Adobe ships Color mode as a dedicated color workspace inside Premiere Pro beta. It uses a streamlined layout that maximizes the Color monitor, reduces on-screen clutter, and adds dedicated color panels that only appear in Color mode.

Colour mode centres the experience around three pieces: the Colour monitor for evaluation, a Clip Grid for picking shots quickly, and a Colour Controls panel for doing the actual work. The intent reads as editorial-first grading: jump between shots fast, make decisions with the image front and centre, and keep the toolset close to what you already do in an NLE.

Color mode switches the monitor between a sequence view for checking the timeline and a clip view for focusing on a single shot. It also adds a Solo mode that temporarily disables overlays and composited elements so you can judge adjustments without extra layers muddying the view.

The new workspace design lands alongside a clear compatibility message. The Lumetri effect remains available in the beta Effects panel and stays supported. Existing projects and Lumetri grades keep their expected look. The Lumetri panel itself no longer appears in the beta UI, and Lumetri changes move to the Effects Controls panel.

Clip Grid turns your sequence into a grading playlist

The Clip Grid presents clips from the active sequence as thumbnails for quick selection. It supports filtering, sorting, and grouping to keep large timelines manageable while you grade. It also includes view controls that change between a row style layout and a multi-row grid so you can either stay focused on a short run of shots or see more of the cut at once.

Color Controls and Operations aim at repeatable grades

The Color Controls panel acts as the hub for adjustments to the currently selected clip in the Clip Grid. It organises colour operations applied to that clip, and it frames each operation as equivalent to a layer or node of colour tool modifications. That puts grade-building blocks front and centre, with a structure that can scale from quick balancing to more involved looks.

Color mode also introduces an Operations system for grade management, positioned as part of the new experience alongside the interface and control set. Operations appear as the mechanism for managing grades across clips, groups, and sequences.

Color mode also leans heavily on feedback. Many controls activate a heads-up display that combines scopes, numeric feedback, and real-time visual guidance. The goal is to help you understand what a control does while you drag it, instead of making you guess and undo your way back to safety.

That HUD concept matters because many controls are bi-directional. One axis adjusts one parameter and the other axis adjusts a second parameter. There is also a modifier for precise single-axis moves. Each control can surface its own on-screen feedback as you work.

If you already live in scopes, the pitch is simple: fewer trips to separate panels, more continuous feedback while you push the image. If you are newer to grading, the design tries to teach you by making the response visible and measurable while you move.

New controls: from contrast to zones to hue isolation

Color mode adds a set of new control groups and built-in styles and modules. On the adjustment side, the control set includes contrast with contrast and pivot, exposure with exposure and black level, temperature with temperature and tint, balance for shifting color balance, saturation, and a Detail section that covers texture and sharpness. Texture offers global, single, or multi-band detail. Sharpness includes radius and threshold controls, plus blur.

There is a Zones section that grades the whole image globally or isolates grades into shadow zones and highlight zones. Shadow zones and highlight zones support multiple preset zones and custom zones, letting you target darker or brighter parts of the image with separate adjustments.

There is also a Color Shift section with Sat Shift, Hue Shift, and Lum Shift. These controls focus on specific hues, letting you change saturation, hue direction, and brightness for a selected hue range. Automatic Hue Isolation surfaces prominent hues from the image for faster selection, and it also supports an eyedropper plus a full RGB spectrum picker for manual targeting.

Styles and Modules show up as built-in starting points. The system includes modules such as Film Color, Contrast Kit, and Flare, plus style presets such as Cinematic Contrast, Varied Temp, Varied Lighting, Varied Sat, and Monochrome. There is also a Make Your Own path that combines modules to build custom styles.

Color management: SDR and HDR workflows in the same mode

Color mode links directly into the application color management system. It supports workflows that include Direct Rec. 709 SDR and Wide Gamut Tone Mapped. It also supports SDR and HDR output formats including Rec. 709 and Rec. 2100.

Wide Gamut Tone Mapped has more flexibility when adjusting images. Tone mapping aims to create smoother highlight and shadow roll-off, with the benefit of easier exposure and color adjustments without clipping.

There are also updated tone-mapping and gamut-compression settings for handling SDR media and graphics. An advanced option called Apply Inverse Tone Mapping and Gamut Compression targets accuracy when working across mixed media formats. But never change the working color space mid-workflow, since switching after adjustments can alter the appearance of the grade and force extra refinement.

This is the part that can make or break the experience in real projects. Colour management should behave consistently across cameras, codecs, and delivery targets, or editors will revert to what they trust.

Some workflows will still need careful validation on your own media, especially mixed camera jobs and sequences that move between SDR and HDR deliverables. Test new tools and innovations before use in production, and verify the pipeline from ingest to export with footage that matches your real work.

Plans, beta access, and what it costs

Color mode is included in the Premiere beta and it comes with any Creative Cloud plan that includes Premiere, with no additional cost for the feature itself. The beta installs through the Creative Cloud desktop app. New users can start with a 7-day free trial of Premiere. The official product page also states that the Premiere single app plan starts at US$22.99 per month for an annual plan billed monthly. Pricing changes by plan and region…

https://www.adobe.com/de/products/premiere/color-mode.html

The post Adobe brings Color mode to Premiere beta first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the companies: Flanders Scientific builds reference monitors for finishing and delivery, now sitting nearer to Atomos on-camera staples like Ninja and Shinobi with fewer excuses for the grade to surprise you.

The financial stuff

A Share Purchase Agreement is signed to buy 100 percent of the issued capital of Dan Desmet & Associates, Inc., doing business as Flanders Scientific, Inc. The purchase price splits into upfront consideration plus an earn-out, with the longer-term portion tied to ongoing business operation and performance. Completion is subject to settlement of a recently approved $10 million business finance facility and other customary conditions precedent. Completion is expected to occur by the end of May 2026. The new loan facility comes from Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Part of the proceeds fund the acquisition. Funds also go toward product development acceleration, increased inventory holdings, and general working capital for both businesses.

What changes and what stays stubborn

Flanders Scientific will continue to operate as a distinct brand within the buyer’s family. There is no change to product philosophy, engineering approach, or the standards professionals rely on. That matters because reference displays live and die by trust. The plan also leans on distribution and support. Expanded infrastructure and regional presence are a way to serve markets that historically have been harder to reach for FSI, while maintaining support for the existing professional user base

For working folks, the takeaway is mMore of the monitor mountain is now intended to sit under one roof, from on-camera and on-set viewing through postproduction finishing and final delivery checks. If that becomes reality in products and support, it can reduce the number of vendor handoffs that usually show up as last-minute surprises.

NAB booths, and the awkwardly fun part

Both brands are slated to appear at NAB Show 2026, with separate booths listed and product cross-pollination mentioned across the two locations. One brand is in Central Hall at booth C4731. The other is in North Hall at booth N1827. Oh well, even more walkies necessary :)

https://www.atomos.com/2026/04/07/flanders-scientific-aquisition/

https://company-announcements.afr.com/asx/ams/8455008b-36c0-11f1-bf92-ee5d5bcb84e7.pdf

The post Atomos buys Flanders Scientific first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Nobe OmniScope gets Live Pack for on-set and live monitoring

Well, this exhaustive set of visualisation tools for all kinds of technical parameters in video and audio could always be used for live sources. But until now, any DIT couldn’t get very far if he/she needed to do some real-time grading on a film set or for a live broadcast. Yes, there is Resolve Live, but it’s rather limited. Time in Pixels has recently added the „Live Pack“ to Nobe OmniScope (NOS for short), which integrates with Pomfort’s Livegrade 7, as reported by DP on March 11th. By now, we have driven it through its paces.

Why not Resolve Live?

Even the free version of Davinci Resolve (DR for short) has this feature, which allows some live grading. But it seems a bit like walking into a store and looking for a product that has not been asked for in a while. Some salesperson may say: „Oh, I remember, it must be somewhere in that lowest drawer down in the corner“. Resolve Live is limited to a single input device, even with more than one unit connected you can’t change that. So, for several cameras your (physical) desktop would soon have computers piling up.

And then, you need to set the timeline precisely to the right frame rate and resolution for both timeline and monitoring, i.e. both the input device and the monitoring one must support the same resolution. If not, you won’t see anything, DR will not tell you the parameters of the incoming signal. It’ll just tell you to match whatever there might be. If you want to work in UHD, for example, but monitor your colors on a calibrated screen in HD with a cheaper interface, that won’t happen with Resolve Live. It’s normally not a problem if you don’t use the live feature.

Once you have developed a LUT, save and export it, then move it to your LUT box or camera and load it there. Not really a smooth process in the heat of production, and Blackmagic Design (BM for short) doesn’t seem to care much about adding any features to Resolve Live recently. Nevertheless, NOS can connect to it and deliver the signal to its scopes with very low latency by direct GPU access, and you can feed a Rec. 709 signal, even to monitors which don’t load a LUT, while working on log sources from the DIT cart. Scaling the output for an HD device is easily achieved with NOS. Don’t forget to exit from Resolve Live when done, since most of Resolve’s non-grading features are disabled while it’s running.

Why Pomfort Livegrade?

The whole toolset by Pomfort is a well-establised suite of software for the film and broadcast business, and Livegrade is their solution for real-time grading and look preparation. While it always had its own scopes, they are not as sophisticated and flexible as those in NOS. Livegrade can work with multiple sources, both cameras or references. Live grading for up to 4 cameras can be handled directly, but more than 20 can be controlled by loading LUTs into external LUT boxes, or into some cameras via Ethernet. All of this can be handled right from the software (full details here).

Looks developed here can also be exported as a CDL for dailies or post. Integration with NOS is currently limited to two live slots, but Pomfort is encouraging users to contact them if they need more, so they may be working on extending this number. Quote: „For workflows that require more OmniScope streams, extended configurations can be evaluated on request.“ NOS lists the slots you have prepared just like any other source, while both apps run concurrently. No wiring or additional interfaces needed. So, no extra cost, bad connections or latency introduced, since Direct GPU access is also applied to the signals from Livegrade 7. 

Configuration and Performance

NOS is highly optimized and still running pretty well on older machines. We tried it on a 2017 iMac, which is based on Intel and can’t run any system newer than Ventura (MacOS 13). It can support 2 HD sources and 7 Instruments without fully saturating the GPU, an AMD Radeon Pro 580 (see title). The older interfaces for HD, the UltraStudio Mini Recorder and Monitor, can be found cheaply on the second-hand market and that large screen and its design are still looking good. Maybe you got one waiting for resurrection?

Of course, it’s no match for modern Apple silicon. We tortured a Mac mini M4 Pro with 15 instruments, one source in HD and the other in UHD, and it didn’t break a sweat. GPU load was no more than 60%, most CPU cores were idle, and it used less than 4 GB of RAM. It’s absolutely credible that a Mac mini M2 Pro with 16 GB, as recommended by the author, will be plenty. All of this was tested without scaling or any of the performance options activated, but all the demanding QC features were running. Without all of the latter and some of the performance optimisations, even a Mac mini M1 with 8 GB will do. Nevertheless, you may want a Mac Studio to get more Thunderbolt ports if you need to connect more interfaces. Now, why don’t we mention any PC here, when there is NOS for Windows? (see here for hardware needs).

Well, the other component of today’s review is Mac-only, even Apple Silicon, for that matter. Minimum OS is Sequoia (15) or Tahoe (26). And then, you’ll need the latest Desktop Video driver by BM (15.3.1) for any of their compatible interfaces. There were some reports of installation issues in the forums with recent versions on macOS, but we didn’t experience any of them. It seems that you just have to watch and follow the messages popping up to give the additional components access rights under Apple’s overprotective mother, called an operating system.

All together now …

Once everything is up and running, both apps coexist nicely on our single machine, with Livegrade also just sipping on system resources, both regarding cores and RAM at about 500 MB. Finally, the installer for NOS is quite sleek at not much over 400 MB. The highly flexible and easily configured GUI of NOS can even co-exist nicely with Livegrade on one ultrawide screen like ours. Of course, you can also move the apps to two separate ones. And then, other than by DR, the parameters of incoming signals are detected by either app automatically once you have chosen the interface. You can even get an output in HD from UHD by NOS, so it’s a software issue in DR.

Latency

We measured latency using a 100 fps recording of a TC display, with 50 fps over the whole chain from the lens to the source display in Resolve Live or NOS, so the precision should be +/- 10 milliseconds. After slowing the recording down to 50 fps, we were stepping through the footage and observed the change of the frame numbers. The camera’s LCD was already about 40-50 ms late, but at that point, we don’t know if this is caused by processing in the camera or the display.

Display in Resolve Live was some 80-90 ms late, which includes hardware latency in the DeckLink card, of course. The value via Livegrade was a tad slower, like around 90 ms. The display in NOS via direct GPU access appeared about 10 ms later than in Livegrade, demonstrating the efficiency of that approach. The new focusing aids by coloured or isolated edges felt quite usable, not at all as if wading through molasses, like on systems with too much latency.

Recently Added Features

Support for multiple sources and the helpful Input Strip were already celebrated in DP last year, but now you can also record sources to disk in 720 or 1080 HD, either as H.264 or H.265 in an MP4 wrapper, or the two lighter versions of ProRes in MOV. These recordings are perfect for generating proxies for later editing. Most video speeds are already recorded correctly at constant frame rates; only those pesky fractional rates for the NTSC world are still showing VFR. But the author is aware and working on a fix. Even with 3 recordings running in the background, the GPU load didn’t climb to more than 70%.

New Instruments

There is even a new instrument, the Hectorscope, named after colourist Hector Berrebi. It enables you to examine your shot in 3D, with two dimensions representing the image and the third showing brightness. This is great for checking your shadows for noise or color casts. Loudness metering for the two established broadcast standards in audio, namely EBU R128 and ATSC A/85, is another recent addition. While SDI or HDMI output is already on board, recently the author has added Web Remote output as a very early alpha demo preview. The list of smaller, but nevertheless useful features added would literally fill several pages. Does that guy ever sleep?

Any Shortcomings?

