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— Box: This key is not yet implemented.
— Mix: Select this key to mix in preference to wipe.
— Still: The Still key permits comparison of the current clip with the selected still.
— Memory: Use this key to compare the current clip with a memory.
— Highlight: When in the Qualifier (Vector) menus making secondary qualifiers, it’s common to select the Highlight key to show a high contrast separation of the qualified color and all other parts of the image. Toggle this key to turn off. Highlight is used so often it’s also on the T-bar panel and, when in Vectors mode, on the Trackball panel.
— Mode (ShiftDownHighlight): Used to toggle the Highlight mode from gray to high contrast.
— Timeline: Select the Timeline key when you want to compare the current to the Timeline image.
— Offline: Select the Offline key when you want to compare the current to the Offline image.
— Reference On/Off: This toggle key will turn the reference view on or off. When on, you can see the current clip in comparison to a reference.
Search Dial panel
The Search Dial panel, typically located on the right for a right-handed colorist, has an LCD display with four variable controls and nine soft keys. The lower section of the panel houses the Jog/Shuttle knob and six groups of hard keys. Each group and their keys are described below.
Reference Configuration Group
Located at the top left-hand side of the Search Dial panel are the Deck and Still selection keys. These are all related to controlling the tape deck and to grabbing and selecting stills. There is also an Undo and Redo key, a Shift Up and a Save key.
— Split (Shift Up In): DaVinci Resolve associates grading information based on source timecode so it’s important to have each source clip identified as a different clip from the others. The Split key will split one clip into two on the frame selected. Each can therefore have its own grade. This is a quick, accurate, and easy way to split a long image sequence into multiple clips.
— In: When marking an In point you can use the UI, a keyboard shortcut, or this key.
— Join (Shift Up Out): Join is the reverse of the Split key. If you have clips with contiguous timecode, place the playhead on the first frame of a clip and select Join to merge the preceding clip.
— Out: The Out key is used to select an Out point on the Timeline or deck.
— Duration: To define a duration, first select the time using the numerical keypad (the colon separates the hours, minutes, seconds, and frames), and then select Duration.
— Gang: This key is not implemented.
— Undo: The colorist’s friend. DaVinci Resolve has virtually unlimited undo steps available within the page you are working in.
— Redo: If you want to redo a step, use redo. Ideal when used with undo to compare two grades quickly.
— Source (L): This key is not implemented.
— Place (Shift Up A ( R )): This key is not implemented.
— A ( R )): This key is not implemented.
— F: This key is not implemented.
— Place (Shift Up B): This key is not implemented.
— B: This key is not implemented.
— G: This key is not implemented.
— Place (Shift Up C): This key is not implemented.
— C: This key is not implemented.
— H: This key is not implemented.
— D: This key is not implemented.
— I: This key is not implemented.
— E: This key is not implemented.
— J: This key is not implemented.
— Shift Up: Use the Shift Up key as a pre-selector for the keys with an upper option. Select the keys sequentially and do not hold the Shift Up key while selecting the second key.
— Preroll: The Preroll key is used in conjunction with the numerical keypad to select a preroll time for tape operations.
— Cue: Selecting Cue will force the transport to the preroll position.
— Previous Still: If you have a still selected, the Previous Still key selects the one preceding.
— Next Still: The next still is selected if this key is used.
— Play Still: Using Play Still, DaVinci Resolve will automatically display a wipe on the Viewer between the current scene and the current still. You can use the fader T-bar to move the wipe position
and in the Reference Wipe menus change the reference image as required by moving or resizing. Selecting Play Still a second time will toggle this mode off.
— Save: The most important key on the panel. Besides using the auto-save feature, you can and should consistently save your project with this key. It only takes a few seconds and can save you hours.
— Grab Still: At any time when you are grading, selecting the Grab Still key will automatically grab a full resolution frame from the Timeline and attach the node graph metadata for later display and use.
Transport Control Keys Group
Most colorists will use the Transport Control keys every minute of every grade, so they are located for quick and easy access. While not technically within this key group, the Jog/Shuttle knob is directly above these keys.
— Jog: Rotate the Jog control to step forward or backward a few frames at a time.
— Shuttle: On the outside of the Jog rotary control is the Shuttle knob. This knob has a detent at the null position and is turned clockwise or counter clockwise to shuttle the Transport/Timeline forward or reverse at the rate selected by the rotation of the Shuttle knob.
— Loop: You may wish to repeat a review of a grade of a clip, or a selection of clips on the Timeline; this Loop toggle key selects or deselects the Loop operation.
— Render: Once you have finished your grade, the Render key selects the Deliver page used for configuring the render parameters for your project and starting the render.
— Rec: (Shift Down Render) This key is not yet implemented.
— Previous Node: Within the Node Editor on the Color page you are likely to have a number of nodes. These are numbered based on the order that you added them. DaVinci Resolve node graphs are completely user configurable, so you can add nodes anywhere and in any order you like. Thus, the Previous Node key selects the node one lower in numerical order.
— Next Node: Similar to the Previous Node key, this selects the node adjacent to the current node, in this case the next higher numerical position.
