DaVinci Resolve 15 Advanced Editing

ADVANCED EDITING WITH
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Learn how to create Hollywood caliber digital films and
video with the world’s most advanced editing, visual effects,
color correction and audio post production solution!
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by Chris Roberts and Rory Cantwell
by Chris Roberts and Rory Cantwell

Advanced Editing with DaVinci Resolve 15
Chris Roberts and Rory Cantwell
Copyright © 2019 by Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd
Blackmagic Design
www.blackmagicdesign.com
To report errors, please send a note to training@blackmagicdesign.com.
Contributing authors: Jason Druss, Mary Plummer, Dion Scoppettuolo, Daria Fissoun
Series Editor: Patricia Montesion

Editor: Bob Lindstrom
Cover Design: Blackmagic Design
Interior Design and Compositor: Blackmagic Design
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact training@blackmagicdesign.com.
Notice of Liability
Neither the author nor Blackmagic Design shall have any liability to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused
or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book, or by omissions from this book,
or by the computer software and hardware products described within it.
Trademarks
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks.
Where those designations appear in this book, and Blackmagic Design was aware of a trademark claim, the
designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified
throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of
infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other
affiliation with this book. macOS is a registered trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Windows is a registered trademarks of Microsoft Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
ISBN: 978-1-7327569-4-6
Contents iii
Contents
Foreword vi
Getting Started vii
Acknowledgments xi
1 Editing Basics 1
Editing a Trailer 2
Creating the First Assemble 9
Finessing the Edit 32
Audio Mixing Basics 40
Adding Transitions 43
Adding Fusion Titles 46
Carry on Cutting 48
Lesson Review 49
2 Managing Dailies and Edit Prep 51

Backing up Source Files 52
Customizing New Projects 57
Syncing Dailies 59
Modifying Clip Audio Channels 64
Configuring Metadata Presets 67
Saving Searches using Smart Bins 74
Creating Power Bins 76
Optimizing Clips for Editing 78
Lesson Review 83
3 Cutting a Dialogue Scene 85

Selecting your Best Takes 86
Editing with Continuity 92
Match Frame with an Offset 96
Going Beyond the Straight Cut 99 iv
Auditioning Multiple Takes 106
Contents
Lesson Review 111
4 Making A Radio Edit 113

Examining Audio in a Radio Edit 114
Editing Subframe Audio 124
Creating Variable Speed Changes 126
Using Smooth Cut 130
Working with Advanced Transition Tools 131
Lesson Review 137
5 Editing an Action Scene 139

Starting a Dailies Timeline 140
Using Tabbed and Stacked Timelines 142
Cutting on Action 147
Enhancing the Action 153
Comparing Timeline Versions 166
Lesson Review 169
6 Editing Multicamera 171

Syncing Angles 172
Editing a Multicamera Music Video 178
Complex Multicamera Editing 186
Lesson Review 197
7 Creating Multilayered Composites 199

Roughing out your Vision 200
Working with Graphics 218
Working in a Compound Clip 223
Improving Multi-layered Performance 231
Adjusting Keyframes 233
Lesson Review 239
8 Creating Graphics in Fusion 241 v
Navigating the Fusion Page Interface 242
Contents
Understanding the Node Editor 244
Using Text and Merge Nodes 249
Creating Rolling Credits 259
Tracking a Scene 265
Keying and Compositing 270
Lesson Review 279
9 Building and Mixing the Soundtrack 281

Preparing the Project 282
Setting up the Fairlight Page 283
Editing in the Fairlight Page 288
Panning Tracks in Acoustic Space 296
Normalizing Clip Levels 299
Working with Clip Equalization 300
Controlling Dynamic Range 314
Automating Track Changes 318
Simplifying Mixing using Buses 323
Creating Additional Output Buses 332
Assigning the Music and Effects Tracks 336
Monitoring Loudness in your Mix 337
Lesson Review 341
10 Delivering Projects 343

Working with Subtitles 344
Delivering Programs with Subtitles 354
Configuring a Timeline for Digital Cinema 356
Rendering a DCP 359
Rendering and Editing Jobs from Multiple Projects 364
Lesson Review 367
Index 369
About the Authors 372
Foreword vi
Foreword
Welcome to Advanced Editing with DaVinci Resolve 15
I think one of the most exciting things about DaVinci Resolve 15 is that it brings together editing,
color correction, audio post, and now, visual effects in the same software application! With the
addition of the new Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve 15, you get over 250 tools for advanced
node-based visual effects compositing and motion graphics, along with even better color
correction and editing features, and a full-blown Fairlight digital audio workstation. That means
you’ll be able to switch between creative tasks without having to export or translate files
between different applications!
Best of all, DaVinci Resolve 15 is absolutely free! We’ve made sure that the free version of
DaVinci Resolve actually has more features than any other paid editing system. That’s because
at Blackmagic Design we believe everybody should have the tools to create professional,
Hollywood caliber content without having to spend thousands of dollars.
I hope you’ll enjoy using DaVinci Resolve 15 and we can’t wait to see the amazing work
you produce!
Grant Petty
Blackmagic Design
Getting Started vii
Welcome to Advanced Editing with DaVinci Resolve 15, an official Blackmagic Design certified
Getting Started
training book that teaches professionals and students how to get the most out of editing with
DaVinci Resolve 15. All you need is a Mac or Windows computer, the free download version of
DaVinci Resolve 15, and a passion to learn about editing.
This guide blends practical, hands-on exercises with the aesthetics of editing to help you
discover new techniques for whatever editing tasks you take on. You will learn new editing
functions, trimming styles, and multilayered timeline capabilities. You’ll also go deeply into
audio editing and mixing in the Fairlight page to explore techniques used by professional audio
engineers to enhance the sound design in your projects.
After completing this book, you are encouraged to take the 50-question online proficiency
exam to receive a Certificate of Completion from Blackmagic Design. The link to the exam is
located at the end of this book.
About DaVinci Resolve 15

DaVinci Resolve is the world’s fastest growing and most advanced editing software. It also has
a long history of being the world’s most trusted application for color correction. With DaVinci
Resolve 15, Blackmagic Design has added a complete set of professional audio editing and
mixing tools that enable you to complete projects using only one piece of software!
What you will Learn viii
In these lessons you’ll work with multiple projects to learn advanced, practical techniques
used in several editing genres. You’ll acquire real-world skills that you can apply to real-
Getting Started
world productions.
Lesson 1
Covers some general editing techniques to help you get started.
Lessons 2
Reveals some of the most powerful features in Resolve’s Media Page to help you more
efficiently set up and organize projects.
Lesson 3, 4 and 5
Use different film and television genres (a dramatic dialogue scene, a documentary interview,
and an action sequence) to teach you advanced editing techniques and trimming styles..
Lessons 6
Explores all the tools and techniques for multicamera editing.
Lesson 7 and 8
Focus on motion graphics and visual effects that, as an editor, you will commonly be asked to
create. By using a variety of compositing, keying and tracking tools in both the Edit Page and the
Fusion Page, you will produce professional-quality opening graphics and realistic composites.
Lesson 9
Takes you through a sound editing, design, and mixing workflow in the Fairlight page.
Lesson 10
Shows how to add subtitles and output a project for cinema with different sound mixes based
on the audio work you did in Lesson 9.
System Requirements
This book teaches Resolve 15 for macOS and Windows. If you have an older version of DaVinci
Resolve, you must upgrade to the current version to follow along with the lessons. Fortunately,
DaVinci Resolve 15 is a free upgrade from previous versions of DaVinci Resolve.
Downloading DaVinci Resolve 15

