Had my Air 2S just over a year now and loving it, and recently got a new heavyweight PC, so I can finally edit video properly with DaVinci Resolve. This was my first test shooting and editing in log, so a real learning curve. Scary to start, but loads of learning resources out there, and very satisfying when it comes together. The first shot was 5.4K HLG, which I found difficult to grade, maybe because it’s really designed for HDR delivery. The second longer shot was 5.4K D-Log and was easier. I tried the DJI LUT, but in the end, preferred my manual grade. It was difficult matching the two different log grades. Output at 4K. I shall stick to D-Log in future. The next one will be much quicker!
It was shot at my local flood meadows. I know the owner, and it’s been the perfect place to learn, as well as a very scenic spot to capture his meadows and trees through the seasons. He enjoys seeing them from a different perspective.
Firefox, worked OK in Chrome (not logged in). Logged out of Firefox, fine thanks. Logged back in on YouTube, spinning icon again! Very odd. So long as others can see it…
Do you have the free version of Resolve, or the Studio version.
I can’t recall if Colour Space Transforms are available in the Free version, but as an initial step for D-Log, I find Resolve’s Colour Space Transform get’s me to the best starting point for manual, subjective, tweaking.
Shout if you need any help on that … if you have access to it. It’s under the “Effects” tab, top right, on the colour page.
I have the free version. Thanks for the Colour Space Transform info. I had in fact seen your previous post and tried them. The free version has them too. I’m so impressed with the free version, I may well get Studio at some point, but haven’t found a need yet. I’ve no idea how they can do it free, they must make a lot from the pro end of the market.
I’d already spent quite a bit of time grading the D-Log and HLG clips from scratch, and the CST versions looked like they still needed a fair bit of work. Next time, I’ll start with those and give them a proper go. I’m experienced editing Raw photos in Lightroom Classic, but there’s an awful lot of jargon in the video world that I don’t understand, with so many potential variables. I see you unchecked ‘Apply Forward OOTF’ which makes my test version better, but not sure what it means! I found the input colour space and gamma that you highlight for D-Log, and will probably stick to shooting D-Log. It doesn’t have any DJI settings for HLG video, but I played with other settings that looked reasonable. Would you say HLG is best avoided unless you want to output to HDR screens? I’ve got quite a few standard video clips over the year which I’ll try tweaking, but obviously not as flexible as the log formats.
I see you’re working in Rec.709 Gamma 2.4. I started working with that for the timeline colour space and Rec.709 Gamma 2.2 for the output colour space, but YouTube went crazy with that, so I changed back to the Resolve default of Rec.709 (Scene) for both, which worked fine. I’d read conflicting suggestions. Why do you use Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 throughout?
Thanks for your input, video is a scary world until you start understanding enough to get by!
They are mainly a top-notch pro video camera and studio/post hardware company. The splash screen on start-up is their kit.
Obviously, some things in Resolve are biased/better-tuned to work with their own cameras, and their philosophy seems to be to get young/aspiring/student videographer/editor/colourist/sound guys onboard with the free … and then keep them onboard as they progress to greater things and buy expensive hardware.
The Studio version, in pro terms, is ridiculously cheap.
I know of a couple of colourists that have been in the Adobe world for their whole pro lives and now, just technically, they prefer Resolve to the whole suite of programs needed to achieve all that Resolve can manage.
In recent years their annual Adobe subscriptions are close to a one-off, lifetime, purchase of Resolve - and everyone is watching the pennies.
Studio only provides me with a few "must-have"s
Colour Stabiliser - for large interval time-lapse
Speedwarp - for smother slow-mo when not recorded with slow-mo in mind and at high fps
Lens distortion - when using my GoPro3
Looking forward to having a computer where I can see real benefits in the hardware/GPU acceleration that Studio can provide.
Thought the same with D-Log … until I tried that OOFT as the result of someone suggesting.
I can’t pretend to know exactly what it’s for/doing … other than it seems to give me very close to what I want in just one, non-subjective, node as my starting point. #result
I have an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport (something that Resolve supports) and, if used in a node subsequent to my CST settings, it tends to make only a small amount of colour-temp difference. ie, outside colour temp, the CST has done a good job.
(For anyone wondering - no, I don’t use the ColorChecker on a normal basis for drone video - only used with lots of test clips with the drone on the deck to try and see if I can generate a better LUT of my own. I thought I had … then I discovered that OOFT setting, and now my LUT is redundant.)
I’ve not bothered with HLG, as yet … no supporting hardware. One day.
I’m happy paying a tenner a month for Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, but their video app prices are ridiculous as you say. Really enjoying learning Resolve. Not to be rushed!
I hadn’t tried shooting log, but the new PC now makes that worthwhile. My old one still works OK after 11 years. I didn’t stint on the new one, and with a 13th gen i7 and 64GB RAM, it barely warms up when rendering. I’ve been tempted by Passport, but not cheap. I calibrate my monitor with their i1 Display Pro, but I’m not after scientifically correct video, more what I feel it was like at the time. I may get Studio if only because it’s supposed to make more use of the GPU. I’m sure there would be other benefits.
I probably will avoid HLG for now, and stick to D-Log. I wondered if HLG would be better graded using the log wheels rather than the colour wheels. Gets confusing if you mix both on one grade node.
Anyway, thanks again for your help. I’ve gone back to editing Raw photos again for a while to let my brain cool down.
