DaVinci Resolve 17 dropped this week, in the form of a beta. Revealed in a Grant Petty-led LiveStream, I chuckled at how the new companion 'Speed Edit' controller continues the CEO's homage to the 1990's era Sony edit controllers. Priced at less than the cost of a license of Resolve Studio - but including a license - it's a no-brainer that I'll be purchasing one of those.

Personally, I wasn't privy to this software before its initial release. My impressions and experience are precisely 5 days old. Color me: Impressed.

As a colorist, unlike in previous years, it's impossible to walk away believing that the Color Page was ignored. Three brand new tools were introduced. One of them, the strangely named HDR Tool (since it's not just for HDR projects), has the potential to completely change workflows and habits. The Color Warper and Magic Mask are extremely well-considered tools, that I've barely scratched yet (I'm still working through the HDR Tool).

All these new palettes are designed to leverage Resolve Color Management v2.0 with color space-aware tools (your old projects will open with RCM Legacy enabled, so your images don't unexpectedly change on you).

My first impression was that the HDR palette was the rebirth of SpeedGrade's 9-way color corrector (which I loved). But while it's a zone-based control, it operates quite differently. The timing for the release of Resolve 17b1 is perfect for me. I'm working on an indie feature this month, shot entirely on RED Gemini and Komodo cameras. I can't think of a better shakedown cruise (especially since the deadline on this project gives me time to downgrade to Resolve 16 if necessary).

I'll have much more to say about Resolve 17 in the weeks and months to come.

In the meantime, this week's Newsletter is overflowing with R17 items. To keep things manageable, I've delayed some items for next week's Newsletter, just before the Thanksgiving break.

I'll see you next week.

Happy Grading!

(and remember - if you have a story that's a fit for this Newsletter, hit reply or email it to '[email protected]'! Include a quick reason for the suggested link.)

- Patrick Inhofer
Colorist | Publisher | Coach

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If you're still trying to grok the 'how' and 'why' of HDR deliverables this article has some good questions, very ably answered.
 

This link is to the Read Me, listing the new features. If you print it out, the list takes about 6 pages. Single-spaced. The Resolve 17 New Features Guide .pdf is included in the download and runs 250+ pages. Enjoy!

(videos) Jonny Elwyn treats us to this mega-roundup of fresh articles and video tutorials on a variety of new features in Resolve 17. If this Newsletter feels light on video tutorials for R17, it's because I'm pointing you to this article - which has a day's worth of watching.

(podcast) Blackmagic's Alexis Van Hurkman joins Team PVC to talk about, "one of Resolve 17’s signature features, the new Resolve color management. This is a topic that is often misunderstood but is important when it comes to proper workflow especially in an HDR world."

If you're a hardcore Fusion user then you may prefer this stand-alone version to the version integrated in DaVinci Resolve. This link is to the Read Me - which is decidedly less impressive than the beta version of the Big Daddy app.

(video) "The Fusion View LUT can cause confusion. It defaults to an sRGB output which is not aligned with the ACES Output Transform. Meaning your footage will look different in Fusion compared to the edit and color page."

"The integrated Flow panel provides Resolve users a media gateway to assets and associated metadata. Easy-to-use production tools facilitate advanced remote workflows including seamless proxy editing and review and approvals." This is a short article but does present some interesting workflows with this tool.

From a friend of the Tao (and Orlando local), Oliver Peters: "CineMatch lets you apply a correction that is tailor-made for each individual camera profile, thanks to FilmConvert’s development of a wide range of professional and prosumer camera packs."

To me, the bigger news: "Additionally, Avid now supports macOS version 10.15.7 with this update." The continuing lack of integration for ProRes on Windows for Resolve suggests to me there's a cold war still raging between BMD and Apple - with professional workflows caught in the cross-fire. Too bad they can't seem to 'bury the hatchet'.

(video) Embedded on this page is Bernd Klimm's 45-minute tutorial on new Fusion features, "we also get some additions for motion Graphics. The new Shape tools provide a performant way of creating simple vector graphics. Here is the full list of topics that I discuss and demo in the tutorial..." Click through for the low-down.

Do you get the feeling that the botched transition from FCP 7 to FCPx still stings at the mothership?
 

"Blackmagic Design just announced Resolve 17. We jump on a Zoom call to discuss the release, its timing, new features, and our initial thoughts." This is in front of the paywall - but it's long! We just couldn't stop talking.
 

"Resolve 17 is here, and it is a huge release! Learn colorist Joey D'Anna's favorite new features, updates, and improvements." It's a good rundown (and it's also in front of the paywall).

(podcast) "In this installment of From The Mailbag, we announce a new ML feature - Mailbag Live & revisit exports looking different."

If you don't want to spend over $2k for an actual reference display but you want something decent then this review is for you. I definitely appreciate the blunt honesty in describing what this display is NOT.

"Apple's M1 Silicon chip will be a big change for developers. Learn the status of your favorite tools on the new Macs."

(podcast) "how Apple's M1 Chip makes the new crop of MacBook Pros, Macbook Airs, and Mac Minis so different and special." This is a good discussion about what Apple is doing with their new hardware and chip transition - and why it matters.