There are only minor issues, like LiveGrade not being able to switch between SDI and HDMI sources. You’ll need to use BM’s Desktop Video Setup to do that, while NOS is handling such tasks in its own GUI. The GUI of Livegrade is less flexible than that of NOS, and it has rather coarse tooltips, whereas those by NOS are very detailed. When disconnecting a source in Livegrade, it’s still not available elsewhere; you’ll need to quit the software first. Both apps recognise and display incoming formats, but you’ll need to switch shortly between sources in Livegrade to see the new values if the source’s parameters have changed. Finally, if you quit only one of the apps and start it again, things can get messed up.

Documentation

Both apps have complete online manuals, including video tutorials. Some of the tutorials for Time in Pixels were made together with Daria Fissoun, who is also a specialist for DaVinci Resolve and explains the use of most of those scopes very well here. And then, the changelog for NOS is excellent, far better than many others; it leaves nothing unclear. If you’d like to dig even deeper, head over to Tektronix and read about the basics and scopes as artistic tools. Their hardware scopes, which used to be expensive marvels of engineering, can be found for a few hundred Euro second-hand now, left far behind by software like NOS. Their learning resources are still valid, though.

Commentary

Nobe OmniScope is getting better with every update and works fine both with LiveGrade and Resolve Live. Unfortunately, while being free, the latter is quite limited and not even really stable. We have experienced stalls when simply trying to add a node while Resolve Live was running.

Livegrade 7 is not cheap at over 1.000 € per year, but it’s stable and does what it promises. You can get a 10-day temporary license for 179,- € if you just need it for a single project.

OTOH, the Live Pack for NOS is a steal at its introductory price of 85,- € if you already own OmniScope Pro, and it’s a lifetime license. After the introduction ends, it is 128 €, which still is cheap for a tool of that magnitude. NOS itself is a subscription, but a fair one: it won’t stop functioning; you just won’t get updates anymore if you stop paying. You can even reactivate your subscription later.

The post Nobe OmniScope is a Live Act now! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.

Kraken is a Norwegian sci-fi thriller that moves between majestic fjord landscapes, industrial fish farms, studio interiors, LED-volume stages and CG-heavy underwater sequences. From a grading perspective, the main challenge was maintaining visual continuity while allowing each environment to retain its own identity.

The main priority for senior colourist Dylan Hopkin was establishing a strong, consistent foundational look across the film. “A good grade always serves the story and characters first,” he says. “What I do should be almost invisible. My colouring shouldn’t draw attention to itself.” Before the main grade began, Hopkin worked on teasers and the main trailer, a process that helped the team prepare for the actual movie, he explains. “But teasers and trailers are commercials for the film. The looks don’t always translate directly once you see scenes in their full context.”

Hopkin walks through a selection of scenes from the film, explaining how he approached colour, contrast and continuity, and how DaVinci Resolve was used to solve specific creative and technical challenges.

A bit about Kraken

Kraken (2026) is a Norwegian monster action feature directed by Pål Øie and produced by Nordisk Film Production AS, with Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods also credited on IMDb. It was shot on location around the Sognefjord and included studio work in Finland.

The story follows marine biologist Johanne, sent to investigate a salmon farm near Vangsnes after two teenagers die and strange phenomena suggest something huge is moving in the fjord depths.

Establishing a foundational look for Kraken

The main weight of the grade was creating a robust foundational look, which effectively became a bespoke show LUT implemented as a fixed node tree. From there, I focused on what each image already had to offer. I looked at dominant hues, how practical light flowed through the frame, what the most important part of the image was, and what the director and DP wanted the audience to feel. From that analysis, I usually get a gut feeling for how to adapt the image.

I try to be as respectful as possible towards the cinematography. What’s captured in front of the lens creates the DNA of the look. Creating appropriate tonal contrast so images sit right is a big part of grading. I do that using custom curves, DCTLs or different DRTs in Resolve, depending on the material. Shaping light is also critical. I rely heavily on windows, tracking and Magic Mask [more on which later] to guide the audience’s eye, in much the same way as dodge-and-burn techniques in still photography.

Maintaining continuity across scenes

This is one of the most challenging aspects of grading. I prefer to choose as few reference images as possible per scene and match everything else against them.

It’s also important to commit to a consistent set of tools. I often use colour-space-aware tools for exposure and white balance, such as Resolve’s HDR Grade tool, because the maths is very clean and respects the source material. Another approach I use is working in linear gamma with gain for exposure and white balance. The key is consistency.

Once shot-by-shot balancing is done, I use the Group Post-Clip node tree for scene-wide corrections. On Kraken, colour management was handled manually in a DaVinci YRGB project using nodes and input DCTLs. For animated features, I usually prefer ACEScct, but for live action, I still like a more hands-on approach.

Fjord landscapes

For the fjord exteriors, the goal was to keep foliage and skies natural but present. I relied heavily on the Tetra2 DCTL by Juanjo L. Salazar to tweak foliage hues, with very clean results. I also used the ColorSlice tool to add subtle density to greens without flattening highlights. Cloud texture in the skies was preserved through contrast control rather than saturation.

Kraken is the first Scandinavian feature film to be graded in Dolby Vision for theatrical release! For this additional version, Hopkin graded two days on Resolve with an advanced panel in Dolby’s reference theatre in London’s Soho. “It was an amazing experience: next level cinema,” says Hopkin.

Fish farm control room

The fish farm control room needed to feel grimy and industrial, in contrast to the high-tech control screens. It was shot in a studio with exterior views created using an LED volume, allowing precise control of time-of-day lighting while maintaining accurate reflections.

After establishing the base look, I added a subtle amount of green using primary offsets, similar to printer lights. That small adjustment added grit and helped sell the environment.

Fish farm exteriors: day and night

The fish farm exteriors had a weathered, oily quality with plenty of patina. Daylight scenes were graded with softer contrast and a colder Nordic feel.

At night, sodium vapour lighting dominated. I pushed the blacks deeper to add more bite and reinforce the industrial mood.

Kraken Underwater sequences and transitions

Underwater shots varied significantly, combining live action, CG, day-for-night and fully stylised sequences. Most daylight underwater scenes leaned green-cyan, while nighttime scenes moved more towards blue.

There were exceptions. During the nighttime kraken attack, surface lighting mixed strong sodium vapour with cooler sources. When submerged and looking up, I pushed highlights towards orange to connect the underwater shots to the surface action.

For shots moving between above and below the surface, I used keyframed grades in dynamic nodes to animate colour transitions. The HDR Grade tool, offset controls and hue-vs-hue curves were central here.

Submerged luxury restaurant

The submerged luxury restaurant was shot in a studio using an LED volume. I compressed the colour palette slightly using hue-vs-hue, managed saturated skin tones with hue-vs-sat, and controlled saturation depth with ColorSlice. The aim was restraint, keeping the environment immersive without overpowering performance.

In the restaurant, some wide shots suffered from LED moiré. I analysed which colour channels were affected and used a splitter-combiner node structure with Color Compressor, Debanding OFX and subtle directional blur, applied via qualifiers and masks.

Fish farm attack and fog

During the early evening fish farm attack, the Scandinavian light was at its best. I added subtle warmth along horizon lines and introduced fog behind Johanne using Cinematic Haze OFX.

I used Resolve’s masking tools and planar tracker to lock haze masks in place, excluding mountain silhouettes with HSL qualifiers. In total, I added fog and haze to around 40 shots.

In one canoe sequence, several shots lacked fog entirely. I tested Cinematic Haze, showed the results to the director, DP and producers, and ended up completing the remaining shots.

I like the control Cinematic Haze offers: finding the right depth-map sweet spot first, then adjusting airlight, density and resolution loss.

Laboratory bioluminescence

In the lab scenes, a green bioluminescent liquid needed to feel more prominent. I qualified the bioluminescence, added Add Flicker OFX for a smooth pulse, and used ColorSlice to push subtractive saturation into the green hue.

Red alert and the nighttime finale of Kraken

The red-alert sequence marked a deliberate escalation. This was the first nighttime attack on the fish farm, and the images needed to feel crisper and more aggressive than earlier scenes. Saturation increased due to intense red warning lights, but it was important to keep those colours under control. I relied on the Sat-vs-Sat curve to keep the reds vivid without tipping into a digital look, with gamut-mapping used where appropriate.

In the nighttime finale, Johanne leaves the fish farm by boat before the sequence cuts to day-for-night material. From that point on, the scene had to be transformed into a believable nighttime environment with a softer Scandinavian summer-night feel. I used Resolve’s HDR Grade tool for most of the heavy lifting and introduced a warm sodium-vapour tone to maintain a visual link to the fish farm. Tracked masks and Magic Mask helped preserve detail in Johanne’s performance while keeping the environment dark and moody.

Magic Mask and selective grading

Magic Mask has changed the way I work. Tasks like face relighting used to rely on tracked windows or rotoscoping, which could easily introduce halos. Magic Mask can select faces, clothing, vehicles and more with minimal setup. It’s not perfect every time, but with some tweaking, it solves complex selections efficiently. On Kraken, I used it extensively for relighting faces, isolating creatures and excluding actors from background colour manipulations, often in combination with keyers and windows.

Camera shake and lightweight VFX

In several action scenes, the DP Sjur Aarthun, wanted additional camera shake to increase impact. Solving this during the grade is far quicker than sending shots back to VFX. I used Camera Shake OFX for constant vibrations, and custom Fusion setups with damped-spring expressions for impact shakes, always with motion blur enabled. Working in Resolve allowed real-time review and better control over the scene’s flow.

Dylan Hopkin (IMDB | LinkedIn | Website) is a senior colourist based at one of Europe’s leading post-production facilities, Nordisk Film ShortCut Oslo, with more than a decade of experience specialising in high-end creative colour grading for feature films, TV dramas and commercials. He originally trained as a motion graphics designer before transitioning into finishing and online work.

Hopkin’s credits span award-winning cinema and television projects showcased internationally at festivals such as Sundance, Cannes Series, Tribeca and the Oscars circuit. He is also a certified DaVinci Resolve trainer, has created masterclasses on grading strategies and teaches at film schools across Europe.

The post Grading Kraken: insights from the colour grade first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the developer: Time in Pixels develops colour workflow utilities such as Nobe OmniScope for professional grading. Nobe LutBake works with DaVinci Resolve Studio and is designed for colourists who need to generate LUTs quickly for set, monitoring, or downstream tools.

A small tool with sharp elbows

Time in Pixels has introduced Nobe LutBake, a macOS utility that captures grades from DaVinci Resolve Studio and exports them as 3D LUT files using a global hotkey. The concept is simple and, for working colourists, appealing. Instead of stepping through Resolve’s built-in export dialogue, LutBake allows users to define the part of the node tree to be baked and trigger LUT creation instantly. One key press. One .cube file on disk.

Two nodes and done

LutBake consists of an OFX plugin and a companion macOS menu bar application. The OFX plugin is inserted into the Resolve node graph. Two LutBake nodes are required. One is placed before the grade to be captured, and one after. The user performs grading as usual, including wheels, curves, qualifiers, and other LUTs. When the global shortcut is pressed, LutBake captures the RGB transform between the two nodes and writes it to disk as a standard .cube 3D LUT.

No timeline render is required. No still export. No navigating menus. The system level hotkey means the user remains in the grading interface. This is not a reinvention of LUT theory. It is an attempt to remove repetitive steps from daily prodcution.

Resolution matters

Time in Pixels states that LutBake can generate LUTs up to 100 by 100 by 100 in resolution. In practical terms, a 3D LUT samples the RGB colour cube at discrete intervals. Higher resoultion means denser sampling and potentially smoother transforms, particularly in wide gamut or high dynamic range workflows.

Tom also claims zero interpolation error when matching HALD sizes. A HALD image is a flattened representation of a 3D LUT used for exchange and validation. A free demo version is available with limited LUT resolution (17x17x17 LUT). The full version is offered as a one-time licence for 55€, with launch pricing detailed on the product page.

RGB in, RGB out

Time in Pixels is explicit about the limits. LutBake captures RGB-based colour transforms only. Spatial effects, such as blur or grain, are not preserved in the exported LUT. Temporal processing is also excluded. This is not a software limitation but a format one. A 3D LUT maps input RGB triplets to output RGB triplets. It does not encode spatial context, motion, or texture-dependent operations. For colourists building looks that include noise reduction, halation, or grain layers, this is a necessary reminder. Those elements will not survive the bake.

On set and hardware workflows

LutBake is useful for on-set and monitoring scenarios. It references exporting custom looks from Resolve for use in LiveGrade, Assimilate Scratch and hardware LUT devices such as Flanders BoxIO and TVLogic IS Mini. These devices typically ingest .cube LUTs for display calibration or on-set look management. In such environments, speed matters. A colourist may adjust a look in Resolve and need a matching LUT on a monitor within minutes.

Also: baking complex grading chains into a single LUT to optimise playback performance in other systems. Collapsing a heavy node graph into a single transform can simplify downstream workflows, provided the transform is fully representable in RGB space. Look-sharing between grading systems, NLEs, and compositing applications is another use case.

macOS and Studio only

LutBake runs on macOS 13 or later and requires Resolve Studio with external scripting enabled. The reliance on Studio indicates use of Resolve’s scripting API for communication between the OFX plugin and the external macOS application.

There is no mention of Windows or Linux support yet. There is also no statement about compatibility with the free version of Resolve. The Studio requirement is clear. Studios standardised on macOS grading suites will find this straightforward. Facilities with mixed operating systems will need to review compatibility before deployment.

Naming discipline

The product supports configurable filename templates. This allows users to define how exported LUT files are named. In structured pipelines with strict naming conventions, automated naming reduces manual intervention and the risk of inconsistent file names. This is part of a broader goal of reducing repetitive steps.

A familiar philosophy

Readers of Digital Production will know that we regard Nobe OmniScope as one of the more thoughtfully designed applications in recent years. It focuses on clarity, precision, and usability rather than decorative UI noise. LutBake follows the same philosophy.

What is not specified

The announcement does not detail how LutBake handles complex colour management scenarios, such as ACES pipelines or mixed colour spaces within a project. It does not specify how colour space metadata is treated in the exported LUT. Professionals working in scene referred or HDR workflows will need to validate the output carefully. As with any LUT generation tool, testing in context is essential before deployment in live or client-facing environments.

