Masking in DaVinci Resolve 18 | Step By Step Tutorial

Masking is a powerful tool in video editing that allows you to isolate and modify specific parts of your footage. Does DaVinci Resolve have masking?

DaVinci Resolve 18 offers masking tools that help you create professional-looking videos with ease. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of masking in DaVinci Resolve 18.

We will cover the different types of masks available, how to add them, customize them, and adjust them on the Color and Fusion page. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a solid understanding of masking in DaVinci Resolve 18 and you will be able to apply it to your own video projects.

How to mask using the Color page?

To give you a general understanding, we will create masks using the Curve tool and combine them with different options to track the mask throughout the clip.

In this section, we will create a mask using the Color page in DaVinci Resolve 18.

Step 01: Importing media

To do this task,

• Open the DaVinci Resolve 18 application.
• Right-click on the Media Pool section.
• Choose the option Import Media as displayed below.
• Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+I to open the media.

Go to the location where the media is placed on your computer or PC. Choose the media and click Open to display it on the DaVinci Resolve 18 application. Now you are set to add the mask to the clip as per your requirement.

Step 02: Color page > Windows Palette

To go to the Color page,

• Go to the bottom of the screen.
• Choose the Color page icon as shown below.

As soon as you choose the Color page, you will see a number of Palettes to choose from. In order to get started with masking, click on the Window Palette from the Centre Palettes.

When you open the Window Palette, various adjustments which can be added to your video will appear.

Step 03: Choose the Curve tool for masking

DaVinci Resolve 18 offers the Curve tool rather than the Pen tool like other editing software. Nevertheless, the Curve tool icon looks like a pen so it can be easily identified.

The Curve tool is not just easy to use, but it is also versatile because you can draw any shape imaginable during the tracking. So, scroll down to find the Curve tool and click on it to activate it.

Before starting to draw using the Curve tool, zoom on the Viewer slightly to the area where you would like to apply the mask.

To zoom,

• Use the scroll wheel in your mouse.
• Pan around the Viewer and adjust the zoom to draw using the Curve tool.
• Hide the Media Pool and other sections to enlarge the Viewer as necessary.

Once you set the preferred zoom level, you can start drawing on the specific area to apply the mask. To start,

• Left-click on the area where you prefer to start.
• Next, keep adding points to create the desired shape of your mask.

In short,

• Left-click to outline an area and adjoin points.
• Click and drag if you need to create curves instead of straight lines.
• Make sure to join the last and first points to complete the shape using the Curve tool.

If you place a point by mistake, you can undo it by:

• Pressing Ctrl/Cmd+Z to remove the point.

Step 04: Add Alpha Output

Once you draw the desired shape using the Curve tool, you can add the Alpha Output.

To add the Alpha Output,

• Go to the Node Editor located on the right side of the Viewer.
• Next, right-click anywhere in the Node Editor and choose the Add Alpha Output option.

• As soon as you choose the above-mentioned option, a blue node appears.
• Next, join the two blue nodes together by clicking and dragging.

As soon as you complete this task, you will see that the area drawn has been isolated from the rest of the clip.

Step 05: Soften the Mask

If you choose to soften the mask, the borders of the clip will have a soft texture. This will make the edges of the isolated area less rough and defined. Generally, it is best practice to apply softness to the mask. Nevertheless, this is completely optional.

If you want to soften the mask which you created,

• Go to the Window Palette.
• Once again select the Curve tool and on the right you will see two options: Transform and Softness.
• Next, increase the softness ratio as per your requirement.

• When you increase the softness between the inside and outside options, have a look at the Viewer to preview the changes.
• Based on this, you can decide the softness ratio you want to apply.

Step 06: How to Invert the Mask?

To invert the mask,

• Next to the Curve Tool option, you can see two icons.
• Click on the invert icon (looks like a Japanese flag) located beside the Curve Tool to invert the mask.
• Then, in the Viewer the mask selection will become black and the rest of the clip will be restored.

Click on it again if you need to disable the option.

Step 07: Mask Tracking

Now, you can play the video and check out how well the mask has turned out. Did you notice that the mask has lost track of the selection made?

The reason behind this is the lack of a Tracker. You need to add a tracker to track a particular object when the clip is playing.

Solution 1: Add Tracker to the mask

Go to the Tracking Palette and view the tools available. There are pan, tilt, zoom, rotate, and 3D. If you don’t like using any of these options, click on the checkboxes to disable them.

Next, to track the mask,

• Initially, make sure that the playhead is placed at the beginning of the clip.
• Make sure to select the clip from the Power Window.
• Click on the play button to play the clip.

• Next, click on the track backward button and let the clip play till the end.
  
• This will result in the tracking of the mask forward and backwards when the clip plays.
  
• After enabling tracking, make sure to play the clip and check it out. Now you would notice that the mask moves with the object and does not bounce.

Solution 2: Switch from Frame > Clip (Tracks further)

If you’re still not satisfied with the mask, you can change the tracking from Frame to Clip. Follow the below method,

• Switch the option from ‘frame‘ to ‘clip‘.
  
• If the ‘Frame‘ option is selected, the mask will be determined by each frame .
  
• If the the ‘Clip‘ option is selected, the mask will be determined by each clips.

How to Adjust the Mask?

If you need to adjust the mask, follow these steps:

1. Press Shift and click and drag the node.
2. Then, you can drag the node and adjust the shape as per your requirement.
3. Below is an example of a simple mask.

How to Mask using the Fusion page

You can also add a Mask in the Fusion page and experiment with different settings based on the keyframes, transitions, picture-in-picture effects and so on. Masking in the Fusion page saves a lot of time when compared to the Color page. Let’s get down to the details.

Step 01: Importing Media

To do this task,

• Open the DaVinci Resolve 18 application.
• Right-click on the media pool section.
• Choose the option Import Media as displayed below.
• Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+I to open the media.

Go to the location where the media is placed on your computer or PC. Choose the media and click Open to display it on the DaVinci Resolve 18 application. Now you are set to add the mask to the clip as per your requirement.

Step 02: Edit page > Set the timeline

To go to the Edit page,

• Choose the Edit page icon as shown below.

Now, click and drag the clips onto the timeline and set the timeline accordingly. In this case, make sure to set the clip properly before you go to the Fusion page.

Then, select all the clips on the timeline and right-click. Choose the option ‘New Fusion Clip’ to create a new fusion clip.

This automatically creates nodes on the Fusion page.

Step 03: Mask in the Fusion page

To go to the Fusion page,

• Choose the Fusion page icon as shown below.

Once you are on the Fusion page, you will notice that the nodes are automatically set. In this section, we will create a picture-in-picture effect using masking.

To add an ellipse for the picture-in-picture effect,

• Click on the node of the clip you want to add the ellipse to.
• Open the Effects Library.
• Scroll down until you find the Mask tools and choose ‘Ellipse’.

• An Ellipse node will be added in the Work Area and the Ellipse can be seen in the Viewer.

Step 04: Add transitions

To add transitions in the Fusion page,

• Click on the node you prefer to add the transition to.
• Next, adjust the frame to which you prefer to add the transition by moving the playhead.
• Now, go to the Inspector and adjust the desired settings to add the transition.

Now you will notice that the transition is added to the clip. This is how you combine masking with transitions in Fusion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, by following the step-by-step guide in this tutorial, you now have a clear understanding of masking in DaVinci Resolve 18.

You learned how to create and customize various types of masks, including how to add them to your video, track the masks and adjust them to control their movement.

Thanks for reading & feel free to check out more of our articles!