Workflow Using Resolve and Premiere with Cinelog

[Pedr]

I have lots of footage shot on a 5D Mk3 shot in numerous places (with numerous types of lighting). I would like to edit this footage in Premiere CC and grade it in Resolve 11 Lite. I've been trying to come up with the best workflow given that Resolve is sluggish when using CDNGs (I'm on a 2013 Macbook Pro), but great with Prores files.

The workflow I'm thinking about using is:

1. Mount all .MLV files as .CDNGs using MLVFS
2. Import these .CDNGs into Resolve.
3. Set Project RAW settings to:
    Decode Using: Project
    White Balance: Custom
    Colour Space: BMD Film
    Gamma: BMD FIlm
4. Set Project LUTs to:
    3D Input Lookup Table: BMD Film to Cinelog 2.0
5. Manually set white balance for all clips
6. Export individual clips as ProRes 422 HQ
7. Import exported clips into Premiere
8. Edit in Premiere
9. Export XML from Premiere
10. Import XML into Resolve
11. Grade clips in Resolve
12. Export deliverable from resolve

Does that make sense? Is there a more sensible workflow?

Thanks.

[Andy600]

Hi Pedr,

as per my email reply:

You workflow is exactly what I would suggest for a Resolve/PP/Resolve roundtrip but use the more accurate BMD Film to Cinelog-C lut (not V2.0) and always do your initial white balance and exposure adjustments while monitoring through a Cinelog-C to Cinelog Rec709 lut (or Cinelog-C to sRGB). This ensures you are viewing in an output referred REC709/sRGB colorspace. I would not suggest trying to adjust white balance while viewing a log image as you will need some contrast and saturation to help you better judge where neutral white is (on the scopes), even if only small WB/Tint offsets are needed.

Remove the REC709 LUT before rendering your Cinelog-C masters and export the individual shots to ProRes 422 HQ (If you intend to do heavy grading I would suggest ProRes 4444 or ProRes XQ).

You can also use the Cinelog-C to Cinelog Rec709 LUT (and film look luts) in Premier to give you a quick/finished type look while making your offline edits. Then export an XML for grading in Resolve.

Cinelog-C is a nice colorspace to grade if you want to do everything yourself, otherwise I would suggest adding a Cinelog REC709 or Film Look Lut to a track node and then grade under it (i.e. in nodes before the lut). The Cinelog REC709 luts (all containing the name 'Cinelog') have an s-curve built-in and will fit the image (including highlights) into the display space. The Cinelog-C to REC709 lut is a transfer function to BT.709 i.e. it does not have an s-curve. It allows ultrabrights (exceeding 1.0) and will require your own curve or Lift, Gamma, Gain adjustments to ensure the image is pulled into the display space without clipping.