Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

Get answers to your questions about color grading, editing and finishing with DaVinci Resolve.
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

dennis9880

  • Posts: 31
  • Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:35 am
  • Real Name: Dennis Malric

Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 7:15 am

hello everyone
I have a main timeline that contains other timelines inside it. Basically, I have the same timeline repeated several times inside a bigger timeline. I want to apply the same grade to all of those timeline instances.

In the Color page, when I try to create a remote grade, it doesn’t work. The option isn’t available like it normally is for regular clips that come from the same source. Usually with regular clips, I can create a remote grade and have it affect all the clips that come from the same source file. But with these timelines inside timelines, remote grades aren’t working. Why is this ? And what if i still Want to do it ?
Offline
User avatar

Marc Wielage

  • Posts: 13300
  • Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:46 am
  • Location: Palm Springs, California

Re: Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 8:25 am

dennis9880 wrote:hello everyone. I have a main timeline that contains other timelines inside it. Basically, I have the same timeline repeated several times inside a bigger timeline. I want to apply the same grade to all of those timeline instances.

My advice: don't do it. I think this is a bad way to work that can result in a lot of problems.

You would be much better off doing the correction in one node in one timeline, then ripple that node to every clip in the timeline. Now, every shot has the same correction -- it takes about 10 seconds to do and there are no flaws or pitfalls with this approach (save possibly for transitions, titles, and compositions).

I think nested timelines in general are problematic, but that's my experience.
Certified DaVinci Resolve Color Trainer • AdvancedColorTraining.com
Offline
User avatar

KrunoSmithy

  • Posts: 4580
  • Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2023 11:01 pm
  • Warnings: 1
  • Real Name: Kruno Stifter

Re: Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 8:59 am

dennis9880 wrote:I have a main timeline that contains other timelines inside it. Basically, I have the same timeline repeated several times inside a bigger timeline. I want to apply the same grade to all of those timeline instances.


Bad workflow.
Offline

Jim Simon

  • Posts: 36179
  • Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:47 am

Re: Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 2:30 pm

dennis9880 wrote:I have a main timeline that contains other timelines inside it.
I would agree with the above sentiments that another workflow should be sought out. To help with that idea...what's inside that nested timeline that keeps repeating?
My Biases:

You NEED training.
You NEED a desktop.
You NEED a calibrated (non-computer) display.
Offline
User avatar

Marc Wielage

  • Posts: 13300
  • Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:46 am
  • Location: Palm Springs, California

Re: Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 11:37 pm

KrunoSmithy wrote:Bad workflow.

I give out that advice all the time for students, and they basically come back at me with, "well, if I CAN do it, then it SHOULD work."

I try to warn them that the power of Resolve can let you do things in a half-dozen possible ways, but it may not be as fast or as practical as another, much simpler method.
Certified DaVinci Resolve Color Trainer • AdvancedColorTraining.com
Online
User avatar

Joe Shapiro

  • Posts: 4282
  • Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 7:23 am
  • Location: Los Angeles CA USA

Why can't I use remote grades on timeline clips

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 11:42 pm

There are better faster ways to do things.

There are also workarounds to bugs in Resolve that are often not better or faster but instead complicated and counterintuitive.

I suggest we try to distinguish these things. So often someone comes asking why a perfectly reasonable thing isn’t working and is met with “you’re doing it wrong” rather than “yeah that’s broken in Resolve but here’s a workaround.”

When we normalize the bugs we accept that they’ll never be fixed. And in accepting that we make it so.
Director, Editor, Problem Solver. Been cutting indie features for 24 years. FCP editor from version 2 to 7.
Resolve 20.0.3B
MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max 64GB RAM, macOS 14.7.2
MacBook Air 13 M1 8GB RAM, macOS 14.6.1
BMPCC4K 8.6 beta
BMCC6K 8.7 beta

Return to DaVinci Resolve

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 236 guests