Blackmagic Forum

Hi Folks
I proposed having a more FAQ-like FAQ for Resolve - something that tries to answer a lot of the repeat questions we see here. Here's my first shot at it. Not complete by any means - heck I haven't even written answers for the Media Offline section.

Let me know what you think and if you want to help. Please try to be somewhat kind.

https://joeshapiro.com/joes-resolve-faq


[PS Accidentally posted this yesterday in the Beta forum. Oops!]

Oh you are a Saint!

How about:

Where are my Resolve Projects stored?

Where do I find updates/older versions of Resolve?

Does Blackmagic charge for updates?

Why does my rendered file look different?

I would comment that this is not an accurate statement:

You've installed the DaVinci Resolve Control Panels app but you don't have a BMD control surface attached to your computer. That'll crash Resolve. Uninstall the DaVinci Resolve Control Panels app to fix it. (discussion)

Control Panel app crashing is not related to whether you have a control surface or not. If the Control Panel app is going to cause a crash, that will happen with or without a control surface attached.

If you don't have a control surface, the quick and easy solution to Control Panel related crashing is simply to uninstall the DaVinci Resolve Control Panels app, using the Windows "Add or remove programs" Control Panel.

Which also points to the fact that the Control Panels app crashing is a Windows specific thing. This does not affect Mac or Linux systems.

The most current thing causing Control Panel app crashing is the Nord VPN app. Although that's not the only thing that may cause this issue.

If you have a Resolve compatible control surface that you need to work, and uninstalling the Control Panel app is not a good solution, and you are using Nord VPN app, not using that could be an alternate solution.

Hopefully we will fix the Nord VPN specific crashing issue sometime in the future. The fix for that may well take care of any other things that might cause Control Panel app crashing.

Joe Shapiro wrote:Hi Folks I proposed having a more FAQ-like FAQ for Resolve - something that tries to answer a lot of the repeat questions we see here.

I hope you cover two important things:

1) have you searched the forum for a similar problem that's been solved already?

2) have you read the manual or taken the Blackmagic training to better understand Resolve?

Those two things would eliminate more than 50% of the traffic in this forum section.

But the point of a FAQ is to answer common factual questions in a simple manner, not propose a course of study or direct readers elsewhere, for what could be a long and frustrating search.

Folks will be coming for simple solutions, not to be reproached for looking for them. Besides, it's a losing battle.

That aside, maybe a section on databases/libraries, although questions about it aren't as common as in the past....?

Marc Wielage wrote:Those two things would eliminate more than 50% of the traffic in this forum section.

Probably more like 90%.

Jim Simon wrote:Probably more like 90%.

Sadly true.

John Paines wrote:Folks will be coming for simple solutions, not to be reproached for looking for them. Besides, it's a losing battle.

What if there are no simple solutions? Often people come on the forum with one of four problems (or some combination of them):

1) old/slow computer unable to handle a color, edit, or post session

2) large amount of material shot without timecode that won't conform or won't sync up easily

3) poorly-lit/badly shot material that they're desperately trying to salvage

4) people looking for solutions to color-time large, complex projects that would take hundreds of hours to explain, let alone solve their problems.

So sometimes, there are no simple solutions. For me, a large amount of post production supervision and managing the color process took decades to figure out, and it required learning photography, understanding lighting, knowing the limitations of cameras. Sometimes, it boils down to managing client expectations: they want 1000%, but the reality is we may not ever be able to give them more than 100% because of 1, 2, 3, 4.

So the answer may lie in better work habits, better equipment, more knowledge and experience, along with trial and error. So a fast/simple solution may not exist.

I've often lamented, the problem for a lot of neophyte colorists is they believe if they know where all the menus, buttons, and knobs are, and what they do, they can do the work. But often it's the why of which knob and technique is used that's important... and that part ain't in the manual.

Luis_X wrote:Oh you are a Saint!
How about:

Where are my Resolve Projects stored?
Where do I find updates/older versions of Resolve?
Does Blackmagic charge for updates?
Why does my rendered file look different?

