# Finishing

Period: 2022 – now · Era: 2022 · The Dawn

Retime, paint out, upscale, grade and deliver.

Generated clips rarely ship raw. Since 2023 the last mile has been the same: retime clips that run slow, paint out artifacts, upscale and interpolate (Topaz Video AI on the clip, Magnific on the still before it), then grade and add grain so shots from different models sit together. In 2026 Runway Ruby brought real HDR to any model's output, and editors gained MCP servers an agent can drive.

## How it worked

1. **Retime first:** most models drift slow; speed clips up and cut on motion.
2. **Paint out what broke:** stray hands, text, flicker; roto in After Effects or prompt the fix in an edit model.
3. **Upscale and interpolate** with Topaz Video AI, and upscale stills with Magnific before they become first frames.
4. **Grade the whole film as one,** match shots from different models, and add grain to unify them.
5. **Deliver in HDR when it matters** (Runway Ruby), and let an agent do the mechanical edits over DaVinci Resolve's MCP.

## Why it mattered

Finishing is what makes generated shots look like one film. It is also the oldest constant in the craft: the tools changed most years, but the last mile barely did.

## Tools of the era

- Topaz Video AI (2022): https://www.topazlabs.com
- Magnific (2023): https://magnific.ai
- Runway Ruby (2026): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK5Rgbb0FK4
- Runway plugins for Premiere Pro and After Effects (2026): https://runway.com/plugins
- DaVinci Resolve 21.1 MCP (2026): https://ymcinema.com/2026/09/17/davinci-resolve-21-1-mcp-ai-assistants-control-edit/

## Example videos and posts

- Getting started with Runway Ruby: real HDR from any video model · Runway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK5Rgbb0FK4
- Real HDR versus SDR in a costume: bit depth, BT.2020 and PQ or HLG · Diesol: https://x.com/Diesol/status/2097733597667188987
- Claude Code edited this entire video in DaVinci Resolve 21.1 · Guney Topcu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYUV9FjR5-M
- The better way to use the MCP in DaVinci Resolve Studio 21.1 · MrAlexTech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA6DuxffnRo
- Jump cuts: only show what matters · Framer: https://x.com/Framer_X/status/1979227310734872846

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Source: https://aifilmhistory.org/workflows/craft-finishing