A pragmatic addition

At its core, Nobe LutBake reduces the number of clicks between a finished grade and a distributable LUT. For colourists who iterate frequently on looks for on set monitoring or cross application exchange, that is not trivial.
It will not replace disciplined colour management.
It will not capture spatial or temporal effects.
It will not make a poor grade better.

It removes friction from a well-understood task. For professionals who export LUTs daily, that may be enough.

Nobe LutBake product page
https://timeinpixels.com/nobe-lutbake/

The post Lutbake adds one-key LUT export to Resolve first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Neat Video is a GPU-accelerated denoising plug-in for NLEs, compositors and grading systems, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Baselight. It builds device specific noise profiles and applies spatial and temporal filtering inside the host application.

OFX plug in across Windows, macOS and Linux

Neat Video v6 is available as a plug in for OpenFX hosts on Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 6.1 of the Neat Video v6 plug in for OFX hosts adds support for Baselight 7. This extends compatibility for grading workflows using OpenFX on macOS and Linux in that host.

Expanded support in other hosts

According to the vendor, version 6.1 adds compatibility with the latest versions of several major host applications. These include Premiere Pro 2026 on Windows and macOS and After Effects 2026 on Windows and macOS. On macOS, version 6.1 supports Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 from Apple. The plug-in is compatible with standalone versions purchased from the App Store as well as bundled versions of Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 included in Apple Creator Studio. The vendor states that the Neat Video 6.1 plug in functions identically in both cases, allowing users to switch between those versions if required. Support for Baselight 7 has also been added, as noted above, via the OFX plug in.

Default Noise Profile and Filter Preset controls

A key update in version 6.1 is the introduction of new controls to simplify using a fixed noise profile and filter preset when working with a series of clips with the same noise. The stated aim is to speed up the overall setup process when applying multiple instances of the noise-reduction effect to similar materials.

Users can now set the Default Noise Profile using the current noise profile. This is implemented through a new button with a popup menu in the Device Noise Profile panel and through new commands in the main menu under Profile.

Similarly, users can set the Default Filter Preset using the current filter settings. This is available via a new button with a popup menu in the Filter Settings panel and through new commands in the main menu under Filter. When the filter is applied to additional clips in the same series, new instances automatically load the Default Noise Profile and Default Filter Preset.

The improved representation of the names of the current noise profile and current filter preset makes it clear when defaults are in use. Their names are displayed in the Device Noise Profile and Filter Settings panels.

The Input Data Gain section in Preferences is disabled when the Default Noise Profile is used. The vendor states that this is because the actually applied gain is determined by the Default Noise Profile in that case.

Reset controls and minor fixes

Version 6.1 adds a new Reset button in the Device Noise Profile panel and a corresponding command in the main menu under Profile to reset the current noise profile. A new Reset button with a popup menu has also been added to the Preferences dialog. This allows users to reset settings on the current page, reset settings on all pages, or re enable all optional messages and dialogs that were previously disabled.

Neat Video 6.1 is available as a free update for licensed users of version 6. Users of earlier major versions can upgrade with a discount. Demo editions are available for evaluation. As always, new tools and updates should be tested in a controlled environment before deployment in production.

// https://www.neatvideo.com/blog/post/neat-video-61-host-support-better-workflow
// https://www.neatvideo.com/download/history/ofx-plugin

The post Neat Video 6.1 updates OFX and host support first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Digital Anarchy’s annual free Halloween offering is back: Ugly Box, the plugin that makes your footage look like it crawled straight out of a haunted timeline. Unlike its glamorous sibling Beauty Box, which smooths skin and hides imperfections, Ugly Box does exactly the opposite.

According to Digital Anarchy’s Jim Tierney (Chief Executive Anarchist), the plugin “uses the same tech as Beauty Box but, ya know, for dead people.” The software enhances wrinkles, blemishes, and general decrepitude through selective skin enhancement and colour correction. The result is ideal for turning your talent into witches, demons, or zombies, without the need for prosthetics or extra coffee.

Flicker Freak Joins the Party

Alongside Ugly Box, Digital Anarchy also resurrects Flicker Freak, a companion plugin that introduces chaotic, horror-style flicker into your footage. Think of it as the evil twin of their stabilising tool Flicker Free. Both plugins are available as free downloads. Additional no-cost utilities include a simple gradient generator and an SRT subtitle importer—because even monsters need captions.

For Production… or Possession

Both Ugly Box and Flicker Freak are designed for fast, real-time results across common editing platforms. Installation is straightforward, and Digital Anarchy provides short demo clips on their site showing the effects in motion. The plugins are meant primarily for fun and short-form creative use, though nothing stops the brave from dropping them into a feature-grade workflow.

As always, Digital Production reminds readers to test any plugin in a controlled environment before deploying it in production. No one wants their pipeline haunted by compatibility issues. And if you come out of Crunshtime at Halloween, you’ll propably need no further Mosnter Makeup.

Final Thought

If, after running Ugly Box on your latest portrait or horror short, you notice disappointingly little transformation… it may be time to accept the truth and invest in Beauty Box instead. And, on a personal note: Halloween is NEXT week. Strange creatures ringing your doorbell until then is just your ugly neighbours. Welcome to 2025…

The post Ugly Gets an Upgrade: Digital Anarchy’s Free Halloween Plugins first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

We had the pleasure of talking to Simon Hall from Blackmagic Design about Fusion, AI and the community. Simon Hall knows post-production from both sides of the suite. Before stepping into his current role in business development at Blackmagic Design—where he focuses on post-production and supports the Resolve ecosystem across EMEA—he spent over a decade getting his hands dirty in the edit bay.

Starting as an offline editor and later working as a Smoke operator in a northern UK studio, Simon eventually moved to London to take up a training role—merging his technical know-how with a knack for sharing knowledge. His past as a freelance editor kept him close to the tools, even as his focus shifted to product strategy. Over the past ten years, he’s been a key figure in shaping DaVinci Resolve’s growth from a specialist grading tool to a full-fledged post-production platform with a massive user base.

DP: Fusion 20 marks a huge step forward, and the community has been very enthusiastic. What was the motivation behind this release, and what can users look forward to in future updates?

Simon Hall: We are a company that really does value user feedback. What the devs always want to do is to take user ideas and integrate into the software. As you can imagine, those lists tend to be very long. SO we have to pick and choose what we do. Our motivation as a company is to give people the features and workflows they want. We will continue to try to get the best out of our software. Because we like making people happy at the end of the day.

DP: The Integration in Resolve was a great idea – as it was to keep the Standalone Edition alive which is favoured by many professionals for performance reasons. Can we expect full feature parity (i.e. all Resolve OFX plugins available in the standalone Fusion)?

Simon Hall: Some of the open effects are obviously designed for colour. So that’s why you may not find them in fusion studio. But the devs try and get parity as much as they can. Over time, what will happen is hopefully we’ll start to get parity between the two applications. The open effects that are available in resolve are then also available in fusion.

DP: When you’re developing both editions, is there an ideal use case in your mind for when users should use each version?

Simon Hall: If you’re doing things like shot clean-ups, you’re doing some matte painting, you’re doing some tracking, my recommended workflow is to use fusion in resolve.
I always tend to steer people towards fusion studio when you’re doing sort of heavy VFX work – You’ve got a couple of hundred nodes, you’ve got 3d models, you’ve got particle generators. As soon as you start to do something that becomes quite complex, you’re going to get performance enhancements in fusion studio. The one thing that fusion studio can do that resolve can’t, is to use network rendering.

DP: Both Resolve and Fusion include very useful ML tools like the Magic Mask. What’s next on your roadmap for neural-network features? Any change to see an integration with tools like ComfyUI? What is Blackmagic Design’s long-term vision for applying machine learning across the industry?

I could talk about what we’re thinking, but the truth is-we don’t really know. There’s no set roadmap. That’s just kind of how things work at Blackmagic. We don’t always know what’s coming. Our approach to AI is focused on speeding up workflows-not replacing the person in the chair. That’s the goal behind all the AI we’ve built so far. Also at the moment all of our AI processing happens locally-on your system.

We don’t send your files anywhere to train the AI.

There is one exception, and that’s the scene extension feature. It’s not in the public beta yet, partly because it uses Blackmagic Cloud. Since the system needs to understand the image, it does have to send it up to the cloud for processing. We’re still figuring out how that will work, especially in terms of using it with a cloud account, which may involve some cost. Our AI is meant to help-not take over. So when it comes to the kind of AI that generates full scenes or content, like the comfy UI stuff, I could be wrong, but I don’t see us going in that direction.

DP: The community loves that Blackmagic hasn’t adopted a subscription model—but new features still cost money to develop. Are there any plans to introduce an upgrade-pricing scheme in future releases?

Simon Hall: Potentially in the future, we might charge for upgrades. A lot of this software development takes time, money, and people-we’ve got a growing team of developers. But I don’t think this is going to turn into a subscription. Grant himself really doesn’t like the idea of locking people out of their own work; he thinks it’s unfair. Long-term, yeah, we want to make things sustainable, but nothing’s been decided yet.

It kind of became a hot topic at NAB because Grant mentioned it in his video. What surprised us was how many people actually supported it-people who really want Resolve and Fusion to keep developing and improving. And if that means maybe paying, say, a $50 update once a year, or per version, a lot of folks were like, “Yeah, you know what? I’d be fine with that.” Especially considering we’ve never really charged for updates before.

DP: You surely know the Fusion Forum WSL/Steak underwater. Do you incorporate feedback from the user community into your ongoing development?
Simon Hall: Yes, absolutely. And yeah, great name-“We Suck Less.” The Fusion community there is full of really smart people writing macros, scripts, all sorts of things. A lot of our product specialists are on that forum. I don’t know if you know Steve Roberts-he was one of the original guys behind Eyeon. When we acquired Fusion from Eyeon, Steve came over with it, since it was basically his baby. He’s still a member of the forum and still checks in. We all do, really. I’ve even picked up scripts from there.

There’s one I use all the time-it animates to the beat of music by analysing the audio. I use it constantly, though I’ve forgotten what it’s called. So yeah, we’re definitely across that forum. And when people post feedback or feature requests there, the developers do take a look-just like we do across other forums-to see what the community is talking about and what they’re asking for.

DP: Is there one feature you’d most like to add or change for yourself?
Simon Hall: Yeah, one thing I’d really like to see in Fusion 20 is a bit more “smart assistance” when building node trees-especially in 3D scenes. Sometimes I’ll go to connect something, like a camera, and it just doesn’t work. Then I realize I’ve missed a node-maybe I forgot to add a 3D plane or something in between.

What I’d love is if Fusion could recognize that kind of situation. Like, if I try to connect two nodes, and it doesn’t work, the system could say, “You’re probably trying to do this,” and automatically drop in the missing node-like a 3D merge or a plane-so the connection makes sense.

Basically, a bit of smart logic that fills in the gaps when I miss something. That would really help, especially when working quickly. So yeah, that would be my feature request-something like a smart assistant that helps you build the flow correctly when it sees what you’re trying to do.

DP: Do you have a favourite movie (or specific shot) that was created using Fusion?

Simon Hall: Oh, there are quite a few-especially if we’re talking old-school Fusion. One of my favourite shots was in the film Swordfish. It’s about hacking, with a young Hugh Jackman and John Travolta. The opening shot, where someone’s left a claymore mine and the camera moves through the explosion in what looks like a frozen moment-that whole sequence was done in Fusion. That was back in the Eyeon Fusion days, and I always thought it was a fascinating use of the tool.

In more recent films, there are a few standouts. The Martian used Fusion heavily, and Top Gun: Maverick-which has been one of my favourite films in the last few years-used it for a lot of shot cleanups. The grading on that was done in Resolve. There’s also a TV show called Bosch on Amazon Prime. It’s been one of my favourite series for a while. Fusion was used extensively on that as well-for scene extensions, keying, and shot clean-up. So yeah, those are some of the highlights for me.

DP: Thanks for your time, Simon :)

The post The (further) development of Fusion. first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Manuel Kotulla.

To understand what’s what in ACES 2.0 we first have to take a little refresher into what ACES is (See our big article here) – the “Explain it like I’m 5” Verison is “ACES, or the Academy Color Encoding System, is a color management system used in post-production.”

The better definition is “The Academy Color Encoding System is a global standard for interchanging digital image files, managing color workflows and creating masters for delivery and archiving. It is a combination of SMPTE standards, best practices, and sophisticated color science developed by hundreds of professional filmmakers and color scientists under the auspices of the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It’s a free, open, and device-independent system designed to ensure consistent color accuracy throughout a film’s pipeline, from initial capture to final presentation and archiving. ACES aims to solve problems related to color inconsistencies arising from diverse digital cameras and worldwide collaboration.”
If that sounds familiar: We literally copied it from ACES Central, the hub for all the efforts in 21st century Colour Science and pipelines. Go there for any questions or background – and to meet the developers, testers and colorists behind the pretty colors!

DP: Hello Adrián, let’s start with the big thing: What are the significant changes in ACES 2.0 compared to ACES 1.3?
Adrián González:  We could say that there are two fundamental changes: The first is the update to the algorithms of the different ODTs. ACES now produces much more natural colors. The previous version of ACES (1.3) tended to create more electric and unnatural hues. With this new version, I believe many colorists will feel more comfortable working with ACES, achieving better results more efficiently.

The second key point is the inclusion of additional ODTs and a much better overall organization. Conceptually, we can say that there are always four variables in any output color space: the final encoding gamut (essentially, the gamut reflected in the metadata of the output file), the limiting or working gamut, the EOTF (electro-optical transfer function), and the peak luminance. These four values were not always clearly specified in previous versions, which could lead to some uncertainty among colorists. This aspect has now been improved, making it much clearer.

DP: What would be your recommendations for post-production professionals looking to transition to ACES 2.0?
Adrián González: They should be a bit cautious because ACES 2.0 is still in the early stages of adoption by other applications. Depending on the work ecosystem, it’s important to ensure that all tools are updated to this latest version. If there’s any uncertainty about whether ACES 2.0’s color pipeline is fully supported throughout the workflow, it’s preferable to stick with the previous version. That said, the workflow remains the same, so there’s no need to relearn anything. And the results are significantly better, making the upgrade well worth it.

