"%group" metadata tag means grouped clips for color?

Trying to auto name clips based on their group names. If I use %group in the clip name metadata tag, the clip names go blank, even though the clips are in named groups. Does %group refer to groups for clips in color?

%group.png (31.76 KiB) Viewed 1634 times

The manual seems to suggest that:

Manual.png (10.53 KiB) Viewed 1634 times

Other metadata tags work, like %keyword.

Thanks!

I doubt it since Groups are for clips, not files (which can be divided into many clips)

Hi @Tom,

I’m still a little confused. Resolve let’s you choose the actual file name or a user defined clip name for a file imported into the media pool.

The manual also say you can use any metadata from the list provided on pages 3143-4 to define the display clip name.

If it works for keywords, what difference would it to use group names? The file would still be broken down into many clips but still have to maintain the user defined keyword name. Why not have the same behavior for Group name.

It seems to state that it’s possible in the manual.

Thanks.

The file would still be broken down into many clips but still have to maintain the user defined keyword name.

And one clip in the bin can likewise be many in the timeline, that belong to different groups.

A clip can only belong to one color group. If I attempt to add a clip to another color group it gets removed from the previous color group.

So then your saying groups as a metadata tag refers to edit groups?

A clip can only belong to one color group. If I attempt to add a clip to another color group it gets removed from the previous color group.

Yes, but as per my previous reply, one clip in the bin can be many in the timeline and therefore belong to many color groups. Hence there's no way you can assign naming this way.

So then your saying groups as a metadata tag refers to edit groups?

If I was saying that, then I would have said so.

Thinking about it some more and seeing the screen grabs from the manual, it's obvious that none of the tags listed in the Timeline And Project Metadata category are intended to be used for naming clips at the bin level, and are in fact for naming clips when rendering them out in the Deliver page.

Hi @Tom,

Thanks for looking into this. I think you are right about how the software operates, but I’m still confused as to why.

I haven’t really run into situations where the same clips need to belong to different groups for grading. I use groups for clips that have the same starting point for a grade. The grade may change, or we may do a trim pass, but the clip associations don’t change. I’m not, for example, creating multiple groups for all close ups in a scene. I may create multiple versions.

There are exceptions, like cheating the time of day for the same exterior, but I just change the grade in clip mode. Or someone shooting B roll wild, and never stopping the camera. But in those cases the media is usually managed.

If the metadata category for timeline and project can be used to name clips when rendering out, then why can’t those names appear at the bin level, or more importantly, under thumbnails in the color timeline? Other metadata categories can be both displayed at the bin level and rendered out.

Thanks!

[Shrinivas Ramani]

In the context of renders, the timeline name or project name does not offer ambiguity.

For a media pool clip, some metadata make sense - file properties, embedded metadata, user metadata set in media pool or editor, logical actions/info in media pool (synced clips, stereo, matte, flags, presence of superscale etc).

A single media pool clip can be placed in multiple timelines with different trims. Further, they can be present multiple times in multiple tracks within each timeline.

So the context is clear when media properties are used downstream (in the timeline clip) and when timeline properties (e.g timeline name, track name, color group etc) are used downstream in renders. Using a timeline property does not make sense in a media context.

Hello,

I understand for editorial one would not want ambiguity in clips names. That’s the beauty of being able to quickly switch between embedded clip names and user defined display names.

There never needs to be ambiguity.

That’s still doesn’t explain why BMD would limit the use of “downstream” metadata for display names. It should be an option.

In my case, I’ve found a work around for having to click-select every clip in a group that I want to either add a new version to, or switch versions.

I built a macro that:

1. Auto identifies the selected clip in the color timeline.
2. Captures the clip’s name.
3. Identifies the group the clip belongs to (the group has the same name as the clip, see below).
4. Selects all clips in that group.
5. And either adds a new version or switches versions depending on the key combination.

So with a single button press and/or modifier, I can either add a new version or switch versions for every clip in a group.

However, I must now go through the addition step of creating metadata in some other dummy field like keywords, so that I can switch the display names of clips to match the name of the group they belong to.

Instead of just being able to use the metadata Resolve already knows is associated with the clip.

I still haven’t heard how group display names would interfere with any of the processes described in this chain, which again seem more for editorial than for finishing.

If every clip in the color timeline can be named after its codec and not affect its ability to exist in multiple timelines with different trims or multiple times in a timeline, then why should a display name using the metadata of a group name?

I don’t really run into examples where many clips in a project require such radically different grades that they need to belong to multiple groups.

Thanks!

I still haven’t heard how group display names would interfere with any of the processes described in this chain

You have. Please re-read my replies. I can't make it any more clear.

@Tom,

Yes clips can belong to many timelines and groups, but clips can only belong to one group inside of one timeline.

Resolve could simply update clip names (or thumbnail names) based on the group name when a timeline is loaded, the way clips auto update when assist reel project settings are changed, or other metadata is changed.

It’s just the display name.