Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
justinator | on: DaVinci Resolve 21
The only thing wrong with Resolve is there is no "just get out of my way and let me get something done" mode. No easy/beginner mode. This is a very sizable, complicated piece of a software that has little bounds on what you can do with it. The learning curve is as steep and tall as the granite walls of El Capitan.

That's not really a critique on the software -- it's not trying to be what it's not. But the criticism of the software is painted by the fact that it's hard to get good at it. Well ok I will critique it: the user interface is garbage. Like they studied old versions of Gimp and thought, "let's do even worse".

The metaphor isn't perfect, but it's got some of that ol' TIMTOWTDI Perl feeling to it.

jon-wood | parent | next
Resolve isn't software for beginners, and is completely unashamed of that fact. Its designed from the ground up for professionals who are using it on a daily basis and have entirely forgotten what its like to be new to the field of video editing, color grading, audio mixing, and whatever else people are using Resolve for.

As you say, that does mean the learning curve is pretty steep, but it's not as bad as some professional grade software. I was able to get to a point of being able to do some basic video editing/export with it in a few hours of watching YouTube videos and reading documentation. By no means am I an expert but I really appreciate that this is actually software designed to get out of your way and allow focusing on the task at hand without constant popups asking if I've tried some feature I don't have any interest in.

boppo1 | parent | next
>just get out of my way and let me get something done

Funny, that's how I think of easy/beginner modes: "in the way, preventing me from getting something done".

justinator | root | parent
Haha, fair enough. Perhaps a more insightful take from me is that the app makes you understand the underlying process a little more than many other options. For example, color space, color correcting. It gets complicated quickly and since the internet is the source of most of the guidance for noobs about it, there are opinions.
boppo1 | root | parent
This is a fair criticism. I was lucky enough to grow up on blender and spend lots of free time with it, so all of this stuff is second-nature to me. I am not the standard case, but when software insists on holding my hand and abstracting stuff away it feels patronizing and frustrates me so much I will change my life to avoid using the software.
kuschku | parent
> The learning curve is as steep and tall as the granite walls of El Capitan.

Have you read the beginners guide? https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci-R...

At 643 pages it's surprisingly short for how many subjects it introduces. Going further you'll of course want to read In the Blink of an Eye.(978-1879505629) and the Color Correction Handbook (978-0133435542).

And the actual Resolve manual is also really really good. https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci_R...

justinator | root | parent
"The beginner's guide is only 643 pages" may support my POV more than you may think.