Blackmagic Forum

I have this job coming up where the final output is 3552x1080. I have just set up a reference monitor using the UltraStudio mini monitor but that doesn't support 4k so if I edit a 4k project I get the image cropped on the reference. I assume there is no setting anywhere to get a 4k timeline to play full screen on the reference. I know the UltraStudio 4k version does this but it is probably overkill for my little business given I hardly ever have to supply something in 4k.

However, I think I have found a work around but it seems a bit too good to be true so I am looking for any experts out there to share their experience and tell me why this won't work before I undertake this job.

I've been doing some tests at 1/4 resolution (1776x540) BUT exporting the project at 3552x1080 by using that custom settings on the delivery page. All the source footage is in 4k of course. I've got the disable edit and input sizing unchecked so anything I do in the edit should stay baked in as it is and force sizing to highest quality is checked. I've done some tests and so far it looks good.

I've also, tried changing the project settings to 3552x1080 and that seems to work ok too although messing around with project settings half way into a big job doesn't make me feel good.

The working from the smaller resolution timeline seems to work just fine and the actual editing and playback seem to be a faster too plus I can use my reference monitor at normal size. I would be eternally grateful if anyone can see any issues with this workflow that I haven't thought of. Also, this job will be shared over the network on two workstations using the collaboration feature.

"I assume there is no setting anywhere to get a 4k timeline to play full screen on the reference"

No. There is. Set your timeline resolution to "Custom" for 3552x1080 processing. Under video monitoring, select a video format supported by both the USMM, and whatever monitor you're displaying it on (try 1080p at your project framerate). Then under image scaling, uncheck match timeline settings, change the output resolution to match the video monitoring settings, then change "Mismatched resolution files" to "Scale entire image to fit." This setup will let you work on 4K (or whatever you call this weird frame size you're working with) on a 1080p monitor without cropping. In this configuration, DaVinci's actually processing the full frame size, but just showing you all that will fit on your monitor in accordance with your hardware. So, it's actually slower than necessary.

Alternatively, you can temporarily change your timeline resolution to your max hardware resolution (we're going with 1080p) and under output scaling, leave Match timeline settings checked and "Mismatched resolution files" to "Scale entire image to fit." Video monitoring settings, like the above setup, are just whatever your hardware supports. Working with this lower resolution timeline will speed up performance without sacrificing any detail that you could see because of your monitoring hardware limitations. Then, when you're ready to deliver the full resolution, change your timeline resolution back to 3552x1080.

Rule of thumb: If you find that you're changing the "Resolution" dropdown on the deliver page, you're doing it wrong. Also, when you *deliver* a timeline with a higher resolution than your monitor supports, seeing a cropped image on your monitor is OK, and you're probably doing it right.

Don't worry about changing the project settings while you're working. That's one big difference between Resolve and other NLE's. Resolve's good at it. (Pro tip: alt/option-click the save button in project settings window to apply changes without closing window. Useful for troubleshooting and quick feedback) Collaboration shouldn't pose a problem as long as you've got the licenses, and the postgresql server set up.

Hi Jason,

That's awesome. Thanks. There is one further step though that I discovered when applying your settings (unless I've missed something). By setting the Output Resolution to something other than the timeline then that automatically changes the output settings on the delivery page as well. So, to export at the same res as the timeline you have to manually change that back to the timeline settings (in my case 3552x1080). Not a biggy, just have to remember to do it. Thanks again. And yes, it is weird format, it's for projection on 2x 1920x1080 projectors side by side with a tiny bit of overlap. It's for an awards night where the projection screen is about 10 metres wide. I've done this job a few years now and the films look absolutely awesome in this format although it's a hard one to shoot to. Attached are my settings, let me know if you think I've missed something.