DaVinci Resolve: Effectively isolate a person

In this guide, you will learn how to effectively mask out a person in DaVinci Resolve. Masking out a person is particularly useful when you want to apply visual effects or color changes to a specific person in the image without affecting the background. With the Magic Mask tool in DaVinci Resolve 5.21, this process is simple and automated, saving you time and effort. Let's get started!

Key Takeaways

• The Magic Mask tool in DaVinci Resolve allows for easy masking of people.
• In the Color Grading page, you can selectively choose parts of the image or person.
• Adjusting the quality of the mask is important to achieve optimal results.
• Manual adjustments to the mask may be necessary if the automatic selection is inaccurate.
• You can track the mask to ensure precise adjustments throughout the entire clip.

Step-by-Step Guide

Begin by opening DaVinci Resolve and importing the clip you want to edit.

Now navigate to the Color Grading page to use the Magic Mask feature. Here, you can access the mask options and select the Magic Mask.

In the Color Grading section, you will find the person masking tool on the right side. Click on the icon to activate the selection.

If you have an older version of DaVinci Resolve, some icons may not be present. Don't worry, you can still select the person using the person masking tool.

Now, on the left side, select the point "Person." This allows you to select the entire person in the image. Alternatively, under "Features," you can mask specific parts of the person, such as the hat or hair.

If you want to select the hair or other specific elements, click on "Features" and then choose the corresponding element.

To create a new note for your masking, use the keyboard shortcut "Alt + S." This will display a new note on the right side.

Now draw a stroke over the person in the image. You will see that the person is automatically selected.

If you can't see the mask, activate the red mask by clicking on the corresponding symbol.

Now you can adjust the quality of the mask. Set the quality to "Better" for a more precise selection.

If the selection is still inaccurate, you can refine it using the dropper tool and the minus symbol to subtract unwanted areas.

It is important to note that the effectiveness of the Magic Mask strongly depends on your background. If the background has a similar color scheme to the person, there may be difficulties.

If the automatic selection is not optimal, you can also adjust the mask frame by frame. Go to the mask icon and use the pen tool to make precise selections.

In the "Refine Range" section, you can further refine the selection by enlarging or reducing it.

An important feature is the "Blur Radius." Set a value of about 8 to avoid harsh edges.

If you are satisfied with the selection, you need to track the mask so that it moves in sync with the person's movement in the clip.

Choose the option that performs tracking both forwards and backwards to achieve the best results.

After tracking, you have the option to change the saturation of the selected person, for example setting it to zero to create a black and white look.

Go to the edit page to review the result of your selection.

If you want to invert the mask, you can do so under the mask options, which will edit the background instead of the person.

If the colors do not meet your expectations, you can adjust the saturation to return to your desired result.

You have successfully separated a person from their background and can continue with color adjustments or visual effects.

Summary

In this tutorial, you have learned how to automatically cut out a person in DaVinci Resolve. You have gone through the steps of using the Magic Mask, improving the quality of the selection, and making manual adjustments to achieve optimal results. With the knowledge from this tutorial, you are able to make impressive cutouts and visually enhance your edited clips.