Premiere Project Prep for Resolve - Pro Colorist Explains XML Workflow

[@EvanSchneider]

Hope this helps a bit! Let me know if you have any questions!

[@mg3226]

Did you ever make the follow-up video you mentioned about re-importing the XML back into Premiere? That's what I'm stuck on as the editor getting a round trip back from color and running into a host of issues. Great video by the way.

[@pgmash]

Thank you Evan! It's very helpful. Is there also a way that DR recognize the keyframes or speed ramps made in PR?

[@lavin_films_international]

Thanks a lot..love from india

[@gravitymediazm]

@@mg3226 Did he ever make this video? need it urgently 😭😭😭

[@ScottBell]

Thanks for the video. As many others have written, a video around the more in depth stuff like mixed frame rates, PP only effects, and other more advanced stuff would be really appreciated!

[@evanfrystakpost]

Absolutely make another video about conforming shots in Resolve! That's such a big step that not many people touch. There can be quite a bit of time that goes into making sure your timeline stays frame accurate between applications.

[@brettrandolph6531]

This was super helpful, but I too would appreciate further explanation of a roundtrip back into Premiere.

[@johnstamw]

Making the videos we didn’t even know we needed 🤯 thanks for sharing this helpful info Evan!!

[@bobbysommers2556]

So if im getting this correct: there is no loss in quality when exporting the XML from premier to Davinci because its using the source clips? Thank you for this video!

[@gui232323]

YES!

[@zthompii3401]

We love when Evan posts a video! 🎉

[@LethalOne]

When I import the XML file into Davinci, the audio always desyncs from middle to the end of the clip. Any advice would be great!

[@EvanSchneider]

First thing I would check is to make sure your audio sample rate matches (48 vs 44.1), then maybe check your frame rate. Usually when I do xml workflows like this I just export a .wav of my sound and then import the single .wav file and sync it up to avoid issues like this.

[@LethalOne]

Thank you for the quick response! I will try the export of the .wav! @@EvanSchneider

[@ReshaTech]

Hello I just started color grading and I know the basics to some extent But after the color correction, it is somehow difficult for me to portray a certain look and I stop there What do you suggest for me?

[@EvanSchneider]

Keep practicing

[@wolfx23]

Thanks so much for the tutorial! I would love to see the follow up video for handling Time Remapping and other odd scenarios. In Premiere I use a lot of time remapping, but can't find a good workflow to make sure I have all the frames I need matching when sent over to Da Vinci. Awesome tutorial, I'm new to Da Vinci and this is exactly what I needed to start sending things over for prepping the timeline.

[@EvanSchneider]

Definitely! Yes, there are a lot of little caveats in the workflow. I’ll take your ideas into consideration for future videos. Thanks for the comment.

[@JUMADO]

Really specific question here... I have a client who shoots in ProRes RAW... Is there any way (besides first converting the ProResRAW to CinemaDNG) to edit the video in premiere and just grade the clip in DaVinci? Because it is shot in RAW I don't really want to finish the edit, export it to ProRes 422 10 bit, as the RAW has 12 bit. Or is it just not normal to shoot in ProRes RAW? I mean so many people and agencys, etc. use DaVinci to grade because it so just so good, and I can understand why Blackmagic won't support ProRes RAW but heck there must be a way, or isn't there any???

[@EvanSchneider]

ProRes RAW is a pretty rare format to come across. I'd probably lock in my desired metadata settings and then export it as ProRes4444 or CinemaDNG. Personally, I would stay away from it because of compatibility issues.

[@ampurush9125]

loved the video, really helped me be a better editor. An in-depth video about mixed frame rates, PP only effects, and other more advanced stuff would be really appreciated!

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind for a future video

[@vasildilov4268]

Great video, thank you! Knowing XML doesn't carry out effects from the premiere even basic motion adjustments, what would be your workflow in case where you have applied a bunch of effects and adjustments on your V1? Would you send your colorist a pro res 422 or 4444?