You can download the free version of DaVinci Resolve 15 from the Blackmagic Design website:
1 Open a web browser on your macOS, Windows, or Linux computer.
2 In the address field of your web browser, enter
www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve.
3 On the DaVinci Resolve landing page, click the Download button when it appears.
4 Follow the installation instructions to complete the installation. ix
When you have completed the software installation, follow the instructions in the following
section, “Copying the two-part lesson files,” to download the content for this book.
Getting Started
Acquiring the Lesson Files
You must download two zipped editing lesson files to acquire the media files you’ll use while
performing the exercises in this book. After you download and save the compressed files to
your hard disk, extract both zipped files and copy them to a single R15 Editing 201 > Lessons
folder that you create in your Documents folder.
To Download and Install the Two Lesson Files

When you are ready to download the two lesson files, follow these steps:
1 Connect to the Internet and navigate to:
www.blackmagicdesign.com/dvres/editing-with-resolve15-pt1.
The download will begin immediately.
The R15 editing lessons pt1.zip file is 4 GB in size, and depending on your Internet
connection, should take roughly 15 minutes to download to your computer using a standard
broadband connection.
2 Download the second half of the lesson files by navigating to
www.blackmagicdesign.com/dvres/editing-with-resolve15-pt2.
The “R15 editing lessons pt2.zip” file is 5.1 GB in size and should take roughly 25 minutes to
download to your computer using a standard broadband connection.
3 After downloading the zip files to your computer, open your Downloads folder, and double-
click both zip files to unzip them (if your computer doesn’t unzip the file automatically).
4 In the Documents folder, create a new folder called R15 201 Editing.
5 From your Downloads folder, move the folders “Action”, “Multicam”, “Rhinos” and VFX to the
Documents > R15 Editing 201 > Media folder.
You are now ready to begin Lesson 1, “Editing Basics”.

Relinking Media Files x
Most of the lessons in this book require you to import and open DaVinci Resolve 15 Project files
(.drp files). After a project file is imported into the Project manager, you will need to relink offline
Acknowledgments
clips to their media files.
The easiest way to do so is to follow these steps:
1 Select the Master bin, right-click and choose “Relink Clips for Selected Bin”.
2 In the Select Source folder dialog, navigate to Documents > R15 Editing 201 > Media,
and click OK.
The media files should be relinked and you may continue to follow the steps in the lesson.
The Blackmagic Design Learning Series

Blackmagic Design publishes several official certification books as part of the
Blackmagic Design Learning Series. They include:
The Definitive Guide to DaVinci Resolve 15
Advanced Editing with DaVinci Resolve 15
Color Correction with DaVinci Resolve 15
Fusion Visual Effects with DaVinci Resolve 15
Introduction to Fairlight Audio Post with DaVinci Resolve 15
And more to come
Whether you want to learn more advanced editing techniques, color grading, or visual effects,
certified training has a learning path for you.
After completing this book, you are encouraged to take a one-hour, 50-question online
proficiency exam to receive a certificate of completion from Blackmagic Design. The link
to this exam is located at the end of this book.
For more information on additional books in this series and Blackmagic Design certification
training, visit www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training.
Getting Certified xi
After completing this book, you are encouraged to take the one-hour, 50-question online
proficiency exam to receive a Certificate of Completion from Blackmagic Design. The link to
Acknowledgments
this exam is located at the end of this book.
You’ll be listed on the Blackmagic Design website and receive a Certified logo that you can
proudly display on your professional website, social network page, or in your demo reel.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions of media used throughout
the book:
Miss Rachel’s Pantry in Philadelphia, PA.
Miserable Girl - Jitterbug Riot - EditStock ad
HaZ Dulull for SYNC footage. - Sync is a short proof of concept film written / produced
and directed by Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull and is property of hazfilm.com.
Hasraf ‘ HaZ’ Dulull started his career as a Visual Effects Supervisor / Producer before
establishing a reputation from his sci-fi short films - Project Kronos, I.R.I.S and Sync for
depicting grounded sci-fi themes. This lead him to producing, writing and directing his first
Feature film - The Beyond - Released by Gravitas Ventures and currently available on all
streaming platforms, and soon after he Directed (based on a story he wrote) - Origin
Unknown starring Katee Sackhoff to be released by Kew Media later in 2018. He is currently
in development and production on a slate of TV and Feature Films.
HaZ is represented in Hollywood by APA & Ground Control Entertainment. HaZ can be
found on twitter @hazvfx.
Lesson 1
Editing Basics
Welcome to Advanced Editing with Time

DaVinci Resolve 15, the certified BlackMagic This lesson takes approximately
Design curriculum for professional editors. 60 minutes to complete.
Editing is so central to cinematic storytelling

that director Francis Ford Coppola once said, Goals
“The essence of cinema is editing.” This book Editing a Trailer 2
explores the deep and powerful editing Creating the First Assemble 9
features found in DaVinci Resolve 15 as
Finessing the Edit 32
applied to the art and craft of editing different
genres of video. Whether you are working to
produce the latest cinematic blockbuster, Adding Transitions 43
a fast-turnaround episodic TV show, or an Adding Fusion Titles 46
online promo, while the principals of editing Carry on Cutting 48
have not changed in over 100 years the Lesson Review 49
technology you’ll find in DaVinci Resolve can
(and will) significantly change (and improve)
your editorial methods.
To begin with though, let’s take a quick trip

through some editing fundamentals which
cover the basic skills we will build on
throughout the rest of this book.
2
NOTE This chapter assumes you have downloaded the media for this book. If you
are unsure, return to the Getting Started section and follow the download instructions
Editing a Trailer
in “Getting the lesson files”.
Editing a Trailer
Editing is often an iterative process that requires you to build a coherent story from
disparate pieces of footage. Whilst there are many recognized workflows to putting these
sounds and pictures together, unfortunately there is no “magic bullet” as every cut has its
own unique considerations.
With that said, let’s start building a short trailer for an upcoming movie entitled “Age of
Airplanes” by Brian J. Terwilliger so you can appreciate some of the thought processes
and happy accidents that often occur in editing suites around the world.
1 Open DaVinci Resolve on your system.
The first window you see will be the Project Manager. Naturally enough, this is where 3
you can sort, organize, backup, import and restore the individual DaVinci Resolve
projects you work on.
Editing a Trailer
NOTE If you’ve been using DaVinci Resolve before, you may have a number of
projects in the Project Manager already. Feel free to create a new Folder in the
Project Manager for the projects you’ll be using throughout this book.
2 Click the New Project button to create a new project and type R15 Editing Lesson 01.
3 Click Create.
NOTE DaVinci Resolve does not save individual projects at the OS level like
some other non-linear editing systems (NLEs) you may be familiar with.
Instead, your projects are stored and managed within one of two types of
database. For more information on managing projects and databases, please
refer to the DaVinci Resolve User Manual or the The Definitive Guide to
DaVinci Resolve 15.
Your new project opens in DaVinci Resolve on the Edit Page.

