Major malfunction with Color ; mask loss

In color, I create a second node from my original untouched clip and create a mask, it works perfectly fine. I start adjusting the saturation and color boost, all is good. I go back to Edit, start looking at other clips in the timeline, I decide to change the projects settings (color management) to see what it would look like, and bring it back as it was (default settings). I go back to color to look at my mask and it has turned into an ALL-OVER mask, the entire image is masked, the original mask is gone. I didn't touch anything in color for this to happen.

This mask bug also happened before while not even leaving the color mode. I created a mask, worked perfectly, then I was adding subtractive strokes to the mask, which worked for about half a dozen, then all of a sudden the masked when full screen.

In the first scenario described above, I did notice that the frame on which I originally created the mask had the mask still intact on it, but not all the other frames of the clip.

Unfortunately, when this happened, since I don't know how to recuperate the mask, I erased its node and started all over again. This has happened three times so far without leaving color mode.

I wondered if maybe it had something to do with the cache memory, so I set the Playback Render Cache to Smart (it was to none by default) and when in Edit right clicked the clip and activated Render Cache Color Output. Unfortunately, it still didn't solve the problem.

I work on a Mac Studio (apple M2 Max), 64 Gig, OS Sonoma 14.4.1, with DaVinci Resolve Studio (pro) 18.6.6 (build 7).

I would really like to know why this is happening, and most of all if there is a way to recuperate my mask when this happens.

Thank you in advance for your help.

This is extremely frustrating. I tried with a new clip, created a new node from untouched clip, created a mask, in it and when I started playing with Clean Black and Clean White, all of a sudden !POUF! the mask fills the entire frame throughout the clip.

What tools did you use to create a mask. If its based on color and or tone, it will shift when you change color and tone, aka color management. If you have created a mask by drawing a shape, it should not be affected.

You are using the Magic Mask function and you need to learn the basics of how that function works and its inherent limitations.

Here is a link to a good discussion on this forum as to how you can Export the Magic Mask as an External Mask, and then use it without ever having to re-render it (assuming the shape is perfectly refined):

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=200472

I'm kind of iffy on using Magic Mask except in very specific scenarios. Here's the reasons why I'm reluctant to use it:

1) Magic Mask is computationally intensive and requires heavy-duty hardware (and takes a lot of time to process).

2) you can't use Magic Mask to cut people out from the background and replace the background (like a chroma key). You really need green screen compositing for that. I'm fine for using it to relight individual actors without changing the background.

3) Because Magic Mask is not "adjustable" very easily, unless you put dozens or even hundreds of additional strokes in the tracking, I think in a lot of cases you can achieve 90% of the effect with 2 or 3 regular power windows. And those won't lose any tracking, They're infinitely flexible in the case of tracking adjustments.

Of course, there are specific situations where Magic Mask will work well and is the right tool for the job. Just bear in mind there's often two or three ways to achieve the same results within Resolve. And they have greatly improved Magic Mask tracking in the Resolve 19 Beta.

FYI, i'm seeing MagikMask @ best track at 20fps with a single 3090 / DCi4k timeline / Arri35RAW.. vastly better in 19.0.b2 - and it's far far better than when it first arrived... interactivity is workable now

still loses it's tracks, but now at least they are fast to rebuild

What tools did you use to create a mask. If its based on color and or tone, it will shift when you change color and tone, aka color management. If you have created a mask by drawing a shape, it should not be affected.

I used the + pipette tool in the Magic Mask to make it. That's all I used to make my mask.

You are using the Magic Mask function and you need to learn the basics of how that function works and its inherent limitations.

I have watched the official Davinci tutorials, and many online tutorials on using the Magic Mask. Was your comment meant to be helpful ?

Here is a link to a good discussion on this forum as to how you can Export the Magic Mask as an External Mask, and then use it without ever having to re-render it (assuming the shape is perfectly refined):

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=200472

I'm kind of iffy on using Magic Mask except in very specific scenarios. Here's the reasons why I'm reluctant to use it:

1) Magic Mask is computationally intensive and requires heavy-duty hardware (and takes a lot of time to process).