[@EvanSchneider]

XML does carry basic motion adjustments from Premiere, but it doesn’t carry effects like warp stabilizer, color corrections, etc. Sending a ProRes4444 is a great workflow if you don’t want to deal with translation issues and conforming to the raw footage for the colorist. Just make sure you’re sending the ungraded footage and talk to your colorist first.

[@jakestoneshow]

Awesome video but as a creative in video, You cold have knocked this video out in 3 min. I DO appreciate your attention to detail though =) Thank you for taking the time for this video !!!

[@EvanSchneider]

Totally, this was made back in the day when you needed to vlog with any tutorial idea. I've since learned my lesson 🤪

[@nabila.s.h]

Hi I would really love to know how you export from davinci back to premiere for maybe further editing?

[@deniscoq1395]

thanks for this clear and esay method

[@hamburgchan5675]

Cool tips! Would love to know more in depth, like how to do round trip with all the transitions and mixed frame rates

[@lilydoidge8752]

This video is SO helpful!!! Thanks so much!

[@rzufvideo]

hey man! there's so many videos like that on youtube already, but I feel like your approach is the closest to what I need, especially because your editor works in PR and you grade in DR. It would be awesome if u made another video covering mixed framerates and speed ramps, as these are a pain in the ass for me. For example, I am making a music video and there's a lot of speed ramps added to a single clip throughout the entire timeline. And when I'm sending the timeline over to DR just via xml, the clips are mismatching the one from the PR. On the other hand, when I'm trying to consolidate the timeline as if I'd be sending it to a colorist like you, the clips go missing and nothing works properly. I've beeen having a really hard time with this for a couple of months now (so mainly I stick to basic grading in PR but wish I could use DR)

[@EvanSchneider]

Hey! Thanks for the comment. I plan to make more in depth videos like this in the future, unfortunately it's not as popular of a topic but I still want to help people. For your project though, it's an extremely complicated conform to bring speed ramps over to Resolve. It seems like there are a few issues going on that are unrelated to each other. I'm not sure what's going on with your media consolidation, but for your speed ramps, you have a couple options. The first would be to completely rebuild them in Resolve since XML's don't translate those very well. The easier option, and what I would probably recommend for you for this project, is to simply export a ProRes4444 from your final timeline to use as a source for the color grade in Resolve. This ensures that everything you see in Premiere is what you get in Resolve since you've exported it to a single file. Before you export, you'll want to make sure to disable any color adjustments you've made and depending on what camera you shot on, make sure the raw settings are what the colorist wants. Then in Resolve, the colorist can do a scene cut detect and chop the ProRes back up into individual clips to grade. The beauty of this workflow is that it makes the transfer process very simple, but the drawback is that once you send it out of Premiere, you can't easily go back and make changes to the edit. It's locked in. In the future, it pays off to plan before your edit to make sure the conform to color is as smooth as possible. If you plan on doing a lot of effects and speed ramps, it might be worth it to just edit in Resolve. Hope this helps!

[@valtersmarkavs1388]

I have the same problem. Editing in premiere and coloring in DR. The edit has speedramps and effects on it which im not even going to bother opening through xml in dr. I was thinking that maybe if i just open the clips i used in the edit in dr and color them, there is an option in dr to export each clip individually. Tweak the file naming so that the clips have similar names to the originals. Export them in a new folder and then in premiere try replacing/linking the colored footage to og footage and pray to god that premiere understands which is which. Maybe this could work. havent tried it yet

[@nickostel]

My consolidated project had an 84GB estimate but ended up being 320GBs. Any idea what I did wrong lol?

[@EvanSchneider]

I would need more info to properly asses the problem. What consolidation method did you use?

[@vivienatan8039]

If I have done speed ramping and warp stabilisation effects in Premier already, will the effects remain when exporting to resolve to Color grade and then importing back ?

[@EvanSchneider]

Speed ramping - maybe. Warp stabilizer - no.

[@Arun-qp9hv]

how can we import the nested sequence in premiere pro to davinci resolve? it's not showing up when conforming through xml.

[@EvanSchneider]

In a nested sequence you’re basically “hiding” the clip information from the XML because it can’t see inside the nest. You’ll have to un-nest it into your timeline, manually conform those clips in Resolve yourself, or go into the nest and export that as its own XML. If you know you’re going to be round tripping to Resolve in the future, you’ll know not to use nested clips.