DP: How has ACES 2.0 improved handling of HDR and wide-gamut workflows?
Adrián González: The improvement in color is especially noticeable in highly saturated colors, gradients, highlight areas, and similar aspects. These are all common in HDR productions, so ACES 2.0 will deliver better results and especially faster results, since the colorist won’t need to spend as much time fine-tuning those details. Additionally, there are now more configurations for different HDR outputs, and they are better described. So, we could say that everything has improved in this regard.

DP: The new Gamut Compression transforms aim to handle extreme colours more effectively. How does the ACES-Group integrate these features?
Adrián González: One of the challenges with ACES is handling extremely saturated tones, especially in high-brightness peaks. A common example of this issue is neon lights, or CG and VFX shots with bright effects like particles, fire, or explosions.
ACES 2.0 has significantly improved in this area, but in some cases, it may still be necessary to use the ACES Gamut Compressor to manage those colors. Typically, it is applied at the project level, but it can also be used independently on specific shots.
It’s important to note that it must be applied in AP0 Linear, meaning it has a specific place within the color pipeline. It is an almost entirely automatic tool, so, it does not alter the color pipeline in any other way.

DP: What challenges did you face while integrating ACES 2.0 into Mistika?
Adrián González:  Performance issues have been THE challenge, for sure. Internally, ACES 2.0 is quite different from the previous version, and its source code is designed to run on the CPU. That code then needs to be migrated or adapted for fast execution on the GPU.
From conversations we’ve had with other software manufacturers, this is where many have gotten stuck or decided to wait for the new release of OCIO (OpenColorIO) to use its GPU-accelerated implementation of ACES 2.0.
We didn’t want to wait and preferred to move ahead to have greater control over performance. For us, overall performance in Mistika is extremely important, especially considering that many of our clients work in 8K and 16K resolutions for immersive content. So we need to have our own magic tricks to do that. Fortunately, our developers are highly specialized in optimization, and we were able to solve this issue sooner than expected.

DP: ACES 2.0 introduces new Look Modification Transforms (LMTs). What customization options do users have with these?
Adrián González: Basically, it involves unifying LUTs and other transformations like CDLs within a single working space. In the end, the core idea behind ACES is to standardize variables—software, cameras, color spaces, LUTs, etc. The issue with traditional LUTs was that users sometimes didn’t know which color was used when that LUT was created. And even when they did, they had to build a color pipeline that converted from the ACES working space (AP1 and ACEScct) to the LUT’s color space, apply the LUT, and then convert back to ACES. As you can imagine, this is a bit messy.
With CLF LUTs (Common LUT Format), this problem is solved because they are already designed to work within an ACES environment. The result for the user is a simpler color pipeline that maintains all the flexibility of previous workflows while preserving image quality throughout the entire process.

DP: How does Mistika handle backwards compatibility with ACES 1.x projects while implementing ACES 2.0?
Adrián González:  The approach we’ve chosen here is to keep both versions separate. Mistika users can decide which version of ACES to use for new projects. And if an older project is opened, it will automatically use the version it was originally created with. This is important because the results between ACES 2.0 and 1.3 differ, making it necessary to maintain both versions.

DP: ACES 2.0 is still evolving, with new features and refinements in development. What aspects of ACES 2.0 are not yet finalized but are already influencing your implementation in Mistika?
Adrián González:  On our end, we still need to finalize the implementation of AMF (ACES Metadata File). This is a key element in the ACES workflow for sharing material between different applications.

Additionally, since ACES 2.0 is a very recent improvement and still in the implementation phase, we can expect feedback from the industry and adjustments based on that feedback. Our role will be to collaborate with the ACES team to implement those improvements as quickly as possible.
At this stage, it’s hard to predict which aspects will be refined or changed, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on developments.

DP: Mistika is known for its flexibility in colour management. How do you balance ACES compliance with the need for customization?
Adrián González:  We always try to be quite strict with standards, but it’s true that what makes Mistika different compared with other software is the flexibility of our timespace. So, we need to make both aspects coexist. For example, Mistika does not have color management at the timeline level; the timeline itself is agnostic. We manage color at the shot level and apply it in a general way using intelligent propagation tools. This allows us to combine different deliveries and versions with different color spaces within the same timeline.
This logic applies even with ACES, allowing versions with or without ACES on the same timeline, or even now enabling the combination of versions with ACES 1.3 and ACES 2.0 (for example, when doing a remaster using the new version of ACES).
In addition, we’ve created a system where all ACES 2.0 ODTs are managed through a CSV file, allowing the user to define their own values for Gamut, EOTF, and peak luminance. This way, they can add custom configurations to create new ODTs.

DP: Are there any ACES 2.0 features that you think will significantly impact the industry but have not yet gained widespread attention?
Adrián González: I would say those related somehow to ACES, more than ACES itself. New LUT formats like CLF (Common LUT Format) or metadata formats like AMF (ACES Metadata File) are not yet widely used across the industry, but they will help unify color workflows between systems and departments.

In reality, if we’re being honest, these types of standards shouldn’t even be necessary. I always say that this industry is constantly designing standards to fix other standards, meaning nothing remains standard for too long. If there were good communication between departments, teams, and companies, these additional formats would likely be much less necessary. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I’m not sure to what extent we’re complicating the production pipeline just because we don’t communicate well across all teams.

DP: How do you see ACES 2.0 evolving in the next few years, and what role do you expect Mistika to play in that development?
Adrián González:  I believe that in the coming years, there will be greater implementation. So far, in the film industry, ACES is very standardized, but not as much in the Broadcast or Marketing sectors. Mistika is also used in these industries, so we hope to help extend its implementation.

Also, being a little selfish, we’re interested in everyone using the same standards. That means we can delegate much of the workflow to these standards, allowing us to focus on developing more innovative and unique tools. So, the fewer things we need to modify, the better.

If I had to change something, it would be the metadata part, as with AMF, we now have a new format. And as I mentioned before, there are just too many standards, especially when it comes to metadata. The team or group that manages to unify all this metadata into a common format will be my heroes.

ACES 2.0, Deinterlacing and Topaz: Mistika’s Triple Threat Update

The post ACES 2.0 – available in Mistika! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

TL:DR: 5K is great if you want to have a lot of stuff on your screen, and the screen excels on displaying pure information, and otherwise is a solid companion to your main broadcast monitor.

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The standout feature of the ASUS ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV is its 5K resolution (5120 x 2880 pixels). For most (but not all) work, the difference between 4K and 5K at typical (!) viewing distances can be negligible, especially when working with compressed or lower-resolution content. Scaling footage to 5K often leads to a loss of sharpness, with the added pixels not providing a noticeable improvement.

But isn’t bigger better?

Where 5K does make a significant difference is in non-video/color tasks, such as using the monitor as a secondary display for software interfaces. The clarity provided by 5K resolution is quite nice when managing complex tool-sets and windows, making this monitor ideal for professionals who rely on precise visual organization. So, if you squint at your node-tree, scroll for ages through settings, or can’t see the bottom of the To-Do-List, 5K (Especially when running it in portrait) is very nice indeed. Well, not when the To-Do-List is this long, but you know what I mean.

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Pixel Density and Color Accuracy

The ProArt PA27JCV offers an impressive pixel density of 210 PPI, more than 2.5 times that of a typical 27-inch Full HD display. In terms of color accuracy, the PA27JCV covers 99% of the DCI-P3 color space, which is more than enough for content creators needing reliable colors. We measured a Delta-E below 2 (Again, the edge of what we are actually confident of saying with the available Colorimeters). That means, if you want to watch some of your footage, or have the Media Browser / Library on that screen, you will not have any problems, judging which Shots, Takes or Renders are best.

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Tech Specs

The 27-inch IPS panel features 5120 x 2880 resolution with a 218 PPI density. It offers 100% sRGB, 95% Adobe RGB, and 99% DCI-P3 color accuracy. The monitor delivers 400 cd/m² typical brightness, 500 cd/m² peak HDR, and supports HDR10 with 10-bit color depth. It has USB-C connectivity with Power Delivery, and adjustable tilt, height, and pivot. VESA DisplayHDR 500 and TÜV Low Blue Light certification ensure a comfortable viewing experience. For more details, visit the ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV Tech Specs.

One additional thing, because I personally think all company should be commended for the efforts: The packaging is almost completely plastic free, recyclable, no Styrofoam, and can be reused in some ways, or, give it to your cat – if we didn’t have to send the sample back, the editorial floof would have claimed that box.

Adaptive Color and Brightness: Pros and Cons for Color Grading

The ProArt PA27JCV features adaptive brightness and color adjustments, which automatically adjust to ambient lighting conditions. While this is useful for office work or as a secondary display, it can interfere with color-critical tasks like color grading. For professionals who require precise color accuracy, these dynamic adjustments can distort colors. Thankfully, these adaptive features can be disabled, allowing users to manually control brightness and color temperature. The settings are comprehensive, and there are many , many parameters to tweak – Adaptive light AND a sensor for background keep the screen “in the sweet spot” all day long, no matter how bright/dark the weather is outside, and no matter which of your fellow artists works under a spotlight or is going full troglodyte. Basically: The second screen in your setup gets “out of the way” and just does what it told.

But there is a backside to that: If you don’t realize there are two systems for light, and you use it as main monitor, you will either have to turn of both, or, if you didn’t read the manual with full concentration (Not that this has happened to me, ever….*cough*) you’ll think something is seriously wrong when the screen cycles into the measured area.

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Brightness and HDR: Comfort and Clarity for Extended Sessions

While not the brightest monitor, the ProArt PA27JCV strikes a balance between vibrant and comfortable brightness. With VESA DisplayHDR™ 500 certification, it produces deep blacks and bright whites, delivering excellent contrast for professional workflows. The monitor’s peak brightness is sufficient for most tasks, providing a vibrant viewing experience without straining your eyes during extended use.

But one thing is “spot on”: The anti-glare. Asus has hit the sweet spot between “no reflections” and “crisp colors”, making the PA27 a workhorse , even in difficult “environmental situations”. Keeping with the theme of the Second screen: You can place it where it is convenient, and don’t have to worry about light-treating your environment. And, comparing to another Screen with 5K, proper Antiglare is a gamechanger – not to mention about half the price, and you get a stand included in the price.

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Connectivity

The screen comes with a built-in KVM (Which we did’t test, because currently there is only one workstation around), as well as 2 HDMI 2.1, a Display Port 1.4, an USB-C (with 96 Watt Power Delivery, Displaysignal, Data and Audio, making it a single connection to your mobile Workstation), as well as a Usb-Hub with two easy to reach ports in the left corner of the screen, one USB-C and One USB-A, and last but not least, a headphone jack, if you are “hotdesking” (I don’t know if that is a verb these days…) So, that is solid and has everything you need in a Multi-Monitor Setup.

Additional thoughts after 2 Months of testing …

Since I had this screen on my desk, let me tell you a few notes – I ran it in Portrait mode, which is such a relief with the extra resolution – no more scrolling in many things and with the excellent anti-glare, the window opposite the screen does not bother me at all.

While talking about placement: The Vesa-Mount is solid and to spec, but Asus made the “Shell” around it quite tight – if you have a “bigger mount”, that might require some wiggling.

And one other thing: Since I was running it in Portrait, usually you see the “Angle” Problems with both brightness and color. Even if IPS-Panels in this case are better than TN-Panels, usually there is some “tradeoff” – but in all this time of testing, I haven’t noticed it – you have to actually look for the problem, otherwise it will not impact your daily work.

Pricing and Value: Who Should Invest?

Well, so, this means, we are the point where we ask: Should you get one?

Before considering that, there is a caveat: When you are working with the Adobe Suite, you might consider the three-month-promotion, which this screen is eligible for – so, register in the “MyAsusApp”, then click through Redeem and put in your serial number, and choose which Adobe thing you want. That lowers the actual price for the screen. If you aren’t working with the adobe tools, then… well, forget what I just said.

So, what do you have to pay for this product? The current price is around 940€, which is not cheap, but not absurd either – considering that ASUS Screens keep and are solid work machines. But, as is the development in this day and age, the street price will come down – Amazon lists the screen for 900€, and we have seen offerings around the 800€ mark – which make the screen maybe not a “steal”, but a solid offering for everybody who can’t take a 1440p – Interface anymore.

For all those die-hard Mac users, who enjoyed 5K with the old Intel iMac and are still waiting for a 27“ iMac with Apple silicon, this is good news. After all, the 5K LG (with the same panel) is not available any more, and Apple is still asking Apple prices for their screen. So, if you don’t desperately need a stylish all-in-one aluminum gadget, a tiny aluminum gadget called Mac mini Pro and this Asus model should please your eyes and your purse.

(Remark by Uli Plank, who is already slightly tippsy
around 9 p.m. after one or two Japanese Highballs
in SE-Asia, but still longing for his 2017 iMac’s screen.)

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Conclusion: Best for Interface Work

The ASUS ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV excels as a high-resolution monitor for managing complex software interfaces. Its sharpness and color accuracy make it a valuable tool for professionals who need clarity and precision in their workflow. However, for tasks involving color grading, the monitor’s adaptive features and 5K resolution may not be as advantageous as they seem.

Ultimately, this monitor is best suited for professionals who need a reliable secondary screen or a sharp display for design work—not necessarily for color-critical video post-production, but as a very, very good GUI-monitor. Who would have thought that screens would diversify to a point like this!

The post ASUS ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Once again, a panel of experts advised me on this article (see below). Instead of relying on grading influencers, who are dependent on publishing new content at regular intervals, I have once again
content at regular intervals, I am once again relying on the experience of four senior colourists with decades of experience. Added to this are several weeks of intensive research, expensive further training (Resolve Colourist Advanced) and paid online platforms (Lowepost). In the end, I take on the role of a curator with the aim of collecting sensible solutions for frequently occurring problems.

In commercials, skintone treatments and spot adjustments are the order of the day. However, I also learnt from the experts that beyond this, for example with the rejuvenation of people by a decade, the limits of what is technically feasible are always being scratched. Of course, colourists always hope for the stroke of luck that complex shots are handed over to retouching experts.

