Raw video workflow

I just installed Magic Lantern on my 5D3 and am excited about the possibility of shooting raw. I've gone through a lot of youtube videos on the raw workflows, but unfortunately they mostly seem to be Premiere Pro, oriented or PC.

I have a new mac, and DaVince resolve lite. Can someone point me in the direction of a good video or tutorial on exactly how the workflow goes for FCPX? Getting all the raw files out of the camera, any additional apps I will need etc. I don't want to hear the name of Premiere Pro! Thanks!

Hi Michael,

Working with Magic Lantern raw footage has always been a bit troublesome, but it's perfectly workable these days. You absolutely don't need Premiere, AE or Photoshop to do this, in fact I would absolutely advise against using these apps for handling raw DNG because their workflow is much too slow.

You have about everything you need to quickly convert raw DNG to a high-quality format than can be handled by FCP X. The only little app you will need to add is RawMagic by Rarevision: itunes.apple.com/us/app/rawmagic/id856514119?mt=12

This will convert the raw ML clips to DNG image sequences, which you can import in Resolve for raw grading or first light corrections, or just for exporting ProRes 4444 or 4444 XQ files for FCP X.

I haven't worked with raw DNG for awhile, but this is the workflow I used with Resolve 9:

A. Get the raw files off your card.

- Copy the raw footage from your card onto a "Raw Files" folder on your Mac.
- Make sure to make an extra security backup of this folder before you erase the card!


B. Convert the raw clips to DNG image sequences.

This is where you need the Rawmagic app.

- Launch the app and select Add Files to add the raw files to the convert window, or just draw the files right from your "Raw Files" folder into the window.
- Set Convert Model to "Autodetect" and press Convert.
- Choose a folder to store your DNG image sequences and press OK.


C. Correct and/or export the DNG sequences to ProRes.

This will be done using Resolve, and here you have two options:

1. You export the DNG files to a high quality ProRes format for editing and finalizing the video in FCP X.
2. You export the DNG files to a lower quality ProRes format for editing in FCP X and you bring back the edit into Resolve for grading and finishing.

For most productions there is absolutely no need at all to use the raw media for grading, unless you work with extremely high-end raw files from Arri, RED, BMD or an FS700 raw recorder. And even then it pretty much depends on your final delivery format. If you export high-quality ProRes (422HQ or higher), and especially if you use the new ProRes 4444 XQ format, you will have more than sufficient pixel information to do excellent color correction and finishing right inside FCP X. So that's what I will explain first:

Launch Resolve Lite and create a new Project.

1. Click the Media tab

- In Master Project Settings: make sure your Project matches the size and frame rate of your Canon clips.
- In the Library: browse to the DNG sequences folder and open it. Your clips will appear in the Browser.
- Select All Clips in the Browser and drag the selection into the Media Pool.

2. Click the Conform tab

Make a new Timeline, your clips will appear in the Timeline.

3. Click the Color tab

- Select a clip in the Timeline and click the Raw button (4th button lower right).
- Now you can define the look of your conformed clips. You can do a first color correction and export, you can leave the clips as they were shot, you can apply a Rec 709 (video) color space to them, or any LUTs you ay have in your setup, or you can export the ProRes files with a flat cinema gamma giving you a lot of headroom for true color correction in FCP X. The choice is entirely yours. These are the settings for exporting with a BMD DNG flat cine look:

Decode Using: Clip
White Balance: As shot
Color Space: BMD Film
Put a checkmark next to Highlight Recovery

Once you have defined the settings for your first clip you can apply these settings to all your clips on the timeline: select the first clip, scroll to the end of the timeline and select the last clip while holding the Shift key. Then press the "Apply settings to all clips" button (the little button just above the Media Tab). Your conform settings will now be copied to all the clips in your timeline.


[b]D. Click the Delivery tab.[/b]

Here you set the destination folder for your exported ProRes files in Render Settings > Render Job to...
You can export to a different frame size if you wish, but most of the times you don't need to modify any other settings in this tab. Just make sure to select the correct export codec (ProRes 422 HQ or higher) and don't forget to click the Render audio checkbox if you have audio you want to use from your clips.

Press Add Job and your ProRes files will be put into your destination folder, ready for importing in FCP X.

Although it takes a long thread to explain all this, the actual process is very quick. Of course everything depends on the length of your footage. But using Resolve is way, WAY faster than doing the same thing in PPro, AE or PS.


As I said you also can export as ProRes Proxy to do your editing in FCP X, export a Project XML from X and relink the Project media to the raw files in Resolve for color correction and grading onto the raw files. This workflow is explained in this video (the explanation is way too long, but you will get an idea of the workflow):




Hope this helps,

- Ronny

Ronny...... that was over the top, thanks soooo much, a wealth of info. Finally a very clear work flow for FCPX.

I do have a question though...... is it possible to encode DNG to Proress and import directly into FCPX and do all the color grading etc in FCPX or am I missing a step?

The reason I ask is because DaVince won't import FCPX , XML files, there seems to be a bug which DaVince still hasn't fixed yet.

What am I thinking I don't need to export XML files for this.

Just watched that video very good! Thanks again.

You only need XML if you edit in FCP X and you want to do the final color correction on the raw files in Resolve. In many cases this is not required.

ProRes is an excellent codec that pertains all the information you need for very deep corrections. ProRes 422 and 422 (HQ) are perfect for any regular editing and color finishing, ProRes 4444 and 4444 XQ give you so much depth and quality that you feel like you are actually working on the raw files.

So you are correct: just use Resolve to export the DNG to a good flavor of ProRes, import the ProRes files in FCP X and you will be able to edit and finish right inside FCP X.

- Ronny

What you guys think of using MlRawViewer ( www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=9560.0 ) and export directly to ProRes without using DaVInci? There is an option to do that and not play with CinemaDNGs.