Understanding the DaVinci Resolve Pipeline

This is one of the most important things that lets pro colorists grade better and more quickly than amateurs: Understanding the Resolve Pipeline.
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[@IllusionaryFed]

This is usually how I grade every time, refreshing to see a Professional such as yourself do it too

[@theowlfromduolingo7982]

🍪 well done, here’s a cookie for you.

[@IllusionaryFed]

@@theowlfromduolingo7982 Thanks, here’s one for woman that gave birth to you as well 🍪

[@jhonastete]

@@theowlfromduolingo7982i need a cookie too

[@EzraaaDave]

what's your export settings

[@mitchellwoodin6686]

What I'd love to see pipeline wise is how you manage receiving EDLs from an editor and conforming a project for color grading. I'd love to see how you handle this process from start to finish

[@mustafakamal8608]

I found you yesterday and start binging your contents

[@RneeErneNree]

Thanks Cullen for making such valuable, informative, concise and clear videos. Your channel is a veritable compass in the ocean of disinformation that is KZbin. Much appreciated.

[@adsmithtx]

Great video completely understanding the first time thru, of course I have been watching your videos for quit a while and adding grade school when I can. thank you for sharing your time and talent.

[@LoicRathscheck]

You have a talent in explaining things in a simple and effective way. It all makes sense. Thank you!

[@sashazephiria3869]

One of the most amazing videos from your channel ! Really clear and simple, loved the VFX roundtrip explanation.

[@MareckiTV]

This is excellent! Inside knowledge of understanding the color science!

[@arthentic4508]

Hi Cullen, thanks for once again touching these topics. I wanted a little help with what you did there with "tone mapping" and "gamut mapping". It kinda went over my head and I couldn't understand why you did that. Would love for you to make small video explaining those two under CST node. Thank you!

[@Resolve_This]

Great, simplified explanation Cullen. You're very good at pleasantly explaining seemingly complicated things in an easy to understand way. Thanks for sharing 🙏.

[@InLightVFX]

As a VFX artist, I often focus my tutorials on color management since it really does elevate one's work so much. So I was delighted when you mentioned the VFX part of the pipeline! Not to toot my own horn, but I made a video about ACES and VFX that fits right into that section. I'll drop it here in case anyone in your audience wants to dive into understanding that part of the pipeline further: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3upY6Z3n7emr5I Thanks for covering this topic in such a clear, concise manner! Oh and I also appreciate that you called it a "linear domain" and not a "linear color space" :) Look forward to checking out the rest of your work. Oh and we are also subscriber count buddies - cheers!

[@kasmedify]

The VFX DemiGod himself Glad to know you both.... inlightvfx we beg for more....you are the next andrew kranmer of the next generation.

[@RichardBabuMemoirs]

Very impressive and useful, thank you

[@patrickvanoorschot9019]

Thank you Cullen for these videos. Looking forward to the CCA course!

[@eddyjuillerat835]

Perfectly clear. Thank you!

[@kirankiranmishra]

wow, thank you so much, finally I took 1st step towards how to manage and grade vfx along with footages. I understand that's not it and there is more I need to learn, but now it made me 😃confident about what ever I see in future as tutorial, Is going to be easy for me to understand. thank you so much Cullen

[@Noamadic_Images]

Great video. Thanks

[@posebukse]

Why AP0 over AP1? Isn't ACEScg AP1? I've never understood why not sticking with AP0 all the way. Top notch knowledge, love the little nuggets where you explain why you use/don't use tone mapping when going into bigger/smaller gamuts.

[@krishnakhushlanics1851]

thanks Cullen for this video. I had one doubt, do we actually prefer giving ACES Linear to the VFx team in a high end production? Because it looked contrasty with the colors washed out. But in VFx we need a footage with as much depth and detail as possible.

[@uncleanAlibertine1]

esay to understand and thak u!

[@AlexPetrov108]

Thank you! Do you know why using your 2383 LUT, when the clip is color managed in the project settings vs using nodes, produces slightly different results? I tested it on a SLog3/SGammut3 clip and compared the 2 methods. When using the same input-output transforms with 2 CST nodes and DWG intermediate - its result had slightly less saturation and highlights taken down by some 5% looking at the scopes (Waveform and Vectorscope), yet visually two clips are virtually identical it's just the highlights where you can see the difference. Why is that? I thought these 2 methods produce idetical results?

