DaVinci Resolve #3 - The Great Editors Bake Off: Workflow Methods

I am a big advocate for DaVinci Resolve. I love the idea of doing everything in one software and avoid losses on the way. Ideally, we could all use one software, simultaneously, holding hands and loving each other.

But unfortunately, that’s not the reality of most post-production processes. More often than not we have the Video Editor swearing at the cameraman for not letting the camera roll that extra second on one shot, or the colourist cursing the editor’s mother because of how he exported the project. We have all been there, but there is one way to prevent all the swearing and protect our mothers from the cursing: PLANNING.

Planning your workflow with other members of your team is absolutely essential if you want a stress-free production to happen, that’s what really separates the amateurs from the professionals, you can’t come in free-style in a serious production, it’s just not done.

So, before any editing has commence, talk with your video editor about how to prepare the timeline for Colour Correction and what’s the best workflow for the project.

Today, I’ll be explaining step-by-step about one of easiest workflows for DaVinci Resolve and most used by freelances: The Baked Workflow

The Baked Video Workflow (or what I like to call The Great Editors Bake Off) is very simple: you just have to export the edited version in one master video file (without animations, titles or transitions) and cut that in little pieces again inside DaVinci Resolve.

Here are the steps:

Step 1:

Clean your timeline, leaving only the footage that needs Colour Grading. Turn off any titles, animations, or transitions from that video.

This is what you want your timeline to look like. Clean cuts, all in one line (if possible), and titles turned off.

Step 2:

Export the video according to what type of file is the best for that project. Obviously, it will change according to media source and destination. Communication is the key.

Remember you don’t need the Audio for colour grading, so you can export video only.

This particular project of mine, I chose this setting, as it was a video made for internet distribution with stock media in many different formats.

Step 3:

Find your file in DaVinci Resolve Media Storage, right click it, and select “Scene Cut Detection”.

Step 4:

A new window will pop up that looks like this:

Click “Auto Scene Detect”

Step 5:

DaVinci will automatically detect any change in shoots, and create this green cut lines.

You can use “P”or “N” to check previous and next cuts suggested by DaVinci Resolve. You can also move the pink line up and down according to the confidence level of those suggestions. Notice that you will have 3 views on your window.

You want your cuts to be at moments the 1st screen is different, but 2nd and 3rd screens are exact matches. Like shown in the image.

Step 6:

After you verified all the cuts are correct, click “Add Cuts to Media Pool” button.

Step 7:

Go to your Media Pool, select all the Media that DaVinci just added automatically for you, right click it, and select “Create New Timeline Using Selected Clips”.

That’s it! You should have a new timeline with all your video in order, ready for your colour grade.