ACES in Davinci Resolve 16

1. Introduction: basis is a big deal. It is the future. You do not want to be left behind with the Academy color encoding system from the Oscars organization. No more issues which shots from different cameras or even between life footage. Onda three d renders this unified color space is for every production, regardless of its size. Whether you are a woman band or a multi side production house, Aces is for you and will make your workflow future proof. 2. ACES in Davinci Resolve 16: What is ASIS? It is the academy color and coding system, a global standard for motion picture and television production. And obviously it is coming from the Oscars organization economy. OK, let me just briefly tell you what it is in plain English. Let's assume you're going to have your film. Don't with Aria. Lex. Okay. And for some reason, there is a shot that is done overseas with a sunny Sony sin LDA. Okay. And for some other reason, there's gonna be a reshoot off that same shot. Don't buy another producer, OK? Because say for example, the first truck was not good on is gonna be done with the red. And you have some things in the film that were shot with the palace tonic. Very calm. You see where I'm getting? Good. Okay, let's make it even worse. Eso And then you have for some reason you shot some stuff with Orsa Black Magic Orsa. And you remember that aerial shot that we had? Yeah, that one was done with a drone with a different camera. Good. That is a big mess now, obviously, I've made it so complicated that having added most camera producers Okay, most companies before reason on. Then let's all hold on a moment. Did I not tell you the film has visual effects? We had some oceans and explosions, and I've got some environments done with Houdini. And I've got some animation done with Maya. And there is also some three D model in off exterior done with three days max, which was rendered with Arnold. Or some part of that was done with very and because Houdini works best with Red Shift. So we've done some reject stuff, and some competition was a nuke. That is a humongous mess. That's the way everything has bean so far. Okay, up till the merman's aces showed up. OK, so what is ASIS? You no longer care where data and I'm saying, Whatever so film or C G I If you have visual effects, see joy or you've got life action films, you don't care where it came from, Okay, so you don't even care which camera was used. Everything will be unified, is unified, so it's already being used. Good. Okay, So the idea is that your production, your post production, your editing, your composite in your call grade in everything that happens on the footage on the image coming from the camera or coming from the render needs to be done in aces in one unified. Whether you are in the north into sound in the East, in the west, in company a company Z in wherever you just work in one globally unified color space. Uh, yeah, and it is a color space, by the way. Cool. Because every camera producer Azzan camera manufacturer they've got their own settings. They've got their own gamma staff there. You're familiar with the slogan stuff. Every one of those cameras have got their own think. And yeah, that's fine. That's how they want to see quality, but it creates a mess. So aces comes to unify this whole thing. And what happens then? Okay, so what do we do? I'm now in a safe space. So how do I How do I take it to broadcast? I need to do broadcasters with Rex Oven. 09 Or I need to go to the article released with P three. So how do I do that? I'm now in ASIS. Yes, it's unified, but it's not used for for broadcast. It's quite simple. You can then converted back to where every whatever you want it to be. Rex of known for broadcast P 34 cinema and so one. Good. Clear. Okay, this is why you want to care about aces. You don't want to be left behind when it comes to the color space. Okay, good. Let's now move to um Yeah. Oh, by the way, by the way you've noticed I've added these two things here. I d Todt. I'm just added them and then just own enough. Okay, Input device, transformers and output device transforms. It's a little bit technical, and I want to get you there. But the idea is that well, I just need to tell assess where it's coming from. It's going to try, depending on which software. Using this case, we're gonna be using DaVinci. We try to recognize the footage, but if not, you can. You can specifically mentioned wears came from as an input device transformed was okay. And then you've got the output devices form and just select which ones it needs to be. Is it Rick? Seven or 9 53 is a good OK, so in a nutshell, what is aces? Nice. It is a big thing. It will change the whole industry something you do not want to miss. All right. Next it is. It's a game changer. Like Okay, I'm reemphasizing the same thing for every production. But in this bit, I'm telling you, it's regardless off its size. You may be thinking. Yeah, but this is for the big boys. Not for me. No, no, this is for everybody. Oh, by the way, if you want to join the big boys, you need to be already familiar with aces because they are working with aces. Cool. So it's for you as well, whether you are working as an