4 If necessary select Workspace > Reset UI Layout to reset the Edit Page workspace to
the default.
Interface Toolbar – for revealing Source Viewer – for reviewing Timeline Viewer – 4
and hiding the various panels and marking up your unedited for reviewing the
on the Edit Page source media clips edited media
Editing a Trailer
Bin List – for Media Pool – for Toolbar – for accessing Timeline – for structuring
organizing your accessing the source commonly used edit and arranging the
source media clips media clips for the modes and other edited clips
selected bin(s) timeline options
Importing Source Files

The first step in any editing workflow is to import and organize the source media needed to
create the story. In later lessons you will learn the power of the Media Page for this, but for
now you’ll just be importing directly in the Edit Page.
1 In the Edit Page, choose File > Import File > Import Media. Alternatively you can use
the keyboard shortcut Command-I (macOS) or Control-I (Windows) or right-click in the
Media Pool and choose Import Media.
2 In the system file window that appears, navigate to R15 Editing 201 > Media >
Age of Airplanes.
5
Editing a Trailer
3 Select all the files in this folder and click Open.
A window appears informing you that the video clips you are importing have a different
frame rate than your current project settings and is asking if you would like to change
the settings to match these clips.
4 Click Change to change the project settings to match these video clips.
NOTE In the next lesson you will learn how to correctly set the timeline
settings for your projects and save them as a preset.
The files appear in the Media Pool and are now ready to be organized prior to editing.
Working with Bins

Bins have been traditionally used by editors since the early days of film editing where each
piece of film would be hung over a physical bin. Although we no longer have physical bins
in these more flexible digital times, the terminology is still widely used. For the sake of
argument you can use bins in the same way as you would a folder in your computer’s file
system to organize the media for editing.
By default, every DaVinci Resolve project contains one bin: the Master bin (which cannot 6
be deleted). You are going to create several bins within the Master bin for each type of clip
in your project so you can easily find the clip you are looking for.
Editing a Trailer
1 Choose File > New Bin, or press Shift-Command-N (macOS) or Shift-Control-N (Windows).
2 A new bin (Bin 1) appears in the bin list. Rename this bin Audio to reflect what types of
clips you will place in this bin.
3 In the bin list, select the Master Bin. In the Media Pool select the first of the seven clips
with the green waveforms denoting an audio clip, then Shift-click the last of the audio
clips to select all the clips in between.
4 With the seven clips highlights, click and drag them to the Audio bin in the bin list or
the Audio bin icon in the Media Pool.
7
Editing a Trailer
Great. You have now filed all the audio clips into their own neat little bin. To access any
of the audio clips from now on you can click on the Audio bin in the bin list or double-
click the Audio bin icon in the Media Pool. To return to the top-level of your project,
click on the Master bin in the bin list.
5 Press Shift-Command-N (macOS) or Shift-Control-N (Windows) to create a new bin.
Rename this new bin Interviews then return to the Master bin.
There are three interviews with Brian J. Terwilliger in this project; clips AA0113_01.mov,
AB0102_01.mov and AC0113_01.mov.
6 Select each of the three interview clips and move them to the Interviews bin.
8
Editing a Trailer
File Names vs Clip Names:
You may be wondering why the three interview clips haven’t got helpful names like
the rest of the media for this project. The reason for this is that many cameras
automatically name their files in such a way that means everything to the camera
but not very much to the human aspect of the editing process: the editor. You can
choose to rename the clips within your projects if you find this helpful. Just simply
click on a clip to select it, then click again directly on the clip name. This will
highlight the name and allow you to type your own name for the clip. This in no way
alters the original filename for the media on the disk. You will learn more about
renaming clips in the next lesson.
7 Create another new bin named Titles and move the clip 11_MOVIE_CREDITS.mov to
this bin.
Excellent. You’ve managed to impose some order to your project. However, you’ve one
more bin to add then you can start editing.
8 Create one final new bin and rename it Timelines. This bin will be used to store the
timelines we’ll need to create for this project.
9
NOTE There are two additional types of bin available in DaVinci Resolve:
Smart Bins and Power Bins. You’ll learn more about each of these in the
Creating the First Assemble

next lesson.
Of course, this simple exercise has had you creating just three bins but there’s nothing
stopping you from creating as many or as few bins that you think you’ll need to be organized.
Feel free to review the footage and create as any additional bins as you require. You can
also create bins within bins too by making sure you’ve got an existing bin selected before
you choose the option to make a new bin.

Someone once said that the hardest part of writing a book is starting the first chapter.
Indeed, the same is true for editing; but with sounds and moving pictures rather than
words on a page. Placing those first few clips into an empty timeline can be quite daunting.
However, once you have begun assembling the footage you can being to see what’s
working, what doesn’t work, and what might be coaxed into working with a bit of effort
on your part as the editor.
To start this process you’ll need a timeline. 10
1 Select the Timelines bin you created at the end of the previous exercise and choose
File > New Timeline or press Command-N (macOS) or Control-N (Windows)

2 In the Timeline Name field in the New Timeline window, type Age of Airplanes Trailer.
Leave all the other options at their defaults and click Create.
A new timeline is created in the selected bin and additional controls have appeared in
the timeline window.
NOTE For this introductory lesson you don’t need to be concerned with the
number of timeline tracks or the audio track type. In later lessons you will learn
how to configure your audio and track types based on whether you are
working with mono or stereo clips.
3 Select the Interviews bin. If required, click the sort menu and choose to sort the clips
by Clip Name in Ascending order.
11

4 Double-click the clip AA01113_01.mov to open it in the Source Viewer.
5 Play the clip from the beginning to the end.
In reality we probably don’t want to use the whole of this clip, but we can choose to
remove the unwanted parts of this later. There are never really any right or wrong ways
to edit; just more or less efficient ways.
6 Drag the clip from the source viewer to the timeline viewer. 12

A series of editing overlays appear detailing the different types of edits available to
you in DaVinci Resolve. Seasoned editors probably recognize many of these options
from other NLEs, though some are specific to DaVinci Resolve. The default is Overwrite.
7 With the Overwrite edit overlay highlighted, release the mouse.
Your first clip is edited into the timeline.
8 Play the clip back in the timeline and stop after Brian says the line “… shoot the real world.”
This is where you’ll make your next edit.

13
Controlling Playback
One of the import parts of learning to edit is effectively controlling the playback of

you video. Whilst you could use the transport controls underneath the source or
timeline viewers, keyboard shortcuts are much more effective. DaVinci Resolve’s
default keyboard layout supports all the usual shortcuts for playback professional
editors around the world will recognize. For example, you can use the spacebar to
start and stop playback and the left and right arrow keys to move forward and back
one frame at a time. More experienced users will be happy to know that the J, K
and L keys also control playback at different speeds. To explore DaVinci Resolve’s
keyboard layout in more detail you can choose DaVinci Resolve > Keyboard
Customization.
9 In the Interviews bin, double-click AB0101_01.mov to open it in the source monitor.

Play this clip through from the start. We only want to use a part of this clip. When
working with clips with audio like this, it’s useful to see a representation of the audio
waveform along with the video in the source viewer.
10 In the source viewer’s options menu, select “Show Zoomed Audio Waveform”.
How cool is that? Now as you scrub or play through this clip you can see from the
waveform where he starts and stops speaking. Nice!
14

11 Play the clip from the start once more and then stop playback just before Brian says
“If it was possible to shoot it, we wanted to go shoot it…” (at around 01:01:11:07).
NOTE Throughout this book timecode references are used as guidelines for
where the authors believe the edits work best. However, please feel free to
explore the footage and use different locations if you feel there are better
choices. Editing is, after all, a subjective as much as a creative endeavor.
12 Press I to set an In Point at this location.

15

13 Play the clip through and stop after Brian says “… everything was real” (at about
01:01:23:20).
14 Press O to set an Out point at this location. 16
15 In the timeline toolbar, click the Overwrite Clip button, or press F10.

NOTE If you are using DaVinci Resolve on macOS you may need to configure
your keyboard settings in System Preferences to “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as
standard function keys” to use the default editing shortcuts. Alternatively,
you can use the fn key with any F-key to override the macOS shortcuts.
The second interview clip is edited into the timeline starting at the position of the
timeline playhead and using only the portion marked between the in and out points
in the source. The end of the first clip has been overwritten by the new clip.
16 Press Up Arrow on your keyboard to move your timeline playhead back to the edit
between the two interview clips.
17 Press / (slash) to review the edit.
The edit is successful enough, but it’s a pretty nasty jump cut. You’ll need to add some
more footage around this interview to flesh out the story.
17
Three-point Editing
With a few notable exceptions, every edit you perform is generally referred to as

a three-point edit. This means that DaVinci Resolve is calculating what you want
to be edited and where you want it edited. In the previous example, the in and out
points you marked in the source were the first two points required; the third point
was the position of the playhead in the timeline. When you edited the first
interview clip into the timeline you were also using three-point editing; even
though you hadn’t set any in or out points, the software used the clip in the source
viewer from the beginning (the implied in point) to the end (the implied out point)
and placed it at the beginning of the timeline, not because it was the first clip but
because that was where the playhead was. Simple, eh? Throughout these
exercises try to work out the rules of three-point editing that Resolve is following
and how the in and out points (real or implied) are being used to complete the
edits. In later lessons you’ll also be making some four-point edits and edits that
use in and out points in different ways!
Insert Edits
Ok, time to add some B-Roll footage to bring Brian’s passion for airplanes alive.
18 In the Master bin, double-click the 02_A380_TAKEOFF.mov clip to load it in to the
source viewer. Play the clip from the start to review the footage.
19 Set an In Point a second or so before the plane’s wheels begin to lift off the runway 18
(around 01:00:07:00).
20 Set an out point once the tail of the plane has left the frame.

