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The Canon C200 RAW Light Workflow in 5 Steps

As it stands right now, Canon’s new RAW Light format is only supported by Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, and Canon’s own RAW Development software. However,  Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro have promised full compatibility at some point in the future, but so far neither have the capability to edit, grade, or even read these files. Given RAW requires a robust color workflow regardless, let’s look at working with this footage in DaVinci Resolve.

1. Log In to Davinci Resolve

If this is your first time opening Resolve, either set up a new user account or simply log in as ‘guest’ for now. 

2. Import Clips

Davinci supports these files natively, so it’s as simple as dragging and dropping them into your media bin. Alternatively, you can navigate to them through the built-in media browser.

3. Edit Your Clips

In the editing tab, add your clips to the timeline. Here you can preview them, trim them if you like, or go all in and edit the film right in Davinci Resolve.

4. Color Grade Your Clips (Optional)

In the color tab, you can choose to grade your clips or apply a LUT to simplify the rest of your post-production. The Camera RAW settings are currently unavailable, but the footage will still respond very well to the regular grading tools and the Canon transforms available for download on their website. By default, the footage is debayered into the gamma Canon Log 2 and Cinema Gamut. Canon includes a Canon Log 2 to Canon Log 3 transfer in their LUT pack. This might be a good place to start as this is the exposure you would have seen un-lutted from camera. If you were working with a BT.709 LUT, try the CinemaGamut_CanonLog2-to_WideDR_BT.709 LUT for an exact match to what you saw on your touchscreen while shooting.

5. Export Your Clips

When you are finished cutting and coloring the clips to your satisfaction, you can export them in a variety of formats by switching to the final tab. You should choose a less-compressed codec family such as ProRes or DNxHD to preserve your footage for the final edit. If you were simply using DaVinci Resolve to prepare your clips for editing, in the right-hand column, select Individual Clips so that Davinci Resolve will keep all of your clips separate. Hit Start Render to transcode your RAW Light clips into a more usable format that you can take to any editing platform.

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