Intro
Chromate It is a macro to split and synchronously transform color channels via user controllable predefined patterns.
...alright, it's a chromatic aberration macro. But it goes to 11!
It's a bit of a mashup between a basic chromatic aberration effect, the Prism Blur (in Resolve) and a need for more.
Plenty of customization options, and being a macro, makes it a bit on the slow side. But what one looses in render times, might be compensated by not having to do a custom setup. Or not. Who knows. You do you.
TLDR; Connect something to the macro, max out the Blur and Zoom & Blur Boost settings and you're off to the races.
The Plan
Basically every chromatic aberration tool I've tried (so far) has had, for me, some kind of restriction or been limited in some kind of way. This macro, over a couple of years of noodling with it, is my attempt to do something about that.
It's a bit overcomplicated and relatively slow if all you want is a simple and subtle chromatic aberration effect, which it certainly can do, but for that scenario I'd probably use the (ironically named) Chromatic Aberration Removal tool from the Resolve FX plugin collection.
However the fun begins when you start pushing the settings (see intro GIF).
What's what
I believe it's mostly self explanatory (by messing around a bit) but some things are probably worth mentioning. Most notably that the blurs are connected to the transforms they're related to.
Blurs
With Center, Offset and Angle at their default values, there will be no related blur. With Blur enabled, and the related checkbox (Zoom, Angle and Offset)... checked, the blur will scale with the changes to the related setting (IE Center, Offset and Angle).
For example:
Starting with the default settings (and something connected to the macro), set the Angle to 15. Turn up the Blur setting to max. Then turn up the Zoom & Blur Boost setting to max. You'll now have something with the RGB channels rotated and a circular blur (with it's center being controlled with the Center setting).
To remove the blur there's several ways (with some changing other settings too):
Unchecking the Angle checkbox will turn off any angle related blurring.
Setting Blur to 0 will remove the blur (one would hope).
Setting Angle slider to 0 will remove the blur (and the rotation).
Setting Overall Strength to 0 will remove the blur (and in this example also the rotation).
So in this example the amount of Angle related blur is defined by the Angle, Blur, Zoom & Blur Boost sliders and if one is being picky, also the Angle checkbox and Overall Strength slider. Which might seem like a lot when reading about it here, but in practice, in my experience, feels natural. YMMV.
Style
Centered will scale the channels around a middle point. With Mode set to (3 Channels) the channel in parentheses (in the selected Channels option) will be the middle point and won't change size.
MinMaxed will result in channels scaling up/down with the channel in parentheses being the base (and not scaling).
All of these naming conventions goes out the window with 2 Channels combined with MinMaxed though. Because things got complicated.
Yeah I dunno. At this point it was either keeping the names or changing them to A, B and C. And that's even less useful IMO and so here we are:)
Someone mentioned going to 11?
All settings can override the sliders initial max value (except Overall Strength). Besides the angle blur, which is capped internally, go bananas with the Blur and Zoom & Blur Boost settings at your own peril.
Heads up
Trying a new way (to me) of handling the "blend/mask" part of the macro to make it work with transparent footage. Seems to be working for me but no guarantees. Think I nailed it in v 0.42. Nice!
The blurring of the Angle setting could easily go to crazy levels internally and so it has a restriction where it'll max out fairly early. I'm generally no fan of putting in restrictions on settings but from a user perspective there wouldn't be a really obvious reason why Fusion suddenly breaks down and starts crying. Can't have that. Right now it seems good enough to me but it also kinda reminds me of Bill Gates and that whole (according to him made up) RAM thing... so any thoughts on that are appreciated.
The names for the Channels buttons and the MinMaxed style kinda works for me but I'm all ears for alternative names.
Speaking of the Channel names... Them not making sense with 2 Channels and MinMaxed combined is a bit annoying. And related to that, an option to switch the two channels would be nice. But for now I can't really be bothered with it.
Seems fine in version 19 of Fusion Studio 19 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 19. Should be fine in the free version too.