independent filmmaker or not. Okay on Yeah, it's a color space. Cool. It's a unified color space. Oh, by the way, on the right, A. You'll see that the the familiar ones that you know, the wrecks of No. Nine, the D. C. I. P. Three and stuff. Look at these colors, please. You'll notice here that this is your rix of No nine. This is your TV, OK, on the green one is your cinema projectors. And this humongous big monster is ASIS. Do you know what this is? Is covering more than what we already have now. It's covering the future. Whatever you're gonna bring it in, the future is already covered. So it's it's It's a unified color space that not only preserves the full spectrum of visible HDR cars, but it gets you. You're what it gets your workflow future proof. Okay, so enough talking about what it is, how great it is. There are some some things you need to be aware off. Okay, that some mornings. So, for example, if you're going to be using lots in color grading your used to okay, it's just between brackets here. Some lazy people who just keep using only lots, like they don't know much about color grading. They go to the comfort zone. Yeah, I get a lot from Internet and apply it and is going to look cool. And let's move on. That's not the way to work anyway. If you have some lots, they're not gonna work with aces because basis is a different colors space. Those lots were designed for another color space, just a few things to take into account, plus the fact that there has been some feedback to the academy to the Oscars organization from colorist, saying Weld basis is is great. You know, when you use it when color grade in you get some different behavior, and that is completely true. We get a different behavior. And that's why Aces has introduced several different variations. Okay, there's the Oasis. There's the C G one. There's the CSS three SCC, and there's S E C T. Which is the one that colors prefer. So that came after the input from course. Okay, so enough talking about what it is. Let's go and see how to do that in DaVinci Resolve. Now, let's set up aces. Color space in DaVinci Resolve 16. I have here a project which has two videos. Okay, I've chosen to because there are different cameras. So this one is every seven Sony F seven s f seven. Sorry. And the on this is the red camera. Okay. Red dragon. Good. Um, So the first thing is to go to to protect settings here and under the top corner management's, you'll find color science by the folded 71 RGB. Okay. And a timeline. Color spaces, Rex have known. I'm this says the traditional stuff. This is what we've been using for ages core. We now need to change two aces. Good. How do we do that? We come to color science, have done changed races, and we have here on the list of two of them. Wait, I thought that you said that it was one global standard. One unified standard. And now you're showing me too. Actually, there are more than two. But these are variations that have been created to tackle specific issues to address specific needs. And I'll explain the these later. Okay, some of the some of its excel explain it now on the rest is gonna come later. Okay, So which one? The witches and what is the difference between Aces CC and ASIS, CCT, whatever that stands for. Okay. Let me just try to explain it with a graph. I'll give you two explanations. One that is bloody technical. On the other one is Blaine English. Okay, so let me start with the technical one. The difference between the two is that the CCT has a toe. Meaning when you start working on the shadows. If you start impacting the blacks, the behavior is gonna be much different than Sisi. Okay, Now, let's stop this technical, blah, blah, and let's move straight to plain English. Do you know what happened? Okay, the academy that the Oscars organization came up with the aces and then the colorist start . Oh, that's great. That's embed that started working with it and then they found strange behavior. What I mean by strange behavior is that when they start moving those color wheels and stuff , you think so. I'm moving differently and they're not used to that. It like, yeah, but that's doesn't look very user friendly is. And that feedback went back to the academy and economy said, Yeah, makes sense. So let's come up with something that is user friendly and they came up with the city, right? That's the plain English explanation oversimplified because I just need to explain the difference. It's oversimplified because you might get the wrong impression. That city is the good CC, with user friendly is just you keep everything. You don't keep everything. That's the thing. That's the catch. You don't keep everything. The behaviors are different. Okay, so some things are gonna behave much differently. Which one should teachers are living up to you? Why you might live in that up to you? Somebody who I mean does not know or supposed not to know anything about which one to choose. Now, for a simple reason. Because it is your project. You choose which one you want to work with. You stick with Sisi if you want the full thing right on the behavior is gonna be a little bit strange if you've already worked with with DaVinci before. Actually, if you haven't worked with