Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/855478
54 CINEMONTAGE / Q3 2017 only uses a mouse and keyboard! But all joking aside, your increased level of productivity when using the Mini Panel should be all the justification you need to bill like a pro. WORKING WITH THE MINI PANEL There are three high-quality trackballs prominently placed front and center on the Mini Panel, and they feel exceptionally good beneath your fingertips, allowing you to adjust multiple parameters of the image at once, such as gamma, lift, gain and color balance. While this, in addition to operating the various precision color-correction knobs on the panel, may require a bit of practice to get used to, both operations will end up becoming second nature before long, making it difficult to contemplate going back to using a mouse for your color-grading work. Think of it like trying to knead dough to make a loaf of bread with just your pinky finger instead of digging into it with both of your hands; it's a much more difficult job. A control panel like the Blackmagic Mini Panel provides a fluid, tactile experience during color correction. This allows for enhanced creativity for, and the adjustment of, multiple parameters of your image at the same time. The three trackballs allow for RGB balance adjustments to lift, gamma and gain — each with a master-level control set via a movable outer trackball ring — while the primary knobs can be used for Y Lift, Y Gamma, Y Gain, Contrast, Pivot, Mid-tone Detail, Color Boost, Shadow Highlight, Saturation, Hue Rotation and Luminance Mix. There are also other control knobs, which allow for super-fine adjustments and can be pressed to quickly reset a parameter. In addition, all buttons are illuminated. This is important in letting you see what you are doing and which controls are active, especially in color suites where lighting is often turned down low. As professional-level editing continues to become a crucial part of DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic's new control panels include on-board editing controls, in addition to color correction, to help do things like navigate the timeline and perform commonly used editing functions. As mentioned previously, one of the major differences between the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel and the smaller DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel, besides their sizes, are the two high-resolution LCD screens on the Mini Panel, which give you visual access to a lot of menus containing many of the advanced color-grading features of the program. They display information and parameters for the tool you're currently using, and continuously change context depending on what you're working on at any moment. This is especially useful when working with DaVinci Resolve's comprehensive set of scopes, such as the RGB parade and vectorscope to correct poorly exposed footage as well as achieving unique and creative looks. Resolve's scopes give you deep insight into what is happening in your image, and the process of using them is enhanced with the Mini Panel. In addition, on the right side of panel, you'll find a range of transport and color-grading buttons for commonly used commands. There are also dedicated controls for working with nodes, grabbing stills and navigation. You can add points on a curve and adjust them as well as work with power windows, without your fingers ever leaving the panel and touching a mouse. Practically everything you need to do in Resolve can be done with the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel. And it keeps getting more capable as Blackmagic Design continues to expand its capabilities. TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? If you're a professional colorist and spend much of your day working in DaVinci Resolve or Resolve Studio, whether you should get one of Blackmagic Design's control surfaces for DaVinci Resolve should not be too hard of a decision. The Mini Panel's three TECH TIPS CONTINUED ON PAGE 59 Top: Resolve 14 includes many new impressive editing features, finally bringing the editor up to par with its color tools. Above: Among the most impressive new features of Resolve 14 are the Fairlight audio tools, which give the software world-class audio mixing capabilities.