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Preconforming “Flat” Media Files to EDLs
Preparing an edited sequence for grading, along with each individual clip of media, can be time consuming for effects-intensive projects, or it may be an unnecessary step for a project with no effects whatsoever.
In these cases, it can be simpler and quicker to export a flattened master media file that can be split back apart into its individual clips in DaVinci Resolve. This workflow is similar to a more
traditional tape-to-tape workflow, except that you’re working from a digital master, rather than a tape-based master.
The easiest way to do this is to use the Preconform button in the Edit page to split a single master file that you’ve imported into the Media Pool back into individual clips in a new timeline.
1 Open the Media page, use the Media Storage browser to navigate to the flattened master media file that you exported containing the entire program, and double-click to add it to the Media Pool.
2 Right-click anywhere in the background of the Media Pool, and choose Timelines > Import > Preconformed EDL.
3 In the “Select an EDL file” dialog that appears, navigate to the EDL that matches the flattened master media file you had exported, select it, and click Open.
4 In the “Parse preconform options” dialog that appears, give the new Timeline a name, and click OK.
A new Timeline appears in the Media Pool list, and opening it in the Edit page shows the flattened media file with edits added to its video track that correspond to those from the selected EDL, ready for further editing and grading. The audio is left uncut, on the premise that you’re probably focused on grading the visuals in this workflow, and not on re-editing the audio.
Override Input Color Space of Clips in Preconform
Workflows Using Color Management
When you preconform a flattened master media file using an EDL with the File > Import Timeline > Pre-conformed EDL command, and your project has Resolve Color Management or ACES enabled, you can now change the Input Color Space of each clip in the resulting Timeline independently. To do so, open the Color page, right-click the clips you want to customize, and choose an option from the Input Color Space submenu of the contextual menu.
This is useful in workflows where you’ve received a flattened media file that was output with clips in different color spaces, for example mixing Rec. 709 media with log-encoded clips of different kinds.