Uditha Reddy - VFX-001 Level 1 Report
17 / 2 / 2025
Installation of DaVinci Resolve 19
To install DaVinci Resolve, I visited the official Blackmagic Design website through the link: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/in/products/davinciresolve. Afterwards, I clicked on the "Free Download" button and selected the version suitable for my operating system. Once the download was complete, I followed the on-screen instructions to install DaVinci Resolve.
Creating a project:
I created a new project by clicking on create a new untitled project.
Task 1- Edit Page:
For this task, I wanted to make a video on nature. I chose the Western Ghats, so that I could showcase its beauty and its rich ecosystem. I got inspired by this video:
In the edit page, I cut frames using the Blade option and shortcut method (Ctrl+b) on starting and ending timelines and right click on the selected timeline and clicked on Ripple delete option to join the clips. For the audio, I used the following copyright free audio that I found online and just copied it to my timeline and edited the audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heS-eGCbyVk
Tip: I gradually reduced the volume of the audio clip towards the end of my video by clicking on a white arrow and slowly dragging it so that the intensity of the sound reduces linearly.
###Task 2- Cut Page and Fairlight page:
For this task, I had to create a fast paced one minute social media video with fast cuts and transitions. I chose a Lamborghini racing video.
I edited the video the same way by cutting clips and rearranging them as mentioned above. For the audio, I used copyright free audio available on Youtube which I further made changes and edited using Fairlight page
TASK 3 : Fusion Page:
To do this task, I used Star Wars fan footage to make a Star Wars Film Scene. Step by step instructions:
- Downloaded the footage and imported them to the media pool and sorted them under separate bins to organize them efficiently.
- Then I went to Project settings and changed the color science from YRGB Color to YRGB Color managed. It changes the grey log footage and put a color transform on screen and makes it look good. I changed the timeline color space to DaVinci/WG/Intermediate
- “To improve the footage quality, we need to tell resolve what kind of camera or color science that was used to shoot the shots”. Select the footage, right click > Input color space> Blackmagic design> Blackmagic design Film Gen 5. This is to let Resolve know the settings of the camera when shooting this footage. It looks accurate to the way it was shot and looked in real.
- Press i from when to start the clip and o at the point where to end the clip and drag it to the timeline. We can remove the blackspace on top and bottom of the film by changing resolution in Project settings.
- After this I edited the audio of the clips and removed any unnecessary audio and added a suitable background music.
- Then I edited the first clip by adding matte paintings in the background by using Transform option and then reduced its opacity in he Inspector.
- Now to create laser swords, go to effects>solid color and using transform and inspector adjust the dimensions, position and rotation.
- Next I inserted the droid standing next to Seth using the same method.
- Then I headed over to the fusion page to insert nodes and creat special effects.
Here, I came across and learnt about 9 different nodes used in Fusion:
- Background node: • Solid Colors: Set a single background color. • Gradients: Create horizontal, vertical, or corner gradients. • Transparency: Adjust alpha channel for full transparency.
- Merge Node: • Two Inputs: Background + Foreground. • Modes: Combine using "Over," "In," "Atop," etc. • Control Areas: Use a mask to blend specific regions. • Compositing: Overlay elements and blend visuals.
How to Use Merge Node • Find Tool: Locate Merge in Fusion tab. • Connect: Background → BG input, Foreground → FG input. • Tweak: Set blending mode, add mask if needed. • For Multiple Layers: Use MultiMerge. Example: o Video → BG input o Text → FG input o Blend Mode: "Over" → Text appears on top.
- Fast Noise: This node creates fog, clouds or smoke. • Add the node • Adjust parameters: Use the inspector to modify properties like Controls the position of the noise and adjusts the amount of detail in the noise.
- Polygon Node: We use Polygon to hide/reveal parts of an image or video or to Draw custom shapes for overlays or visual effects. • Add Node: Insert Polygon2 or sPolygon in Fusion. • Draw Shape: Click in viewer to plot points and connect. • Apply: Connect to another node (e.g., MediaIn, Color). • Customize: Edit shape, color, position, rotation.
- Transform Node: Adjust translation, rotation, scaling, and pivot points for fine control • Add Node: Drag from the toolbar or use Shift + Space, then type "transform". • Connect Inputs: Connect MediaIn (clip) to the first input; optional effect mask to the second input. • Adjust Controls: Fine-tune X/Y/Z translation, rotation, scaling, pivot. • Combine Nodes: Link with Merge, Crop, or Color Space Transform for more complex effects.
- Color corrector node: exposure, contrast, and color balance adjustments. • Evenly distribute color info across the range. • Adjust color’s position on the color wheel. • Add a color shift to the entire image. • Reduce or remove specific colors.
- Planar Tracker Node: Tracks Flat Surfaces- Ideal for walls, screens and then uses tracked data to add text, images, or other effects like when we want the graphic to stick to part of the screen when camera is moving.
• Choose the region to track with a polygon on a flat surface. • Select Point or Hybrid Point/Area tracking. • Tracker analyzes and calculates the motion of the selected area. • Use the tracking data to create a planar transform node and apply it to the element you want to track.
- Brightness/Contrast Node: we make a black and white mat where white part is selection and black part is outside the selection. It Adjusts overall intensity (brightness) and Controls shadows (darkest parts). It clips (removes) specific areas based on value (useful for noise or highlights). • Order of Operations: Gain → Contrast → Gamma. • Element-specific Adjustments: Modify individual elements without affecting others. • Reversible Effects: Use forward/reverse buttons to undo corrections.
- Matte control Node: Can be used alone or with other keying tools for compositing. • Smooth edges and remove color spill. • Create precise masks using mathematical functions or inputs. • Add masks to block unwanted elements (e.g., boom mics). • Background Input: Accepts the image that will receive the alpha channel. • Foreground Input: Accepts the image containing the alpha channel to apply to the background. • Solid/Garbage Matte Inputs: Allows for direct mask application to the alpha channel.
Work done:
TASK 4: Color Page
The color page lets you manipulate color in creative and artistic ways that dramatically affect the mood of a scene, making it an incredibly powerful part of the storytelling process. The best part about DaVinci Resolve is that we have Node based node based color manipulator. For this task, to simplify the process, I used four nodes namely, weight balancer, prelog, log and postlog to simplify the process. And then I modified each node through the inspector.
• Node-Based Workflow: Build color grades using connected nodes – experiment freely without affecting earlier changes.
• Primary Color Wheels: Basic tools to adjust shadows, midtones, and highlights for color and contrast.
• Color Palettes: Simplify the image into key colors to guide creative grading.
• Scopes: Use waveform, vectorscope, and histogram tools to monitor color and brightness.
• Color Management: Keep colors consistent across devices and projects.
• Waveform: Shows image brightness (luminance) from left to right, helping balance exposure and contrast.
• Vectorscope: Displays color hue and saturation, useful for skin tones and color balance.
• RGB Parade: Shows Red, Green, and Blue levels side by side to fine-tune color balance.
• Histogram: Visualizes the distribution of brightness levels across the image.
Work done: