- Posts: 23
- Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:30 pm
- Real Name: Tadhg O'Sullivan
Myself and an assistant have been working on a feature documentary on Resolve for the last six months. It was a bit of a leap of faith but (touch wood) it has worked out pretty well so far... I'm posting here some thoughts in the form of a list of features we would love and bugs we have noticed. I'm not sure how universal our experience is as long-form editors are not the core users on here, but I would love BMD to look after us as the potential of this platform for documentary people is huge.
The film is approx 80% archive, and the source material for this is vast. Our bin structure is complex and our use of keywords extensive. 20% of the film is 16mm that comes in as DPX files - I make Prores proxies after a quick grade and will go back to the DPX files at the end. I intend to grade and online the film within the same project that I cut it in (or a version thereof). I'm not sure Fairlight is ready yet for what I do but I might look into it before going the dreaded but familiar ProTools route.
Anyway - here are some notes on things that would really help us...
Features
Conform: there are a lot of issues with conform, but having to 'Conform Lock with media pool clip' for every instance is painful. Working on 16mm we have 400ft/10min reels, which then get cut into many smaller clips. Conforming a Prores back to the DPX at the end means selecting each clip, clicking on the DPX in the media pool, clicking on the timeline clip again, and selecting 'Conform lock...'. If I could select every clip from the 10min file and conform in one go it would be a vast saving of time. Or, a window offering to 'Conform all instances of [file X] in Timeline'.
Relinking offline clips needs serious attention. When opening a project with offline clips there should be a window dedicated to relinking that can do searches, change source folders etc. This window should list all offline clips in the project. (Similiar to Premiere Pro's offline media window). Currently there is no way of knowing if anything in a project is offline, until one comes up against the file, possibly during a playout or a screening.
Search: with a huge volume of source material the search function needs an 'enter' function. Currently it starts searching as you type, but with hundreds of clips it hangs for a second or two as you type each letter. The only workaround is to set search to 'selected bins' and change it to 'all bins' when the search term has been typed in full. Our machines are pretty fast.
Zoom into audio waveform in the viewer, and use the larger part of that window to scroll. Of all aspects of Resolve this is the least functional in the simplest terms. The only way to make it work is to put a clip on a timeline so as be able to step through, zoom in and make proper selections. Audio in the viewer is essentially useless, for all but the most basic, short clips.
When creating a subclip, it should at least be automatically selected in the bin, but ideally its clip name should be selected and ready to immediately edit. This would save multiple actions. Currently the new subclip disappears into the bin, and has to be found again.
When having multiple project open, saving to have option Save All Open Projects
Render Cache - moving a clip (or many) by one frame (or many) should not require it to be rendered again. The generated files can surely be made independent of timeline placement. Same for duplicated timelines, and copy/paste of clips - even across timelines. For colorists and others this is not a big deal but for those of us who move things constantly it is unworkable.
In the Deliver page - retain in and out points marked in the Edit page. We constantly export and share scenes from within longer timelines and have to mark in and out in the finicky deliver timeline.
Rendering on the Deliver page in the background. Every editing assistant's dream.
Maintain subtitle settings across project - 'set as global/default style'. Currently the font and size must be set from scratch even when pasting in from another timeline - a pain. Again, makes sense for online editing with one subtitle track per project but with dozens of subtitled scenes and assemblies, just annoying.
Compound Clips to include subtitles. Offline edits on feature docs often include subtitled scenes or interviews - tidying the whole subtitle track into compound clips so they don't have to be worried about would be extremely useful.
Linked clips to include subtitles. Same reason...
It would be nice to be able to see the fps of an imported srt file if possible?
Imported srt file snaps to timecode of first subtitle. Currently we open srt in textedit and read timecode of first sub and use that to place
In dual screen mode, with full screen timeline selected, control-F brings up a full screen preview but only on the screen displaying the timeline - ie the 'main' monitor. I can change system prefs to have either monitor be the 'main' monitor in Apple OS and switch easily in Resolve which monitor is the primary display but for some reason I can never have timeline and full screen at the same time, which is how I work at fine cut. (Yes I gave in and bought an ultra studio mini monitor but the above would still be useful as I still can't have timeline and full screen display without three monitors)
Adjust text size. On a 4k monitor all text is so tiny I need binoculars.
If a key is already assigned when user tries to assign it, give option of unlinking it from previously assigned function. At the moment, user has to go to that function and unassign it.
Keyboard shortcuts for Edit / Deliver / Color etc pages.
Keyboard shortcuts for media pool
Keyboard shortcuts for track height
Make it possible to batch export multiple clips from a timeline using their project clip names
Bug/Feature(?): Replacing a clip with a file of the exact same name does not update the clip settings in resolve (like frame rate) to those of the new clip, despite it successfully relinking.
Bugs:
The autosave/save feature is NOT working as intended. Latest autosaves to not seem to loaded after a crash, instead reverting to last save. Entire recovery process extremely inconsistent even with Project backup saves set very frequently
Duplicating timelines: new timeline can be renamed in media pool but the timeline tab is called X-copy
Using "Edit Subclip" feature to extend subclip lengths does not extend audio with the video and instead disables the video for the entire subclip.
Copying a bin of subclips from one project to another removes all of the subclips assigned keywords.
Bug: replacing a clip (imported into resolve) in the finder with a clip of the exact same name causes Resolve to crash (100% of the time)
Bug: when dragging a clip with its corresponding subtitle clips from one timeline to another, the subtitles do not remain in sync, instead are added to the start of the clip.
