DAVINCI RESOLVE
Software specialist Lewis McGregor shares the basics to get you started with Resolve’s powerful masking process
Long gone are the days of meticulously rotoscoping and using qualifiers to mask subjects. In 2020, DaVinci Resolve introduced the Magic Mask, a tool that uses the DaVinci Neural Engine to create detailed masks automatically. This allows users to isolate objects or humans, either whole or in part, for secondary adjustments in the software. Before we get started, it’s also important to highlight that the Magic Mask tool is only available within the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve.
Although the Magic Mask is not the ultimate masking solution, it excels at producing precise masks that conform to the contours of human features, especially in cases where a traditional keyer might face difficulties. For instance, Magic Mask can effectively distinguish exposed skin in shots where the subject is positioned against a backdrop with comparable colour ranges to their skin tone.
01 USING MAGIC MASK
With the introduction of the 18.1 update, the Magic Mask feature is now available on the Fusion page of Resolve. If you’re a Fusion user who hasn’t tried this tool yet, we’ll walk you through how it operates. Even if you’re entirely new to the software, don’t worry because we’ll also provide technical definitions along with the step-bystep instructions.
We’ll create a similar composite in Fusion to the one created in Photoshop. The idea is that this is a shot from the end of an ad for a garden centre that has just reopened after a refurbishment.
02 THE FUSION TAB
While on the Edit page, choose the clip you want to work on, and then select the Fusion tab. This will have the clip active in the Fusion dashboard. Of course, we can open the Clips panel in the Fusion tab, but it’s often more efficient to have the clip active if we’re naturally moving into the Fusion page from the edit page.
The Fusion tab is where you’ll have access to advanced compositing and visual effects tools. By selecting this tab, you’ll be able to work with nodes and tools specifically designed for complex image-processing tasks, such as creating masks.
03 ADD THE MAGIC MASK NODE
In the fusion tab, make sure the MediaIn1 node is selected. You can then either go to Effects>Matte>Magic Mask to add a Magic Mask node, or press Shift+Space to bring up the Quick Tool selection menu and search for “Magic Mask”.
