Is AI Making Power Windows Obsolete? Pat’s Hot Take On Magic Mask 2

Can Magic Mask 2 take the heavy lifting performed by Power Windows?

It’s undeniable that digital video post production tools are undergoing a revolution powered by advances in machine learning. In the language of Blackmagic Design, these tools are tagged as the DaVinci Neural Engine. Most of them are either Studio-only tools or tools available in the Free version but have Neural Engine options for the paid version of Resolve. If you’re interested in a summary of those tools (and when they were introduced), reveal the accordion below.

This Insight focuses on Magic Mask 2 and was inspired by a job I graded earlier this year.

Grading a day-for-nightish interior wide shot

I was hired to grade two scenes for a director/producer raising funds for a feature film. Both scenes are interiors, and the time of day is twilight.

Despite the unintended challenges typical of this type of limited-budget project, we were able to give both scenes an early evening feel. But there was one shot – a wide angle – that I was unhappy with. As you’ll see in this video Insight, I initially achieved the look using Inside/Outside Power Windows.

Ideally, Magic Mask would have been the better tool for this shot. But it was too ‘twitchy,’ and I couldn’t get it to work.

This Insight will look at how Magic Mask worked in Resolve 19, using the wide shot as my test. Then, we’ll try again using Magic Mask 2 in Resolve 20 – and I’ll share my results and my ‘Hot Take’ conclusion.

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight: