Blackmagic Forum

Looking at how I can manage large (in filesize) BRAW files in Resolve (I presume via Media Management) where I can trim the source footage down to the parts I need - is there a simple way to do this?

Looking at a lot of my clips, I can see I'll only need 30-50secs of a 5min clip - this would dramatically reduce my storage needs - is this possible?

Cut the clips down on the timeline, then use media management to trim and export, using the timeline as source.

Thanks, I thought as much..

I wonder if the standalone BRAW player will be getting trim abilities (a bit like QuickTime player)...

Richard Wait wrote:I wonder if the standalone BRAW player will be getting trim abilities (a bit like QuickTime player)...

That would be pretty handy!

John’s suggestion about exporting from the timeline makes sense … I’d add that spending a little time getting to know the new Cut Page will pay off big time. It’s a fantastic addition to Resolve, and makes this kind of triage easy peasy.

This would be a cool idea. Trim and export back out to BRAW. I wonder how we could make this happen?

It'd be amazing to do this with a finished project, but the exported clips also have like 1 second handles. For archiving projects and footage, this was would save tonnes of space, while maintaining all the benefits of Braw for the future.

Guys, this feature already exists, via Media Management. Read the manual.

Hi John, does it do lossless BRAW / CDNG?

Yes, if you mean copies the data without re-encoding it.

John Paines wrote:Guys, this feature already exists, via Media Management. Read the manual.

Thanks for the advice, but there's no mention of Braw in the 'Media Management' part of the manual.

I realise it can copy the original files, but this is about trimming the 5 minute Braw file into the 3x10 second clips you've used from that shot, and still having those 3 clips be Braw files with all the relevant sidecar/metadata etc.

If you say it can do that, great, I'll try it out today.

I posted and asked about this long time ago. No way to do this in Media Management. If someone didn't get it, we are talking about trimming BRAW files and SAVING in the same BRAW format. Does it exist in Resolve? Unless they implemented it in latest 16 Beta 4 version...
It's a very simple feature and I think has to be part of BRAW player. Even if Black Magic will implement something like this in Resolve, it's still too much hassle opening Resolve and trimming and exporting it there. In BRAW Player it would be much easier, quicker, simpler and more logic.

Agree. Trimming tool is must have option. It was so easy to share single frame when use DNG, but with BRAW now you are forced to upload huge BRAW file even if client or forum user just ask for single frame sample.

+1 I would really appreciate this capability as well.

What's preventing you guys from doing this?

While this works just fine for me, it doesn't trim down to one single frame as Dmitry asked. Even if the handles are set to 0, I get a small file with a few frames more. Other than that, no problem here.

I've gotten one-frame braw trims, though they'll be converted to the default still-image length on the timeline. For example, a UHD Q5 frame, trimmed via Media Managemen from a clip, is 1295k.

It’s not that, even the BRAW player is showing several frames and they are exposing motion, not an extended still.

Strange. I have no trouble trimming one frame.

John Paines wrote:I've gotten one-frame braw trims, though they'll be converted to the default still-image length on the timeline. For example, a UHD Q5 frame, trimmed via Media Managemen from a clip, is 1295k.

Can't open Davinci on my old computer... Does it save in the same BRAW format after trimming? if not - that's not what we need.

For the nth time, yes. This method exports .braw files. What else has to be said?

Uli Plank wrote:While this works just fine for me, it doesn't trim down to one single frame as Dmitry asked. Even if the handles are set to 0, I get a small file with a few frames more. Other than that, no problem here.

There's a dedicated "Export Frame" button in the RAW panel in Resolve for quick an easy single frame Blackmagic RAW exports. Otherwise media management does trim Blackmagic RAW clips as others have said and has done so since Blackmagic RAW was first supported in Resolve. 3rd party devs can also trim as its been supported since the first version of the Blackmagic RAW SDK.

Of course the "Export Frame" button is exporting a single Braw frame as expected.

Where I see a bug is in Media Management: even if the handles are set to 0, it always adds a few frames when trimming, it nearly looks like what you'd expect for a GOP format. Since Braw isn't GOP to my knowledge, this is wrong. This doesn't only happen when the clip is cut down to one frame, but always. If the original clip is shortened at both sides, Media Management is a adding a few frames on both sides, like 12-14 altogether.
If it's from the beginning or the end, fewer frames are added only on one side.

