[Tig] DaVinci resolve

[sklein54 at earthlink.net]

Hi Craig. I'm glad you took a beat to calm yourself down before your last post; otherwise an exchange could get emotional. (I appreciate you not being boring.)

Thanks for your input and for the thumbs on my work. The decision to go forth with a product like this is not simple in a corporate structure. We spent many months in demos of systems in a fact-finding phase, including visits by some of the manufacturers you mentioned. Three of the major players showed up with promising systems but without either a panel at all, or with processing levels that would not allow normal operation. 
These manufacturers (some from company pedigrees that are very established and abundant in our town) sent very talented reps that had to repeat often that various services would be implemented when their applications were finalized.  None of this testing time pointed clearly to a standout winner.  

No matter the opinion of the current DaVinci product, cut to a year later and many of us across all markets are creating a real-world skill-set on this box. 

Yes, I stand by the question which I brought to my peers who have generally been sharing and intelligent. This, in preparation for what I think is a normal exchange with a manufacturer, like I have had with others besides DaVinci. It's in service of all of us as artists.

Call it want you want, my friend. I'll stick with the word "macros" since it is the vintage term on the 2K.




Scott -

Seriously? I'm going to just calm myself down here for a second, but you 
have to imagine that many of us are having *private* conversations with 
folks at Baselight, Nucoda, Scratch, Chrome, Speedgrade, Color, Lustre, 
etc. etc........

I respect your work, and your company's reputation a great deal, but Why 
would anyone want to rehash anything that's been suggested privately - 
in this forum? Besides, if you check the archives, Davinci was warned, 
begged, and told flat out that they needed a digital platform as early 
as 1996. I sat at a table with the then CEO talking about why he didn't 
think anyone would ever pay for such a system 2 years earlier. How is 
your request fair to any of the players that have emerged in the last 4 
years? We went from 2 choices - to around 14 at my last count.. all in a 
very short time.

I , for one, am not interested in helping Davinci figure out what 
they're own politics and lack of vision prevented them from doing for 
years. I will demo their box, give it a fair shake, as I think it's an 
excellent place and finally worth considering, but not here, and not for 
free ( that's how you get discounts with manufacturers for those of you 
following along - the smart ones need beta testers and "user feedback" - 
I mean of course, if you don't work for Ascent). I especially like 
Splice as it's a great interim solution for a Post House looking to do 
some EDL management, rez independent stuff, etc... at a great price, 
using the tools their clients know and love. (Probably the colorist 
too..... ).

Their ability to listen to their user base is well documented, as in 
none, and they've suffered heavily for it. While I wish them no ill 
will, I refuse to participate in this discussion, and I hope many other 
agree with me. We are far past the "suggestion" stage. This is a time to 
truly "Re-invent the wheel" and many of our suppliers already are. I 
take strong delight in the possibility that we may be soon using tools 
we've never imagined, creating looks and value we previously thought 
unthinkable. Should it be on a tool called a Davinci something er-other 
I will applaud them, but with around 90% of the US market in their 
pocket at one time, you'd think they'd be well capable to imagine what 
their user base not only would want, but would desperately need. And 
maybe, just maybe, be smarter than their users and offer something truly 
ground breaking instead of re-hashing the existing platform. Macros 
Scott? Are you kidding? The node tree is far more interesting, as well 
as being able to save *any* configuration at *any* time all recallable 
with a mouse click. If you are talking about automation of tasks, well, 
then call it that - and ask them to give you something as simple as 
"Automator" in OSX.  Batching tasks might be equally as cool.... Hmm 
I've made a suggestion haven't I?

Must go, time to flog myself.

Happy Knobtwisting -


Craig Leffel

Senior Colorist
Optimus
Chicago


 Hi folks. 
> I have been spending more time color-correcting on the Resolve.
> Because I have been running a Davinci 2K comparisons are inevitable.
> I am building a wish list of operational items to bring to Davinci that would help speed things up while color-correcting so I ask you all this:
> What are some COLOR-CORRECTING improvements you would like to see incorporated into this machine?
> (Although this system does conforms, can utilize plug-ins, etc. I am focusing on the actual final COLOR-CORRECTING part of the machine.)
> This post will no doubt initiate threads comparing other software color-correctors to the Resolve, software to hardware systems, solo “finishing” style throughput to separate conform/colorist talent, Hybrid to diesel, etc. 
> This is all good but I still hope to extract your opinion on the exact question at hand.
> Here are a few of mine to start things off:
> 1.	Make the 4th trackball operate all mouse functions