2) you can't use Magic Mask to cut people out from the background and replace the background (like a chroma key). You really need green screen compositing for that. I'm fine for using it to relight individual actors without changing the background.

3) Because Magic Mask is not "adjustable" very easily, unless you put dozens or even hundreds of additional strokes in the tracking, I think in a lot of cases you can achieve 90% of the effect with 2 or 3 regular power windows. And those won't lose any tracking, They're infinitely flexible in the case of tracking adjustments.

Of course, there are specific situations where Magic Mask will work well and is the right tool for the job. Just bear in mind there's often two or three ways to achieve the same results within Resolve. And they have greatly improved Magic Mask tracking in the Resolve 19 Beta.

Now THIS is what I call a useful reply, thank you Marc !
It's the second time you help me out and you seem to really know your business. So thank you.

1) I had noticed that the mask process is intensive. I bought a new computer specially to be able to run Davinci, a Mac Studio (memory configured to 64 GB), so I thought I had a good enough computer. Isn't it the case ? Here are the computer's specs:
https://www.apple.com/ca/mac-studio/specs/

2) I followed your link, very useful. One of the useful tips has to do with copying the B&W matte (exporting it using the blue square in the node line, etc) and I had previously found this tutorial here :

which basically showed me how to do that, but contrary to what you said the girl does cut a character out of the background (like a green screen), and nothing seems to bug in the process, on her end anyways.

3) I had considered the fact that I could be using many tools before using the magic mask, very valid point, but I think that from the first rendering after selecting a single zone with one pipette stroke, the clean black, clean white, denoize, radius and such magic mask parameters should be functioning perfectly, and should not be such heavy tasks as to make the mask memory cache go POOF, which they are on my end a lot of times unfortunately.

I'm working on mushroom timelapses, of around 500 frames per clip, sometimes a bit less, with project settings at 3840x2160HD, but the original pictures are 6016x4016 in resolution. Might that have anything to do with anything ?

I would love to try Resolve 19. Will my paid version be updated to Resolve 19 automatically ?

I have watched the official Davinci tutorials, and many online tutorials on using the Magic Mask. Was your comment meant to be helpful ?

Yes and No.

Yes, inasmuch as you'd failed to identify what it was you needed help with ("Magic Mask" vs all the other ways in which you can create masks)... so I replied, adding that clarification for you, so as to make it clear to others what it was you needed help with... and Marc dutifully obliged.

Certainly a more helpful response would have been if I'd explicitly suggested using the forum search function, rather than just saying you need to learn about Magic Mask's inherent limitations. User confusion around the frailty of Resolve's Magic Mask is a near constant topic of discussion here. Taking a moment to search to see if anyone had asked a similar question before would have revealed dozens of threads that go into quite a lot of detail. The tutorials are great for telling you how to use a function... but they don't tend to spend too much time telling you how (and when) not to use it though. For future reference, search is your friend.

Here are links to a few old threads that may have helpful nuggets in them:
Object Mask Tracking Data
Magic Mask looses mask if I adjust a different node
Working to Understand How Magic Masks Works...
Magic Mask objects, disappearing... what am I doing wrong?
Magic Mask all clips blue tracking turned red

FYI, i'm seeing MagikMask @ best track at 20fps with a single 3090 / DCi4k timeline / Arri35RAW.. vastly better in 19.0.b2 - and it's far far better than when it first arrived... interactivity is workable now

still loses it's tracks, but now at least they are fast to rebuild

So how do I get to use version 19.0.b2 ? I already bought version 18, just a few months ago...

I have watched the official Davinci tutorials, and many online tutorials on using the Magic Mask. Was your comment meant to be helpful ?

Yes and No.

Yes, inasmuch as you'd failed to identify what it was you needed help with ("Magic Mask" vs all the other ways in which you can create masks)... so I replied, adding that clarification for you, so as to make it clear to others what it was you needed help with... and Marc dutifully obliged.

Certainly a more helpful response would have been if I'd explicitly suggested using the forum search function, rather than just saying you need to learn about Magic Mask's inherent limitations. User confusion around the frailty of Resolve's Magic Mask is a near constant topic of discussion here. Taking a moment to search to see if anyone had asked a similar question before would have revealed dozens of threads that go into quite a lot of detail. The tutorials are great for telling you how to use a function... but they don't tend to spend too much time telling you how (and when) not to use it though. For future reference, search is your friend.

