This week’s edition is all about working smarter and faster. We dive into a fantastic guide on using PowerGrades. We also break down the new Mocha Pro update, which adds time-saving export presets and a batch queue. Finally, we look at a wild AI-generated commercial and discuss what it means for the future of the editor.

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A Quick Tip on PowerGrades

Just stumbled upon a great blog post from the folks at PixelTools. It’s all about using PowerGrades in DaVinci Resolve, and it’s full of solid advice.

For those who don’t know, PowerGrades are basically reusable color grades. You can save any look and apply it to other clips, even in different projects. They’re a fantastic way to streamline your workflow and keep looks consistent.

The post breaks down how to create, organize, and even troubleshoot them. While they do sell their own PowerGrade packs, the tutorial info itself is super useful for anyone. It’s definitely worth a look if you want to level up your color game.

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Here’s a look at the new Mocha Pro update.

The latest Mocha Pro 2025.5 update introduces export presets to help stop repetitive clicking. Now, you can save your most-used settings for tracking, shapes, or 3D data. This puts your favorite export options right at the top of the list for quick access.

Building on that, Mocha also added a Batch Queue. This is perfect when you need to run several different exports. You can set them all up, add them to the queue, and then export everything at once. You can even save an entire batch queue as a preset.

These new features are all about saving you time. For more advanced studio pipelines, these presets are saved as simple JSON files you can easily edit. It’s a great example of a small update that can make a huge difference in your daily workflow. (More)

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Is AI Taking Over Commercials?

It’s impossible to ignore how fast AI is developing. This week, a wild NBA Finals commercial popped up that was made almost entirely with AI tools. It’s the kind of thing that makes you stop and stare.

The creator, PJ Ace, used AI to help write the script and then generate the video clips. He said it took a staggering 300–400 generations just to get 15 usable shots. That’s a massive amount of prompting and sorting.

But here’s the key takeaway for us. Notice that AI hasn’t replaced the editor. Someone still had to sift through all those clips, pick the best ones, and assemble the final story. For now, AI is just another source of wild B-roll.

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Other Stuff

Edit Videos With Meta AI

Update to Patrick Stirling’s YouTube Sub Button Graphics

Wētā FX VFX breakdowns for House of the Dragon S2

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Keep creating, stay curious, and never stop pushing your creative boundaries!

Stay creative,
Justin R.