the Vinci before, it's not gonna be back much of a deal. But still, you will notice that there's a difference. Okay, So which everyone wants now? Once we have done that, this is not enough. We need to specify. Remember when we talked about Let me take you back to my presentation. Let me take you back to my presentation. Yeah, this one. But then let me go back here. This Remember this bit over here? I'm just switching the on and off. I d Todt. Sorry. Yeah, this bit I deity or deity input device. Transformers. Output device Transformers is basically where you tell the software you're working and in this case, the Vinci where it came from and where it should go. Let's go back here. This is it. I D T O D t. And it's quite simple. You're gonna pick something from the list. Okay? You just pick something from the list and then something. What is that? Something? I'll tell you what. Which one? Okay. And then Todt, where does it go? Let me start with with oddity, and they'll come back to I d t. Because it is a little bit tricky. Okay. Oh, DT is where should it go? And then now I'm gonna change what I said. Not because. Okay, look at my presentation. What do I have in here? I have Is going to Rex have known on as broadcast for TV is going to be three d 64 cinemas go into. Yes, but now you are in first production, my dear. So the output is what you are have in front of you. What are you working on now? What kind of monitor is it? Do you have a normal monitor? Then you would go with Rex 709 It doesn't matter if it's going to cinema or not. If it's gonna be be three later, we don't care about that. What we care about is you want to see what your color grading what you're working on. So for now, this is always a temporary setting. Okay? Most often did not in Netflix is gonna be a different story, but for now, it's a temporary setting. Meaning output device was warm. American Rx 709 If you move to another place and you find that there is an HD are monitor that works with the three, then you're going to change it to P three because that's the one you are using to edit you are using to call grade. So to put it in simple terms, girl Force Rex of No. Nine. If you're using a normal monitor, what do I mean by normal? If you do not know what I'm talking about, go with Rex seven or nine. Okay. If you know what I'm talking about, you know you're gonna go. You have to go with B three. Okay? So why? Because normal monitors that all of them are kind off, you know, normal, cheap ones that go with Rex of Lona. There are the specific, bloody, expensive monitors, color grading monitors, and these are different story in that case, I mean, if you have one, you already know what I'm talking about. But I'm just bear with me if you're if you're a technical guy who already has one, uh, then bear with us, please, as well as I explain to the guys who don't know what I'm talking about. So this could be like most often they're not gonna be 1000. It's OK. Or if you're kind of cheating a bit and using a television for color grading wouldn't recommend that, but still, it could still do it. Actually, if you want to test your HDR, Okay, So if that television is HDR and has got 1000 dates, then you can use it Absolutely fine. So quite simple. You don't know what I'm talking about. Rex. Seven or nine. You know what I'm talking about is gonna be 53. Nice. Okay, so that's for the output for now. Because you're working on the best production now. Once is gonna be exported. That's a different story, even for Netflix. Exporting for Netflix is an even more different story, but that's gonna be addressed in the deliver tab. Let's not mix things up. We're setting up now for working. We haven't gone through this journey yet. We're still in the media tab in the settings we need to go to cut, edit, fusion color, fair light. And once we reach deliver, I will show you what to do with this one. Okay? Because it is almost always a temporary setting. Good. Nice. Now let's go back to the tricky one. As if the output was not tricky enough. Good. Okay. Input device transform. I think it is. It can be. It can be a trap. It can be a pitiful to set it up here, because what have we said? Let me go back again on the left. What do you see? Plenty off cameras and a lot of CG stuff and things. And the idea is that your project year in the media top is supposed This is what it's came to address to have plenty of footage coming from different sources. If they are coming from different sources, how can you set the input here? This is for the project. Okay, So why is the Vinci Wise is Black Magic company setting? Why do they have to sit in here? Because there are cases where you have shot with one camera and you still want to use aces . And it makes perfect sense to use cases. Because if you want to work, collaborate with others and you work in a bigger project, it is gonna be aces, even if it's with one camera. Okay, so if it's with one camera, easy. You said it at the project level. Or if the majority of the footage is coming from one camera on just a few off the others is coming from another camera. Then you set it up here. You choose your commoner here on the capture gamma, and then you go to the media tub and then