— Highlight: When in the Qualifier palette making secondary qualifiers, it’s common to select the Highlight key to show a high contrast separation of the qualified color and all other parts of the image. Toggle this key to turn on or off. Highlight is used so often it’s also on the T-bar panel.
— Mode: (Shift Down Highlight) Used to toggle the Highlight mode from gray to high contrast.
— Shift Down: This is the preselection key for functions indicated on the lower portion of the second keys legend.
— First Frame: Selects the first frame of the current clip.
— Last Frame: Selects the last frame of the current clip.
— Step Reverse: To step the viewer one frame in reverse along the Timeline.
— Step Reverse Keyframe: (Shift Down Step Reverse) This key steps backward one keyframe on the Clip/Track Timeline display.
— Step Forward: A single frame step forward for each key press.
— Step Forward Keyframe: (Shift Down Step Forward) For keyframe steps forward on the Clip/Track Timeline display.
— Previous Scene: Selects the first frame of the previous scene.
— Next Scene: Selects the first frame of the next scene.
— Rewind: Places the Transport, or Timeline, in rewind.
— Reverse: Select this key to play the Clip/Timeline in reverse. Pressing Reverse multiple times on the Advanced panel lets you use multiple playback speeds. Pressing Reverse once gives 1x, then 2x, then 3x, and then goes up to 5x speed.
— Stop: You guessed it. This stops the current transport operation.
— Forward: The Forward key will play the Clip/Timeline forward. Pressing Forward multiple times on the Advanced panel lets you use multiple playback speeds. Pressing Forward once gives 1x, then 2x, then 3x, and then goes up to 5x speed.
— Fast Forward: The inverse of the Rewind key; fast forward shuttles along the Timeline/Transport.
Memory Access Keys Group
For fast and direct access to A to Z Memories, or Mems, use this section of the Search Dial panel. This is an extremely powerful feature. With any clip selected on the Timeline, with a single key press, for example “A,” the grading parameters stored in memory A, including the node structure, sizing, and so on are automatically applied to the current clip.
— O (Shift Up A): Selects memory O.
— A: Selects memory A.
— I (Shift Down A): Selects Memory I.
— R (Shift Up B): Selects memory R.
— B: Selects memory B.
— J (Shift Down B): Selects Memory J (and so forth).
— All (Shift Up Base Mem): This function returns all grades for all nodes on the clip to the default grade/settings and clears dynamic keyframes.
— Base Mem: The Base Mem key clears the current node of all its grades and keyframes. Again, with the preset exception noted above.
— Reset (Shift Down Base Mem Crnt): This key deletes all nodes in the clip except for the first node and resets the grades to default and clears the keyframes.
— Preview Mem: To preview one of the memory grades on any clip, select the clip on the Timeline, select Preview Memory and then the memory. This key is a toggle, so if you do not like the grade on the memory for that clip, select Preview Mem again and the clip’s grade reverts to the original.
— Original Mem: Each clip, by default, has a memory of its grade, sizing, and so on. which is saved in reference to the source timecode. If you are grading a clip and move from it to another clip, the grade is saved automatically in a memory for that clip. If you come back to the clip and make a change to the grade, then decide you don’t like the change, select Original Mem to return to the previous grade status you found when selecting the clip.
— Scroll: The Scroll key selects a soft menu on the Trackball panel so clips or frames can be scrolled via the rotary control in the soft menu.
Numerical Entry Key Group
On the center right-hand side of the Search Dial panel is the Numerical Entry key group. Here you will find numbers 0 to 9 and associated keys for entering timecode and clip numbers. You will notice the numbers you type are displayed in a scratchpad area at the bottom of the Keyframe palette.
— Current: To store a new grade in any memory, first select the Current key and then the memory of your choice.
— All Color PTZR: This key is a toggle that selects the parameters that will be copied when updating a grade. Generally, all aspects of the grade are copied, including the pan, tilt, zoom, and rotation sizing transforms, but on occasion you may wish to copy only the grade and
not the sizing parameters. In this case, use the All/Color/PTZR to select the mode you need. You can see the Keyframe Timeline toggle between the master or the node selected and the input PTZR parameters.
— Select Node: Use this key in conjunction with the numerical keys to select any node on the current node graph. First, select the node number, and then Select Node. The current node changes to the selected node.
— Backspace: The Backspace key moves you one item left in the numerical scratch pad display. This permits correction of your numerical entries.
— 0 to 9: You guessed it. These are the numbers!
— >, (Comma): The comma is used just before the frame count if you wish to indicate a drop frame timecode.
— : (Colon): When typing in timecode, the convention is to type the hours followed by a colon, then the minutes, a colon, the seconds, a colon, and finally the frames. DaVinci Resolve does not need to have leading numbers entered where they offer no value and the default value is 0, so to type one hour, three minutes, zero seconds, and sixteen frames, you do not need to type 01:03:00:16. Simply type 1:3::16 and then press Enter. This speeds timecode entry.
— Clear: Clears the scratchpad number.
— – (Minus): Select the Minus key prior to the number to reduce the number.
— + (Plus): Select the Plus key prior to a number to increase the number.
— Take/Enter: Select the Take/Enter key to accept or enter any input.