Bug: waking from sleep on Mac OS, primary and secondary monitors are reversed
That's it... we've been keeping notes towards this post for two weeks - I'm sure there are more but that's plenty for now. Thanks
The film is approx 80% archive, and the source material for this is vast. Our bin structure is complex and our use of keywords extensive. 20% of the film is 16mm that comes in as DPX files - I make Prores proxies after a quick grade and will go back to the DPX files at the end. I intend to grade and online the film within the same project that I cut it in (or a version thereof). I'm not sure Fairlight is ready yet for what I do but I might look into it before going the dreaded but familiar ProTools route.
Anyway - here are some notes on things that would really help us...
Features
Conform: there are a lot of issues with conform, but having to 'Conform Lock with media pool clip' for every instance is painful. Working on 16mm we have 400ft/10min reels, which then get cut into many smaller clips. Conforming a Prores back to the DPX at the end means selecting each clip, clicking on the DPX in the media pool, clicking on the timeline clip again, and selecting 'Conform lock...'. If I could select every clip from the 10min file and conform in one go it would be a vast saving of time. Or, a window offering to 'Conform all instances of [file X] in Timeline'.
Relinking offline clips needs serious attention. When opening a project with offline clips there should be a window dedicated to relinking that can do searches, change source folders etc. This window should list all offline clips in the project. (Similiar to Premiere Pro's offline media window). Currently there is no way of knowing if anything in a project is offline, until one comes up against the file, possibly during a playout or a screening.
Search: with a huge volume of source material the search function needs an 'enter' function. Currently it starts searching as you type, but with hundreds of clips it hangs for a second or two as you type each letter. The only workaround is to set search to 'selected bins' and change it to 'all bins' when the search term has been typed in full. Our machines are pretty fast.
Zoom into audio waveform in the viewer, and use the larger part of that window to scroll. Of all aspects of Resolve this is the least functional in the simplest terms. The only way to make it work is to put a clip on a timeline so as be able to step through, zoom in and make proper selections. Audio in the viewer is essentially useless, for all but the most basic, short clips.
When creating a subclip, it should at least be automatically selected in the bin, but ideally its clip name should be selected and ready to immediately edit. This would save multiple actions. Currently the new subclip disappears into the bin, and has to be found again.
When having multiple project open, saving to have option Save All Open Projects
Render Cache - moving a clip (or many) by one frame (or many) should not require it to be rendered again. The generated files can surely be made independent of timeline placement. Same for duplicated timelines, and copy/paste of clips - even across timelines. For colorists and others this is not a big deal but for those of us who move things constantly it is unworkable.
In the Deliver page - retain in and out points marked in the Edit page. We constantly export and share scenes from within longer timelines and have to mark in and out in the finicky deliver timeline.
Rendering on the Deliver page in the background. Every editing assistant's dream.
Maintain subtitle settings across project - 'set as global/default style'. Currently the font and size must be set from scratch even when pasting in from another timeline - a pain. Again, makes sense for online editing with one subtitle track per project but with dozens of subtitled scenes and assemblies, just annoying.
Compound Clips to include subtitles. Offline edits on feature docs often include subtitled scenes or interviews - tidying the whole subtitle track into compound clips so they don't have to be worried about would be extremely useful.
Linked clips to include subtitles. Same reason...
It would be nice to be able to see the fps of an imported srt file if possible?
Imported srt file snaps to timecode of first subtitle. Currently we open srt in textedit and read timecode of first sub and use that to place
In dual screen mode, with full screen timeline selected, control-F brings up a full screen preview but only on the screen displaying the timeline - ie the 'main' monitor. I can change system prefs to have either monitor be the 'main' monitor in Apple OS and switch easily in Resolve which monitor is the primary display but for some reason I can never have timeline and full screen at the same time, which is how I work at fine cut. (Yes I gave in and bought an ultra studio mini monitor but the above would still be useful as I still can't have timeline and full screen display without three monitors)
Adjust text size. On a 4k monitor all text is so tiny I need binoculars.
If a key is already assigned when user tries to assign it, give option of unlinking it from previously assigned function. At the moment, user has to go to that function and unassign it.
Keyboard shortcuts for Edit / Deliver / Color etc pages.
Keyboard shortcuts for media pool
Keyboard shortcuts for track height
Make it possible to batch export multiple clips from a timeline using their project clip names
Bug/Feature(?): Replacing a clip with a file of the exact same name does not update the clip settings in resolve (like frame rate) to those of the new clip, despite it successfully relinking.
Bugs:
The autosave/save feature is NOT working as intended. Latest autosaves to not seem to loaded after a crash, instead reverting to last save. Entire recovery process extremely inconsistent even with Project backup saves set very frequently
Duplicating timelines: new timeline can be renamed in media pool but the timeline tab is called X-copy
Using "Edit Subclip" feature to extend subclip lengths does not extend audio with the video and instead disables the video for the entire subclip.
Copying a bin of subclips from one project to another removes all of the subclips assigned keywords.
Bug: replacing a clip (imported into resolve) in the finder with a clip of the exact same name causes Resolve to crash (100% of the time)
Bug: when dragging a clip with its corresponding subtitle clips from one timeline to another, the subtitles do not remain in sync, instead are added to the start of the clip.
Bug: waking from sleep on Mac OS, primary and secondary monitors are reversed
That's it... we've been keeping notes towards this post for two weeks - I'm sure there are more but that's plenty for now. Thanks