Here are links to a few old threads that may have helpful nuggets in them:
Object Mask Tracking Data
Magic Mask looses mask if I adjust a different node
Working to Understand How Magic Masks Works...
Magic Mask objects, disappearing... what am I doing wrong?
Magic Mask all clips blue tracking turned red

Thank you for this thorough reply, much appreciated. I will read through all of them.

The forum might be full of answers, but it is sometimes tedious to sort through, and quite frankly, one would expect the official Davinci tutorials to delve into depth into the magic mask issues, since it seems to be so problematic for all users. They should make a tutorial that explains in detail the limitations of this tool in the training, explain the bugs that will hapen. New paying users should have that material to learn at first, and it isn't the case. I've already spent hours searching, learning, and I'd love to spend hours actually working. I understand your point about the forum, but seriously, it could be made easier and clearer from the start with the training material when the program has major issues and the developers know all about it.

Furthermore, some of the problems I mentioned happen within the supposed actual capabilities of the MM tool, so it's not that I'm demanding to much of this tool (in terms of memory), it's that something else is wrong. I'm using it to cut out mushrooms for a timelapse (a collage of many different mushrooms TLs that'll be added on a specific separate background). I have a 500 frames clip for example, I cout ut it's growth silhouette to get rid of the background, so that's one pipette stroke for exemple (Better - 0), and when I start simply using the clean white, denoize or radius in the MM board, the mask goes POOF and the rendering is gone.

According to many, Davinci Resolve version 19 will have solved some of these problems. I bought version 18 not that long ago, can I expect to have access to an update towards version 19 for free ?

Thank you.

I bought version 18 not that long ago, can I expect to have access to an update towards version 19 for free ?

Yep, absolutely... to date, Blackmagic Design have never charged for any update to DaVinci Resolve Studio. There's no guarantee (that I know of) that the free upgrades will last forever, but so far so good. I got my license when Resolve was in version 8 and I'm currently running version 18.6.6 using that same license on my primary production machine (and 19.0 b2 on my secondary/test machine).

You can download the latest (or earlier) versions, including the latest beta version from the support page. Do be aware that version 19 is still in beta though... along with the improvements there could also be some new unexpected bugs hiding. If you go for it, make sure you backup your database and/or projects before upgrading them, in case you later decide you want to go back to the earlier version. (v19 projects are not backward compatible with earlier versions of the software.)

Screenshot 2024-05-08 193840.jpg (362.75 KiB) Viewed 170 times

I bought version 18 not that long ago, can I expect to have access to an update towards version 19 for free ?

Yep, absolutely... to date, Blackmagic Design have never charged for any update to DaVinci Resolve Studio. There's no guarantee (that I know of) that the free upgrades will last forever, but so far so good. I got my license when Resolve was in version 8 and I'm currently running version 18.6.6 using that same license on my primary production machine (and 19.0 b2 on my secondary/test machine).

You can download the latest (or earlier) versions, including the latest beta version from the support page. Do be aware that version 19 is still in beta though... along with the improvements there could also be some new unexpected bugs hiding. If you go for it, make sure you backup your database and/or projects before upgrading them, in case you later decide you want to go back to the earlier version. (v19 projects are not backward compatible with earlier versions of the software.)

Screenshot 2024-05-08 193840.jpg

WOW ! I went through all the links you gave me and it was immensely useful I must say.

I took screen shots, lots of notes, and tested it all. I found my way thanks to you.
I love learning, and you made learning a lot simpler. Davinci should pay you !

Hopefully, the occasional glitches that still happen even when you do it all right (according to a lot of experienced users) won't happen to often now, they'll be a lot less likely at least. So far so good, no POOFs, no Kansas going bye bye.

Maybe I should wait until the official new Davinci Resolve Studio 19 version is out - not just the test drive version (since there seems to be things to work through still and since I can't go back to any previous versions). I think with what you've given me I can wait plenty.

Thanks a million times square !