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Video editing and D-log profile ?

DaVinci Resolve is a great video editor. Its free for the amateur even though it is used widely by the professional community. There is a paid version with a few more features but probably nothing extra that you would need.
If you're shooting H.265, you should really use DaVinci Resolve Studio (paid). It is so much better and way faster, especially if you have a good processor and NVIDIA GPU. Coming from Adobe Premiere Pro 15.4.1, I will most likely never go back. And I didn't even mention the Speed Editor... oh wait, did I?
 
If you're shooting H.265, you should really use DaVinci Resolve Studio (paid). It is so much better and way faster, especially if you have a good processor and NVIDIA GPU.
I use a MacBook with M1 chip which gets GPU acceleration even with the free version. I am upgrading to the Studio version for second monitor support, 5K processing , HDR scopes, and some other advanced features that I need now that my color grading skills are reaching new levels.

The free version of DaVinci Resolve is a great place for just about anyone to start.
 
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If you're shooting H.265, you should really use DaVinci Resolve Studio (paid). It is so much better and way faster, especially if you have a good processor and NVIDIA GPU. Coming from Adobe Premiere Pro 15.4.1, I will most likely never go back. And I didn't even mention the Speed Editor... oh wait, did I?
Okay, I'm convinced, gonna give it a try. Been using Premier Pro for a decade.

Want to give a mention to PowerDirector mobile on android... quite capable and featured editor for a mobile platform, and with my Z Fold 2 I end up being able to do all the work I need to on my phone for many videos. This has the nice possibility to go back and reshoot something or get a little more footage when the initial edit can be done on-site.

Rare, but I've done it twice in the last several years.
 
Okay, I'm convinced, gonna give it a try. Been using Premier Pro for a decade.
Pro Tip #1 In that case I should mention that in DaVinci Resolve Studio (I'm not sure about Free) you can choose the keyboard layout that you are familiar with, in your case, Premiere Pro. It's an option screen after installation.
 
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Pro Tip #2 If you are looking to buy DaVinci Resolve Studio, there are some good deals out there if you are also looking to get the Speed Editor. DRS is normally $295 and the Speed Editor is $295 but if you go to B&H Photo or Adorama, you can get the combo for $395 (DRS with an activation key for 2 computers). If you opt for the dongle version of DRS, you can get the combo from Adorama for $295 (B&H price is $395).
 
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Still using Premiere Pro. I guess Im use to the workflow and 3rd party plugs.

I like DaVinci and I can see its value but its such a pain learning a new layout and workflow, regardless of keystroke compatibility.
 
What limitations have you found? I've been using Filmora to help some friends with a YT channel but it's basic splicing, trimming, etc. Less cinematic and more cuts to disparate scenes.

I've actually been looking at some FCP videos that make me wish Filmora did some things (e.g. setting in/out points on a clip).
One thing that immediately springs to mind is lens distortion. Unless you have one of the few cameras that it supports, you really can't correct for it in Filmora. There are a couple other things but I can't think of them off the top of my head as I haven't really needed them so it hasn't been an issue m

I installed Davinci this morning and poked around a bit. Definitely a learning curve coming from Filmora, but it seems leaps and bounds more powerful, so that's not surprising. I will probably end up buying the paid version.

It looks like I'm going to need to go fully mobile on my editing station. I've been doing my heavy lifting on a desktop so I'm not really sure how I'm going to shrink my work to one monitor on a laptop. I'm used to having 4 4k 32" monitors to work so I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this.
 
Ah, haven't come across any distortion issues.

I'm liking Resolve. I do have an odd issue where it seems inclined to import some media, but not others. I downloaded some dlog footage to play around with color grading and it won't import. But my own files import fine. Gonna have to poke around.

ETA: The free version doesn't support over 4K video. That's why the sample clips wouldn't import. Mystery solved.
 
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And another vote for Davinci Resolve which you can learn to use at a basic level quite quickly, or spend the rest of your life learning it and applying it on a pro level. It's actually several programs packaged together. The color correction and special effects you can achieve are nothing short of miraculous. The free version has some minor limitations, but is quite useable for most applications.

Generally, you get the greatest footage if you shoot in higher resolutions and downgrade during post. When you shoot in D-log there is a washed out look on your monitor as you shoot. Some drones have a preview of what the actual footage looks like so that you don't need to open it in a video editor to reveal the actual look of the video footage. The reason you shoot in D-log is the same as with in a camera -- more detail and dynamic range to mess with in post production.

I've been doing video all of 6 months but have been able to shoot some pretty stuff with my DJI Air and Air2s, and tweak the color, speed, special effects, do editing, etc. in Davinci Resolve. One thing to note though is you need a fairly robust computer to use Resolve and lots of storage space for 4, 5, and 6k video files. (See this for computer recommendations)
 
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Is it either/or or can you run both versions side-by-side?
Sort of... this guy shows you how:

Davinci Resolve 17 and 18 on the same computer

I did not watch this until after I had made the 18 install. I did change the destination location from Resolve to Resolve18 when I did the install, thinking it would leave 17 intact. But no, it deleted 17 from the Resolve folder and I no longer have access to 17.
Had I watched this video first, I apparently could have run both. It is apparently unsupported and not recommended.
 
I primarily shoot HLG (like with my Panasonic GH5), but I also use Leeming LUTS for both the Panasonic GH and Air2s for their utility luts to convert dlog or HLG to rec.709 since my destination colorspace is primarily for YouTube/mobile/etc. Once the drone or camera is configured correctly, the lut can help streamline the conversion in that SDR space for further editing.

I use Davinci Resolve Studio 17 for my editing tho the free version would work too, but it'll help to transcode the original files from h265 to something more NLE friendly like DNxHR or ProRes.
 
When choosing software for my hobyist needs few years back, I've tried many. Filmora and DaVinci were final contenders.
Got into bed with Filmora, very happy, didn't outgrow it yet.
It fit best my requirements:
#1: Software required for simple flows (some cut, trim, eddit, add music) for 4k Mavic Air drone shootage -> export for Youtube.
#2: Simple, intuitive flow and interface, for first time user
#3 Efficient HW Encoding support was a must. I had Windows PC with limited CPU & RAM, but with nVidia GPU to utilize.
#4: Budget. That's my hobby, I don't earn money on this. Ready to pay for handy tool, but not willing to sell my kids kidney for it :)

Why not DaVinci? I liked it. A lot. But at that time:
- free version allowed only FullHD export (now 4k?). Filmora had no resolution limitation (with watermark on free version).
- Don't recall exactly, but on my particular PC setup Filmora did perform better. Might be limitation of free version.
- DaVinci version cost 3-4x more than Filmora.
That was a hefty argument - Pay 3x times more for DaVinci, and hope that all problems will go away after switch from free version? Or go with Filmora - which marked all my checkboxes, allowing fully test all features with free version.

Now tables may have turned. Upgraded PC. Time to upgrade drone.
Maybe will take another look at DaVinci.
 
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