Exporting projects with HQ-clips to Resolve

[brianwilson]

Dear forum,
I have just upgraded from Edius Neo 3 to Edius 7 Pro.
I have also added a NVidia GTX 660 GPU to my i7-2600 CPU,
hoping that I could thus use the free Davinci Resolve Lite color-grading software on my Edius projects.
My Edius projects consist of clips in the Grassvalley HQ-codec.
Now I have learned, that Resolve doesn't recognize the HQ-codec.
Does that mean, that I can export/import my Edius projects (as AAF or EDL-files) to Resolve only, if i work with native material?
Is there a way to transport my existing Edius projects with HQ-files to Resolve?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thank you!

[NakedEye]

Edius 7 claimed to have a new color grading workflow with Da Vinci Resolve in reality it's non existent as last time I enquired no one from gv could explain how this new feature worked. Resolve is a little limited in its file support and HQ HQX is not supported even as QT. Avid DNX is one way but there are issues there also.

Best Dave.

[David Clarke]

You have to convert your timeline to a format Resolve will understand. Resolve is very limited and does some MOVs (not HQ ones) and a few other formats.

Although AVID DNxHD is limited that is probably the best option. You need to download the Avid codec and then make a MOV file in that format. You can either make the entire timeline and then use Resolves splitting option to split the movie into clips or try using AAF export to make a series of files in an AAF Resolve will import. EDIUS AAFs only tend to do one track to make sure your edit is just cuts with no effects and on one track for the best results.

To get back to EDIUS I export from Resolve as Avid MOVs, with the "add prefix" option ticked which produces files a number at the start saying which order they should be in. I then load them back into EDIUS, order them in the bin and put them on the timeline. I also find I need to go into the properties of each clip and change it to "super white" otherwise the clips do not have the right black and white levels.

The new EDL is not a huge leap forward. It basically adds a way of tagging clips so that Resolve and EDIUS should be able to relink to them easily. But it is based on an EDL which is really limited.

[brianwilson]

Dear sirs,
thank you for your swift and informative answers!
Too bad, though...
The suggested workaround with Avid seems is to me, I'm afraid too time-consuming for it to become a standard procedure.
But I will have to try it out...
Thank you once again!

[GrassValley_PS]

Take a look here.

http://www.grassvalley.com/docs/Application_Notes/professional/edius/PRV-5189M_EDIUS_RED_DaVinci_AN.pdf

[David Clarke]

That's a good document but will only work for clips Resolve will load as the AAF is linking to original clips. Resolve won't load AVI files and lots of different types of MOVS, but will load clips like RED footage.

I will have to try that XML fixer because that will make life easier getting back from Resolve to EDIUS.

[GrassValley_PS]

Good points.

Yes, Andy has done some great work with the XML.

[Liverpool TV]

For future projects you may want to consider an intermediate that both Edius and Resolve see. If you use a camera codec that both see, then you won't need an intermediate. As you are using HQ, you are either ingesting or transcoding. That being the case, you won't change your workflow or increase preparation time too much using another intermediate.

You may want to try CineForm. It has a number of advantages over HQ and HQX, not least of all greater compatibility outside of Edius. It also has great initial grade and look options that are controlled by metadata. You can even switch between First Light and Edius, with both open, making changes to the CF clips in FL that Edius sees without rendering.

You can use CF in both Edius and Resolve, and use linked media in either an EDL or AAF from Edius to go to Resolve. It's similar to Matt Scott's Red workflow.

[NakedEye]

Yes! The Ciniform option is a good one and there is a raw workflow with fast transcoding. HQX would be nice to have though all the way up to 4K and beyond.

Dave.

[Liverpool TV]

Yes! The Ciniform option is a good one and there is a raw workflow with fast transcoding. HQX would be nice to have though all the way up to 4K and beyond.

Dave.

Yes Dave, it would be great if HQX was more transportable. Even better if it was upgraded to carry the metadata of RAW files or become a container. It's a pity really, the lack of industry adoption for the GV codecs. I have you used them for many years and they are perfect.

The CF codec is great, and is about the best option at the moment for Edius productions to pass through to other post processes, especially Resolve. If you use the extra Resolve plug, it can even see any initial First Light passes in the CF metadata. There are even some cameras that use CF for recording.