21 Making sure your timeline playhead is still on the edit point between the two interview
clips, drag the clip to the Insert overlay in the timeline viewer.
The clip is added in between the two interview clips in the timeline, but has been 19
inserted between them rather than overwriting the clip after the playhead.

22 Move the timeline playhead back to the edit between AA0113_01.mov and
02_A380_TAKEOFF.mov. This will be the location for your next edit.
NOTE Using the up and down arrow keys are fast ways of moving between
the different edit points in your timeline. If you prefer, you can always drag the
timeline playhead and it will snap to the nearest edit point so long as your
Snapping option is enabled. Press N to toggle snapping on or off.
23 Double-click 01_A380_TAXI.mov from the Master bin in the Media Pool.

Play the clip through to review. This is a nice overhead shot of the same type of plane
as you’ve just edited into the timeline, but the audio is a little distracting.
24 In the timeline, click the red outlined A1 Destination Control for the track Audio 1.
These destination controls allow you to specify which parts of the source audio or 20
video are going to be edited into the timeline. By disabling the A1 control you will no
longer automatically edit the audio from the source clip.

25 Click the Insert Clip button in the timeline toolbar, or press F9 to insert the new clip
(sans audio) into the timeline.
Cool. That’s looking a little more interesting. You’ll now insert a clip to split an
existing clip.
26 In the timeline, play through the second interview clip and stop after Brian says
“If it was possible to go shoot it, we wanted to go shoot it”.
This will be the location for your next edit.

27 In the Media Pool double-click 10_MALDIVES.mov and review the clip in the
source viewer.
28 Set an in point as you see the shadow of the plane begin to pass across the coral.
29 In the source viewer type +300 to jump the playhead forward 3 seconds.
30 Press O to set the out point.
21

31 Press F9 to insert the clip into the timeline at the playhead position.
Did you see how this edit has inserted the marked source clip by splitting the
existing interview clip’s audio and video, even though we only had video to edit?
This happened because the auto select control for the Audio 1 track is automatically
enabled. You’ll learn more about the auto select controls in the later lessons.
Removing the Excess

Ok, your edit is looking pretty good, but you’re now at the stage where you’re probably
thinking it may benefit from a little bit of trimming to remove some of the unwanted portions
of the footage.
1 Move the timeline playhead to the start of the middle interview clip and press
Command-= (macOS) or Control-= (Windows) once or twice to zoom in better on this clip.
2 Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the video portion of the clip 22
AB0102_01.mov in the timeline.

Do you notice the small chain icons on the video and audio of this clip? That means the
two parts of this clip are linked. This can be useful if you wanted to remove or move
both parts of this clip (meaning it would be quite difficult to move them out of sync with
each other for example). By using the Option key (macOS) or Alt key (Windows) you’re
momentarily overriding the linking to select just the video portion of the clip.
NOTE If you’re selecting both parts of the clip with the Option key (macOS) or
the Alt key (Windows) make sure the Link Selection function is currently active.
3 Right-click the selected video clip and select Ripple Delete from the shortcut menu,
or press Shift-Delete (Backspace).
The video portion of the clip is removed and the remaining audio tucks nicely under
the preceding shot of the A380 taking off.
Did you notice what else happened in the timeline? Because you performed a Ripple
Delete, it meant you didn’t leave a gap and the rest of the footage in the timeline
moved up, More to the point, the audio and video in the last interview clip remained in
sync. Again, this is due to the auto select control being enabled on all tracks by default.
23
NOTE If you want to see what would happen with the auto select control
looking out for you, undo the last step and disable the auto select control for

the Audio 1 track and repeat the last few steps. Remember to re-enable auto
select for Audio 1 afterwards.
Another way to remove sections of clips from your timeline is using in and out points.
4 Play through the third interview clip on the timeline.
You’re going to remove the line “…stay at that location longer…” as it’s a little repetitive
and unnecessary.
5 Click the timeline viewer’s options menu and choose “Show Timecode Overlays”.
You now see small overlays in the timeline viewer that display the source timecode of
the timeline clips.
24

6 Play through the last clip on the timeline and set an in point just before Brian says “…
stay…” (at 01:01:17:21 using the timecode overlays).
7 Add an out point after he says “…longer…” (at 01:01:19:02 using the timecode overlays).
8 Press Shift-Delete (Backspace) to ripple delete the portion between the in and out points.
25

9 Press / (slash) to preview the new edit.
Great. That’s tidied up that part of the timeline, now you’ll turn your attention to the
first clip.
Trim Edit Mode

1 Press Shift-Z to zoom back out from your timeline.
2 Press the Home Key to move the playhead back to the beginning of the timeline.
3 Press Shift-Z to return to the previous zoom level.
4 Play through the first clip.
Obviously there’s some unwanted portion of his interview we need to trim off at the
beginning here.
5 Place your timeline playhead just before Brian says “In this film…” (at about 01:00:53:05
using the timecode overlays in the timeline viewer).
6 Press T to enter Trim Edit Mode.

The Trim Edit Mode toolbar button becomes highlighted.
7 Click the beginning of the first clip and drag the edit to the right until it snaps to
your playhead.
26

TIP If snapping isn’t enabled, just press N to quickly enable it during the
trimming operation.
8 Press A to return to Selection edit Mode.

Notice that because the audio and video of this clip are linked, you’re trimming both
parts of the clip together and because you are in trim edit mode you’re automatically
rippling the timeline; all clips in the timeline on all auto select-enabled tracks after the
selected edit are being rippled to maintain their sync’ed relationships.
Adding More Tracks

Now that you’ve started refining the timeline more, you’ll possibly want to add the music
and then build in the final pictures.
1 Move your playhead back to the beginning of the timeline.
2 Select the Audio bin and locate the clip Music Score for Trailer.mov.
3 Drag this clip directly from the bin to the Place On Top overlay in the timeline viewer.
4 Press Shift-Z to show the entire timeline.
Despite its name, the Place on Top edit has actually added a new audio track below
your existing audio tracks. The Place on Top edit will actually place the edited clip into
the first available empty track in your timeline, working its way upwards through the
video tracks, or downwards through the audio tracks. If it can’t find an empty timeline
track for the duration of the source clip, then a new track is created to accommodate
the new clip. Place on Top is useful for adding B-Roll to interviews or titles as you will
see later.
You’ll need to attenuate (lower) the level of the music clip otherwise you won’t hear 27
the interview audio.
5 Use the volume curve on the Music Score for Trailer audio clip to lower the clip’s

volume by about -18db.
6 Move your timeline playhead to the edit point between the last two interview clips.
7 From the Master bin, double click the clip 08_SOUTH_POLE_DC3_.mov to open it
into the source viewer.
8 Press F10 to overwrite the whole of this clip at the playhead position, overwriting the
video of Brian’s final interview clip in the process and solving the problem of that jump
cut at the same time.
NOTE In a later lesson you will learn other options for fixing visual jump cuts.
9 Select the clip 07_KENYA.mov in the Master bin and drag across to the Append at End
timeline viewer overlay.
28

The Append at End edit will use the end of the last clip on the targeted track as the
implied in point in the timeline, irrespective of where the timeline’s playhead is. It may
not seem like it, but this is still a three-point edit.
10 From the Master bin, select 06_MILKYWAY.mov and use the timeline viewer overlays
to perform an Append at End edit.
11 Double-click 05_BAY_AREA_LIGHTS.mov to open the clip in the source viewer then
press Shift-F12 to perform an Append at End edit.
12 Press Shift-Z to show the whole timeline.
Trimming to Duration 29
You now need to trim the extra pictures to bring your edit to time.