The professionals also report that the time requirements in other areas, such as feature films, documentaries and image films, are now so high that professional colourists can often do little or nothing in the beauty sector. Of course, they are also less likely to work on complex cases: A production whose budget can afford external grading often also has at least one professional make-up artist on set. As a result, any abnormalities that are difficult to correct are moved to post. The extent to which the fact that such retouching is almost exclusively carried out on female actresses is socially questionable is something we unfortunately have to leave out of this article.

During my research, I learnt that some actresses, for example, have certain retouching steps contractually guaranteed. In addition to the rest of the grading of the feature film, between half a day and a whole day is then estimated for these edits. In order to ensure that this person does not stand out as having been retouched, their counterpart in the scenes in question often has to be retouched as well.

Even today, there are still clear differences in how much effort is put into male and female actors. For male actors, skin retouching, such as red discolouration or spots, is often retouched. For female actors, however, the adjustments are often more extensive. In this case, the adjustments go far beyond retouching the face, such as skin retouching or changing the colour of lipstick. For example, the hands are also worked on by adjusting the skin tone (often too reddish because there is no make-up) or rejuvenated using various techniques. Sometimes even the entire body contour is shaped with a grid (the Warper effect in Resolve). In commercials, the entire image is sometimes simply scaled down by 4 per cent to make the actress appear slimmer.

Nevertheless, editing steps in the beauty area can also be worthwhile for smaller productions, for example in the image film sector. They can be used to remove temporary blemishes from the protagonist, increase the production value or simply draw attention to other aspects by reducing details in a part of the image.

Face refinement

The often-discussed internal Face Refinement plugin is actually (as I have learnt from our experts) also used time and again in a professional environment. Both for skin retouching and for dark circles under the eyes or forehead wrinkles.
However, if the tracking or placement of the outline does not go well, the beauty plugin included in the delivery can also be used. For example, if the camera moves too much or the head is turned too far, the face refinement plugin gets confused again and again. The short shot length naturally benefits graders in the advertising sector, as the automatic analysis function of the plugin is less likely to fail. If it is wrong, very little can be adjusted manually. Whether the outline can be rotoscoped at some point is still up in the air. As a result, this tool is extremely polarising: it is often an enrichment, but in some cases it is also completely useless. In the following, we therefore use tools that can be used as alternatives and that allow a high degree of manual customisation.

Skin Tone

As Alexis van Hurkman impressively explains in his “Colour Correction Handbook” (Peachpit Press – is.gd/cc_handbook), the skin tone is a so-called memory colour. In other words, a certain hue range that is determined by the blood circulation and the oxygen content in the blood and is therefore very similar in all healthy people within a certain spectrum (see image).
The experts agreed that a healthy skin tone is an extremely important element that should always be kept in mind. But exactly how this is defined is a matter of taste. The preferences of the director and camera department are therefore clarified in preliminary discussions. There are also often personal preferences when it comes to saturation, i.e. how pastel the skin tones should be. The Skin Tone Indicator therefore definitely makes sense as an aid and general reference.
However, whether the skin tone is processed separately from the rest of the grading depends more on the type of production. In commercials, it is almost always treated separately with qualifiers and masks – in feature films it is never actually treated separately. There, you always try to grade largely with primaries, looking at the whole picture and the skin tone, and only use secondaries if it is either not possible otherwise or if two actors have very different skin tones. Professionals see the advantages of primaries in terms of speed and, above all, consistency within the image.

Skin retouching

Midtone Detail is usually used for general skin retouching. This tool increases the contrast at edges, but only in the medium and light brightness areas. This at least does not increase the noise in dark areas and is therefore also suitable as a general sharpening method. In combination with a coarse mask, for example around the head, and a qualifier on the skin, you can often achieve good results with Midtone Detail – the professionals agree. With the qualifier, however, care should be taken (for example with the saturation parameter) not to include the eyes or lips in the key. If you also want to give the skin more shine or a porcelain-like appearance, you can also use the key you have just created directly for this and simply raise the centres (gamma) with the wheels. This makes the skin a little softer in terms of contrast and at the same time usually reduces the saturation with the increase, making everything a little more pastel and porcelain-like.
If the focus is less on the general appearance of the skin and more on specific areas of skin, other tools are used. Sometimes a tracked mask with a blur on the area in question can be enough.

If this is not enough, a reduction in contrast (using Pivot), a slight blur and colouring with the wheels (most likely Offset) often helps to beautify the masked area and adapt it to the surrounding skin tone. The next stage, which is also used by our professionals, is node sizing. To do this, we first mask an area that is “flawless” and matches the skin structure and illumination of the area we want to enhance as closely as possible. In the Sizing area, we select the small Node Sizing tab and use Pan and Tilt to move this beautiful area to the unsightly area.

Now all we have to do is track the mask and adjust it to the size and, with a bit of luck, we’re done. Another option is called Patch Replacer and is also a supplied effect. It works like the clone tool in Photoshop by defining a source and a target. The many setting options would go beyond the scope of this article, but here is another important tip for tracking: switch from window tracking to FX tracking. Only then can a manually set tracking point be tracked. Then simply drag the target circle of the plug-in to the correct position and it should move correctly. Patch Replacer is only slightly different from Node Sizing, but for some it offers a more pleasant UI and a few more options for the settings. If none of this helps, there is probably no way around a compositing programme.

Circles under the eyes

Personally, I have always achieved very good results with dark circles using two very similar techniques. Both first require a tracked, soft mask around the dark circles under the eyes. Then it is basically a matter of increasing the brightness of the dark skin area, reducing the contrast in order to visually flatten the skin and adapt the skin tone to the surrounding skin.
In the first method, we reduce the contrast considerably and use Pivot to adjust the brightness to the surroundings. We then mainly use Offset (and Saturation if necessary) to give the area the right colour.
The second method is similar, but usually results in slightly more realistic skin tones with less reduction in the darkening of the eyes. First lighten the shadows with Lift until a light-coloured area is created. Now the 32 bit floating point calculation of Resolve comes into play: With Gamma we now lower the centres until a suitable brightness with a view of the surroundings is created again. If you now use the Lift and Gamma wheels to give the area the right colour, you often get very nice results.
Of course, both methods require good tracking and masking. If you have to render with handles or if shots are added, adjustments in this area are of course difficult, but you should keep this in mind with all the techniques in this article. Speaking of..

Eyes

First of all, it must be mentioned that adjustments to the eyes themselves are very difficult to transfer consistently to many settings. Either the tracking runs away from you or you have to adapt your editing to the lighting conditions, which is sometimes not always easy over many shots. As this is “only” a question of (rotoscoping) effort, we still don’t want you to miss out on the tricks.

If, for example, digital eyeshadow is to be applied, this is very straightforward with short shots. Simply apply a mask around the eyelid area, set softening, track and now adjust both the colour and the brightness with the gamma wheel. This creates both smokey eyes and different colours in a very natural way. When it comes to the iris and the white eye skin, the opinions of the experts differ, as an eye skin that is too light and desaturated looks extremely unnatural. One suggestion from the professionals was to increase the sharpness with a negative blur, with which I have often achieved beautiful results myself. This makes the eyesight a little more prominent, which makes the eye appear more reflective and therefore shinier, and the additional sharpness of the iris also draws the eye more to this part of the image. With the same intention, you can also enlarge the mask and “put on” the subject a mask that resembles diving goggles in shape and size. To lighten the whites of the eyes and the iris, Contrast together with Pivot is much more suitable than working with the Wheels, as this creates unnatural contrasts more quickly
unnatural contrasts are created more quickly. But as with everything in this area, less is often more. Enhancing the colour of the iris, on the other hand, is difficult as the surrounding eye skin and the eyelid are often difficult to keep out and are therefore also enhanced in saturation, which creates unwanted colour clashes.

Hair and beard

According to our experts, adjustments to long hair (for example in shampoo adverts) are often passed on to dedicated specialists or tackled during and before the shoot with lighting, styling and choice of model. However, if only minor retouching is required, this is already done by the grading department.

If, for example, the shine on the hair needs to be emphasised more, our experts mainly help themselves by increasing the contrast in these areas and sometimes adding a little sharpening. If there is discolouration in the hair, simple but very precise qualifiers are combined with tracked masks to precisely address the area in question.
Beards or light-coloured hair are rarely processed, according to our experts. In most cases, however, this is done with tracked masks and a little darkening. In my projects, I have already achieved really beautiful results when darkening areas of the beard or the entire beard, as they appear much thicker afterwards. All in all, a lot can be achieved with simple means in grading without having to go straight to the big compositing stage.

The experts

Sebastian Göhs
Sebastian Göhs is a freelance senior colourist from Berlin and works mainly on feature films, TV series and commercials. Most recently he worked on the Amazon show “Der Greif” and İlker Çatak’s feature film “Das Lehrerzimmer”. Sebastian began training as a film and video editor at Geyer Berlin in 2002. After graduating, he moved to Digilab and advanced to Senior Colourist. This was followed by the development and management
of the image department at Rotor Film and finally became self-employed. www.sebastian-goehs.com

Stefan Andermann
After training as a film and video editor at ARRI Film and TV Services, which lasted three years, Stefan Andermann worked in the dailies colour grading department for around two years, but was quickly given the opportunity to take on fine corrections. In the following 12 years, he worked in commercial grading at ARRI. He has specialised in feature films for around seven years and works at Pharos on cinema productions, for streaming services and TV productions. www.pharos.de

Andreas Brückl
Andreas Brückl started as a colourist at Bavariafilm in 2005 and worked as a freelancer from 2010. After four years in the advertising industry in Istanbul and a stopover in Malaysia, he moved to India in 2017. After four years of chaos and colour saturation in Bollywood blockbusters, he moved to Dubai for two years. He has been back in India with DNEG as a supervising colourist since 2023. www.baselight-colorist.com www.vimeo.com/colorgrading

Florian Wolf
In 2003, Florian Wolf began his career as a career changer in post-production and telecine at Pictorion das werk. He worked there as a junior colourist until 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he moved to ARRI Commercial Munich and was promoted to Senior Colourist. After a brief intermezzo at das werk Munich, he took the plunge into self-employment and has been working as a freelance senior colourist since 2011. In addition to colour grading, he offers the production of commercials, image films and music videos from concept to shooting including the entire post-production. www.flowolf.info

The post Beauty-Grading in Resolve first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by David Feuerstein.

Before we start moaning about budgets, the main reason is that I just really like grading work and like to put a lot of attention to detail into it that could only be replicated in grading sessions for high-priced commercials. There are several reasons why colour grading has emerged from the black box in recent years: On the one hand, the greater prevalence of cameras that record with a logarithmic gradation curve means that you are forced to edit your material. Some are satisfied with the manufacturer’s conversion LUT or another LUT from one of the many providers, usually applied directly in the editing programme.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Others, however, whose aspirations and creative vision go beyond this, reach for the (temptingly free) version of DaVinci Resolve from Blackmagic (DR for short).

There are thousands of tutorials to get you started and beyond, many freely available on YouTube, others hidden behind a paywall (such as LowePost, Mixing Light and others). I took the more traditional research route and interviewed four senior colourists (see box). They were very open and generous in sharing their knowledge and wealth of experience from many years in this segment with me. Many thanks again at this point! Behind all these efforts and weeks of research was the idea of bypassing the noise and trends of the internet and talking to people who actually grade every day and full-time.

From Dietramszell to Mumbai

Our panel of colourists is spread across the world, working on different projects and formats. Some of them use Baselight, but most of them use Resolve – so they’re cooking with the same water as we are. That’s also part of the objective: to see what goes on behind the doors that lead to the dark grading rooms. Although they use the same software, importing, grading and exporting as we do, there are crucial differences.

The first big difference between the four experts and us “normalos” is that they mostly work with good to excellent material. Not everyone would agree with this (there is also faulty material or archive material), but a production that can afford high-quality external grading usually also has extremely good source material available.

The second distinguishing feature is that everyone has such a practised eye that a lot of things happen very intuitively. As intuition and routine are difficult to explain, it was always a challenge during my research to penetrate this in order to be able to convey it in an understandable way.

Sebastian Göhs
Sebastian Göhs is a freelance senior colourist from Berlin and works mainly on feature films, TV series and commercials. Most recently he worked on the Amazon show “Der Greif” and Ilker Çatak’s feature film “Das Lehrerzimmer”. Sebastian began training as a film and video editor at Geyer Berlin in 2002. After graduating, he moved to Digilab and advanced to Senior Colourist. This was followed by the development and management of the image department at Rotor Film and finally self-employment. www.sebastian-goehs.com

Stefan Andermann
After training as a film and video editor at ARRI Film and TV Services, which lasted three years, Stefan Andermann worked in the dailies colour grading department for around two years, but was quickly given the opportunity to work in fine correction
but was quickly given the opportunity to take on fine corrections. In the following 12 years, he worked in commercial grading at ARRI. He has specialised in feature films for around seven years and works at Pharos on cinema productions, for streaming services and TV productions. www.pharos.de

Andreas Brückl
Andreas Brückl started as a colourist at Bavariafilm in 2005 and worked as a freelancer from 2010. After four years in the advertising industry in Istanbul and a stopover in Malaysia, he moved to India in 2017. After four years of chaos and colour saturation in Bollywood blockbusters, he moved to Dubai for two years. He has been back in India with DNEG as a supervising colourist since 2023. www.baselight-colorist.com and www.vimeo.com/colorgrading

Florian Wolf
In 2003, Florian Wolf began his career as a career changer in post-production and telecine at Pictorion das werk. He worked there as a junior colourist until 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he moved to ARRI Commercial Munich and was promoted to Senior Colourist. After a brief intermezzo at das werk Munich, he took the plunge into self-employment and has been working as a freelance senior colourist since 2011. In addition to colour grading, he offers the production of commercials, image films and music videos from concept to shooting including the entire post-production. www.flowolf.info

Both great material and routine naturally make grading easier. However, the resulting higher speed is also necessary, as more and more is demanded of this trade for technical reasons. For the US American lawyer series Suits, with around 770 shots (to be seen in the edit page in the Index section) per episode, one and a half to two working days are scheduled (as reported on LowePost). And even established grading studios in our country often require 500 settings per day. This also cancels out the advantage of high-quality shot images, as such an incredible amount of images have to be processed.

