The dumbest Davinci question Ever (HDR)

Such a dumb question that so far I can't find an answer because its just to basic.

I have the free version of Davinci. I add an HDR clip to a project, color gets wrecked and I have to mess with the various color modes to try and get something that doesn't look terrible.

All I want to do, is add said clip and have the color remain exactly as it is, in HDR, without me having to do really, anything color-wise. If I go for the full paid version of Davinci, can I do that?

AVIDemux, a crappy little freeware application takes the clip and doesn't touch the color at all so I know it IS possible to do, just don't know if Davinci will take it "as-is" or if even with the full version I'll have to delve into extensive color correction to get it back to where it started.

Start here:

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... e/training

Such a dumb question that so far I can't find an answer because its just to basic.

I have the free version of Davinci. I add an HDR clip to a project, color gets wrecked and I have to mess with the various color modes to try and get something that doesn't look terrible.

All I want to do, is add said clip and have the color remain exactly as it is, in HDR, without me having to do really, anything color-wise. If I go for the full paid version of Davinci, can I do that?

AVIDemux, a crappy little freeware application takes the clip and doesn't touch the color at all so I know it IS possible to do, just don't know if Davinci will take it "as-is" or if even with the full version I'll have to delve into extensive color correction to get it back to where it started.

It is not possible to grade HDR footage in the free version of DaVinci Resolve. For that, you need the paid Studio version. You’ll also need an i/o box and HDR monitor.

And, finally, I can recommend the tutorial for RCM by Rippletraining. It really explains the complex subject of Color Management very well, including HDR.

I should totally clarify what I am looking to do (sorry for not doing so earlier!)

The HDR content I am generating requires nothing external as it is all game content recorded via Shadowplay right there on the system. The only thing I want to do is some basic editing while keeping the color exactly as it was recorded.

Free Davinci = color comes in washed out (since recording is HDR but free davinci doesnt work with HDR).

So, if I can drag and drop into the paid for version and get the HDR color as it was originally recorded, Im all set and Ill buy asap!

System specs if needed (shouldnt be but here they are anyway!)

Display 1- 55" Samsung Q90T QLED
Display 2- JVC RS1000 (projector)
Case- Lian Li O11 XL
PSU- XFX Pro1000
Motherboard- Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
CPU Cooler- Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360
CPU- AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
RAM- 128GB (32GB x4) GSkill DDR4 3600
GPU- EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra
Sound Card- SoundblasterX AE-5
SSD 1- 2TB M.2 XPG SX8200 Pro
SSD 2- 2TB M.2 XPG SX8200 Pro
SSD 3- 2TB Samsung 860 Evo
SSD 4- 2TB Samsung 860 Evo
SSD 5- 2TB Crucial BX500
HDD 1- 6TB 7200RPM Seagate IronWolf
HDD 2- 4TB 7200 RPM Seagate IronWolf

Then just don't use Resolve! It'll have problems with Shadowplay recordings, like sync issues, black frames etc.

Plus, you'll have to understand that a grading software (which is the core DNA of Resolve) is overkill for your purposes.
It will always decode your sources into a very large RGB version with float precision and then re-encode it for final output in the format you desire. But with this flexibility comes the need to understand color management from end to end.

While I'm sure you can set it up to look the same, the hassle with variable frame rates isn't worth it.

Interesting. Well I suppose I may look for a different solution but I have been using Resolve (and Shadowplay with it) for over a year and aside from massive file sizes (no problem as my storage server is around 100TB), I haven't had many issues with syncing or framerate trouble at all.

And so far of the 8 or 9 editing "applications" I have used, Davinci has been the best, I just want a version that wont touch the color of what I use. Not sure if links are allowed but if so I could post an example of a comparison.

Either that or I guess I could just take the $300 gamble.

The footage is the issue, not the Resolve version.

As a rule of thumb, gameplay footage is best paired with a consumer-level editor.

If you could post a link of a short Shadowplay original clip so others can download it and see what’s going on and direct you to a possible solution.

Ok, examples. I think I can still leave Shadowplay out of it as the content generated there is great. I take a clip from Shadowplay and:

AVI Demux, I drag and drop, cut/edit (as best I can since AVI demux is VERY minimalistic) and the end result is: HDR color, exactly what I want.

Davinci Resolve Free, I drag and drop, set the resolution to $K, cut and edit (which is much more comprehensive with the tools I am looking for) and the end result is: The resolution is there, the color though is garbage.

The only question I am tryin to answer is "If I pay for the full version of Davinci, can I get the same color that AVI Demux spit out without doing a bunch of work to get the color back to its original state?" (As in, is there a way to drag and drop and have Davinci leave the color alone)

You don't need the Studio version if you are happy with the speed you get. You'll need to learn all about color management, about Video Range vs. Full range etc.. There have been many discussions about these in the forums with valuable links from experienced graders, IIRC, among others Marc Wielage.

Ok fair enough guess ill look for another option. Guess Adobe is the way to go. Disappointing (and still seems weird) that for such a full-feature application that it lacks that basic capability.

Or I suppose since all of the other features are as good as they are, I could just buy and....see how far I get. At the very least the hw acceleration should be solid.

Took a while but I found someone who was able to come down to my "noob-level" and, turns out its very easy to do what I want. Pretty sure the free version will do it just fine but I did go ahead and buy the full version (If for no other reason than, if I am using it all the time, may as well support by buying).

-Import 4k HDR clip (captured on the PC via Shadowplay so no "external" equipment needed)

In Davinci:
Color Management:
Color Science- DaVinci yRGB Color Managed
Resolve color management preset- HDR Rec.2020
Output color space- Rec.2020 ST2084 1000 nits
(HDR Mastering for 1000 nits)

Export Settings:
Format- Im using MP4 for now
Codec- H.265

Encoding profile- Main 10



Encode, and done. Color exactly matches what went in. No muss no fuss. Again, the key here is that I am just using Shadowplay for game capturing. Its not "real" HDR its "game HDR". But long story short, now that I have step one resolved I can actually work on learning more than the utter basics that I know as of now.