How to create a simple macro in Davinci 20 Issues

I am trying to create a simple Ken Burns style macro where the video pans across a photo
to make it "feel" like its video. I am able to create it in the Fusion Page but for some reason when I save it as a Macro and place it in the "Effects" folder and then recall the effect in the Edit Page it does not pan across the photo. I think I am doing something wrong when I save it as a macro? I scoured the internet for a solution and am wondering if it is a bug in version 20? If it is NOT a bug then what am I doing wrong? As a test I tried creating a photo with a simple "Blur" effect, saved it as an effect macro and was able to reuse it in the Edit page. When I created the same effect with the photo getting slowly blurred and save it as an effect macro and then apply the effect in the edit page the photo comes out blurred and not a slow blur over time? It seems that the effect goes direct to 100% and not a slow blur from 0 to 100%

I feel like I a doing something wrong when I create and save the macro....OR is this a bug in version 20?

Can you share code for the macro?

Also, just curious. Is there particular reason why are you not doing the Ken Burns effect in edit page using inspector panel. Seems easier than making a macro. Or at very least doing it in fusion directly.

I use photos often in my videos and would like something very simple to just drag and drop an effect directly onto the photo in the Edit Page timeline, and I don't like using adjustment clips as they tend to clutter the timeline.

If you're working on a project with many photos and want to apply a similar style to them, here are a few options.

You can adjust one photo on the Edit page. Then, copy and paste those attributes to the other photos. This is even easier in Resolve 20. What makes this process act like a dynamic macro is the ability to choose how keyframe timings are handled when pasting attributes.

"Maintain timing" keeps the original keyframe timings. "Stretch to fit" (similar to the Keyframe Stretcher in Fusion or Dynamic Zoom) proportionally adjusts the timings to match the length of the new clip. For simple effects like pans or zooms, this functions much like a macro, but without actually using one.

Because this is done directly on the Edit page, it's very easy to use the Keyframe panel or Keyframe tray to further adjust the timing if necessary. It's a straightforward process. Unless you need something only Fusion can do, this method is preferable. It's faster, more flexible, easily repeatable, and dynamic. Plus, it doesn't require adjustment layers. Remember that a macro is essentially a front end for Fusion, so manual keyframe adjustments would need to be done in Fusion, not the Edit page.

Another powerful option involves using Fusion Reference Compositions instead of Fusion macros for the Edit page. This gives you the full power of Fusion, but because it's linked to a reference composition, changes made to one clip linked to the reference will update all the other linked clips. This is more dynamic than a simple macro and avoids the need to create a macro with custom controls.

While macros are always an option, they wouldn't be my first choice in this scenario. If you do need a macro, examining its construction and save location can help understand its functionality and identify potential problems.

Thanks KrunoSmithy for your replies and help.

I much prefer to use a drag and drop effect for my photos. I produce realestate videos and in some cases the homeowner would send me a photo they took of the garden during the summer months and I would include it in the video and try and make it seamless like a video complete with birds chirping in background. I would still rather use a simple drag and drop effect to create the pan on the still, don't nee any further controls after i drop it onto the photo in the edit page.

I have spent the better part of the last 3 days trying to save the macro and reuse it on a new project.

Basically I produce the effect using the "Transform" in Fusion, make sure it works then I proceed to create a macro and save it in the "Effects" folder. I the proceed to create a new project, import a clip and drag and drop the effect onto the clip in the edit page.....pan does not work!

I am obviously doing something wrong when I save the Macro....

Again, not sure if its me or a bug in the program.

I would say its a 50/50 on my part to get this to work....50% would like to be able to create and use this and 50% EGO, Problem Solving sort of a thing.

If you share code for the macro and where you saved it, than maybe we can figure out where the problem is. Otherwise, whatever you might be doing wrong, is only something you can know.

I still think for something so simply as only pan and zoom, it makes little sense to use macro, especially if its creating you all this trouble. But its up to you. Share it and I can try to se figure out what is wrong.

By the way if you want drag and drop and easy copy, you can also use color page and create a still. Use node graph to drag and drop the effect.

hey Kruno,

So if I save the macro as a .settings file or a .drf file I can upload it to my Dropbox and then
paste the download link to this message string?

Here are the download links for the effect I created as a macro:

.DRF file:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wvpi3uaq ... fscqw&dl=0

.settings file:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/whiham91 ... nnyjy&dl=0

Thanks in advance!

OK I've downloaded the files you sent. And there is a lot of strange choices and some things that I would classify as mistake.

You have uploaded two files.

Ken Burns Pan.drf and Ken Burns Pan.settings.

First one is probably a mistake. I don't think .drf is a valid extension for a file resolve can recognize.

Two similar extensions are .drp files, which represent resolve project or .drfx files which represent a template that can be used to build more complex macros.

So that file is not usable for me.

Second file Ken Burns Pan.settings shows macro with no controls. And when I convert macro to a group to see what is inside, its a transform node, with keyframed pan motion by changing pivot point, but there is nothing else. Kyframes are not dynamic. You haven't used anim (animation) curves or anything to make the animation dynamic. Its just a certain amount of frames, animated pan motion. This

a) makes it unusable as macro, especially since also it has no controls. and

b) its pointless since much better solutions exists as I've mentioned before.

In fact, dynamic zoom on the cut page has both dynamic zoom and dynamic pan with few presets. Making even a working macro of this type, pointless. So I don't know why would you even make one, when there are so many better and fast and more dynamic options.

However if you insist on this type of macro, than you would need to add dynamic modifier like Anim curves so that lenght of panning motion can adopt itself automatically to lenght of the clip. or if you want animation to be always the same, at least add some controls. At which point keyframing would have to be done in fusion anyway, since keyframes for macros are only available in fusion. Making the macro self defeating.

Either way, I would suggest you abandon this idea for using macro to do this kind of panning and use dynamic zoom or copy and paste dynamically the attributes which can be animated in one clip and easily applied to others.

Thank you very much Kruno for your time and effort on this matter. It is well appreciated.

I will try the anim method and see if it will work. I am still going to try and get this to work as a drag and drop effect. too bad the "Dynamic Zoom" option Inspector didn't have a pan option, that would be a good option to have or even a Pan & Zoom option together.

Again, thank you VERY much for all your help!

Thank you very much Kruno for your time and effort on this matter. It is well appreciated.

No problem. Here is another thing you could also do if you like fusion version of this pan. You can use clips thumbnails view in fusion page and similar to color page, you can copy and paste nodes across the clips.

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