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

May 14, 2019

Learn how to build (and re-use) your Resolve Fusion comps as Groups and Macros. Plus, choosing which settings are exposed on the Edit Page.


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

Member Content

Sorry... the rest of this content is for members only. You'll need to login or Join Now to continue (we hope you do!).

Need more information about our memberships? Click to learn more.

Membership options
Member Login

Are you using our app? For the best experience, please login using the app's launch screen


Additional Downloads

Sorry... downloads are available for Premium Members only.

Become a Premium Member

Comments

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


  • Michael Lau
    Guest

    Thank you for your sharing.

    I just follow your steps, pasted the .setting file into the folder, but I can’t found the title I made in Effect Library even I restart the Mac and Davinci Resolve.

    Does anyone know why? Thanks.


  • Dion V
    Guest

    Windows 10 users, it looks like the path for Resolve 16 has changed to:

    C:Users[YOUR_USER]AppDataRoamingBlackmagic DesignDaVinci ResolveSupportFusionTemplatesEditTitles


  • Michael Lau
    Guest

    Thanks for Dion’s reply, I am using Davinci Resolve Studio 16 with Mac OS. Do you know the path for Mac?

    I tried below path but not working
    Macintosh HD⁩/⁨Users⁩/”YOUR_USER”/⁨Library⁩/⁨Application Support⁩/⁨Blackmagic Design⁩/⁨DaVinci Resolve⁩/⁨Fusion⁩/Templates⁩/Edit⁩/Titles⁩

    Thank you very much!


  • Kevin G
    Guest

    A very insightful Tutorial, thank you very much.

    Is it possible to create a Fusion Macro (without any generators such as graphical elements) and using as an Effect Filter?

    Right now I am building a simple distortion filter and would like to share it to others to easily apply the filter on the Edit Page.

    I hope my question is understandable. Thanks again!


  • Jamie Dickinson
    Guest

    Hi – Sorry it’s taken so long to reply here. Good question and it seems that creating a Macro to use as an effect on a clip isn’t currently possible. However, you could easily use an Adjustment Clip, placed above your clip, and go into the Fusion Page to apply your Macro there. It’s just a couple of extra steps and would just mean a Fusion node graph with a single extra node (your Macro) inside the Adjustment Clip.

    It’s worth having a look at Help>Documentation>Developer and opening the README files as there are a few new tips here about new Generators, Templates and Transitions. (I’ve also been experimenting with some Transitions and Macros on my blog page.)

Log in to reply.

1,000+ Tutorials to Explore

Get full access to our entire library of over 1,100+ color tutorials for an entire week!


Start Your Test Drive!
Loading...