select those exceptional videos that were shot with another camera and you said them manually to something else. Now show you how to do that. Okay, Good. Um, so I recommend that you always keep this one has no input, transform, meaning. Let's just get the good practice off. Doing it in the media tab on. Keep this one like this. So go would savor before saving. Let me just bring this one a little bit down to that. You notice the difference. See the footage here. We haven't saved yet. If I click on save hoops has changed. See? So it could become weird. It could look better. And actually it is going to look weird now if I go to the color correction, let me go to color correction Here. See, there is some color correction that has happened. I'm just showing this for demonstration purposes. Now you don't do color correction. Then go to your face is set up. No, it's just to show you the impact. So what we have here is call attraction. That happened on a different color space. The tradition default one the Davinci y rgb. It happened here, but now it looks totally terrible. Looks completely rubbish because the highlights are completely blown up and stop. Why? Because this work has been done. A different color space. So it's not the right one, right? Control f And then let's go back here. So let's go back to our media tab and let's try to set up this one properly. Now, when I set faces in the project settings, I get this Aces input transform. Okay. So I could do it, man individual for individual ones. So this is exactly the same list as I would get in here. See, in here is exactly the same list. Just this one looks a bit smaller, but actually, it's a big scroll. Nice. Okay, good. So let's set it up at this level. Right click. Oh, by the way, if I just want to show you if you don't have it on DaVinci Resolve Wook, we've just We've gone back now to the white RGB. If you don't have a own don't panic and start looking for it. It's not there because you haven't set up the aces in the first place, so you will not find aces input stuff here. Okay? It needs to be here. Said as aces. One of them one of these two. Okay, save. Then you're right. Collect. Then you will find it faces in portraits, warm. Then you're going to choose on. Then we're gonna come to the philosophical question. Which one should you go for? Um, it's might bear obits. Um, straightforward, because, Well, there's a list of cameras I just need to pick. Yes, but for one camera, there are plenty. So which one do you have? Well, I'm assuming, you know, But let me if you know, if you know that's brilliant. If you have a mechanism automated mechanism whereby, you know that's brilliant. Bear with us, please. As I explained to those who don't know. Okay, Um Okay. So what do you do when you are stuck with the footage that you have been given on? All you have is the meta data that you have here in Da Vinci result. Let's look at the metadata. What do we have? Okay, this is the meta data tab. Click on it and you see here metadata Cool. What do I have? I have excellent oral linear blob, blob. I can't see it. I can't see, so I don't know. Right? I know, but I need to show you what you should you do, if you don't know. Well, this what you need to know is one thing. Which camera was used and actually, to be honest, which camera manufacturer was that on? I'm assuming this is something that is reasonable to expect from you. So if you have footage and you know which camera has been used, that's brilliant. In this case, it's a sunny is F seven. Um let's assume I do not even know it's SF seven. I need to know it's a sunny. So I need to do is just go to the Money Factors website and get their specific software This one is going to give me. This is the solution for people who don't know now because you made the mistake of not paying attention to the Gamma Capture Gamma German production. Which one has been set? That's why you need to go the longer route off, going to the manufacturer's website for Sonny, for example. It's going to be a catalyst bro's. It's just a software. You don't know that you install it and you open it. Let me show you. There you go. You open it. You just bro's. It's a browser. It's just like Windows. Roeser. That's not that. That's it. It's just Windows Roeser. But it's a sunny browser. Okay, because you have shot with Sonny in this case, okay? And then you go down here on the meta data. You see that you have a lot of stuff, actually, too much detail, just enough for us to find our capture gamma equation. And I know now that it's gonna three sini is locked. Three. Why? Because if I go back to my, um here to my story to my are basis import transform. If I go to the sunny, I am gonna end up with a long list. See? Okay, I have already just one selected, so because I already had selected it earlier, But you would know, you need to know which one, if you don't, then you know, I've showed you how to get the software for that. Now, this is for Sonny. What if it's a different software? What if it's a red? If it's a red find, you go get the red Xena. Expro, you just don't know that. Don't do anything with it. You're just going to be able to go. This is another footage of this show you said. Where