Asshray's VFX-001 course work. Lv 2

Asshray's Level 2 Report

10 / 11 / 2024

Introduction to Fusion Page in DaVinci Resolve

The Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve is a powerful visual effects and motion graphics workspace that uses a node-based system. Each node in Fusion performs a specific function, such as adding effects, transforming objects, or adjusting image quality. Nodes are connected in a flow to create complex effects and composites.

Key Types of Nodes in Fusion:

1. Media Nodes: Handles media input (MediaIn) and output (MediaOut).
2. Transform Nodes: Allows manipulation of elements, such as scaling, rotation, and position changes.
3. Effect Nodes: Includes various effects, like color grading, blurs, and image adjustments.
4. Tracking Nodes: Used for tracking motion within a scene; the Planar Tracker node is commonly used for tracking camera movement or stabilizing shots.

Project Objective

The goal of this project was to track camera movement in a video, stabilize it, and export a stabilized clip.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Import the Video Clip:

   • Import the video file into DaVinci Resolve.
   • Drag the clip to the Fusion page for tracking and stabilization.

2. Add Planar Tracker Node:

   • In the node graph area, insert a Planar Tracker node between the MediaIn and MediaOut nodes.

3. Configure Tracker Settings:

   • Tracking Mode: Set to Hybrid Area.
     • Reason for Selection: The Hybrid Area mode offers more stability in tracking larger areas, which helps when tracking broad movements. This mode allows the tracker to better follow the subject’s motion compared to Point tracking, which focuses on a single point.
   • Motion Type: Set to Translative.
     • Reason for Selection: The Translative setting focuses on stabilizing linear motions such as panning or slight shifts, making it ideal for basic camera movements. Other options like Perspective adjust for more complex angles but may introduce unwanted distortions for simple tracking.

4. Define Tracking Area:

   • Draw a bounding box around the subject (e.g., the face) in the video clip. This area will guide the tracker to follow the movement of this specific part throughout the clip.

5. Run Tracking:

   • Begin the tracking process by letting the Planar Tracker follow the selected area’s movement to the end of the video. This process analyzes and marks the motion frame by frame.

6. Switch to Stabilize Mode:

   • After tracking, switch the Planar Tracker from Tracker to Stabilize mode. This stabilizes the camera’s movement.

7. Adjust and Crop:

   • To remove any excess blank areas created by stabilization, zoom into the video slightly to ensure the frame remains filled.

Output:

Edit Page:

Fusion Page:

This is the output video:

Introduction to Color Page in DaVinci Resolve

The Below is the UI of Color page in Da-Vinci Resolve Key Features Used:

1. Primaries - Color Wheels:

   • Lift: Adjusts the shadows, focusing the darker parts of the image without affecting the highlights. It can darken or brighten the shadows.
   • Gamma: Alters the midtones, which is important for balancing the overall brightness.
   • Gain: Modifies the highlights, allowing control over the brightest areas of the image.
   • Offset: Affects the entire image uniformly, without dividing it into shadows, midtones, or highlights.

2. Contrast:

3. Saturation:

Scopes: Scopes are critical tools for monitoring and analyzing the color and brightness levels:

• Parade: Displays the Red, Green, and Blue channels side by side, helping to balance individual color channels.
• Waveform: Shows the brightness level across the image horizontally.
• Histogram: Shows the number of pixels at each brightness level.
• Vectorscope: Displays the color saturation and hue of the image, it is useful for ensuring accurate skin tones and overall color balance.