Getting to know Adobe Direct Link

Moving Colors the Adobe SpeedGrade blog by Eric Philpott

SpeedGrade CC 7.1 introduced Direct Link, a new type of integration which connects the editing and color grading workflows. We wanted to explain what Direct Link is, how it works, and how to get the most out of this cool new feature.

Direct Link vs. Dynamic Link
With Direct Link, the whole Premiere Pro project (.pproj) can be opened in SpeedGrade. No file conversions or XML-based translations are involved; you get the complete native Premiere Pro timeline, except that it’s in SpeedGrade.

Dynamic Link works between two applications running in parallel on the same machine (and sharing the same memory). Dynamic Link is great for doing work on specific clips. You get immediate feedback and can make changes on the fly moving back and forth between After Effects and Premiere Pro while you perfect a composition within your editing project.

Color grading is rarely done this way. Although you may do several color grading passes over the course of your postproduction workflow, color work is generally done on a whole project, for example to match shots to each other or apply creative looks across scenes or an entire project.

Unlike Dynamic Link, Direct Link can run between two different machines (and at different times). For a project-based workflow, this is more effective. Since Direct Link only works in one application at a time, all of your computer’s resources are available to that application.

Working with Direct Link

The most obvious advantage of Direct Link is the ability to save to a common project language. With Direct Link a .pproj file can now hold both editing and grading information. When you Direct Link to SpeedGrade, you’re presented with a rich timeline showing your video tracks, color-coded clips, adjustment layers, and dissolves. On the monitor, you see the footage represented exactly the way it looks in Premiere Pro, even including sophisticated effects such as Warp Stabilizer. Grading is applied to individual clips or adjustment layers. In Direct Link, all color grading tools in SpeedGrade, including the new features such as multiple masks, linked mask layers, and SpeedLooks are available. read more...