Target group

The aim of this two-part series of articles is therefore not to breed more professional colourists. Their routine and experience can only be achieved with practice. However, we can utilise their approach (best practices) for ourselves. This article and the following one on the subject of beauty retouching are intended to appeal to those of you who do not have an external grading service in your budget, but who nevertheless have high expectations of the end product and already have a certain amount of advanced knowledge in the use of Resolve.

As the recommendations from the various sources sometimes differ widely, I am acting as a curator. I have summarised all the information and my knowledge from expensive training courses (2011 Resolve Colorist Advanced), free tutorials, paid online courses and detailed discussions with the experts with a view to this objective to create a guide that is as concise as possible.

Colour management

Here the opinions of the professionals differ: from completely unmanaged to ACES to the use of secret company-internal LUTs, the spectrum is wide. I would recommend a colour managed workflow in Resolve, i.e. select “DaVinci YRGB Color Managed” under Color Management in the Project Settings. The default selection “SDR” and “SDR Rec.709” in the dropdowns below is certainly also suitable for many of you. Some tools (such as the HDR Wheels) are now “Colour Space Aware”, i.e. they react in an intuitive way. In rare cases, an unmanaged workflow might be easier for certain looks, some say, because you don’t have to work against the steep gradation curve. In my opinion, however, this is rather rare and is more than compensated for by the speed advantages. Colour Space Transform Nodes lead to the same results with the correct settings for each camera, but do not make tools colour space aware. In addition to ACES workflows, which require a relatively high level of prior knowledge, I would also advise against using LUTs for colour management – apart from look-specific colour mappings, they offer few advantages.

Balancing

Primaries or balancing, i.e. the equalisation of colours and brightness to achieve a natural and balanced image impression without colour casts, is an essential step in colour grading. All the experts agreed that the very first thing to do is to balance images within and across a scene. All further steps are based on the consistency this creates. If the balancing is not right, you get yourself into hot water later with looks and secondary adjustments (qualifiers, masks, etc.).

But balancing and also shot matching (balancing across several settings) is actually a relatively difficult matter and requires a trained eye and a lot of experience. Especially when you have a high workload. What I have realised is that professionals approach this step almost instinctively and often have difficulty explaining their approach.

However, it has become clear that the use of “simple” tools that tackle the whole picture is an important point. There are several candidates for this. The professionals almost always use lift, gamma and gain on their panels. That’s how I learnt to do it and this is a valid and particularly “gentle” method. For the inexperienced, however, there is a risk of getting colour casts in different brightness ranges. This is because the tonal ranges of Lift, Gamma and Gain overlap so much compared to the LOG wheels. Adjustments in dark areas always influence the medium and light areas to varying degrees.

As we work in a “YRGB Colour Managed” workflow, my first candidate for a recommendation would be Temperature and Tint in the Global Wheel of the HDR Tools. These are “Color Space Aware” due to our chosen colour management and (according to the Resolve manual, p. 2901) “react photometrically correct and produce results that are similar to the human perception of colour temperature adjustments on set”. If you combine these with pure brightness adjustments in normal lift, gamma and gain, you are already doing quite well.

Offset is an alternative. Many panels have an extra ball for this and even MidiGrade (see DP 22:06) supports it as standard. Offset changes the entire signal, so you don’t get any stitches in individual brightness ranges. These adjustments, formerly known as “Printer Lights”, can even be mapped to the keyboard or, even better, a (separate) numpad. And in whole, half and even quarter printer points.

Once you have a well-balanced image and, above all, no clipping, you can move on to shot matching. Here it can help to sort the clips in the order in which they were recorded instead of how they appear in the final cut. To do this, select the “Source (C Mode)” mode under View -> Timeline Thumbnail Mode. Of course, this only changes the view and not the actual order of the clips.

Prefabricated node trees

Fixed node trees are a topic that I only came into contact with during this research. I was used to creating more or fewer nodes depending on the requirements and the shot, and deciding anew for each clip. Of course, that took a lot of time. If I knew beforehand that certain work steps would be repeated, I packed shots into groups or simply copied nodes, but that was it.

Fixed node trees are supposed to help you save time by having the same prefabricated node structure on every clip. If you follow this concept, there are three advantages: The first is, of course, the overview. Even after many weeks, months or years, everything is still traceable and collaborations also have the potential to run more smoothly.
The second advantage: As certain editing steps are always on the same node, it is possible to transfer them to different clips via node rippling (under Colour -> Ripple Node Changes to Selected Clips). It should be noted that this cannot be undone, as Resolve’s Undo History follows its own rules (for more information, see the official manual p. 489). If you want to be on the safe side, simply save before each ripping and load the last save if necessary. It can help to deactivate the “Live save” option in the programme settings under “Project Save and Load”
“Live save” option in the programme settings to avoid automatic saving after rippling. Rippling between active nodes is consistently possible, but sometimes nothing happens when rippling between nodes that are enabled/disabled.

The third advantage of fixed node trees is that you can build prefabricated modules. A simple example would be a vignette node that already has a mask in the right size and a slight darkening in the mid tones. I need something like this more often and I don’t particularly enjoy creating it every time. It’s the same with many nodes. In addition, you might just want to try out certain adjustments without having to rebuild them every time.

I had an insight into the fixed node trees from Walter Volpatto, Mark Todd Osborne (both via LowePost) and Sebastian Göhs and created my own for my requirements, which I would like to go through with you below. It has become relatively comprehensive, which is not necessarily the case. Of course, this is only a suggestion; you will certainly have different requirements of your own for your projects. However, the explanations of the concepts and considerations that have gone into my node tree may help you to create your own.

Let’s get started: The first node only has an aesthetic function, namely to bundle the inputs of the following three parallel nodes. If Resolve had something like pipe routers in Fusion, which could be used to organise the connections between the nodes, this node would not be needed. If we also had the underlays (organisational aid for visually grouping several nodes that belong together in terms of content) from Fusion at our disposal, the next three parallel nodes could be grouped together thematically under the term “Highlight Recovery” – as can be seen in the title image of the article.

This is about darkening the highlights before the general balancing. Some people put this in a pre-group, but most professionals agree that this step in the node tree should always take place before balancing. This does not refer to the order of work, as it can make sense to carry out balancing first and deliberately clip the highlights slightly in order to achieve a nice contrast, and then use this recovery to push them back into the legal range in the next step.

Two of the three highlight recovery nodes use a very soft qualifier as a method, which is already combined with reduced gain. As the parameters in the two nodes are set differently, I can quickly try out two variants by briefly activating the nodes. The method of the third node is the most aggressive and uses a sat vs. lum curve that slopes from left to right. Another conceivable variant could be to lower the highlights in the log wheels. This is usually too far-reaching for my standards, as other tonal values are also included in addition to the actual brightest highlights.

The next block of three nodes is intended for balancing. If, as some people suggest, I want to adjust the contrast independently of the colours, two labelled nodes are already available for this purpose. In order not to confuse the numbering of the nodes during grading by subsequently inserting nodes, empty nodes are repeatedly inserted into the node tree at different points, which can be used as desired. The third balancing node is also intended for this purpose.

This is followed by a group of parallel nodes with frequently used mask shapes, which could be summarised under the term “light shaping”. In my case, this would be a narrow, soft mask to emphasise an important image element, a vignette with a corresponding outer vignette, a spectacle-shaped mask to sharpen the eye area, a gradient from top to bottom to adjust the sky (or if rotated to darken the left, right or bottom) and two empty nodes if a shot calls for something more. In all these nodes, I only adjust the brightness, not the colours, because if I need to balance the colours in the balancing nodes immediately afterwards, I don’t want to mess everything up here. It’s a matter of taste whether you pre-set the reduction (or increase) of brightness in the individual nodes.

Windows with blurring would of course also be conceivable at this point in the node tree for focus control. This is followed by two nodes for the look. It is often recommended to only use the colour wheels here to make it easier to ensure consistency across multiple clips. If both the balancing (of the individual clips) and, above all, the shot matching (across the scene) have been carried out well, it should now be reasonably easy to transfer the look to other clips via node rippling and then only have to make minor adjustments.

One more tip at this point: If you need ideas for looks, you can simply put together a collection of (free) LUTs from the Internet, throw them alternately onto a node and reduce their effect with the gain control in the key tab if necessary. This allows you to try out many looks in a short space of time.

The second look node is also optionally available should you need it.
In the second row, the first node tidies up the inputs again for the sake of aesthetics. This is followed by three nodes that are specifically related to my image film productions. In the first node, a reduction of the low-saturated colours in Sat vs. Sat is prepared, which I have called Clean White. As I often produce films for the healthcare sector (many white image elements: white rooms, white clothes of the medical staff etc.) and also have to deal with mixed light again and again, I don’t have to build this very useful tool again and again.

The second node contains a glow, simply to be able to try it out quickly. I called the third node in the group “Pop” and it contains a simple S-curve. As I am sometimes a little too cautious with the contrast, I can quickly try out whether a little more oomph is possible here.
More generally, it makes sense to create nodes in this area of the tree that specifically match your own workflow. For example, halation, flares, skintone keys, preset third-party plugins and much more could be useful here.

Next comes a block whose function is still open. After all, colour grading is also a learning process and so we may not know what nodes will be added in general or specifically for a project, but at least we have provided a place for them. So there is room here for everything that has not yet found a place elsewhere. For many professionals, these are nodes that take into account the aesthetic wishes of other trades (such as DoP, director, etc.) or are project-specific, such as keys to certain parts of the set, film simulations or others. How many nodes are required here is of course completely individual.

Regarding the last block: Spacial and/or Temporary Noise Reduction is placed at the end instead of the beginning of the node tree. If individual qualifiers have inadvertently caused noise, this may also be picked up by the noise reduction. Of course, if you do everything right, this won’t happen, which is why the pros always have the noise reduction as the first node – of course, you can also do it this way.
This is followed by Sharpening on a node, set to a value of 0.47. There would be no objection to placing both in the post group or the entire timeline, but this way the individual parameters can be adjusted on a clip basis. At the very end of the tree, two empty nodes are again prepared in case, for example, general requests from the customer or a team member need to be included at the last minute.
Finally, I would like to point out that not all professionals use ready-made node trees. Some create all nodes as required and for each new project, while others only have a long series of serialised nodes as a template. However, I find the advantages of a fixed node tree in terms of speed and structure to be enormous.

Giving boring images more punch

We often come across shots that look dull, flat or simply boring. But I have also been able to put together a few tricks for this case. Many colourists tackle this issue by directing the viewer’s attention to a specific image element. Very soft masks with a slight darkening or blurring are often used for this. Sometimes the direction of light is taken into account, but often physical logic is completely ignored, which is usually not noticed by anyone due to the fast editing rhythm. Only inaccurate tracking of the masks makes the effect unpleasantly noticeable.

If the image still looks too one-dimensional (often in drone shots), simply use individual small, soft circular masks and place “blobs of light” in the image. This creates exciting contrasts and, in combination with cleverly used tints, additional colour contrast. Flares also often add depth and excitement to the image. You can either use plugins such as LensFlareAutoTrack from Boris FX or (as I often do) soft masks with strongly raised blacks. The latter will give you softer glares, but that’s usually enough.
If images suffer from a certain monochromaticity due to the subject (all the colours in the image are in the same part of the spectrum), for example when shooting at dusk, it is worth giving image areas outside the image focus a different colour and thus increasing the overall colour contrast. It can also be useful to slightly increase the brightness of the half of the face on which the key light lands in order to further emphasise the focus.

General best practices

Finally, a few “general best practices” – i.e. processes and empirical values that have proven themselves in practice with professional graders. What was frequently mentioned is the focus on the basic tools, above all the wheels. In order to work quickly and efficiently, to be able to transfer work steps from one clip to the next and to avoid getting into technical and aesthetic difficulties in the medium term, almost all professionals advised using the colour wheels for everything. With their softly overlapping editing zones and enormous accuracy, there is often little to go wrong in the workflow (except perhaps with balancing, see above). As mentioned above, I would look at tools like Temp and Tint in a similar way. That’s why it’s worth going through the entire timeline with basic balancing first and getting good shot matching (which is probably the most difficult task anyway). This will give you a film that is presentable if necessary, with a view to time management. Only in the next step should you venture into the look and secondaries, i.e. from the rough to the fine. As a beginner (as was the case for me), you quickly tend to edit individual shots in great detail.

Keeping an eye on your time is another important point. As mentioned above, it helps to divide the time available by the number of shots and thus get a better feel for how many images you need to create per hour, for example. To remain consistent, it also helps to always compare with the same setting when matching, i.e. Shot 2 with Shot 1, Shot 3 with Shot 1 and Shot 4 logically with Shot 1 and so on.

Word has certainly got around that highlights should not be clipped, but during my research I was repeatedly advised to increase the blacks slightly.
If you want a soft roll-off in the highlights, you can simply use the custom curves by setting a point at 40 per cent of the Y-curve (Alt key leaves the point on the reference diagonal) and then pressing the
Reference diagonal) and then dragging the white point downwards. If you place this adjustment in a node before the balancing, you should achieve a smoother fading of the highlights.
With regard to the order in which you edit your clips, it can also be worth starting with the “worst” image in the scene. Adjustments of (technically) very successful shots to this shot are usually easier than the other way round.
Incidentally, if you find it difficult to find a balanced contrast, you can simply remove all the saturation from the clip temporarily. I can say from my own experience that with this black and white image the contrast is very intuitive to find.

To counteract eye fatigue, it can help to look at a reference. Bela recommends simply placing a standard grey card and a piece of white paper/cardboard next to the screen and looking at it from time to time. As a rule of thumb: look “away from the screen” for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This also fits in perfectly with the Pomodoro efficiency logic. And last but not least, you should always double and triple check everything you render – the professionals do this too, and above all. A mask may not be tracking, you may have extended a clip, the qualifier may be noisy, you may have rendered incorrectly: There are many problems that can be overlooked in the process.