is it? It's here. This is the footage. Amusing, and you go to meta data on any good gamma space. Okay, Cool, Cool. Nice. Okay, let's come back here. And I know it is going to be this government stuff. I think of our dyslexic, right? Yeah, this one. Good. This has already been selected, and you're going to do it for multiple, hopefully for 101 150 at once. You don't do it. Clip by clip. You just sort by sort in the media tab and then select those that have done have been done by one camera. And then you give the, um, the input trust form. Okay, Now, let me show you something fun. Say something cool, because we need to understand what basis is on what basis is not. This is done by the red camera, and I've just showed you here. But this is Reggie next stuffing. And there's the meta data, but I'm not going to need to use it. Why? Because we have shot this in role. What is wrong? Which color space is raw Exactly. The road does not have a color space, but what is aces basis came to solve the issue off different color spaces. So what do we do with role? Which is not a color space once a quite simple the camera. When we shot with the red, we have chosen row, which basically we told the camera not in bed. Any profile on the footage. So there's nothing to worry about if you right click on this one. Even with aces selected here. If you right click on a row footage, you'll find that there is nothing to be selected. Aces import transform. What in portraits for? Man, There's no it monstrous form. There's no profile set in there. It's a role signal. Okay, it's a profile. So this is something I want you to pay. Intentions. Okay, good. So basically, just work with it, as is, because if there's no conversion needed for the wrong up, there is some stuff that needs to happen at this stage in the color tab. But that's late for later. Camera Road. There's some stuff that will be working on here, but that's a different story. All together, it's already been set, actually read directly from the from the from the file. See, red comma for where is that one? Red gum before? Sort of been automatically? Yeah. Drug on in color to for the color space. And, um, where was that? Yeah, color, space, dragon and color to okay, start was the conversion for us to be able to see it, But the signal is initially roll. Let's go back now and were set. You are working in the aces color space you have followed all the steps and your image looks correct. You can work in the color tab on your coco a correction and call great in the way you are used to. However, there is one bit that you need to pay attention to when you want to apply a lot, you need to know that that lot was made in a different color space. You're going to notice that. Let's say I'm going to go here to the lots, Okay? You can open it like this film looks. Grab anyone and apply it. Okay, You're going to notice that it behaves differently. It looks ugly. It looks completely not as intended. It's not what the law actually looks like. If you applies on different in the initial color space. Well, obviously a lot that was created in the rec. 709 color space works in Iraq seven or nine color space because it is trying to remap the values based on the color space definitions. But now you're in a different, bigger, huge ASIS color space, and the mapping is all over the place. It makes sense that you get rubbish results because you are using rec seven or nine lot in ASIS color space. Now what do I do? Remember one generally at the professional level, people do not use lots. I mean, more often than not, lots are not used eso it is. You're going to notice that lots are look up. Tables are mostly widespread within the A matter community. Okay, It's mostly Yeah, I like this. Just this. Look on. Do you plug it? Anything? Yeah, it looks good. Let's that's under. That's not how color greatness. That's number one. Please use lots very, very sparingly. Let's are very expects, actually, at the professional level, when you are delivering, when you are giving your footage to the visual effects guys that when they start integrating three day and when they work on the renders actually, even during the renders, if you're going to render an Arnold in theory, in red shifts in mantra, you use the look up table that came from DaVinci. So you are the maker of the lot in normal circumstances, not the consumer of the lot. Okay, you're not talking about the fact that we should use lots sparingly if you insist, or for whatever reason, you just want to give a flavor off what it should look like or what direction you're going . Fine. You can use a lot. How do you use this amazing space where it's quite simple? We are going to temporally bypass the aces color space. Just saying Well, for a few steps for a few. We're not saying we're going to get out of it. We're just temporally bypass it. How do you do? Do we do that? The Mary said this note reset. Not great. I leave this one alone. Um, I know that a few more. OK, so this note label is bypass ASIS. Okay. Here. No label a boy. Okay, let's call it properly rec 709 lot So that we remember that most lots our exit No. Nine. And actually, you can create your own Latin aces. That's that's the rial solution is