1 Place your timeline playhead at the start of 08_SOUTH_POLE_DC3_.mov and press
Comand-= (macOS) or Control-= (Windows) once or twice to zoom in
2 Press T to enter Trim edit Mode.
3 Select the beginning of the 08_SOUTH_POLE_DC3_.mov clip and begin to drag to
the right to trim the clip.
Whoa! Do you see what’s happening? You’re trimming the beginning of the clip forward
but the interview audio is being rippled backwards!
4 Press Command-Z (macOS) or Control-Z (Windows) to undo the last step.
5 Click the auto select control for the Audio 1 track to deselect it.
6 Repeat the trim operation in Step 3 to trim the clip but not move the Interview audio.
Trim the clip so the grey duration tooltip reads about 3 secs.
30

7 Press the down arrow key to move to the next edit at the start of the 07_KENYA.mov clip.
8 Trim the beginning of this shot until the tail of the yellow plane is in shot and the clip is
about 4 secs long.
Another way to change the duration of clips and make them visually more interesting
is to adjust the speed at which the clip plays back at.
9 Right-click the 06_MILKYWAY.mov clip and choose Change Clip Speed.
10 In the Change Clip Speed dialogue box, type 225 in the Speed % box and check the
Ripple Sequence option.
31

The 06_MILKYWAY.mov clip is sped up and the trailing shot is rippled back in the
timeline with its change of duration.
11 Play through the rest of the timeline until the final beat of the music.
12 Place the timeline playhead on the final beat of the music score (at 01:00:40:00 using
the timecode overlays in the timeline viewer).
13 From the Titles bin, double-click the 11_MOVIE_CREDITS.mov clip to open it in the
source viewer.
14 Press F10 to perform an overwrite edit.
15 Press Shift-Z to view your entire timeline. 32
Before going much further, it’s always a good idea to periodically save a copy of the
timeline you’re currently working on.
Finessing the Edit

16 In the Timelines bin, select the Age of Airplanes Trailer timeline you’re working on
and choose Edit > Duplicate Clip.
A copy of your timeline appears in the same bin.
NOTE You can now continue working on the currently loaded timeline,
knowing you have a backup of your work to this point. Many editors often
like to rename the duplicated timeline so they know what they are looking
at in the bin.
17 Press Home and play your timeline to review your edit so far.
Excellent. You’ve built a fairly sophisticated trailer. However, there’s still a few things to do
before the director will be happy.
Finessing the Edit

With a backup copy of your timeline in your bin, it’s now time to start finessing the edit
further. You’ll begin by adding some sound effects to the b-roll footage to give it more of
an impact.
1 Right-click anywhere in the timeline track headers and choose Add Tracks.
2 In the Add Tracks dialogue box change the number of video tracks to 0 and the 33
number of audio tracks to 2. Ensure the Insert Position for the new audio tracks is set
to Below Audio 1 and set the track type to stereo. Click Add Tracks.
Finessing the Edit

The additional audio tracks have been added as specified.
3 Position your timeline playhead anywhere over the second clip 01_A380_TAXI.mov
and press X.
In DaVinci Resolve, X does not mark the spot, but rather marks the timeline clip under
the playhead on the lowest active auto selected track.
4 From the Audio bin, double-click SFX – jet taxi.wav to open it in the source viewer.
5 In the destination controls in the timeline, drag the red outlined A1 control to A2.
34
Finessing the Edit

This tells Resolve you want to edit the next clip into this track.
You have just completed a three-point edit, but this time you set the duration of the edit
by using in and out points in the timeline. No in or out points were set in the source, so
the implied in point was used; that is, from the start of the clip.
7 Move the timeline playhead over the clip 08_SOUTH_POLE_DC3_.mov and press X
to mark the clip.
8 Open SF-Prop.wav from the Audio bin in the Media Pool.

9 With your source viewer playhead at the start of this clip, type +200 in the source
viewer and press I to set an in point.
35
Finessing the Edit

This time, because you added an in point to the source clip, Resolve uses this point
when editing the clip into the timeline.
11 Ensure your playhead is over the next clip in the timeline, 07_KENYA.mov.
12 Press X to mark the clip.
13 From the Audio bin, open SFX – Distant prop plane.wav into the source viewer. 36
14 Set an in point roughly 3 seconds from the start of this clip.
Finessing the Edit

15 Click on the A3 destination control in the timeline track controls.
Backtiming Edits
Another editing technique that’s often used and builds on the concept of the three-point
edit is the backtimed edit. Backtiming an edit means you specify where you want a shot to
end by just adding an out point rather than an in point.
1 Place your timeline playhead over the third clip 02_A380_TAKEOFF.mov and press X
to mark the clip.
37
Finessing the Edit

2 From the Audio bin, open the clip SFX – Jet take off.wav into the source viewer.
3 Play through the clip until the sound of the jet starts to fade away (around 01:00:18:19).
4 Press O to add an out point.
NOTE For backtimed edits to work you only need an out point. If necessary,
you can remove an in point by pressing Option-I (macOS) or Alt-I (Windows).
5 Press F10 to make an overwrite edit.

38
Finessing the Edit

This time the out point you set in the source viewer has specified where the new clip
should stop. Pretty neat, yeah?
Using Replace Edits

Another technique you can use to your advantage very effectively is the replace edit. The
replace edit is slightly different to the three-point edits you’ve been using throughout this
lesson in that you’re not required to set any in or out points. Instead, the replace edit uses
the position of the timeline and source playheads to align the edits.
1 Move the timeline playhead over the clip 10_MALDIVES.mov just before you see the
wings come into shot (about 01:00:40:02 using the timeline viewer overlays for V1).
2 Open the clip SFX – Overhead.wav from the audio bin.

This is a simple sound effect file with a prominent waveform.
3 In the source viewer, position the playhead over the highest point of the waveform. 39
Finessing the Edit

4 In the timeline, click the destination control to A2.
5 Click the Replace Clip button or press F11.
6 Press / (slash) to preview the edit.
Quite effective, isn’t it? You’ll work with replace edits again in much greater detail in a
later lesson.
Now you’ve got some sound effects in your edit the whole timeline has seemed to come
Audio Mixing Basics

alive and just goes to show the importance of sound. You’ll work with audio much more
throughout later lessons, however even at this stage it’s likely that you’ll need to take on
some basic audio duties, at the very least so the director gets a sense of what the edit will
eventually sound like.
1 Press A to ensure you’re working in Selection Mode and then select all the interview
clips on the Audio 1 track.
2 Click the Inspector button in the top right corner of the interface to open the Inspector.
3 Use the Clip Volume slider to raise the level of all of these clips by about 6db.
That sorts the main levels out for Brian’s dialogue clips, but there’s a bit of a spike at
the beginning of the first clip.
4 Zoom in to the beginning of the first clip.
5 Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the volume curve line to add a keyframe
after the spike. Repeat to add a second keyframe just after the first.
41
Audio Mixing Basics

6 Lower the part of the audio curve before the first keyframe so the peak is about the
same height as the other peaks in the clip (a change of about -5db).
7 Press Shift-Z to zoom back out and see the whole timeline.
Displaying the Audio Meters?