Outro
If you don't, from time to time, enjoy a bit of color fringing on the edges of life, then you're dead inside and this is of no use to you. But if you do, and/or if you've ever wondered what the chromatic aberration equivalent of Kenny Loggins legacy defining work "Danger Zone" would be, then this might be the ticket to party town.
Version history
b 0.5
Uh... I realize now that I probably need to update 90% of everything above since this update changes so much... but that's for another day! Be sure to check out the related "update" comment somewhere below for some GIFs and tips and tricks.
NEW STUFF
- Changed how the macro works by splitting up things. Basically there's now four main groups: (from the top) Controls, Transform settings, Blur and Effects. This allows for more control. Also, more controls have been added. There's just so, so much more.
- Shimmer setting, scales with the different blurs. No blur, no shimmer for you! Controls for Amount, Scale, Speed, Center Fade and Fade Scale. Rotates around center because it looks neat. Nice if things feels a bit too static or you crave chromatic speedlines.
- Saturate Edges setting. Not a global saturation. Saturates the "aberrations". Props to @Millolab for this one since it's taken from his caos macro.
- Direction Blur for the Offset (previous blur uses was a pretty janky affair). Blur strength is taken from the distance from (0.5, 0.5).
- Distort effect, position tied to Center. Scale tied to Size and Angle transforms. Any changes to the Offset transform will have no effect of on this, uh, effect. Props to @Millolab for this one too. Same:is as the the Saturation thing but I'm using this the same way as the caos macro. Clear inspiration though!
- All three transform modes have two "styles" each. Double fun for everyone!
- 'Distance/Angle' offset control style based on... distance and angle. Thanks ChatGPT!
- 'Fixed' angle control style where the channels "fan" out from a fixed position
- URL Button. Goes to this post. Hello me!
- Offset multiplier
- Angle control widget
- Angle Offset setting
BUG SQUASHING
- MultiplyByMask enabled with no mask connected. Now works as expected.
- Clipping modes should now work properly. Maybe.
- A negative size transform now has a "negative" blur (in the Centered Style).
MISC (name/layout/workflow/whateverelse changes)
- OffsetBlur changed to Offset
- MinMax changed to Extrusion
- Offset Clipping, moved to Settings
- Zoom (blur/transform context), changed to Size
- Zoom (control context), changed to Center
- Offset Clipping, changed to 'Clipping Mode'
- Channels, default set to middle
- Depth, removed info label
- Depth, default set to Keep
- Depth, added all options (not just Keep and int8)
- Mode/Channels (top rows of buttons), jazzed up? Dedicated Channel buttons for both Modes. Clearer Channel names and some tootips added.
- Version, removed 'ß' character because a tiny bit less clutter is a tiny bit better
- Copyright section added
- Hide Offset Control based on Offset style
- And I'm sure I forgot to mention some stuff but how important could that possible have been then? Not very I tell ya!
b 0.42
-
Ready for v.19 (Fusion Studio, all versions of DaVinci Resolve). Previous version still works but this one does too #suddenmitchhedbergmoment.
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Approximately 21.43% less nodes. This is the result of updating the internal mask setup (to the best of my current knowledge). Masking should work as expected in all scenarios (arguably maybe even better than expected) and perhaps even render a smidgen faster due to a smaller setup (though hardly noticeable... but still!).
-
Cleaned up the UI. I <3 ICS_Label.
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Prepared the version numbering for a potential Reactor release by downgrading from an elfishly superior system using 3 fractional digits to a crude and primal one using 2.
b 0.303
Total rework of how Blend and masking works (invertmask and multiplywithmask). Should now behave like a "proper" EffectMask... maybe even slightly better (IE not behaving like the blend on native nodes when MultiplyWithMask is enabled and Blend is dialed down to 0.0).
Moved Blend, Mask and Motion Blur over to the Settings tab.
Removed all PipeRouters which seems to cause trouble for some users. Be gone!
Added an internal ChangeDepth node. The settings for it can be found on the Settings tab. Slight improvement in render speed if the input footage can be downsampled. Turned on by default. Make some noise if you want the opposite to be true.
b 0.242
Initial release
Latest version:
Archive:
) but in long posts it can be a little overwhelming because of how it works right now.
