eikonoklastes wrote:Marc Wielage wrote:Our solution is not to ever change files outside Resolve.
Is this satire? Definitely got a bit of a laugh out of me.
Not exactly, but it's basically one of those, "doctor, it hurts when I do
this!" "Then don't do
that" situations. Moving files around outside software is one of those things that will break all kinds of databases. I've had experience with this in Pro Tools and FCP, and it can be a nightmare to solve. If anything it's easier to relink files in Resolve than in a lot of other kinds of software.
One thing people have to bear in mind is that Resolve is mainly a
database, so you have to constantly be on guard of confusing or corrupting the database. Things like moving file locations or changing or removing drives can and will result in catastrophe.
Ramin Hunter wrote:For example I'm editing a vector file in Illustrator (sorry Marc Wielage for doing it outside of Resolve!!) and export a png every time I adjust something, you want us to restart Resolve every time I move 1 Pixel in Illustrator? that's just ludicrous
Illustrator is a wonderful program and we recommend it often. My brother is a graphic artist and is a ninja with both Photoshop and Illustrator.
The thing with video workflow is, you have to be very careful when files are updated while an edit session is going on. This principle goes back 100 years to film, and also to videotape and everything else in the last 20 years. Juggling the workflow takes constance vigilance, and keeping track of updated files is of prime importance. @Igor Ridanovic above is absolutely right: version numbers (and even dates) are mandatory for graphic files, title files, and VFX files in progress, because it's the only way you can keep everything straight with a complex session. We have an internal system worked out for "Shot_No_version_timecode_date" that generally works pretty well, but every post house has different workflow procedures in place. As long as everybody agrees on file naming and how files are updated and replaced, it can work just fine. But you do have to manually "point" the session to the new file, and make sure everything works correctly. We generally keep the original shot and the latest VFX on separate video tracks to eye-match them and make sure it's all perfect.
Of course, with very complex, VFX-oriented shows, you need an actual VFX editor to keep track of all of this and send out daily (even hourly) memos making sure the entire team is on the same page in terms of the right shots. If it's just one guy sitting in a chair, working on YouTube videos, you need not go with a system that complex, but you have to come up with some method just out of logic and efficiency. It gets even more challenging if you come back to the project a week or a month or six months later and need to change it.