CF is also a great option for using as an intermediate for a mixed source codec project, or even for a single source codec. You can do initial first pass grades and looks to the files that are transcoded in to CF. These initial grades are all none destructive metadata commands, and they carry through to anything that sees the CF codec, in realtime, and more importantly in Edius. It is even possible to get a finished look/colour grade from editing the CF files in First Light, or whatever the newer application is called.

This is really important for Edius users and is by far the most flexible solution for extra grading of Edius projects, or any other compatible NLE for that matter. The big deal is that, the clips can be graded as they sit in the Edius timeline. Say you have Edius open in one window and First light in another. As you are going through your Edius timeline and see a clip you want to grade, you simply open it up in First light, make your changes, and when you switch back to Edius it updates the picture/clip immediately showing the new look/grade. This is due to the way CF only needs meta changes to change the look of the clips.

While it is not as good as editing in program directly or via plug ins. It is really quick, works, and allows further processing in other post applications. The real advantage over this workflow as opposed to any other, is that. You can chop and change your edit even past so called colour lock, to make last minute unforeseen changes. All without disturbing the Edius timeline and without any rendering of intermediate files or destructive rendering to your HQ and HQX files.

Put it another way, that is a real world pain. You have either a complex composite edit or a simple frame resize in Edius, or anything else in the Edius timeline that has changed the framing of the source clip. If you then want to grade these parts, there is really no way other than to group the composites in to a single render, or render any other frame altered source clip. You then import and colour these clips in something else and reimport them back. Then say you change your edit by a couple of frames, or do any resizing, or their is a last minute creative change. You will have to repeat this process all over again.

Now if the above scenario is carried out with CF clips in Edius. It is a simple matter of opening the source clips in FL, running parallel with Edius being open. Make your look/colour changes in FL, then switch back to Edius, and your new changes are all there to your clips in place within complex composites or any other frame size changes edits.

It may not be the most elegant or best solution. But it is very fast, and most importantly is either free or vey inexpensive. I am quite surprised at not seeing anything on the forum with regard to this process.

While I would love for the GV codecs to be more industry recognised, and maybe have metadata functionality like the CF codec. I have been using Edius since Canopus, and if Thompson and or Grass Valley have not been able to sway the industry either. Then history would suggest that this may never happen.

[PaulTV]

Resolve will accept uncompressed .avi......

....not very useful in real terms as your decoded source files would be massive.

Won't even read a Sony EX3 file either - sad really - GREAT with RED!!

Paul :-)

[Liverpool TV]

Resolve will accept uncompressed .avi......

....not very useful in real terms as your decoded source files would be massive.

Won't even read a Sony EX3 file either - sad really - GREAT with RED!!

Paul :-)

Hi Paul.

You may want to try CF. The codec is similar in use to HQX but with more benefits.

Unfortunately, proper grading is something that will require an uncompressed work space one way or another, either in buffer or in file. This is the inevitablility of the process itself and its requirement for both colour space and bit depth.

The EX files work great as CF files. And although you obviously do not increase colour or bit depth of the source clip. Your CF conversion of the EX clip now gives you the flexibility of being able to take advantage of the First Light process. I have done this and found that for certain work, the CF FL option with Edius gave a final grade.

[David Clarke]

I have not dealt with Cineform for some time - certainly not since they were bought by GoPro. Do you need to install GoPro studio to get the Cineform codecs? I cannot export in Cineform from my copy of Resolve at the moment.

[Liverpool TV]

I have not dealt with Cineform for some time - certainly not since they were bought by GoPro. Do you need to install GoPro studio to get the Cineform codecs? I cannot export in Cineform from my copy of Resolve at the moment.

Hi David. There are a number of ways to get the codec on the system. I think the easiest and free one is the GP utility, although I think there is a standard free version available. Not to sure if the codec then becomes available as an export option from either Edius or Resolve, as I would usually use one of their uncompressed codecs for final master output.

[David Clarke]

I know that the GP2 utility caused some EDIUS problems so I did not want to use that but could not find an alternative immediately. I will look further.