DR can't deal with so many groups

I'm doing a documentary series with heaps of talking heads.
I thought it'd be a good idea to group all interviews.
Well, it is a good idea but now i have so many that I can't even go thru all of them

Screenshot 2019-08-18 at 17.43.38.jpg (199.97 KiB) Viewed 1145 times

There's no way to scroll one to the groups under!
And no way to sort them in folders/branches...

Ideas, anyone? Thanks

[Peter Chamberlain]

You will need a different workflow. Try clip color markers.

Hi Peter, thanks.
The idea of grouping is having a different grade for each interview, then adjusting to correct light changes on every cut this interview is used. I can't see color markers helping with that.

I had never had to use so many groups, but I still think it's a limitation that could be fixed/managed.
Same as the lack of a chortcut to transit between pre-clip/clip/post-clip/timeline. That is IMO a real must.

[Peter Chamberlain]

Give all the clip in each each interview metadata so u can sort by that data. Clip color is one type but there others.
The group limits not about to change.

Thanks Peter.
This will surely help for other things, but won't address the issue i can't add clips to a group if it's in the bottom of the pop-up.
There is an arrow pointing down to the rest of the available groups but the interface unfortunately doesn't scroll down.

[Peter Chamberlain]

I understand the issue you see. All I’m saying is you will need to find an alternative workflow.

Hey did you find a solution for this? Or has Resolve updated to allow for scrolling or navigating a long list of color groups?

Here's a way we handle documentaries with lots of interviews:

1) we have at least 3 groups of Gallery Stills: interviews (one still per person, sometimes two stills if there's 2 angles); location material [which is typically all over the map]; and graphics [maps, diagrams, etc.]; we apply the grade from that still to any matching shots of that specific person.

2) we use metadata to embed the name of the interview subject (provided there's not hundreds of them), so we can bring individual shots at one time using the Clip dropdown and a Smart Filter to select just individual interview subjects and make sure they all match.

3) we also use the Lightbox to look at the entire show at a glance and make sure identical shots get the identical grade.

4) you can use C-mode sorting (provided you're working with original camera media) to have the Timeline in camera & timecode order, so all clips shot at the same time of day appear grouped together, and you can give them all a similar grade.

5) some people find Remote grades work for them, since that way every grade applied to a camera clip will also apply to every similar clip. Once you're done with that, copy all the Remote Grades to Local, and you can change each clip if necessary to better match with other shots in the sequence.

Group Grades don't work for this process (at least the way I work). I generally just use PowerGrades and stills and just copy the entire grade over. In some cases, a Fixed Node Tree can help, particularly if you need to ripple a color change to a specific node (and not change anything else).

There are reality-show and documentary colorists who typically have to get through 400-500 shots a day (or more), turning around multiple shows a week, and shortcuts like this can help you get it all done quickly and meet your deadlines.

Thanks, Marc.
One should make a book from all your helpful hints, coming from years of professional work!

Thanks, Marc. One should make a book from all your helpful hints, coming from years of professional work!

I should... except I'm too busy! I owe at least two sites some video tutorials, and I'm always occupied. I will get around to it eventually.

It's really tough to get through a lot of color correction every day, but that's the only way people can get successful and productive in post. It's one thing to make pretty pictures, or get along with clients, but you also have to work quickly. Having that ability can make or break a career. Not nearly enough video trainers and training guides explain what it takes to use Resolve quickly.