EDL, XML, and AAF: The 3 Methods for Premiere Pro to Resolve Roundtrip Workflows

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Premiere Pro and Blackmagic Resolve both offer incredibly powerful standalone features. Even though Adobe and Blackmagic are actively battling it out in a war for our timelines, using the two applications together opens up an entirely new world of possibility.

While the Premiere Pro Lumetri Color panel allows for some speedy color grading and automatic adjustments, many teams benefit from using Resolve's in-depth color grading tools alongside an Adobe Premiere Pro editing workflow. Thankfully, both applications support a large variety of file types and formats, which makes for a very complementary experience.

Once you understand the various methods (EDL, XML, and AAF) for completing a Premiere Pro to Resolve roundtrip, you'll be able to take full advantage of two of the most powerful editing and color grading tools on the market.

It might seem complicated at first, but sending projects from Premiere Pro to Resolve (and vice-versa) is actually pretty straight forward.

Let's take a look.

Preparing Your TimelineNow that you've finished your edit, you'll need to prepare your timeline for the transition to color. But before you start getting the timeline ready, make a duplicate of your sequence so you'll have a backup just in case something goes wrong.

After you've duplicated the sequence, the first step is flattening your timeline. You won't need every layer of video, graphics, and audio while color grading, so flattening everything helps make sure everything you need gets to Resolve in one piece.

Start by flattening your duplicated video sequence so that all your video clips are on V1.

data-src=/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline.jpg alt=An Adobe Premiere Pro timeline after being flattened to prepare for export to Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve for color grading. width=960 height=540 class=lazyload size-full wp-image-8219 data-srcset=https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-400x225.jpg 400w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-600x338.jpg 600w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline-800x450.jpg 800w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/01_flat_timeline.jpg 960w data-sizes=(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px />Flattening your sequence helps make sure your edit gets to Resolve in one piece.

Once you've prepped your timeline, there are a few ways for you to export it into DaVinci Resolve: EDL, XML, or AAF.

Using EDL for Premiere to Resolve RoundtripsEDL stands for an Edit Decision List. And out of the three file formats for a Resolve Roundtrip, it's the most unique. It can be a little more work up front, but provides a smoother experience in the long run, depending on the project.

You might be familiar with EDL from the days when cutting film meant actually cutting it. Back then, an EDL was a piece of paper with marks that would correspond with each strip of film.

Today, EDL is a list of events that include the source to be recorded and where to record it. It also provides information about transitions, transition durations, and other clip attributes.

Creating an EDL in Premiere ProUnlike the other file types used in Premiere to Resolve roundtrips, EDL requires you to first render a new file to use in Resolve. If you want to get the most out of your time in color, it's important to export your sequence in the highest quality format possible.

Start by choosing whichever codec you (or your workstation) are most comfortable with, to make sure playback in Resolve is smooth. Note: make sure you remove any LUTs or temporary color grades before you export your footage.

data-src=/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export.jpg alt=Export settings for a Premiere Pro to Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve roundtrip workflow using EDL. width=960 height=540 class=lazyload size-full wp-image-8220 data-srcset=https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-400x225.jpg 400w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-600x338.jpg 600w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export-800x450.jpg 800w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/02_ProRes_Export.jpg 960w data-sizes=(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px />ProRes 422 HQ is a great choice for color because of the 10-bit color depth and 4:2:2 compression.

File > Export > EDLNext, we're going to export the EDL file from Premiere.

data-src=/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/03_EDL_Export.jpg alt=Menu selections for exporting an XML file for a Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve roundtrip. width=960 height=540 class=lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-8221 data-srcset=https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/03_EDL_Export-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/03_EDL_Export-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/03_EDL_Export-400x225.jpg 400w, https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/03_EDL_Export-600x338.jpg

LINK:	https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/premiere-pro-blackmagic-resolve...
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