You can see your audio levels in the edit Page by clicking on the Mixer button in
the top right corner of the interface. You can then choose to show just the meters
by clicking in the Mixer’s Options menu (the button with three dots) and choosing
Meters. This then displays the combined levels for the timeline’s currently selected
main bus. You’ll learn more about setting mains and other buses in the audio
mixing lesson.
Mixing the Sound Effects

Now it’s time to turn your attention to the sound effects you added earlier. Firstly you’ll
want to adjust the levels and then apply fades to the beginning and ends of each clip.
Fortunately DaVinci Resolve has a quick way to bypass such repetitive tasks.
1 Adjust the level of the first audio clip on the Audio 2 track, the SFX – Jet Taxi.wav clip,
by about -8db.
2 Use the default fade controls at the head and tail of the clip to apply a short fade in
and out to the clip.
42
Audio Mixing Basics

3 Select the clip in the timeline and choose Edit > Copy or press Command-C (macOS)
or Control-C (Windows).
4 Select all the other audio clips on the Audio 2 and Audio 3 tracks.
5 Choose Edit > Paste Attributes or Press Option-V (macOS) or Alt-V (Windows).
6 In the Paste Attributes dialogue box check the box for Volume in the Audio Attributes
and click Apply.
The Paste Attributes command has pasted the volume settings, including the fade handles,
to each of the selected clips. You may still want to go through the clips yourself later to
check they are the right level, but this is a great timesaver.
Adding Transitions 43
The use of transitions in your projects should always be done with great care. Any
Adding Transitions
transitions you add should be done with a consideration to the story you are telling and
should not be used if they begin detracting from that aim. As a wise man once said:
with great power, comes great responsibility.
That said, transitions are a good way to show a change of location or time that might be
a bit too abrupt for your audience if left with just a straight cut.
1 Select the edit point between 02_A380_TAKEOFF.mov and 10_MALDIVES.mov.
2 Press Command-T (macOS) or Control-T (Windows) to add the default cross

dissolve transition.
3 Press / (slash) to preview the transition.

You’ll find additional controls for your transitions in the Inspector
4 If necessary, zoom in on the transition in the timeline and select it.
5 In the Inspector, change the Video Transition Style to “Edge Wipe”, change the Angle
to about -80 and the duration to 12 frames.
6 Check the Feather box and increase the border to around 96.
44
Adding Transitions
7 Finally press / (slash) to preview the transition and channel your inner George Lucas.
NOTE You can access more transition presets by clicking on the Effects
Library button from the top left corner of the interface and selecting the
Video Transitions category.
Problems Applying Transitions

Occasionally you may have a problem applying transitions but it’s good to know that you
can use Resolves flexible Trim Edit Mode to help overcome these.
1 Select the edit point between 08_SOUTH_POLE_DC3_.mov and 07_KENYA.mov.
Notice the red bars on either side of the selected edit? This tells you that there’s no
handles or available media on one side or the other of the cut.
2 Press Command-T (macOS) or Control-T (Windows) to apply a cross dissolve transition.
45
Adding Transitions
The above dialogue appears warning you that there are insufficient handles.
As trimming clips to create the handles will shorten your timeline, this probably
isn’t something you want to happen. Instead you’ll fix this issue using a slip trim.
3 Click Cancel.
4 Press T to enter Trim Edit Mode.
5 In the timeline, zoom in on clip 08_SOUTH_POLE.mov so you can see the clip
comfortably.
6 Place your mouse cursor over the filmstrip part of the clip. It will automatically become
the slip trim icon.
7 Click and drag the clip to the right by about 1 second to slip the footage within the clip.
8 Reselect the edit point between 08_SOUTH_POLE.mov and 07_KENYA.mov and

press Command-T (macOS) or Control-T (Windows) to apply the cross dissolve.
9 Press A to return to the Selection Mode.

Adding Fusion Titles 46
The last step in this introductory editing lesson is to add a title so everyone knows who
Adding Fusion Titles

Brian is. DaVinci Resolve comes bundled with a series of templates that have been created
for your use in the Fusion Page. That doesn’t mean you have to be a compositing expert to
use them, but it does mean that you can customize them further in DaVinci Resolve’s
Fusion Page without needing any additional software. In a later lesson you’ll learn to create
your own titles, track elements within your videos and work with green screen footage in
the Fusion Page.
1 Move your playhead to the beginning of the timeline.
2 If necessary, open the Effects Library by clicking the Effects Library button in the top
left hand corner of the Edit Page.
3 In the Effects Library, select the Titles category.
The Titles category lists all the standard title generators and new Fusion Title
templates available.
4 From the list of Fusion Titles, select the template called “Lower 3rd Simple Line”.
5 Drag the Lower 3rd Simple Line title to the timeline viewer overlays and choose Place
on Top.
The Fusion title gets placed above the first video clip on a new track.
6 Place your timeline playhead over the center of the title clip. 47
The controls for this title automatically appear in the Inspector.
7 In the Inspector, double-click the Main Text bar to expand the text controls.
Adding Fusion Titles

These controls allow you to adjust the main characteristics of the text within this
Fusion Title.
8 In the Main Text box highlight the “Super Fancy Title” text and type Brian J. Terwilliger.
9 Double-click the Main Text bar again to collapse the text controls and then double-
click the Line Controls bar.
10 Change the color of the line from green to your preferred shade of yellow.
48
Carry on Cutting
11 Finally, in the timeline, trim the end of the title to the end of the first clip on Video 1.
Allow the title to cache and playback.
NOTE This title has built-in keyframed animation to bring the title in and out. In a
later lesson you will learn how you can adjust these keyframes for perfect control
over your text animations.
Carry on Cutting
Congratulations! You have just completed the first lesson in this book and should now have
a more rounded understanding of the editing toolset within DaVinci Resolve 15. However,
before you move to the next lesson you might want to put your new skills to the test as
there’s still a few things you can do to finesse this edit. Try and accomplish these tasks on
your own. Don’t forget you should duplicate your timeline to create a backup version before
you make any major changes! Good luck!
1 Trim each of the sound effect clips on Audio 2 and Audio 3 so that there’s more overlap
as one sound effect fades out and the other fades in.
2 Add keyframes to the music score clip on Audio 4 so that the volume rises after Brian’s
last line.
3 Use the Razor Edit Mode to cut up Brian’s last line and position it further down the
timeline to create more pacing for his dialogue.
4 Add more Fusion Titles for each airplane clip to highlight the many different locations
(Maldives, South Pole, Kenya) that feature in this film.
Lesson Review 49
1 True or False: DaVinci Resolve automatically saves all new projects to your
Lesson Review
computer’s Desktop?
2 What element is most often used to organize imported clips in DaVinci Resolve?
A) Folders
B) Thumbnails
C) Bins
3 What types of edits can be performed using the toolbar buttons above the timeline?
A) Overwrite
B) Insert
C) Append at End
4 True or False: DaVinci Resolve only allows you to manually add one video or audio
track at a time?
5 From which interface element in the Edit Page can you add a preset Fusion Title to
your timeline?
A) The Inspector
B) Edit Index
C) Effects Library
Answers 50
1 False. All new projects are saved into the currently active database.
Lesson Review
2 Bins are most commonly used to organize imported clips in DaVinci Resolve.
3 A and B. The Toolbar has buttons for performing Overwrite, Insert and Replace edits.
Append at End edits can be performed using the Timeline Viewer overlays, the Edit >
Append at End of Timeline menu option or by pressing Shift-F12.
4 False. You can add as many video and audio tracks as you require by choosing the
Add Tracks option after right-clicking in the timeline track headers.
5 C. Preset Fusion Titles can be added from the Titles category of the Effects Library
in the Edit Page.
Lesson 2
Managing Dailies
and Edit Prep
While DaVinci Resolve 15 is a superior Time

editing, audio mixing, visual effects, and color This lesson takes approximately
grading system, it can also play a key role 60 minutes to complete.
on-set before a single edit is made. In this
lesson, you’ll focus on some of the incredibly Goals
powerful yet lesser-known, or often
overlooked, Resolve functions that will help
during production as you organize and Customizing New Projects 57
optimize high-resolution, camera-original Syncing Dailies 59
media, and generally prepare everything Modifying Clip Audio Channels 64
ready for your edit. Configuring Metadata Presets 67
Creating Power Bins 76
Lesson Review 83
The most important asset of any project is the camera-original media. It is irreplaceable,
Backing up Source Files

and if corrupted in any way, the alternatives can be painful. So, it makes sense that the very
first thing you must do is to back up that original media.
1 Open DaVinci Resolve and, in the Project manager, create a new project. Name your
project R15 Editing Lesson02 EditPrep.
You’ll use this empty project to back up content from disk image file which you will use
to simulate plugging in a drive with new media. However, you could just as easily use
a C-Fast or SD card from a camera.
NOTE To complete the next few steps in this exercise, you will need to have
approximately 2.5 GB of available storage on your system.
2 Click the Media page button, or press Shift-2.

