Export resolution after zooming in

Hi,

I am editing a film project that was shot in 4K.

I need to zoom in on some of the shots. As an example, let's say I zoom in 50% on a shot. Now, if I output the timeline at 2K (which I have been advised to do for a DCP), my zoomed in shot will be 1K, which won't look as good as 4K/2K on a cinema screen. So, I'm wondering what is the best way to maximise the resolution/look of the zoomed in shots when projected in a cinema?

Should I output the zoomed in shots at 4K, re-import them at 4K, add them to the 4K timeline and then export at 2K? Or is there a better solution? I would welcome all suggestions.

Thanks so much in advance!

When you say you zoomed in 50%, what's the actual zoom factor in Resolve? Let's say you're editing 4K clips on a 2K timeline, for 2K delivery. if you zoom one of those clips 2x, you've reduced the original 4K resolution in half, to 2K. If you assumed that because you're on a 2K timeline that a 2x zoom would leave you with 1K, that's mistaken. You have access to the original 4K resolution before you start zooming, despite the 2K timeline.

As for improving the subjective resolution of the zoomed clips compared to the clips fully down-scaled from 4K, there's the "super scale" option. Check the manual....

I would call 50 % a zoom-OUT, and a 2x zoom-IN would be 200 %.

When a 2K timeline contains a 4K clip, and that 4K clip is set to zoom factor 1.0 in that clip's Inspector, only half of the clip's width and height would be visible; the rest would be cropped. In relation to the 2K timeline frame rectangle, one could say this cropped 4K clip is zoomed in by 200 % (referring to its original 4K frame rectangle it's 100 %). And with that setting, each visible original 4K pixel will be exactly proportional to the 2K pixel grid, i.e. software-wise no zoom in or out. Now if the x/y position values of that 4K clip are integers rather than fractions, the sharpness should be perfect as every 4K pixel would exactly sit on the 2K pixel grid.

When a 2K timeline contains a 4K clip, and that 4K clip is set to zoom factor 1.0 in that clip's Inspector, only half of the clip's width and height would be visible; the rest would be cropped. In relation to the 2K timeline frame rectangle

That depends on the preference setting for mismatched clip resolutions. The usual default "scale entire image to fit", which is what you'd want when editing 4K clips on a 2K timeline, will show the entire image, regardless of original size.

Yes, good additional tip.

Thank you very much, John and Hardy, for your very helpful advice. I really appreciate it!