Will do!
Can you elaborate on "Why does my rendered file look different?"
Are you talking about the Mac quicktime gamma issue? Or a few things? Wanna write a beginning explainer?

Marc Wielage wrote:

Joe Shapiro wrote:Hi Folks I proposed having a more FAQ-like FAQ for Resolve - something that tries to answer a lot of the repeat questions we see here.

I hope you cover two important things:

1) have you searched the forum for a similar problem that's been solved already?
2) have you read the manual or taken the Blackmagic training to better understand Resolve?
Those two things would eliminate more than 50% of the traffic in this forum section.

Hi Marc!
I have covered #1. Didn't you see it?
As to #2 - if people spent the time to do those things then yes they'd know a ton. But putting that in the FAQ is not going to make them spend the time. Which I think you already know.

Dwaine Maggart wrote:I would comment that this is not an accurate statement:

You've installed the DaVinci Resolve Control Panels app but you don't have a BMD control surface attached to your computer. That'll crash Resolve. Uninstall the DaVinci Resolve Control Panels app to fix it. (discussion)

Control Panel app crashing is not related to whether you have a control surface or not. If the Control Panel app is going to cause a crash, that will happen with or without a control surface attached.
...

Thanks Dwaine. I will try to write something that succinctly explains this. And I'll link to what you've written here - or another post if you've got a better one to suggest.

Marc Wielage wrote:So sometimes, there are no simple solutions.

Those are the questions you don't put in a FAQ....

Like it or not, people have their own ways, particularly post-cell phone generations. It's not uncommon for newcomers here to complain about spending 5 hours on youtube looking for an answer which could be found in the manual in 3 minutes. But brow-beating these newcomers is not going to help. They won't take the counsel.

For my part, I never sat through training, and don't have the patience for it. As much as some here love to recommend that path, it's not for everyone. It's likely not even for most. Each to his own.

Joe Shapiro wrote:Hi Folks
I proposed having a more FAQ-like FAQ for Resolve - something that tries to answer a lot of the repeat questions we see here. Here's my first shot at it. Not complete by any means - heck I haven't even written answers for the Media Offline section.

Let me know what you think and if you want to help. Please try to be somewhat kind.

https://joeshapiro.com/joes-resolve-faq


[PS Accidentally posted this yesterday in the Beta forum. Oops!]

That's a great idea, Joe.. Will check it out and get back to you next week as Iam traveling now.

Good idea, Joe! A useful addition might be something about containers and codecs and streams since this seems to be something that everyone has to learn about at some point - usually about the time they ask "Why doesn't Resolve like my media? It plays fine in $ANOTHER_APP."

I forget who, but someone has posted a nice, brief write-up that included a link the the Supported Codecs doc. I will see if I can find it.

John Paines wrote:For my part, I never sat through training, and don't have the patience for it. As much as some here love to recommend that path, it's not for everyone. It's likely not even for most. Each to his own.

I'm just now going through all the 2025 Blackmagic Resolve Zoom training, just because it's something I've been doing every 2-3 years to I have a better understanding of the software. No matter how much you know about Resolve, there's always something new to learn. The training guide and the manual are also good, too. There's a lot you'll never figure out if you just jump into the deep end and try to just figure out the knobs, buttons, and dials by trial & error. I don't mind putting in the work if it gives me a better grasp on the tools.

You’re extremely welcome to do so and good on you. The only problem comes if/when you insist that others should do so as well.

Many ways to skin this cat. And Resolve shouldn’t be any harder to learn than really necessary.

good on ya joe! great idea.

like many i was daunted by the resolve manual, (and still am), however, i now have twin strategies when coming up against a 'problem'.

a. I've installed notebooklm, and all the various bm manuals. much better searcing than pdf or online. only problem is having to know bm's terminology in some cases.

b. am very impressed with perplexity and chatgpt - and they're becoming my go to for nearly all my questions.

of course, a straightfiorward faq can't be beat

I too have been using ChatGPT a ton. Haven’t played with Perplexity yet.