[@alejandrocasadiego2655]

So that means Professionals Vfx Artists are aware to work inside a ACES Color Space with a Linear Gamma and then when they’re done deliver it to you again with that same specs so you can continue this process inside the pipeline without the overall look being affected?

[@Resolve_This]

Exactly. This ensures that both VFX and the colorist are looking at the correct colormanaged image and making sure you don't later on have any other transforms which would alter the image.

[@adrianoclinquart]

Hey Cullen great great video! Just to be sure, in that part when you get the take back from vfx in ACES APO, you’re gonna replace that take in your timeline, right? So now it’s not from Arri. With that said, I should turn off the 2 first CST nodes, right? arri to DWG and DWG to APO).

[@CullenKelly]

Hey Adrian! You are correct. That would absolutely be a sound way to implement your vfx material back into your timeline!

[@JimRobinson-colors]

I think it would be less confusing if the VFX part of the pipeline with the CST ( aces/linear - the VFX and the CST back to DWG ) was in a compound node. Then you could simply turn it off when there is no VFX. Simplifies the node tree.

[@joshdiditt]

I remember seeing a tutorial of yours where you just had three nodes for the primaries and two nodes underneath as the secondaries. Are you saying I need to do this (on this video) before I start grading every project?

[@CullenKelly]

Hey Josh! That template node tree at the clip level that you're referring to is definitely a piece of the pipeline! The other pieces are made up of the overall look for our images, as well as our color management. This pipeline should always be setup at the beginning of each project, before we start grading at the shot level!

[@EzraaaDave]

ive read all the comments and tried to look for the answers online but i couldnt find it. so here it is.. what should be my export settings from Davinci to After Effects for VFX work? and what settings do i use to retain Color management inside After effect?

[@cinema8564]

Cullen: you answered a couple of recent nagging questions. Thank you! BUT HERE IS A NEW QUESTION: What is the Order of Operation(s) between the two main node trees, Clip and Timeline? (Of course, there are also other node trees, such as Pre-Clip, Group, etc.) That is, which node tree is executed first, or, has precedence or priority? Does it matter if, for example, the CST converting to 709 is in the timeline or the clip level? If it usually makes no practical difference, then under what circumstances might it actually make a difference? In arithmetic, the commutative property holds for some operations (addition) but not others (subtraction). Keep it coming, Cullen! Thanks!

[@gregrubbert]

From what I understand, clip is first in the pipeline, ending with timeline. The order of the pipeline starts with Group Pre-Clip, then to Clip, Group Post-Clip, and finally, Timeline. For example, if I have multiple groups for a project and want to do a node-based color management. I will set my IDT on the Pre-clip group for each group of shots, and then on Timeline will set the ODT very last. That way everything in between is in my working color space of choice. If anyone has other comments or corrections, please let me know. Hope this helps!

[@johngiatropoulos3848]

@@gregrubbert Thank you for this -I've been struggling with the same question. It was easy to grasp the pipeline and when and where to do the CSTs but not intuitively obvious to me how this all worked if I started with project settings color mgmt. Is your explanation discussed in the Resolve reference manual?

[@dherveyphotography]

What is the work around for using 2 different cameras when you're at the transformation of camera color space? Like if I used a pocket 6k and sony or fuji and sony, for ex

[@waynetaylor6969]

Where can I purchase the 10 Colorist Commandants?

[@crismotions]

If I wanted to color manage via nodes and I want to create an overall macro look across all my shots, would I go into the timeline space and just place the LUT or would I have to make CST nodes in the timeline tab as well as the clip tab?

[@Marina120785]

The first CST would have to stay at clip level, because that is the first step in the order of operations, the first thing that hits the image. Timeline level nodes affect the image after clip level nodes. The rec709 CST has to be the last node of the pipeline, so in that case it can be placed on the timeline level, after the LOOK node.

[@TallyTalwarOfficial]

Your content is good, but the audio level in your videos is lower than usual.

