Workflow - Outputting BRAW

Hi, a n00b to DaVinci. A friend is sending me a shot to do some cloning work on a shot using Fusion (in DR).

Q. If I input their BRAW file, how does one render footage back out as BRAW or RAW file; so that when they grade etc (not in DR, premiere I believe) to render out their final edit, the shot I did cloning work on is affected in the same?

Cheers

You can’t render to raw formats or braw in any software. Reason is that raw data is ”developed” to actual full resolution RGB data during raw processing and it is not reasonably possible or beneficial to turn result back to raw data after that. Anything you do with the image, including simply viewing it comes after raw development. Only exception is changing raw development parameters themselves, which instruct the raw decoder how to process the data.

Render to some visually lossless intermediate like Prores or DNx or some image sequence like exr.

Render to some visually lossless intermediate like Prores or DNx or some image sequence like exr.

Thanks Hendrik.

To be clear. You mean lossless in terms of compression. So if I render out my shot as ProRez/DNx, and place my clip in their timeline next to other bRaw clips and then apply an overall grade, will the color space in the prorez/DNx behave and match the visual output of the bRaw clips in timeline.

You'll have to ask the colourist how they're debayering the BRAW clips on their timeline so you can match your output to that, especially if they've already graded the footage.

Thanks Shandz. I believe atm they are editing the BRAW footage without a LUT. I suggested they work with a basic LUT that suits camera footage was shot with; that way I can output using that LUT, then they can do a final/overall grade. Do you think this is prudent advice seeing they will grade later on in post-production.

I believe atm they are editing the BRAW footage without a LUT.

This doesn't say much, what you need to find out is what colorspace are they outputting the raw data to. If they don't use color management it is set in raw processing settings, either through project settings or from raw panel. In colormanaged enviroment it depends on which CM they use, the Resolve one or ACES.

After you find it out you can hopefully use the same settings for braw processing and in the end give them the shots back in same colorspace, using file format suitable for storing that data. Test the round trip before you commit to your work, I repeat, test the round trip!

Usually the best way to prevent this kind of problems is to let colorist export the source footage for vfx so that raw development settings are already applied, shots are cut to edit length (with optional handles) and so on. This way you remove the problem of guessing what they were doing on the other side with raw footage: you get your files and give back the exact same format and colorspace. Colorist can also do tests with their own exports before you get the files, to see if their round trip works. If it doesn't they must sort it out first themselves.

thank Henrik.

They are using Premiere to edit. They were also planning to just give me the (b)raw footage, the whole take, with timecodes of the shot they are using in edit.

Can you suggest other options for CM?