Conforming in DaVinci Resolve

I tried the change folder method for an edit that was created in Premier using Proxy media brought into Resolve. That worked fine.  The low res media came across. However when I try to "change source folder"  to the folder which contains the original r3d files it doesn't allow me to relink the files. I've been told this might be because the Red .r3d folder has a different amount of files to the proxy folder. Problem is it has to have a different amount of files because those clips are spanned across multiple files because of the way r3ds are stored and the way that the proxy were generated (to represent the spanned clips). Is there something I can do to get around this? When I try other methods like importing the media first the results are pretty unpredictable on more complex projects.  

I can do it manually clip by clip but that's annoying if there's thousands of clips to deal with.

Below are four files I tried this method on as a test. And the matching Proxy and R3d files in their respective folders.

The only way I can do this easily is to relink the  r3d folders in Premier then create an XML to import into Resolve.  That worked fine. So it's not the files or naming - at least as far as Premiere is concerned.. 

Any clues would be greatly appreciated on ways to do this same process in Resolve.  

In the General Options, Conform Options there are options for file extension and limiting the number of character in a Reel Name. Or if you already have a timeline which hasn't linked,  try using right click the timeline and Reconform from Bins or Reconform from Media Storage. Make sure Conform Lock is disabled on all the clips in the timeline first. Try */%R???????? Instead of default */%R/%D to limit the characters so that it matches the reel name and the timecode.

Thanks Jamie. Appreciate your prompt response and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.

 I’ll definitely test your approach out. 
One thing I notice is the .R3d files do not have reel numbers nor do the proxy files - so I assume that is what always causes incorrect shots to be conformed if the file names don’t match 100%. This happens a lot when we’ve got timelines that use material from multiple days. The likelihood of having a multiple incorrect timecode match is high. (And super annoying to fix on a big job.)I’ll read up more in that syntax you mention for the search and match criteria. Sounds like I need to force it to consider the file name minus the last three digits (which occur because if the spanned files), exclude the extension and match on timecodes. I swear I’ve tried to do that before using the dialogue box in the relink to media in bin with loose file names and .r3d extension forced but I’ll try your way using your approach. 

Red is good because it has an embedded reel name (derived from the file name) which you can use. The proxies won't have an embedded reel name but you can extract it from the file name. In theory You'll probably have to test a few permutations. 

So perhaps that step was missing. Sounds like we should add reel numbers to the proxy media to help them link up.

I used to use an app called qtchange to do that to qt files. It was handy on DSLR files as they’d often have the same file name. Don’t think that app works on the new macs.  

If I recall correctly, changing the reel numbers in the editor didn’t change the reel numbers on the files. But I assume premiere would at least take that info into the xml if it was in the project. 

If the files have the reel numbers embedded then the whole system would work much more reliably. I’ll play around with that too. 

Thanks again for you advice.  

No, I think if you enable Assist Using Reel Name in the Conform Options, you'll probably see the reel names in the bins column for the proxies too. You just have to make sure that they match the new r3d reel names (and timecode). 

great course !

About offline ref though - loading as offline ref is a very cumbersome way to work. Switching between the two views is a PITA. I would just slap it on top on a new layer -, set op to 50-60 - toggle enable on /  off and align stuff viusally. If you need pixel perfect aligenment of say, PiP, you really need to jot down the pos/scale  values from PP/MC and manually enter them into Resolve. I see no use for loading as offline ref the way its described here- am I missings something? 

On 1/4/2020 at 4:57 PM, Tom Early said:

Just watched the Avid video, and having read a comment about Premiere, it's really important to talk about getting audio from these programs into Resolve instead of just video only, and any problems you will face. Don't know about Resolve 15, but in 16 any stereo audio from Avid will be dual mono in Resolve and you will have to manually replace it. Things like that should be mentioned.

 

Edit: scratch that, this is about conforming video for grading/finishing, not transferring edits to do more editing in Resolve. Ignore me.

Its still superrelevant, because its a huge PITA and a trap for young players, pretty much one of the all time head scratchers as soon as you start to roundtrip ... ran into this first time we started testing Resolve as NLE and took a lot of time figuring it out.  

Is there a way to get the media used in this course to follow along? or any other media that can be used for a test conform? Anything would be greatly appreciated! 

Is there a way to get the media used in this course to follow along? or any other media that can be used for a test conform? Anything would be greatly appreciated!