[@kamediapro]

Awesome tutorial! Is there any way to export the XML that actually USES the proxies to grade in Resolve? My issue I'm running into is that the raw video I'm working with is in a codec that Resolve doesn't support. Davinci will read my proxies, but not my raws. So is there a way to export and XML that will let Resolve use my proxies files, then when I export back for premier pro, it will pick up my full res raws again? I hope that makes some sense.

[@EvanSchneider]

You could try importing the proxies into your resolve media pool and then import your XML and uncheck automatically import source media into media pool. Then point it to the bin containing the proxies. This would work as long as the proxies contain the same timecode, filename, and reel name, which could be the tricky part because I think premiere changes the filename. It would be a more advanced confirm than I can explain in a comment.

[@soyJulianR]

Evan, thank you for creating this video, it's very comprehensive for those users getting started. I like the way you shared all the info as it's very helpful even at an agency level. In my case, when I'm creating my own content, I have issues when going back from Davinci to Pemiere Pro as I get some clips with different length. I may lose a few frames here and there and throws my edit to the trash can. Do you happen to know why??

[@vooshmoozik6185]

after 7 months you've probably already found an answer to this, but in case you didn't, resolve might have a different approach to timeline framerates than premiere, which may result in inaccurate cuts, make sure to look at timeline settings before you import, or look at different ways of importing footage/timelines because most video editors have multiple ways of doing the same thing with minor differences in the outcomes depending on what you're after, do it with dummy timelines so you don't screw up your actual work though until you find out what does what, that's what i did

[@KasaiFilms8]

How can you update the XML file? I have a project which I'm editing and grading. The director requested some changes after nearly completing the grade. What are the steps to edit the Premiere pro file, then update the XML which I've been grading?

[@EvanSchneider]

Ah, every colorist's worst nightmare. There is no way to update an XML file. You would make and track the changes you made in Premiere, say, on another video track, then export only the changes to a new XML. The colorist would then have to import the new XML and conform the changes into the timeline. If there are any cuts, resulting in a shorter timeline, you would have to mark those for them to delete manually. It's a time consuming process and that's why it's so important to sign off on picture lock before moving forward to the grade.

[@dumasocenywa4313]

Hey man. When I export an xml from davinci to premier it doesn't tranfer the color grade. What could I be missing?

[@EvanSchneider]

Hey there, I wouldn’t count on any reliable color grade info to be translated between Resolve and Premiere via XML. They’re mainly just for transferring edits. If you want to go back to Premiere, you would export as individual clips and then bring those into Premiere. This is called a round trip workflow if you want to search for videos. Hope that helps!

[@jesscthevision]

Great video! As a beginner I'm a bit confused on something: basically I just finished editing all my clips in premiere. Added all the effects, nests, transitions, etc. Now I want to import as an XML into DR, color correct, and import back into Premiere. But when I import the XML back, what is going to happen to all the effects, transitions, nests, etc that I did in the original timeline? Will I have to go back and re-add all the effects for each clip?

[@EvanSchneider]

Hey there! Thanks for the comment. In short, there are effects and settings in Premiere that do not get transferred over via XML. This includes effects like warp stabilizer and other Premiere-only effects. Nests also cause translation issues. After exporting the XML, Premiere will also save a translation report where you can check to see the problems. You will have to conform the XML in Resolve, grade, and then render the clips back to Premiere, in which you can add back the effects that didn't transfer over. This workflow takes some practice and you can save a lot of time once you know what transfers over and what doesn't. Unfortunately there is no clean and simple way to get everything back and forth. I hope to make more videos about this workflow someday!

[@General111100]

where you able to update this video? topics like mix frame rates, speed changes, framing changes?

[@General111100]

How do you create an offline reference video? to make sure the xml imported is correct?

[@EvanSchneider]

Just render out a video from your original timeline. It's a manual process, Resolve doesn't analyze the reference video automatically.

