While video editing software provides some excellent tools for color correcting these days, you just cannot beat the level of color correction you can do by using a professional color correction program. Getting your footage out of your editing software of choice and into your color correction software can be the biggest workflow challenge for some editors. Here is what you need to know when you are editing in Adobe Premiere and color correcting in DaVinci Resolve.

Prep Your Sequence

Before you begin, you'll want to clean up the video sequence that you are looking to color correct in DaVinci Resolve. Duplicate the sequence and create a new one, so that you preserve all your existing edits and effects. As a general rule, you'll want to remove anything from the sequence that doesn't need to be color corrected. Those name keys and full screen graphics should go, which will help make for a less confusing sequence to color correct in DaVinci Resolve.

Create a Mixdown Audio File

It helps to have audio playback when color correcting, but you don't need to have all the layers of audio that can potentially slip around. It helps to create a mixdown of your audio file, so that all the tracks are condensed into a single track. You'll bring that audio file into DaVincie Resolve later on in the process.

Create the XML and Reference Video

One of the most confusing steps in the process is creating the XML file that DaVinci Resolve needs to import your footage. In Adobe Premiere, the option is under the file menu and it says XML for Final Cut Pro. Even though it says a different software name in the menu option, it is the same XML that is used for DaVinci Resolve.

You should also create the reference video of the sequence as it is in Adobe Premiere at this time as well.

Import The Assets

With a new DaVinci Resolve project loaded, you can import the footage sequence into it by selecting XML from the import menu. All of your video clips will come in on a timeline that matches what you had in Adobe Premiere. You'll want to watch this timeline carefully to make sure that no mistakes were made in the import process. It helps to overlay that reference file on top of the footage, comparing it see if everything is aligned properly. If not, make small adjustments within DaVinci Resolve as necessary. Finally, import your audio track and sync it up with the picture based on timecode.

For more information about DaVinci Resolve, seek resources like Color Grading Central.