User Manual

Master Settings
These parameters let you choose the decode quality, white balance, color space, and gamma
that raw CinemaDNG clips will be transformed to use when debayered.
 Decode Quality: Lets you debayer CinemaDNG raw files at Full, Half, or Quarter
resolution to improve performance on slower systems. Lower resolution media is
lower quality but faster to work with and process. If necessary, you can choose a lower
resolution setting that provides better real time playback on systems with limited
performance while you work, and then switch to a higher quality when rendering the
final output. A “Force debayer res to highest quality” checkbox in the Render Settings
list of the Deliver page makes it easy to follow this workflow.
 Decode Using: The option you select determines whether all CinemaDNG media
throughout the project is decoded using the original Camera Metadata settings (the
default selection), using Project settings in which you choose custom settings to be
applied to all clips, or using the CinemaDNG default settings.
 Apply Pre Tone Curve: When this checkbox is turned off (the default for new projects
created in DaVinci Resolve 11.2.1 or later), DaVinci Resolve debayers CinemaDNG raw
media using an improved method that delivers better-looking results, specifically for
media acquired using any of the Blackmagic Design cameras. When this checkbox is
turned on (the default for projects created in earlier versions of DaVinci Resolve), the older
debayering method is reenabled for backward compatibility. However, turning Pre Tone
Curve onmay also provide better results for CinemaDNG raw files coming from other
sources. If you’re importing .dng media from cameras other than those from Blackmagic
Design, you should try both settings to see which type of debayering you prefer.
 Apply Soft Clip: This checkbox is only available when Apply Pre Tone Curve is turned
off. When turned on, high dynamic range parts of the signal (super-white highlights) are
brought back into the picture as visible image detail you can adjust, similar to using the
Highlights control to retrieve these otherwise clipped parts of the signal.
Project Settings
CinemaDNG has a variety of settings that can be adjusted to alter the image quality of the
debayered result. The Color Temp and Tint parameters are only available if the White Balance
drop-down menu is set to Custom.
 White Balance: The first seven options offer White Balance presets, which
automatically adjust the Color Temp and Tint parameters. These options include:
Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Flash. An eighth option,
Custom, makes the Color Temp and Tint parameters user-adjustable.
 Color Space: Multiple color spaces are adjustable, depending on your
intended workflow:
–
Rec. 709: Decodes into the standard color space specified by the Rec. 709 standard
for high definition video.
–
P3 D60: Decodes into the standard P3 color space specified by the DCI standard for
digital cinema projection.
–
Blackmagic Design: Decodes into a log-encoded color space that remaps the raw
data into an approximation of the Log-C standard. Choosing Blackmagic Design Film
also forces the Gamma setting to Blackmagic Design Film. This setting produces flat-
contrast image data that preserves image detail with a wide latitude for adjustment,
which is suitable as a starting point for detailed grading and is also compatible with
log workflows intended for film output.
Chapter – 5 Camera Raw Settings 183