Building and Re-using Fusion Setups and Macros in DaVinci Resolve

Direct from the Mixing Light Presentation Theater at NAB 2019…

 …I presented this Insight at NAB 2019 (thank you MixingLight and FSI for inviting me!) but for those who couldn’t make it there, I’ve recorded it as a video Insight here and I’m making some of the elements available to download to Mixing Light Premium members.

In this Insight we look at some of the features of Fusion in Resolve which I think really help you to ‘up-sell’ your services if you’re an editor or finishing artist. If your client has some VFX or motion graphics that need to be re-used multiple times, you can invest time creating the first one, knowing that you can quickly and efficiently re-create that across many similar versions. 

Fusion is such a versatile program that it offers several methods to reuse setups  (and add value to your offerings).

Ways to reuse setups in Fusion include:

• Copy/paste
• Save .setting files
• Create a macro
• Use macros as templates
• Save/import .comp file from stand-alone Fusion
• Save .setting files for Groups

First, we look at a couple of examples of some VFX shots and run through how I made and them and how I copied them to similar shots which needed the same effects.

We also look at some example graphics, charts and graphs made in Fusion and look at how to build these with quick re-versioning in mind. Then we see how to create and edit a Fusion Macro.

Groups, Macros & Templates

A Group is a container with a bunch of tools inside it. To create a Group, select some tools (nodes), right-click on any one of them and select ‘Group’. If you have the Group selected, you don’t usually see any controls available to edit in the Inspector.

A Macro appears as a single tool but it too actually contains a bunch of tools inside it. When you create or edit a Macro you choose which controls will be available to edit in the Inspector. To create a Macro, select some tools, right-click on any one of them and select ‘Create Macro’. (Tip; hover over a group or a Macro and you get tooltips which list every tool within the macro).

In this Insight, you’ll see how you can ‘hack’ a Macro to turn it into a Group but the Group will have controls at the top Group level.

(Thank you Sander de Regt among others on the BMD Forum for that tip!)

Note: Using Fusion Macros and Groups looks very useful when using the new Adjustment Clips in Resolve 16 – but there seems to be no way in Resolve 16 Public Beta 2 to save an Adjustment Clip. Instead, you can easily place previously saved Fusion settings inside an Adjustment Clip.

Try downloading my BlurDisplaceTransition1.setting to use as a transition in an Adjustment Clip (instructions in the comments tab of the tool).

Have you ever wondered how to make your own Fusion Title Templates on the Resolve Edit Page?

All you need to do to create your own Templates for use on the Edit Page is to create a Fusion Macro and, once you’ve edited it and you’re happy with it, simply copy the file into the Templates folder on your system. Then quit Resolve and open it again.

PC & Mac Users – Copy .setting files from Macros folder:

C:\Users\”YOUR_USER”\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Fusion\Macros

PC Users – Paste into:

C:\Users\”YOUR_USER”\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Fusion\Templates\Edit\Titles

Mac Users – Paste into:

Macintosh HD⁩/⁨Users⁩/”YOUR_USER”/⁨Library⁩/⁨Application Support⁩/⁨Blackmagic Design⁩/⁨DaVinci Resolve⁩/⁨Fusion⁩/Templates⁩/Edit⁩/Titles⁩

Learning more, on your own…

Now that you know how to make and use Macros, you can delve into the shipping Fusion Title Templates on the Edit Page provided by Blackmagic. You can take them apart in Fusion to learn more about constructing Fusion animations. Also, the Fusion Page has a Templates folder in the Effects Library and it’s worth having a look at these, especially the subfolder ‘How To’.

You can see more detail on the example with 3D extruded text in this Insight: An Overview of Materials and Auxiliary Channels in DaVinci Resolve Fusion

And there’s more detail about linking parameters with expressions in this Insight: Introduction to Fusion’s 3D Camera Part 2

– Jamie