The Media page is the most efficient page for importing and organizing media, syncing
clips, and adding metadata. It is also where you can back up camera-original media
using the clone tool.
3 To display the clone tool, click the Clone tool button in the upper-left of the toolbar.
A new window opens between the Media storage browser and the viewer which you
can use to create a backup of media cards, folders, or even an entire drive of content.
4 At the bottom of the Clone tool panel, click the Add Job button. 53

Each item you want to clone or back up is considered a job. You can add as many jobs
as you like and then create clones of content all at once. You add content by dragging
a folder, a disk image, or camera card content from the Media storage browser into the
Clone tool panel.
5 Open a new Finder window (macOS) or Explorer window (Windows), and navigate
to R15 Editing 201 > Lessons > Lesson 02 Edit Prep. Double-click the R15_Editing_
Lesson02.iso file to open it.
This ISO file is a disk image that will appear on your system as a virtual hard drive.
You have just simulated plugging in an external source, such as a hard drive or camera
media card.
6 Return to DaVinci Resolve.
In the list of media storage locations, a new source called Lesson02_Media is
now available.
7 Drag Lesson02_Media into the Clone tool panel’s Source area. 54

Each job requires at least one destination for the cloned media; however, you can add
multiple destinations to create multiple backups at once.
8 In the Media storage browser, navigate to the “R15 Editing 201 > Lessons > Lesson 02
Edit Prep” folder, and drag the “Backup destination” folder into the Clone tool panel’s
Destination area.
TIP You can also Right-click a folder in any media storage location,
and choose “Set as Clone Source” or “Add as Clone Destinations”.
9 In the upper-right corner of the clone tool panel, in the options menu, choose Checksum
Type > MD5.
A checksum is a way to detect and prevent errors that can occur during the copy 55
operation. Several checksum methods are available, but MD5 checksum has become
the industry standard, and studios that require checksums with media offload on set

will typically require it.
10 Click the Clone button at the bottom of the Clone tool panel to begin the backup.
During this time, you can continue using Resolve.
11 When the copy is complete, a green Complete label appears on the job in the
Clone tool.
12 In your operating system’s interface, navigate to the R15 Editing 201 > Lessons >
Lesson 02 Edit Prep > Backup destination folder.
In addition to containing the entire contents of the disk image, the backup destination
includes a MD5 checksum text document that reports any errors as a result of the
checksum verification.
13 Return to Resolve, and in the toolbar, click the Clone tool button to close the panel.
14 In the Media storage locations, Right click the Lesson02_Media location, and choose 56
Unmount Drive to unmount the drive from your system, thereby allowing it to be
removed safely.

NOTE For Windows users, if the disk image does not unmount using the above
method, you can always right-click the mounted disk image and choose “Eject”.
Cloning your camera-original content is so essential that it is worth putting DaVinci Resolve
on set, so a backup can be performed even before the set is struck and everyone goes
home. In so doing, you can clone and check the media; and if something is wrong, you will
know to reshoot right away with the least impact on schedules and budgets.
Customizing New Projects 57
After you have backed up all your content, configuring the actual project that you want to
Customizing New Projects

work on can be made easier if you have created presets for the most common project
types that you’ll work on.
Rather than checking your project settings each time you open a project, you can configure
options in the Project settings window and save those as your defaults. So, every time you
open a new project under your user profile, DaVinci Resolve will default to those settings.
Plus, you can also load these presets into existing projects.
1 Choose File > Project settings, or press Shift-9 to open the Project settings window.
2 In the Master settings, set the “Timeline resolution” to “1280 x 720 HD 720P”,
and ensure that the “Timeline frame rate” is set to 24 frames per second.
3 Click the Presets category.

4 In the Presets panel, click the Save button to save the current configuration.
The selected preset is always the Current Project, which means that only the open
project will contain these settings. You also can save a preset to apply to other projects.
5 Select the “Current Project” preset you’ve just updated, and choose “Save as”. 58
Enter the new preset name as R15 Editing, and click OK.
Customizing New Projects

Your settings for this project are now saved. To quickly apply them to any project
in this database, you can select the preset, and click “Load”.
If you want every new project to open using a specific configuration, you can save
any preset into the guest default config setting.
6 Right-click the R15 Editing setting and choose Save as User Default config.
The preset is copied into the guest default config. Now, every new project you
create will use those settings.
59
TIP You can also transfer settings from any project to the current project in the
Project manager. To do so, press Shift-1to open the Project manager, right-click any
Syncing Dailies
project, and choose “Load Project settings to Current Project”. A dialog box asks
you to confirm replacing your current project’s settings. To do so, click “Load
Project settings”.
Project presets allow you to easily create, manage, and switch between presets to enable
the various project resolutions, frame rates, and other settings that you might need to work
with. Project presets can save nearly every parameter and setting across all panels in the
Project settings window; however, only the “guest default config” is used as the default
for new projects.
Syncing Dailies
Now you’ll import the dailies into your project and begin organizing the media by syncing
any audio and video clips that were recorded on separate devices. Some productions
record audio on dedicated digital audio devices to capture the highest quality audio, or
when it’s not practical or desirable to record audio directly to a camera. When the files
come in from the day’s shoot, you’ll need to sync the separate audio and video clips.
In some cases, you can auto sync these using timecodes found on both clips, or by
comparing camera-recorded audio with the separate audio clips. In some instances,
you may not be so lucky and you will need to manually sync your clips.
1 In the Media storage browser, navigate to R15 Editing 201 > Lessons > Lesson 02
Edit Prep> Backup destination.
This was the destination location you set in the Clone tool when copying the disk
image in the previous exercise.
2 Select all three folders. Right-click any of the folders, and choose “Add folder and
SubFolders into Media pool (Create Bins)”.
3 In the Media pool, switch to list view, and click the Clip name header to sort the bin
in ascending order. (The arrow will point up.)
4 In the bin list, click the Video clips bin, and then Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click 60
(Windows) the Audio Clips bin to display the contents of both bins in the Media pool.
Syncing Dailies
5 Double-click CLIP0001.mov.
Play through the interview with Sasha in the viewer.