[@PPMTechnologiesHoldingsLLC]

Obviously I have yet to graduate from color management level one…I’m still somewhat confused. How do we determine our cameras Input Color Space and Input Gamma…through metadata? What about Display Color Space…is this referring to the monitor that we are grading on? Thank you!!

[@KeithDCarl]

I am no expert. I watched this because I just learned that this is the way it's done but I didn't know how to make it happen, so take this with a rather large grain of salt. My understanding is that current monitors and displays expect a certain standard color space. Rec709 is that standard color space. Regarding how to know the color space your camera spits out, I don't know how you determine that beyond the cameras listed in Resolve. Apparently most or all "real" cinema cameras are listed. I believe cameras that do not have a LOG setting yield Rec709. But converting Rec709 to DWG and back to Rec709 doesn't quite get us there if you are shooting with a flattened profile. I'm using a Canon 70D with Technicolor Cinestyle loaded. I would love to know how one would convert this into DWG. I am actively looking for the answer and will revisit this thread if I find. Please let me know if you find out.

[@beargeistdesign5174]

Does "Nits" (tone mapping) have any relative meaning with a log encoded image; or does linearization as an intermediate step (CST), give it its application? Could going to linear be though of like 'unpacking' the dynamic range?

[@adityakumarchourasia3881]

Hi Cullen, thanks for making informative videos on resolve. I have recently switched from Premiere pro after 5 years of editing on it to resolve 18.5. please guide me how Can I edit extremely faster like premier in resolve. Also how to adjust the windows accordingly like Adobe premier pro

[@obe3]

You can use the Premier pro shortcuts in the keyboard preferences which may help. You can not arrange the windows as you do in premier, but you can expose or hide/move certain elements to a degree

[@jasonjudge1020]

What would you do if the look you want to use is a power grade that has a cst that only has cineon film log on it? I’ve been trying different methods but they always leave a really dark image that I have to bring the exposure up, it hasn’t made the image look grainy yet but also doesn’t seem like I’m doing the right process when bringing into my color managed pipeline

[@evananthony4883]

Nice video Cullen! Can you explain how you would do this in a DWG workflow that is project based? I'd assume you would just change the output on the project level to ACES/Linear?

[@posebukse]

Bypass management pr clip and do exactly what he's doing in the video, manual control via nodes :)

[@jingqiangbeh7474]

I believe what you’re suggesting is correct. As long as what you’re outputting from project base color management looks the same as node base color management(if you are testing out this current video’s workflow)

[@simonrabeder1599]

Should it not be ACEScg which is linear AP1?

[@gregrubbert]

I don't think CST has ACEScg has an output, but the ACES Transform effect does have ACEScg as an output option.

[@simonrabeder1599]

@@gregrubbert acescg is just linear gamma with ap1 gamut

[@posebukse]

I was wondering why AP0 too. AP0 can fit all of AP1 in it, so I guess there's not really a difference even mathematically (he touched on it in a stream once). But I've never understood why not just stick with the larger AP0 all the time.

[@AlexKroke]

interesting video! I never had VFX work done to my video, but I wonder why you have it on a node, is it just to give them? Most likely you getting back a new rendered clip that needs to be replaced on the timeline, is that correct?

[@memcrew1]

I think that’s correct.

[@vvdhorstgmailcom]

And with that you wouldn’t need the first cst or the third. Just from aces lineair to dwg at the start and then from dwg to 709 at the end.

[@jonald2010]

Amazing content man. Hey you had your "look node" at the timeline before you use CST, will it be possible to leave it at timeline when using the CST round trip?

[@Marina120785]

Yes, but in that case the last CST has to be at the timeline level as well, after the LOOK node.

[@jonald2010]

@@Marina120785 so....I have to move CST and Look at the Timeline Level but I still "can" grade individual clips at clip level right?

[@Marina120785]

@@jonald2010 The first CST has to stay on clip level, it has to be the first thing you do to the image. You can then grade on clip level after that first CST. The LOOK node and the second CST can be placed at timeline level.

[@KeithDCarl]

Excellent question and great answer! Here is a super informative, clear video. Then, a thoughtful (on topic) question is followed by a reasonable exchange that evolves into a complete, useful answer! Where am I?! Seriously though, this is how KZbin should work! Kudos to you all.