What version of Resolve? Have you reported this to Resolve at all? I was unaware of this bug but will try reproduce tomorrow. Thanks.

Yes, I reported this.

I could narrow it down now to timelines with clips of different frame rate. If all clips and the timeline have the same fps, there is no such behavior.

But since the additional frames are more than would be needed for reproducing the edit, I'd consider it a bug nevertheless. Not a big one, though.

John Paines wrote:For the nth time, yes. This method exports .braw files. What else has to be said?

It exports BRAW files yes, but what they are asking for is it to not make an exact copy of the file. They want a shortened/trimmed one different from the original that is a smaller size. From the pic you have shown all I see is a copy option. Can you load a clip and show us a screenshot of it being a smaller size in media management with the settings you got it working with?

Thanks!

Playmakerstudios wrote:

John Paines wrote:For the nth time, yes. This method exports .braw files. What else has to be said?

It exports BRAW files yes, but what they are asking for is it to not make an exact copy of the file. They want a shortened/trimmed one different from the original that is a smaller size. From the pic you have shown all I see is a copy option. Can you load a clip and show us a screenshot of it being a smaller size in media management with the settings you got it working with?

Thanks!

Yes! Thank you Playmakerstudios!

You guys can't try anything yourselves? Anyway, this is my last effort:

So to be clear the process for trimming BRAW clips into shorter BRAW clips is as follows.

1. You must be in the Edit window
2. Chop and select your clip
3. Select Media Management
4. Select "Copy and Trim using media keeping"
5. Select destination and press start.

What was unclear for me was if you weren't in the edit window nothing would appear and it would just copy the clips, I hope this step by step helps anyone struggling like I was as I am still a very new user to Resolve, most of the answers here were at best only tidbits of the solution not making things super clear to newbies like myself who don't know the menu system that well yet.

Cheers!

Ok, Davinci Resolve can do it in its own way. But if BRAW trim option was available BRAW player it could made things way simpler and faster.

Dmitry Shijan wrote:Ok, Davinci Resolve can do it in its own way. But if BRAW trim option was available BRAW player it could made things way simpler and faster.

100% agree and that's what I meant from the very beginning. It's simple and handy feature and I don't think it'll be difficult to add it for BMD

You don’t need to be in the Edit window. I can also select a timeline in the Media window and call Media Management then. It’s not really that complicated once you got the hang of it.

Uli Plank wrote:You don’t need to be in the Edit window. I can also select a timeline in the Media window and call Media Management then. It’s not really that complicated once you got the hang of it.

Well maybe that works for you, but I can't do it in the media window. I'm just stating what works for me. No one said it was difficult, just unclear, and since no one posted an exact process before I did.

I know this is asking a lot of the development team at BM, but what would be very helpful for me, is to have the following:
1.)A .BRAW viewer app that works for windows. And runs on a middle of the road quality laptop.
2.)Have the Media management capabilities also in that .BRAW viewer. e.g. be able to mark In and Out points in a clip, and trim the file saving only the trimmed portion.

I am able to do this successfully for .BRAW files in the full DR studio, it works fine but the workflow is a bit convoluted. And requires the full DR app to accomplish. The workflow requires me to create a media bin, drag the files into the bin, create a timeline, mark in and out points and drag in the cut clips into the timeline, then execute the MEdia Management trimming function on that timeline to export the shortened clip.

However, I travel to remote locations shooting nature videos, sometimes at very crude accommodations and with very limited and very minimal laptop support when on location. I really don't want to attempt to try to deal with running full DR studio app on my laptop. (hardware, video cards, and screen resolution issues.) I have no need to edit, or color grade while in the field. I save that for later. However it would be great to have a previewing tool that also had the trim functions and worked on a middle of the road laptop. Without the need to create a timeline. Simply preview the file, mark in and out points, add some handles, designate the save to destination, and bang. Done. Then once I validate that the trimmed file is fine, do a backup and I delete the larger original file.

For my type of filming, a single take may run 2 minutes in length only to have 10 seconds of good action. The rest will be discarded. I'd like to be able to preview and cut the file in the field with a simple to use too on a simple to use machine. Such would save lots of valuable storage space.

This would be so handy. Please could you add trimming to BRAW player, finally?
It would save so much time and space.