Final words

Colour grading is also a personal process to a certain extent and involves
many subjective elements and creative approaches with the different tools. In the end, it’s the final product that counts, regardless of how you got there. However, the methods and techniques mentioned above should make it easier to achieve a good basis consistently and perhaps even more quickly. This frees up time and perhaps also mental resources to concentrate on working with colour as a tool for image design and storytelling.
Finally, a technique to push yourself a little and experiment a little: “Go overboard to find your sweetspot” recommends Mark Todd Osborne on LowePost. This means going overboard with individual parameters in Resolve to see how far you can go.

Macintosh Gamma Shift

Before we come to the general best practices, here is a short insert for all readers with Mac computers that do not grade with an external monitor connected via SDI. For many years, the problem has been that footage looks different in Resolve than it does after export or roundtrip in Premiere, for example.

As soon as clips leave Resolve, they look less contrasty and therefore a little desaturated – a so-called gamma shift has taken place. Put simply, this has to do with the colour management of MacOS (ColorSync), which is not applied to Resolve. In a future issue, this will be discussed in more detail – Michael Radeck is already working on it. Many methods (such as exporting with a special LUT or adjusting with Lumetri in Premiere) of trying to correct this shift after grading are more a matter of pi times thumbs. If you want to be sure that you always see the same image on your Mac both during and after grading and when publishing online, you have to change a few settings within Resolve.

First, go to the Resolve application settings (⌘ ,) and tick the “Use Mac display colour profiles for viewers” and “Automatically
tag Rec.709 clips as Rec709-A”. Then go to the project settings (File > Project Settings or  9) and as we recommend a YRGB colour managed workflow, you usually have to deactivate the tick under “Automatic colour management” to retain all options.

For “Colour Processing mode” we select “SDR Rec.709” and for “Output Color Space” we select “Rec.709-A”. The A probably stands for Apple – just as a mnemonic. Now we just have to assign the tag “Rec.709-A” under “Gamma Tag” in the “Advanced Settings” when exporting. This should (finally) display everything consistently – in all programmes and also after uploading to streaming services such as YouTube.

The post Grading tricks from a professional first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by David Feuerstein.

Every collaboration begins with the exchange of media. DaVinci Resolve supports this with a proxy workflow, which has been supplemented with an external proxy generator in version 18. In this article, we look at the entire collaboration process – from media exchange to joint work with editing, VFX, colour correction and audio.

Application scenarios

Blackmagic Cloud can be used in a wide range of different application scenarios. Here are three examples with increasing complexity:

Example 1: Solo operator with multiple workstations
If I have one computer in the studio and a second at home or mobile, I can continue working on cloud projects from any workstation without interruption. I don’t have to worry about project import/export or any special IT infrastructure.

Example 2: Outsourcing video editing based on proxies
An external video editor handles the editing independently, based on proxy media that can be quickly shared online. If required, I can open the project read-only and view the current status without intervening. Once the edit is complete, I take over the project, make corrections in the timeline myself as required or do the colour correction based on the original files. Blackmagic Cloud guarantees that I am working on the latest version of the project. No export/import of project files and no confusion with version numbers.

Example 3: Comprehensive multi-user collaboration
During a shoot lasting several days, media is added to a DaVinci Resolve project on a daily basis. Clips are pre-sorted into bins on set and initial metadata is entered manually or via CSV upload. Dailies are created from the project or reviewed directly in Resolve. Proxies are created and automatically synchronised overnight with a cloud service. An editor working remotely starts editing in parallel based on the proxies. It uses the created bins and metadata for orientation. Towards the end of the cut, VFX artists, colourists and sound mixers come on board and work completely in parallel on the original media. If necessary, several VFX artists or colourists work simultaneously on different shots in the timeline. The progress can be viewed live by everyone.

Requirement for network or cloud storage

DaVinci Resolve is agnostic towards the storage solution used. Blackmagic Cloud does not change this. This means that how I store and transfer my media is up to me. From cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc.) to the classic in-house FTP server to the hard drive in the package dispatch, everything is possible – and (as soon as the data is available) has practically no influence on further work.
Blackmagic Design now offers its own storage solutions under the Cloud Store or Cloud Pod. These are on-site network storage solutions with a built-in option for synchronisation via external cloud services. Google Cloud and Dropbox are currently supported. For a more detailed look, see also the article “Teamwork in Resolve 18” by Prof. Uli Plank, which can be found on p. 40 of DP 05:22.

For this article, I carried out tests with the smallest version, the Cloud Pod, to see whether a storage solution from Blackmagic Design brings fundamental advantages to the workflow. This is only partially the case. The device’s internal integration with Dropbox and Google Drive allows media synchronisation without a computer. Anyone who uses these services and wants to synchronise overnight when the computer is switched off will welcome this.

However, this is also possible with storage solutions from other providers. One advantage of the Blackmagic Design solution is that proxies created with the Blackmagic Design Proxy Generator are automatically recognised. These proxies are transferred with priority or synchronisation can also be restricted to proxies only. However, the Proxy Generator is not the best solution for every workflow and a restriction to proxy media is not always sufficient, as we will see below.

Proxy workflow with generator

Despite a broadband connection, sending large quantities of video material is often difficult. Very often, however, the exchange of smaller proxy files is initially sufficient for editing. Original media is later used for VFX and colour correction and only for the material actually used.

Proxy media can be created in various ways in Resolve or externally. Blackmagic Design automatically includes the Blackmagic Proxy Generator with DaVinci Resolve 18. This is a simplified tool for proxy creation with few configuration options. The user selects one or more watch folders for the original media. One of the preset 1080p proxy formats is then selected. Under Windows, two H.264 and one H.265 preset are currently available – under Mac, there is also a ProRes variant.

There are no further setting options. Click on Start and the tool creates proxy files for all videos in the folders and subfolders listed under Watch Folder. As long as the tool is running, it continues to monitor the folders and new videos that are added are automatically picked up. This makes the Proxy Generator very easy to use and it can also run in the background or even on several computers in the network in parallel. For parallel proxy creation with several computers, it is sufficient if they all have access to the same network storage. No further configuration is required. The app is simple and robust, but also not very flexible. One of the main problems is the storage location of the proxies. These end up in “proxy” subfolders of the original folder structure.

This allows DaVinci Resolve to automatically recognise the proxies and make them available in Resolve without additional linking. However, it also means that additional files end up in the original folder structure, which are handled differently from the point of view of backup, archive and online synchronisation with cloud services. Users of the Blackmagic Cloud Store or Cloud Pods have an advantage in the last point. In the settings for synchronisation with the cloud, synchronisation can be restricted to proxy media.

Otherwise, the proxy generator only offers the option of exporting the proxies after stopping the proxy creation. This creates a copy of all proxies from the watch folders in a different location. The original proxies can then be deleted using Delete Proxies. However, if video files are to be added continuously and proxies are to be created repeatedly, this procedure is hardly suitable. Previously exported proxies are copied again (or overwritten) when exporting a second time. Deleted proxies are recreated as soon as the generator is restarted on the same watch folder.

If you still want to use the proxy generator in this situation, you must either manually fish out the proxy subfolders in the file system and copy them yourself or create new folders each time you add new media – and create separate watch folders. There is another catch to mixing proxy files and original media: other files often have to be passed on for collaboration in addition to proxy videos. For example, graphics, photos or separate audio recordings. Even with the Blackmagic Cloud Store, I have to separate these files from the original data in the file path or copy them out in order to be able to transfer them with the proxies but without the original videos.

So it seems logical to create the proxies and any copies of other files in a separate folder right from the start. This folder does not require a backup, can be shared in any way and can be deleted without hesitation once the collaboration has ended.

Proxy workflow within DaVinci Resolve

The proxy workflow within DaVinci Resolve makes exactly this possible. In the project settings, I can set both the format and the resolution of the proxies in the “Master Settings” under “Optimised Media and Render Cache”. All ProRes variants are also available here under Mac and the comparable DNxHR options under Windows. Under the “Working Folders” I can determine the storage location for the
Proxies and, for example, specify a folder here that is synchronised with my preferred cloud solution. I then select all the clips in the media pool for which proxies are to be created and can start the generation by right-clicking “Generate Proxy Media”.

Working with proxies

If I have created proxies using one of the above methods, they are immediately available in DaVinci Resolve. If I have created proxies externally, I must then link them in Resolve. To do this, I select all the media in the Media Pool for which proxies are available and right-click on “Relink Proxy Media”.
Once the proxies have been linked in the project, they are also available to all employees in the cloud project, provided the files have been exchanged and the path mapping has been taken into account (see left). I can see which proxies are available via the List View in the Media Pool. The “Proxy” column shows the resolution of the linked proxy file or “None” if there is no proxy. The “Proxy Media Path” column points to the file on the hard drive. (I can configure the column display by right-clicking on the title bar of the List View). Proxies can be necessary, helpful or undesirable in different phases of the project. In DaVinci Resolve, I can choose between three options under “Playback -> Proxy Handling”:

i select “Disable All Proxies” when I need to be absolutely sure that I am working with the best quality, for example during colour grading or before final rendering. If original files are missing at that time, the corresponding clips are displayed with “Media Offline” and are therefore easily recognisable.

“Prefer Proxys” is recommended for editing if the computer is not powerful enough to work smoothly with the originals.

“Prefer Camera Originals” is particularly helpful if original data arrives with a delay in the remote collaboration. This allows me to start working based on proxies while the original data is being downloaded in the background. As soon as new clips are available in the original, Resolve automatically switches to the original during the next playback.

When proxies are active, Resolve indicates that proxies are being used with a small preview icon in the timeline, in the Media Pool and in the clips bar (Colour, Fusion).

Set up cloud project

Firstly, all project members set up a free account at cloud.blackmagicdesign.com. The accounts remain free of charge and do not require any means of payment. Only the creation of a project library is subject to a fee and is currently charged at USD 5 per month.

Project Library

After logging into the Blackmagic Cloud in the browser, I select “Project Server”. Project Libraries are now created and managed here. A project library in Resolve is a database in which projects are created or loaded. This can be any number of Resolve projects, but it should be noted that only the entire library can be shared in a cloud library and there are no access restrictions within the library. The number of users is also currently limited to 10. A single library should be sufficient for most users. However, if you want to work in parallel with different teams on different projects, you may need several libraries to separate the projects and teams. Libraries can be deactivated at any time (even temporarily); in this case, the remaining monthly credit will be credited.

The Project Library can only be registered and created via the web browser. However, I can also log in directly from the Resolve Project Manager under “Cloud” and manage, share and add projects to the library from there. If necessary, I can use the “Show/Hide Project Libraries” button to expand the Project Libraries on the left. Clicking on “Details” shows details about the library and gives me the option of inviting other employees via “Share”. To share, I only need the e-mail address with which the employee has previously registered. The members of the library receive an email notification and can now also access the library via their Resolve Project Manager.

Cloud Project

A cloud project is essentially nothing more than a regular DaVinci Resolve project that is stored in a cloud library for synchronisation purposes. It can be exported and copied in the same way as other projects. This makes it easy to move a project from “Local” to “Cloud” or vice versa. For example, I can create a project locally and only move it to the cloud later for collaboration. To do this, I select the project under “Local”, click on the “Copy Project to” button – and select the Cloud Library in the dialogue.
Once the collaboration is finished, I copy the project back and can remove the Cloud Library without hesitation – and save the monthly fee. Alternatively, I can also continue to use a library for completely different projects by removing completed projects from the library and then removing or adding members according to new project requirements.

Working in the cloud project: Relinking and path mapping

When working locally, as well as in the cloud, DaVinci Resolve must have linked the media used in the project. This means that Resolve knows the corresponding file path for each clip in the media pool. When new projects are loaded or file paths change, media initially appears as “Media Offline” and can be reassigned by clicking on “Relink Media”. The same procedure now also works in the cloud, but local paths are now created for each user in the path mapping. In our tests, this has always worked without any problems, but we have received isolated reports of problems with proxies. If there is a problem, we recommend the following:

Initially, we limit ourselves to a few “main folders”. For example, a “Media” folder and a “Proxies” folder and agree within the team that the substructure below these main folders will never be changed when exchanging data. This means that a file “Media/Videos/Landscape/0001.mov” also ends up on all computers under the same sub-path of the “Media” folder (i.e. “/Videos/Landscape/”) as soon as it is downloaded.

In the project manager under “Path Mapping” we should now find exactly this “main folder” with the corresponding local path. If something goes wrong, we can change the local paths here again. If you want to be absolutely sure, you can switch off the automatic linking from the start. In this case, I add my “main folders” via “Add” on the computer on which I created the project. I then ask all employees to enter the local paths via “Browse”. The “Relink Media” function is not required.

Not all media must be available when creating the paths. If the data exchange has not yet been completed, media that are not available remain offline until they are available in the paths specified in the path mapping. In this way, an employee can start with the existing media or proxies – and recognise in the media bin as soon as further clips become available.

Single User Project

Regardless of whether I copy an existing project to the cloud or create a new project there via “New Project”: In both cases, the project initially starts as a single user project. This means that it can only be edited by one person at a time. All members of the library have access to the project, but only the first employee who regularly opens the project has write access. If the project is already being edited by another member, a lock symbol appears and the project can only be opened read-only.

If team members are not working on the project in parallel, the single user project has advantages. Everyone has access to the current status at all times if required; there is no risk of versions getting mixed up during handover. At the same time, the person working on the project has full access – and the certainty that no one will change anything in the meantime.

Multi-user collaboration

For closer collaboration, the project can be released for editing by all team members via “File -> Multi User Collaboration” while it is being edited. From now on, all members
Access to all functions in Resolve. A locking mechanism ensures that employees do not get in each other’s way.

Locking mechanism

True to the motto “first come, first served”, DaVinci Resolve allows the user who tackles an object (timeline, bin, …) first to edit it. This object is temporarily blocked for other users. This means that they only have read authorisation and can see the progress. In detail, this works as follows.

Bin

If I click on a bin in the Media Pool that is not being edited by another employee, I automatically receive a lock on this bin. I can edit the bin and, for example, rename clips or create subfolders. Other users see my thumbnail next to the bin name. This allows users to recognise that the bin is locked for editing. If I don’t want to edit it, I can unlock the bin for others by right-clicking via “Unlock Bins”.

