UV Extraction in DaVinci Fusion

In this blog post, I want to briefly introduce you to a technique that is called— UV Extraction in DaVinci Fusion.

You might already be familiar with camera projection workflows, where we project a paintout or an element we want to add or remove onto geometry or an image plane in 3D space. UV Extraction works in a similar way, but with one key difference: instead of projecting directly into the scene, we first stabilize the projection. This gives us a flat, UV-stabilized version of the shot where we can make our adjustments, like adding text, graffiti, or cleanups, and then reproject everything back into the original 3D scene.

This approach can give you much more control, especially when painting out elements that need to sit tightly on a surface and follow camera movement accurately.

One important note: you’ll need the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve for this technique, as it relies on the built-in Camera Tracker node. If you're using the free version, you'll need an external camera tracking solution like Mocha Pro or SynthEyes.

What You’ll See in the Video:

In the tutorial, I walk through the full UV Extraction process, including:

• Exporting camera tracking data

• Setting up the scene in 3D space

• Using the Hardware UV Renderer

• Adding graphics and reprojecting them

• Fixing resolution issues with the Transform node

I recommend watching the full video tutorial to see the step-by-step workflow in action. It’s visual, technical, and packed with useful tips for Fusion users working in compositing or motion design.

Footage in this video is provided by ActionVFX.com — a great resource for high-quality VFX assets.

If you're already using Fusion for VFX or motion graphics, UV Extraction is definitely worth adding to your toolkit. Let me know in the YouTube comments if you’ve tried this technique or have any questions!

Happy Compositing!