracks in your source Timeline. When first opened in the Source Viewer, it will be set to Source Mode, which lets you use your insert methods as usual. By clicking on an angle, you can choose which one will be active when inserting into the Timeline.

Since this is only a first assembly, it’s normal that some of the angles need to be switched afterwards. To do so, you’ve got two options. If you do remember which camera is which angle, simply right-click on the clip in the timeline and choose Switch Multicam Clip Angle. It’s a quick way but doesn’t give you any visual information of the angle you’re choosing.

For this reason, I most times prefer to use option two: setting the source viewer to multicam mode. To do so, click on the filmstrip below the Source Viewer to open its menu. Choose Multicam from the appearing options. Now here comes the irritating part when switching from Premiere, since it’s exactly the opposite of what you’re used to: to switch the angle, use Alt / Opt + click on the new angle, to set a new cut, only click on the new angle.

When switching angles, I often want to stay with one audio track rather than switching between video and audio. This can be easily done by clicking on one of the matching icons below the source viewer: the film strip for just video, the musical notes for just audio and the combination for both. Once chosen, this will stay until you click on another option.

Lastly, I want to point out one feature I learned about way too late. Ever had the need to not just mark an individual point in your timeline but a whole duration? No problem. If you want to give a specific title to one part of your interview for fast editing, you can use a duration marker. For this, set an in-out range for the wanted duration, right-click and choose convert in and out to duration markers. Just like with usual markers, Name, Notes, Keywords and Colour can be added when double clicking on the marker.

Interview Trimmed Workflow: getting rid of gaps

The soundbites in the Timeline are only our starting point. To refine the interviews, you might want to eliminate some gaps. An easy way to do this is by using the waveform to identify gaps first and then simply cutting before and after the gap using the blade. The found gap can then be deleted using backspace.

A note: when using backspace, Resolve will leave the gap empty. If you want to ripple delete and let Resolve close the gap for you, you’ll need to use the delete key instead. You’re deleting lots of silence in the middle of clips and have lots of gaps? Try navigating to Edit in the top menu and choosing ” delete gaps to let Resolve close all the gaps for you.

If the gap is at the start or end of the clip, a quick way to remove it is to ripple. By hovering over the clip near an edit point, a ripple icon will appear, showing which side of the edit point will be rippled. Note that it makes a difference whether you’re in Selection Mode or Trim Edit Mode. When using the ripple in Selection Mode, it will leave a gap that you’ll need to close manually with the delete key if desired. When using ripple in Trim Edit mode, the clip will be shortened and the rest of the clips will move to close the gap.

If you like to replay your footage and combine this with deleting gaps, Trimming start and end with shortcuts could be the way for you: Simply play to the point the gap starts and press Shift + [ to Trim from the start of the clip to the playhead and  Shift + ] to trim from the playhead to the end of the clip. Note that Trim Start and Trim End will ripple if you are in Trim Edit Mode. If you want your gap closed directly in Selection Mode, you can use cmd or ctrl + shift + [ or ] to ripple trim the start or end. 

Making shortcuts work in Multicam

When deleting gaps, you might note that, depending on whether your keyboard has [] or not, these might need to be reassigned. When using some non-English keyboards, you might notice that certain shortcuts aren’t fully optimised yet. This will hopefully be improved soon. To assign the needed shortcuts, go to Davinci Resolve > Keyboard Customisation or press Ctrl/cmd + alt + K. You’ve now opened the space where you can see which Shortcuts are assigned and what operations are assignable.

Personally, I love this Window, since it also offers a visual way to explore existing and possible shortcuts. To assign the Trim Start to a shortcut, type Trim Start into the search field in the lower right. Enter the new shortcut after double-clicking on the existing keystroke. When the shortcut is already assigned to something else on the same page, Resolve will give you a warning before overwriting. To save your custom keyboard, go to the three-dotted menu in the top right and choose Save as new Preset.

Structuring the Timeline

With the cleaned-up Timeline, it’s usually a good point to make a backup of the work done until now. This can be done by duplicating the Timeline, just like in Premiere Pro. To do this, go to the Media Pool Panel and right-click on Timeline. Then choose Duplicate Timeline or copy and paste into the Media Pool Panel. Don’t forget to rename the timeline with an up-counting number to keep track.

Extra tip: When right-clicking the now-obsolete version, you can deactivate the timeline by clicking Deactivate Timeline. This will make sure it can not be opened until reactivated. I do like this option, since it prevents me from accidentally working in the wrong Timeline. Especially when working with multiple people in a shared project, this keeps us all from accidentally working in different versions. The Deactivated Timeline will be marked with a crossed-out eye symbol.