Attention: The bin remains locked even if I close the media pool. This makes it very easy to accidentally lock a bin in which another employee wants to work. Unfortunately, Resolve does not show me in the Media Pool whether I have already unlocked a bin manually or not. One solution could be to create a dummy bin with your own name – and get into the habit of always selecting this bin when I’m not doing anything else in the Media Pool. That way, I have a “Bernd_Unlock” bin and know that I’m not disturbing anyone as long as I have this bin selected.
Conversely, if I am organising media while other members are active in the project, it is advisable to lock all relevant bins manually by right-clicking “Lock Bins” at the start of the work. This way, I can be sure that no one will interfere with me in the future. However, the manual lock is cancelled as soon as I close the project.

Timeline

The timeline is also locked as soon as I open it first from the Edit Page, Cut Page or Fairlight. The lock applies to editing and audio, but not to work in the Colour or Fusion workspaces. This means that only one editor or sound mixer can work in a timeline at the same time. If editing assistants or several editors are in the project, they should either work one after the other or on separate timelines in parallel – and merge them later.

However, a locked timeline can be viewed by everyone at any time without editing rights. If I close the timeline, it is automatically unlocked. Alternatively, I can right-click in the Media Pool to manually unlock the timeline via “Timeline -> Unlock Timeline” – and keep it open without editing rights.

Fusion and Colour

If I switch to the Fusion or Colour workspace, all existing timeline locks are automatically removed. Instead, the lock is now at clip level. This means that the clip on which I am in Fusion or in the colour page is locked for editing. This means that several VFX artists and colourists can easily work on different clips in a timeline at the same time. Working on VFX, colour and sound in parallel also generally works smoothly.

Working in parallel with editing is also technically possible, but should be carefully considered and coordinated if at all necessary. It is technically possible for the editor to shorten or remove a clip that the VFX artist or colourist is currently working on.

A problem arises when an employee inadvertently locks timelines or bins. As long as the employee has the Resolve project open, only they can remove the lock. If the employee is not available, there is no way for even the administrator of the Project Library to remove it. Even if I remove the employee from the library, the lock remains active as long as the project is still open. The only way out is to copy the corresponding timeline, the bin or, in the worst case, the entire project – and continue working on the copy. Improvements would be desirable at this point. An administrator unlock and possibly a timeout on inactivity would be useful.

Updates

If I have an object (bin, timeline, clip) open while a colleague is making changes, a small refresh icon appears to indicate that the object has been changed in the meantime. If I click on this icon, the object is refreshed. Otherwise, I always get the current version when I open a new object. This update mechanism is good and simple. It prevents automatic updates, for example during playback, from causing confusing jumps; at the same time, it is easy to stay up to date.

Communication

Communication is the be-all and end-all of any team project. This is where Resolve is only of limited help. The in-built chat function is rudimentary. There is a shared chat for all employees who have opened the project. When a colleague sends a message, a speech bubble lights up red in the bottom right-hand corner of the page navigation. This is easy to overlook or even not visible at all if the page navigation is hidden. The chat is also not saved; it is not possible to write to individual team members privately; there is no status display for members – and no sharing of screenshots.

In the following, I can use the marker function in DaVinci Resolve very well to ask specific questions about individual clips in the timeline or to make comments. Markers can contain “annotations”, i.e. markings directly on the image. Team members can use different colours. In the index, I can see all markers at a glance and click on them to navigate.

Backups

With several employees, the risk of something going wrong increases. DaVinci Resolve does not have a cross-user editing history. In addition, the locking mechanism described above only works as long as I have the project open. This means that there is no way to save your own work progress in the project. If I leave the project, any member of the library can change my work or even delete the entire project without leaving a trace.
Of course, basic trust and discipline should be a matter of course when working in a team. Nevertheless, I want to protect myself from the worst-case scenario. Regular project backups are the best way to do this. Unfortunately, the automatic backups currently (version 18.1.2) do not work for Cloud Library projects. Hopefully Blackmagic Design will improve this soon. If the worst comes to the worst, I would like to be able to view an earlier version of the project, compare it and go back if necessary – or extract and re-import individual older timelines.

If you have the right programming skills, you can automate local backups of your cloud projects using Python script. Otherwise, the only way out is to manually export or copy projects from the project manager; preferably at least daily and definitely after important milestones, such as after the review with the customer.

Another alternative is to use the backup at library level. In the details of the cloud library, I can use “Back Up” to back up the current status of the entire library with all projects in the cloud
back up. However, if I want to view this backup later, I have to restore it as an additional library. This also incurs the monthly fee for the second library. In practice, this is not dramatic, as I can deactivate the additional library again after a short time (the remaining amount of the monthly fee is credited). Nevertheless, the process seems unnecessarily cumbersome and this backup option cannot currently be automated either. No matter what my backup procedure looks like, I should test it once before the worst comes to the worst!

Cloud vs Network

The collaborative elements offered by Blackmagic Cloud are also all available when working together via an in-house network. So if all employees can work in the same network (for example via VPN), then I can set up a network library as a Postgres database on a local server instead of a cloud library. This saves the monthly costs for Blackmagic Cloud and may make sense if the corresponding IT infrastructure with support is available anyway or is also used for other purposes. For smaller companies and freelancers who otherwise do not need a VPN connection and do not operate a server 24 hours a day, the costs of an in-house network solution will probably exceed the costs of Blackmagic Cloud.

Conclusion

Collaboration via Blackmagic Cloud offers many advantages for collaboration over the Internet. It makes teamwork in DaVinci Resolve much easier and also enables parallel work on a joint project without a special network setup. The improved proxy workflow in version 18, with and without proxy generator, also works well in principle; this can be integrated into your own workflow as required. Storage solutions from Blackmagic Design (Cloud Pod, Cloud Store) can be used, but only improve the workflow in certain situations.

If a new storage solution is planned, I would also take a critical look at the Blackmagic Design products independently of DaVinci Resolve from an IT perspective and compare them with alternatives.

Even in the beta phase, Blackmagic Cloud is already productive and useful for me. In my opinion, the lack of automatic backup in the cloud is the biggest stumbling block. For the time being, every project should have a reliable alternative. Other difficulties, such as accidental locks of timelines or bins, can be annoying but won’t stop the project; this should be avoidable with a bit of practice in the team. Good communication within the team is always crucial and that doesn’t change with Blackmagic Cloud. However, it does facilitate handovers between different areas
in post-production – and, above all, enables real parallel work without major overheads.

The post Collaboration with Blackmagic Cloud first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bernd Klimm.

The Story of “Murder on the Orient Express” (MotOE) is widely known – but incredibly easy to spoil, which is why we didn’t ask Sam Spurgeon about anything story-related – suffice to say, if it could be spoiled for you, you need to brush up on your movie history. Sam Spurgeon, the Dailies Colorist, was – besides MotOE – involved in other productions, for example “Star Wars: Rogue One”, “Denial”, “Jason Bourne” and our favourite TV-series, “Black Mirror”.

DP: Could you describe your setup and workflow for “Murder on the Orient Express”?
Sam Spurgeon: I primarily worked from a grading theatre we set up at Longcross Studios (where the bulk of the film’s photo-graphy took place – longcrossfilmstudios.com). Our suite consisted of Tangent grading panels with an audio mixer and 12 core dual monitor Mac Pro running Resolve Studio. Projection was facilitated using a connected Blackmagic Ultrastudio 4K which fed a 2K 4:4:4 signal to a calibrated Barco projector at 24fps via dual link SDI. This enabled us to grade in a full DCI-P3 colour space and host high quality daily selects screenings for director, cinematographer and department heads. The suite also had a direct connection to the Avid ISIS system used by the editorial department so the transfer of MXF material to them was a smooth process. Any transfers to offsite locations were facilitated by either encrypted hard drives or over the internet via IBM’s Aspera software. A working copy of rushes from the entire shoot was kept live on a large rackmount RAID drive connected via Thunderbolt so that we could refer back to any shot or scene if required.

A lab in the room next door facilitated the LTO backups on a dual LTO6 deck connected to a Mac Mini. A secondary screening room was also set up there using smaller 48 Tbyte RAIDs, a Mac Pro and a 65” LCD panel. This was used if there were multiple requests to view material and also to QC rushes. In terms of workflow, 65mm rushes would be canned up and shipped to our 65mm bath twice daily. After the neg was developed it was cleaned and put up on a GoldenEye 2K dailies scanner. This material was then added to a daily Resolve project and cut up into clips with metadata added with an initial QC pass of the material taking place. The DPX scans and Resolve project were then taken by rushes driver to the Longcross grading theatre for dailies grading, LTO backup and QC. Haris (Zambarloukos, BSC GSC, the project’s cinematographer) would come in to preview the grades and discuss any changes (on busy days, we’d take selects to him on set for preview).

Dailies were generated with all the metadata including the primary grade in the form of CDL values and would travel with the dailies to the edit (via ALE files) and ultimately on to the final conform/DI at Goldcrest London (via AAF with the edited timeline). Final high resolution scans for the conform were undertaken by Fotokem in Los Angeles on their Imagica 8K scanner. Goldcrest’s Chief Technology Officer Laurent Treherne spent some time ensuring that the two scanners were calibrated so that the CDL values would match from scan to scan. Having a full grading theatre set up so close to set meant that we could work closely with shooting crew and near set post-production staff. During the day, material would be screened on an ad-hoc basis for Producers, VFX team, Editorial, for Kenneth and Haris when they wished and anyone else with a need to view material on the big screen.

DP: You used Resolve, which isn’t usually thought of as a Dailes Grading tool – how did it handle the speed and load?
Sam Spurgeon: On a 12 core Mac Pro, Resolve handled the 10 bit 2K DPX scans our dailies scanner produced very rapidly indeed, enabling us to stay on top of even our heaviest two unit days (20,000 – 30,000 ft plus), generating MXF, ProRes and even the more complex compression scheme of H.264 for multiple dailies outputs.

DP: Do you use any plug-ins or scripts to speed up tasks or automate things?
Sam Spurgeon: I developed custom software in order to better process metadata inputs and provide as much information for editorial and the conform as possible. This included extracting key code start and end metadata from the DPX files themselves, providing custom file naming schemes for the Avid system and setting 65mm/5 perf flags that helped Avid interpret the timecode/keycode relationship. In addition to this, I created a standalone QC report generator which created quality control reports at the scan stage and dailies colouring stage (which were geographically different).

DP: With the settings of the movie what were your preparations for those scenes?
Sam Spurgeon: As far as LUTs were concerned, we used a set of FilmLog conversion LUTs supplied to us by Goldcrest that would allow us to output material for DCI-P3 and Rec. 709 display devices. Other than that, no other LUTs were used and we relied on the grade alone to colour correct. I worked closely with Haris, discussing his philosophy and inspirations for the film; he referenced a number of photographers during his prep (Saul Leiter being one of those) and we kept their books in the lab to use as reference. The Art Department also made prints for us of a number of concept artist Luigi Marchione’s visualisations of key locations. To complement the classical opulence of the Orient Express, Haris wanted to adopt what he described as a painterly approach to his composition and colour, avoiding too much contrast and retaining the rich details of the interior of the train. Brighter parts of the image such as snowy landscapes through windows were balanced with the darker interior of the train and I often manipulated specific hues to maintain the luxurious feel of the materials and textures of the train. The scenes themselves move from the warmth of Stamboul to the beautiful but cooler and more isolated French Alps to the darker blizzard and tunnel locations to set the mood as events unfold. I took cues from this, augmenting each colour palette where necessary and pulling just enough details back from the highlights and shadows (where it was required) to maintain Haris’ notion of creating a “painterly” image.

DP: What were your other preparations for this movie, and what was the difference to – for example – “Denial” or “Black Mirror”?
Sam Spurgeon: Those two projects both had established digital workflows in place but MotOE was the exact opposite of that. The facilities to process and scan 65mm film for dailies had only just been introduced in the UK, so preparation was designing a way of working that would allow Haris to control colour through the dailies pipeline as much as possible whilst still delivering dailies to editorial, Fox and other stakeholders in a timely fashion. We designed quality control so that any issues with scans or neg dev were flagged up as soon as possible with a first pass QC report that took place at the lab with a secondary QC looking at on set issues (such as crew in shot, exposure etc).

DP: How often did issues get flagged in the QC?
Sam Spurgeon: Well, the rushes were expertly handled by our lab team but film is a physical medium and support for the 65mm workflow was at that stage fairly limited – the technology was only just starting to respond to the resurgence of the medium. Sometimes it was necessary to get rolls recleaned or rescanned as a result of QC issues which led to the repetition of some (but not all) stages of the workflow process. This did lead to an increase in our workload without a doubt! What was important was to be able to identify quickly the source of any QC fail – was it something that could be resolved with a rescan or reclean or was it something more permanent on the neg itself. For example, our very
knowledgeable camera department would help us out when we needed it, shooting steady tests to determine if jitter in a scan was from the camera (and therefore on the negative) or whether a recalibration of the scanner would fix the problem (which was the case in this instance). The other thing to bear in mind is that rushes shot digitally come as single clips for every take and are often very metadata rich. Film scans come as one long clip that require cutting into separate clips (which we did in Resolve) plus metadata for each new clip needs adding, so before problems are even encountered there is an additional workload to deal with.

DP: If it was up to you: What should be the next features in Resolve?
Sam Spurgeon: Background rendering would really be an aid for productivity as it would allow non-CPU intensive work to continue while the dailies rendered out. A minor improvement, but access to all metadata in the burn-ins pane would be handy. The collaborative features of new versions seem very promising.

DP: What advice would you give everyone interested in doing Dailies Grading?
Sam Spurgeon: Learn the tools inside out. There are so many learning resources available as well as free versions of extremely powerful grading programs, there is no reason not to do this if you are interested in Dailies Grading. When the tools become second nature, you are able to think clearly and discuss ideas, implementing them (or at least a rough version of them) in realtime as you go. This allows you to develop a good creative working relationship with whoever is in the room, be it Cinematographer, Director, VFX Supervisor or someone else.

The post Grading on the Orient Express first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.