like create your look because you're supposed to be the one creating lots for three D renders. Create them in aces, then the the map in is correct because they're created in the roids color space. Okay, and then here, back to basis. Simple for that specific step off. Applying the lot. Let's go back to the wrecks of No nine so that the mapping works correctly on Let's remember everything back to aces. Okay, So, um, how do we buy posits? How do I do? I come back to the project settings and turn it off. No, just this node is going to receive an effect. I mean, just close this one. The lots were done, but not not really. Don't just get a bit off space here, and we go to the open effects. Okay, um, there's this resolve affects color, color, space transform. So here, I'm going to apply it to the bypass. Were changing from Rex seven or 92 aces. You know what? Probably it makes better sense if you just to, um, aces to rec seven or nine. Okay. And then, yeah, you get the point. Um, Rex seven or 92 aces. That's what exact what we're doing. You know, bypassing. So what do we say here? I want the output. The input is whatever it is. Just don't know that input here because it is basis. So it's good used timeline because I can go back and then set a season. Flack, I don't need to do that Because the Da Vinci is smart enough to know the timeline is the timeline is made in aces because it is blatantly obvious from the project settings that the timeline is aces. So I don't need to touch the inputs at all for the output. I'm saying. Now, let the output of this node B rex ever known ill simple. Go down and get your rec. 70 night. Sit output. Gamma rec seven or nine as well. So the outputs Rx seven or nine. Who? It looks completely rubbish. Yes, yes, it We're not finished yet. We're not done yet. Okay, um, what you gonna do now is go here, apply the same effect on, then turn it back. Meaning? Well, The input is rex 709 Now, it's not the output because out what needs to be what aces. I don't want to set aces here. I just tell Devon she you know what the timeline is supposed to be. Let it be that get used time light, which is used Aces. Eso two aces. Output is being input is Rex seven or night. So go to the input and make it Rick seven or nine Okay. Where is that? BRICs have known I am good for both the government stuff. So now we're back to normal. This is empty now. I haven't applied anything yet. That's going on. Apply it a lot. And now if you employ any lot, it is going to get stylized because this is what lots are. But you get the correct look off the lot because it is behaving within the rec seven owner on This is how you use lots that are created in a different color space. One of most of them are mostly Rex of No. Nine in a sex color space. So how do you deliver? How do you export when you're working in aces? Very simple. You have three scenarios. The 1st 1 is when you want to deliver your final content. It's the final result that needs to go to broadcast TV. It is to be screened in cinemas for theatrical release. You have finished. Okay, Now the second scenario is okay. You're just transferring the file to another facility to say another part of the post production that is done not in house by somebody else, but also working in aces and the third scenario is you want to archive project? Great. You've done great job finished. Now we need to archive it. There are different ways of dealing with each so that this for the 1st 1 is quite simple because you know that for broadcast it needs to go to wreck seven or nine. So not in the deliver tab, both in your project settings in the color managements section where you have set aces. Now you come back to the old DT and you set it to wreck 709 because broadcast is unacceptable. If you have a theatrical release or any other distribution channel, then it is going to be dependent on the technical delivery requirements. But for TV, it is Rex of Northern. All right, So what about the format for in the deliver page? The former is whatever is in your technical delivery requirements sheet simple. OK, so that's something that has nothing to do with aces. It has to do with what do they want? This is the first night of the 2nd 1 is you want to transfer to another facility that uses existent. It needs to be no output transform because the moment you move it to wreck seven or nine? Like in the first scenario for the final, you are already outside aces. But the guys are working in ASIS. So you want to stay in the chorus space and on Lee at the final stage, you moved to Rex have known and so for transfer no output once one. But what format should I give them? Simple. They will tell you. But if they don't the best option with the e x ours. These are the This is the best option for transferring files. Another facility XRs RGB. Half without compression. Okay. And what if I just want to archive it for long term archival? We're finished a job. Simple. Same story. As for the transfer, because you want to keep it archived in the ASIS car space. If you want to rework on something, then you take over from where you've left inside a six color space. Okay, on the same story is you archive it as an e eggs are rgb half without compression