Opening the new Timeline, it’s probably a good idea to add some extra structure to make our lives easier in the future. One way to start is to colour-code parts of the interview differently, depending on their content. To change the colour of a clip in the Timeline, right-click the clip and select Clip Colour. From the opening submenu, choose a colour you like. If you like to work with colour coding you’ll be happy to hear that shortcuts can be assigned to all the colours in the Keyboard customisation window.

Sometimes it can also help to elevate powerful comments to higher video tracks. To do this without accidentally moving a clip some frames, use opt/alt + up or opt/alt + down to move a clip up or down a track.

Quick balancing Audio

It’s time to add some music. Most times, the added music is way louder than our current interview. The quick fix for this should be familiar to you when switching from Premiere Pro. Firstly, highlight all the interview clips in the Timeline. Then right-click on them and go to Normalize Audio Levels.

The now open menu gives you different options of Normalization Modes and the possibility to enter a Target Level of your choice. Important to note is the Set Level option. If you want to normalise multiple clips with an already constant audio level, Relative is the option you want to choose, since it analyses as if all the clips were one. If you want to bring clips with different starting levels to one target level, Independent would be the best choice.

Using Normalisation is a fast way to level the music and the interview to reach a good starting point. We’re going to take a look at some more advanced ways later.

Pulling B-roll into the interview timeline with Auto Track Selector

Since we can now see and hear our interview, it’s time to get some b-roll in, possibly without destroying everything established before. To do so it’s a good idea to lock the tracks we don’t want to be influenced by what we’re doing next. This can be done by clicking on the lock in the track header.

There are also other options for influencing which track is used when inserting footage. The track selector is the tool to define on which track the footage will be inserted. The blue rectangle represents the source clip and indicates which track is the one on which footage will be inserted in from the source viewer or media pool. If it is deactivated, it’s not possible to insert any footage. These are independent for audio and video.

Refining and Titles

Some added shots might need a bit of refinement. In addition to what we already looked at in the inspector in the last article, there’s one more feature you won’t find in Premiere Pro: Dynamic Zoom. When activated in the inspector, it will add motion to your clip by zooming between sets of frames. To define the start and end framing, open the drop-down menu in the bottom-left corner of the Timeline viewer and choose Dynamic zoom.

The start framing will be indicated by the green rectangle, and the end framing by the red rectangle. These can be moved and scaled freely, making not only easy zooming, but also panning possible really fast. To define whether the movement should be Linear or have ease in or out, go to the inspector and choose from the Dynamic Zoom dropdown menu. By default, it’s set to Linear. To change the direction of movement, use the Swap button.

If you want to add some speedraming, Resolve offers a Keyframe Editor, which can be found in the top-left corner near the Media Pool Panel. This offers the option to keyframe lots of parameters from Transformation, Cropping, Composite, Lense Correction and Speed and might look familiar to what you’re used to from Premiere Pro. Add keyframes by clicking on the keyframe symbol at the parameter you want to edit.

To change the Clip speed, go to the Inspector and set your speed at Speed Change. To visually see your speed ramp, click on the curve icon in the top left of the keyframe Editor. The Keyframes and changes are now shown in curves, which can be edited by clicking and dragging. If you want to add an ease in or out, click on one of the options at the top of the Panel to add handles, which then can be manually edited.

After all your visuals are set, it’s time to finish the audio. To add some dynamics, we can duck the music either manually with keyframes or using Resolve’s auto ducker. To add keyframes to our music, I start by increasing the audio track height. Keyframes can then be added either by Alt/Option + clicking on the line in the audio clip in the Timeline, like in Premiere Pro, or by clicking on the keyframe symbol in the inspector’s Audio tab at Volume, when the audio Clip is selected.

Alternatively, Resolve’s Ducker can be used. This can be found in the inspector as well, but only when the whole audio track is selected, since it can only be applied to the entire track. To do so, click on the music tracks header. In the Ducker menu, set the Source to whatever Track you want your music to duck to and define how much and how fast the ducker should attack.

Lastly, you might want to add a Title to your video. Resolve has various Title options available in the Effects panel. What I love about these: they can be live-previewed like clips and transitions before applying. Once added to the Timeline, Titles can be adjusted in the inspector like all other effects. Pro Tip for future editing: In addition to standard Titles, fusion Titles are available. These can be used as normal Titles, but can also be adjusted further in the fusion page if needed.

Your Video should now be ready for delivery. For tips on getting your video ready for different distribution platforms and rendering it fast and easily, stay tuned for the next article.

The post Switching to Resolve: Selects and Assembly in Multicam editing first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jana Johnston.