[@laurapaglin3933]

Very helpful video. But re the proxy file problem. Rather than detaching them from all the imported media files (which could be a big pain), why not simply delete them from the resulting consolidated media? Could just search for ".proxy" and then delete.

[@EvanSchneider]

They are not .proxy files

[@SHVWNCOOPER]

i'm having the most struggle with mixed frame rates, please please please this is wrecking my life rn trying to swap over to resolve. it's also not always consistent when i export the XML over - it doesn't ALWAYS fck it up. but sometimes then back on reimprot to premiere it will. it's hard to pinpoint. but unfortunately i do my own vfx so I'm going to be in adobe for a long time with my work schedule.

[@EvanSchneider]

Definitely want to cover this in a future video! It causes a lot of issues if not done properly!

[@SHVWNCOOPER]

@@EvanSchneider that's what's keeping me from swapping over, i shoot mostly in 60 in a 24 timeline. sometimes it wipes out my entire grade. sometimes when it's imported back into premiere, it's def NOT the grade i put on it.

[@nicksneider5463]

@@SHVWNCOOPER just render out to individual files then. premiere xml is not the only way.

[@ygagarin]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: [00:12] 🛡️ Send original camera files to colorist, not ProRes 444 [01:49] 🎥 Create low resolution h.264 proxies with watermark to edit smoothly [03:28] 📁 Consolidate timeline to send to colorist, excluding unused clips and audio conform files [04:52] ❌ Don't rename media files when sending to colorist, or the XML won't match [06:29] 🚫 Don't send proxy media to colorist, detach proxies before consolidating [08:47] 🎥 Consolidated project with media attached [09:00] 📄 Export XML of timeline [09:41] ⚙️ Import XML into Resolve [10:34] オーディオ Export WAV file from Premiere if needed [11:15] 🎬 Ready for coloring Made with HARPA AI

[@watsonryan907]

I am literally in this exact same situation. I am finding a colorist on Fiverr and many are out of the country so I can’t send them a drive. I want the work to be done in premiere because I’m editing in premiere but he’s working in davinci. It’s been very difficult to figure out so this is perfect.

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it was helpful!

[@watsonryan907]

@@EvanSchneider Do you know any good reasonably priced colorists trying to get experience doing a feature film? It’s my first one and the budget is low but it’s a good quality film so an up and coming colorist might be willing to do it for cheaper than normal to add it to their portfolio. All filmed in log profile, anamorphic, on Dual camera GH5’s, great audio, great lighting. Should make for a quality family friendly film. I have a channel if they want to see my previous work although this better quality than my previous work. Please get back to me. Even if it’s just to tell me you don’t know of anyone.

[@Directortezzjamz]

Hey bro, if I’m sending the project off to someone working out of davinci how do i get it to them. I work out of premiere pro

[@EvanSchneider]

Hey, it’s too much to explain over a comment but you basically have two options. You could either send an XML and the original camera footage and then conform that in Resolve, or you could export a ProRes 422HQ or 4444 and send that to Resolve, then do a scene cut detect to add back in the edit points for grading. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, I hope to make more videos about this soon.

[@Directortezzjamz]

@@EvanSchneider Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this for me, ill give it a shot.

[@Jakenbake98]

why does it matter if it copies over the proxy files? wouldn't that just be useful for a colorist if they're trying to scrub through the timeline

[@EvanSchneider]

Great question. Colorists don't want or need the proxies from the offline edit, plus they oftentimes have a LUT baked in or are in a different colorspace. If they need to optimize for playback, they would create their own optimized media based on their workflow and color pipeline.

[@Jakenbake98]

@@EvanSchneider ah alright, thanks Evan!

[@movieprof1]

Hello Friend!

[@movieprof1]

This is INCREDIBLY helpful, and a way of getting to Resolve that I've never used.

[@EvanSchneider]

Hey! Great to see you stop by! Glad it was helpful. Take care.

[@3StarDanceCrewOfficial]

3:00

[@2424rocket]

Your presentation needs lots of work. You might wanna rehearse doing it before you record the tutorial.

[@EvanSchneider]

k

[@laurapaglin3933]

OMG, really?