Is there something like "frame flex" in Resolve?

Resolve Studio 16
I came from Avid MC: When I drop a 4K clip in a 1080 project, I automatically get the possibility to use "frame flex" with which I can zoom (and pan) into a 4K clip to resize it for 1080.
So if I zoom in 50% I get full 1080 quality in a 1080 project.

How is this done in Resolve? Do I simply zoom into a 4K clip to get 1080 full quality?

Also: When I import a timeline with AAF from Avid to Resolve, does Resolve recognize Avids frame flex effect?

Good news for you, no need for a separate scaling effect. There are several levels of scaling options built into Resolve at different places in the process pipeline. You find "Edit" scaling in the edit page in the Inspector tab, and "Input" scaling in the color page. Both are resolution independent and work at the original media resolution. "Output" scaling works at the end of the pipeline and works at timeline resolution. In the Fusion tab there are a whole host of options to scale and reframe, this is only needed for elobarate move that require fine control. Best thing is to study the manual to digest it all.

Resolve Studio 16
I came from Avid MC: When I drop a 4K clip in a 1080 project, I automatically get the possibility to use "frame flex" with which I can zoom (and pan) into a 4K clip to resize it for 1080.
So if I zoom in 50% I get full 1080 quality in a 1080 project.

How is this done in Resolve? Do I simply zoom into a 4K clip to get 1080 full quality?

Yes, though in Resolve terms it would be a 2x zoom.

My preference here is to set Input Scaling to Center crop with no resizing. This produces something of a default zoom on the clip. If I want to see all the clip, I set Zoom to .5. As long as I don't Zoom past 1, there's no interpolation happening.

My preference here is to set Input Scaling to Center crop with no resizing. This produces something of a default zoom on the clip. If I want to see all the clip, I set Zoom to .5. As long as I don't Zoom past 1, there's no interpolation happening.

For anyone who shoots UHD but edits HD, that's a remarkably awkward way to do it. To see what you actually shot, you'd need to change zoom settings for every clip.

Meanwhile, the option "scale entire image to fit" shows you the full shot, while also allowing zooming/paning with no absolute HD resolution loss, unless the HD limits of the UHD clip are exceeded.

Meanwhile, the option "scale entire image to fit" shows you the full shot, while also allowing zooming/paning with no absolute HD resolution loss, unless the HD limits of the UHD clip are exceeded.

By doing it this way, does Resolve set the Zoom to be .5 or .6 (or whatever the appropriate value is for the footage scale mismatch?)

I almost always shoot 4k and edit/output either 1080p or 1440p. I try not to push over 100%, or if I do...know that I'm doing so. In Premiere, the scale value is set to the % so I know I can scale up to 100% (or beyond, but at that point I know I'm going beyond). I've not been able to figure out the right options in Resolve to mimic that workflow. I'm also open to the idea that I'm doing it wrong in Premiere too

As best I understand it, when 'scale image to fit' is selected, the system adjusts dynamically. When you're looking at the full UHD uncropped/unzoomed image on an HD timeline, the system is downscaling the entire UHD image. When you zoom in, the system is downscaling whatever absolute resolution is still available in the zoomed crop of the UHD clip, to HD. If you exceed a zoom of 2x, the crop of the UHD shot will be less than HD resolution, so the system will upscale whatever remains to HD.

All this goes on in the background; you won't see any changes in the zoom control, unless you alter it yourself.

I've been away from Premiere too long to remember how this process works there.

Meanwhile, the option "scale entire image to fit" shows you the full shot, while also allowing zooming/paning with no absolute HD resolution loss, unless the HD limits of the UHD clip are exceeded.

By doing it this way, does Resolve set the Zoom to be .5 or .6 (or whatever the appropriate value is for the footage scale mismatch?)

I almost always shoot 4k and edit/output either 1080p or 1440p. I try not to push over 100%, or if I do...know that I'm doing so. In Premiere, the scale value is set to the % so I know I can scale up to 100% (or beyond, but at that point I know I'm going beyond). I've not been able to figure out the right options in Resolve to mimic that workflow. I'm also open to the idea that I'm doing it wrong in Premiere too

If you have UHD footage in a HD timeline all the clips will show scale at 1.00 (which you could interpret in your head to 100% which is what premiere defaults to by just sliding the decimal over). Since UHD is 2x HD as long as you don't scale it past 2.00 (or 200% if you slide the decimal over in your head), you will be using greater than HD resolution. If working in 1440p the same concept but it maxes out at 1.50.

Meanwhile, the option "scale entire image to fit" shows you the full shot, while also allowing zooming/paning with no absolute HD resolution loss

What's your certainty on that? I would have expected the 'default' zoom level to be .5 were that true. But it's not, it's at 1.0. That suggests Resolve is throwing out resolution to make the UHD clip fit into the HD timeline, and then interpolating new pixels when scaled back up to 2.

It's been discussed many times here. I assumed the opposite as well at first, but after trying it was convinced my eyes weren't lying. Then somebody produced resolution charts. The developers have also confirmed it more than once.

i'm glad I found this. I was wondering about that too. I notice it mostly on Red footage and wonder why I don't have better resolution.

subscribing.

If you shoot UHD or higher resolution footage and want an HD product, you can do all the work in a HD timeline, but when done, set the timeline back to UHD (or the resolution of your native footage) and then export to HD from that.

I don't think I've personally compared:

HD clip --> HD timeline --> HD product vs HD clip --> UHD timeline --> HD product

I'm not implying it will be better, but it might also not take a great hit. Sometimes you might have mixed footage and might need to scale up to UHD to match the rest of the content before export.

If you shoot UHD or higher resolution footage and want an HD product, you can do all the work in a HD timeline, but when done, set the timeline back to UHD (or the resolution of your native footage) and then export to HD from that.

Hmmm, well, I'm surprised by that WF when the goal is HD... What you described has been discussed many times here around for an UHD master target on export, but here...

I should make my own tests also, but for now, sticking to you example and given you don't make proxies or optimized media on purpose, I'd export from the actual HD TL to an HD file, assuming that Resolve is connected to UHD files anyway.
Briefly, what's the real point of setting the TL back to UHD ?

If you shoot UHD or higher resolution footage and want an HD product, you can do all the work in a HD timeline, but when done, set the timeline back to UHD (or the resolution of your native footage) and then export to HD from that.

I don't think I've personally compared:

HD clip --> HD timeline --> HD product vs HD clip --> UHD timeline --> HD product

I'm not implying it will be better, but it might also not take a great hit. Sometimes you might have mixed footage and might need to scale up to UHD to match the rest of the content before export.

I've just tested with a DCI 4K clip in a DCI 2K timeline exported at 2K versus a 4K timeline exported at 2K, as tiff sequences. The results were mathematically identical, so if your target is HD then unless you are doing something in the grade that benefits from a 4K source then there's no need to go back to a UHD timeline for processing. The difference comes if your target is a higher resolution than the timeline, so if it's a UHD target then an HD timeline will be detrimental to the final output.

I also tested having sizing set to crop with a 50% zoom in the timeline, versus scale to fit. Again, the results were mathematically identical, though I'd go with scale to fit as it's less messy and there won't be any risk of accidentally pasting or removing a zoom you don't want to, especially if you have clips of different resolutions. If one has been zoomed in 20% and you want to paste this to a clip that has already been zoomed out 50%, you can't as 120% from 50 will be far too much; and making it 70% won't be right either (in this case the correct zoom would be 60%, but I'm sure you could do without having to do maths while editing especially if it's a less convenient zoom increase).

The developers have also confirmed it more than once.

Good to know. Thanks John.