HOW TO: apply effects to several clips in DaVinci Resolve
Denoising, color correcting, and making other adjustments to video footage can be a long and tedious process. BUT, if you know how to copy the same settings to multiple clips, you can in certain cases cut down editing time significantly. In one of our previous articles, we revealed how to do that in Adobe Premiere Pro, now it is DaVinci Resolve’s time.
"When working on a project where you need to apply the same effect or effects to a set of similar clips, you want to do that quickly yet correctly. There are several slow and quick ways to have it done. Choosing the right way may depend on a specific set of clips. In the case of applying Neat Video, a lot depends on the noise content of those clips. If you have several clips shot in similar conditions, by the same video camera with the same settings, then the noise in those clips is most likely the same. So if you can quickly add Neat Video with exactly the same noise profile and filter settings to each of those clips, then you can save time on building a noise profile and adjusting the filter settings for each clip individually. Obviously, this will only work well if those clips show the same noise. Otherwise, you would still need to treat them individually for the best noise reduction results."
In Resolve, you can apply Neat Video and other effects in Edit, Fusion and Color pages. Each page has its own rules and its own versions of the Copy and Paste approach (when you first apply Neat Video to one clip, configure the filter for that clip and then copy and paste the configured effect on other clips).
1. Edit page
Copy and Paste Attributes
First, apply Neat Video (Reduce Noise v5) to one clip and configure the filter for that clip, add other effects you want. Make other adjustments to the clip. Then select that reference clip, right-click and click Copy. Select the clips you want to copy the effects to, right-click and select Paste Attributes, check Plugins box and other boxes for the changes that need to be copied, click Apply.
Adjustment Clip
Unfortunately, due to the way Resolve supplies Neat Video with the frames the denoiser can’t be applied to Adjustment clips correctly. Most of the other effects are not troubled and can be applied to multiple clips this way.
While in the Edit page, switch to Effects Library, then click Toolbox > Effects and drag Adjustment Clip on to the timeline above the clips you want to adjust. Expand or decrease the length of the Adjustment Clip to suit your needs then apply to the Adjustment Clip all effects you want to be applied to the clips placed underneath.
2. Fusion page
Here you can add Neat Video node to one of the clips you want to denoise (Effects Library > OpenFX > Neat Video > Reduce Noise v5), build a noise profile and adjust settings. Then right-click the Reduce Noise v5 node and select Copy. One-by-one select other clips you want Neat Video to be applied to and paste Neat Video into the Nodes canvas. The Reduce Noise v5 node will be placed between MediaIn and MediaOut and inherit all the filter adjustments from the parent node. This will work for other effects exactly the same way.
3. Color page
Select one of the clips you want Neat Video to be applied to (it is going to be your reference shot), enable OpenFX tab, then go to Library > Neat Video and drag Reduce Noise v5 onto a node. Switch to OpenFX Settings tab and click Prepare Noise Profile to build a noise profile and adjust settings. When you are happy with the result, apply Neat Video to the clip. Then you can make any other adjustments to the reference shot.
To copy the settings and the effects from the clip you have just adjusted to other clips, select all of the clips you want to be denoised and corrected, hover the cursor over the reference shot, and click the middle mouse button. Neat Video and other effects will be applied to all of the clips you selected. Neat Video will be applied with the same noise profile and filter settings as the first clip had. If needed, you can then further adjust the noise reduction on each clip individually.