This clip has poor audio, possibly because it was recorded using the on-camera
microphone.
6 Double-click Audio0001.wav, and play through this clip in the viewer. 61
This clip contains the correct audio for Sasha’s interview.
7 In the Media pool, select CLIP0001.mov and Audio0001.wav, right-click either file,
Syncing Dailies
and choose Auto-sync Audio > Based on Waveform.
8 From the recent clips pop-up menu at the top of the viewer, choose CLIP0001.mov,
and play it to hear the newly synchronized picture and sound.
TIP If you have many clips to sync in this manner, you can select multiple audio
and video clips, right-click one of them, and choose Auto-sync Audio > Based
on Waveform to let Resolve work its magic and sync them all automatically.
Resolve automatically matches the waveforms of the two pieces of audio to correctly
sync the production audio with the video clip.
Syncing Manually 62
The previous example worked well, but sometimes automatic operations don’t work
Syncing Dailies
as smoothly.
1 Double-click CLIP0002.mov to open it in the viewer, and play through the clip.
Because no audio was recorded with this clip, you have no audio waveform with which
to auto-sync the clip.
2 In the Audio panel, click the Waveform tab to prepare to display the audio waveform
of a selected clip.
3 In the Media pool, select Audio0002.wav. The waveform viewer will update to show
the audio waveform of this clip.
You will need to manually sync these two clips. To do so, you need to position the
playheads for the video clip and the audio clip where you think the clips align.
4 In the viewer, drag the jog bar through the clip until you see Sasha clap his hands.
5 Press the Left and right arrow keys to position the playhead on the exact frame where
his hands are together at 03:30:31:19.
63
Syncing Dailies
6 In the Audio panel, drag the jog bar until you see the first waveform peak that indicates
the hand clap at 03:30:31:17.
7 Press the Left and right arrow keys to position the audio panel playhead on the audio
peak of the hand clap.
64
TIP Audio scrubbing is a useful feature when trying to identify a particular
location on an audio clip. Choose Timeline > Audio Scrubbing, or press Shift-S,
Modifying Clip Audio Channels

to toggle it on and off.
8 At the bottom of the audio panel, click the Link/Unlink Audio button.
The transport controls beneath the audio window disappear; and the clips are now
linked. Let’s make sure that the sound and picture are lined up correctly.
9 Move the playhead to the beginning of CLIP0002.mov, and click play to verify the
picture and sound are in sync.
TIP If you’re not entirely happy with your results, clicking the Link/Unlink
Audio button again will unlink the clips and allow you to readjust the sync
relationship all.
While it is much easier to use Resolve’s auto sync feature to sync clips based on their
timecodes or audio waveforms, being able to manually sync clips is also useful if the audio
has a transient audio signal that you can visually locate in the video. That’s why most
dual-system setups use clapperboards to help in this process.

The next step in your edit prep process is to ensure that the audio in the project is
configured correctly. You can do that in the Clip attributes window.
1 In the Media pool, click the CLIP0003.mov clip to select it.
2 Shift-click CLIP0012.mov to also select it and all the video clips in-between.
Even though one clip doesn’t have audio, you can simultaneously modify those clips
that do have audio in the Clip attributes window.
3 Right-click any of the selected clips, and choose Clip attributes. 65

In the Clip attributes window, you can configure various aspects of how clips are
displayed, played, and heard.
4 Click the Audio tab.
In the Audio tab, you may change the number of tracks used when editing the clip into
the timeline, the configuration of the individual channels within those tracks and
whether those channels are used or muted. In this case, you’re working with stereo
clips; but because this audio was recorded in-camera, it makes sense to configure
these as mono clips.
66
NOTE You can individually configure multiple tracks with different
configurations for each clip, depending on the audio formats supplied to you

and how clips will be used throughout the edit.
5 In the Format column pop-up menu, choose Mono to reconfigure the current audio
track as mono, and set the Source channel to Embedded Channel 1.
6 In the uppermost Format pop-up menu, choose Mono. Click Add to insert another
mono track, and change its Source channel to Embedded Channel 2.
7 Click OK to save the setting and close the window.

These clips are all now correctly configured with two tracks of mono audio.
67
TIP To remove an audio track and its configuration from any clip, move your mouse
pointer over the track, and click the trash can icon that appears to the right.
Configuring Metadata Presets

Clip attributes encompass several useful configuration features, but you’ll want to configure
most of them before you edit a clip into a timeline. Once clips are placed into a timeline, any
changes you make to the clips attributes in the Media pool will affect only new edits. Existing
edits in any timeline conform to the clip attributes in place at the time the edit was made. You
can adjust these within the timeline by right-clicking the clip, and choosing Clip attributes.

As useful as metadata is, it can become overwhelming. Resolve has several metadata
categories you can use to reduce metadata to a manageable subset of the whole.
However, you can customize metadata presets to display only the information you most
need or want to see.
1 Choose DaVinci Resolve > Preferences, or press Cmd-, (comma) in macOS or ctrl-,
(comma) in Windows.
2 In the preferences window, click the User tab, and select the Metadata category
to the left.
In the Metadata presets pane, you can create, modify, and delete custom
metadata presets.
3 Click the New button to create a new metadata preset, and name it my metadata
preset. Click OK.
In the lower-half of the Metadata pane, under Metadata options, you’ll see all the 68
metadata you might add to the preset.
4 Select the checkboxes for Description, Keywords, Scene, and Shot.

5 At the upper-right of the Metadata options, click Save to save your changes to the preset.
6 Click Save at the bottom of the preferences window to save and close the
preferences panel.
7 In the Media pool, select one or more clips; and if necessary, click the Metadata
button to open the Metadata editor to the right of the interface.
8 Click the options menu, and choose the new “my metadata preset”. Click the sort
menu, and choose All Groups.
TIP Your preset will appear blank in the Metadata editor unless it is first set
to show all groups or a subset that contains all the fields of your preset.
Using this preset, fields for the four selected metadata items appear in the metadata
editor. Currently, the fields are empty for all the clips in the Media pool; you could enter
this information manually, or if the information exists outside of DaVinci Resolve, you
could import it.
Importing Metadata 69
You have many ways to populate your clips with metadata. Some may be entered on the

camera during production, although metadata is rarely a priority for the camera operator or
an assistant. You can enter it manually, which very few people want (or have the time) to do.
Or, you can assign someone on set to be responsible for entering metadata in a simple
CSV (comma-separated values) format. Many smart slate apps now store metadata such
as shot, scene take, and more. You can then import that data into Resolve using the CSV
format and save yourself hours of work in the cutting room.
1 Choose File > Import Metadata to > Media pool.
2 In the file dialog, navigate to R15 Editing 201 > Lessons > Lesson 02 Edit Prep. Select
CC-metadata.csv, and click Open.
The Metadata Import dialog allows you to choose how you want Resolve to match the
clips with additional metadata. In this case, you can match clips based on their file
names and timecodes.
3 Deselect the “Match using clip start and end Timecode” box. 70
4 Click OK to import the metadata.
The metadata is imported and added to the clips based on matching file names.

5 Verify the added information by clicking a few of the clips and viewing their metadata
in the Metadata editor.
Your clips now include scene, shot, description and keyword information. This metadata
will help as you organize and rename the clips to something more useful than the cryptic
file names given to them by the camera.
Renaming Clips with Metadata

Clip names from a camera, or almost any capture device, are often an alphanumeric string
that typically includes the date and time that the clip was made. They are not always the
most descriptive names and often need to be changed for editing purposes. Entering clip
names manually is one way to address this, but it is not the only way (or even the more
efficient way) to rename them.
Variables are references to other metadata that exist on the clip such as scene, take, and
shot number—so-called because variables are not the same for each clip. You can enter a
variable into the clip name and Resolve will reference the correct information for each clip
(provided the information is present). For example, you can use the metadata you’ve just
entered to change the generic names of the clips in your Video clips bin to more
descriptive names.
1 Select the Video clips bin, and press Cmd-A (macOS) or Ctrl-A (Windows) to select all
the video clips in the bin.
2 Right-click any of the selected clips and choose Clip attributes.
3 In the Clip attributes window, select the Name tab.
4 In the Clip name field, type a % (percentage sign). 71

Entering % indicates that you are about to enter a variable. When you enter that %,
a list of variables appears.
5 Press K to begin typing, and enter key, to see all of the variables that start with a “k”.
6 In the pop-up menu, click Keyword to add it to the Clip name field.
7 Press the spacebar to add a space after this variable. Type %des and choose Description.
You can combine text that you enter with preset variables to create a more descriptive
clip name. For instance, you can type a space to separate each variable, and add the
word “shot” before each shot number.
8 Enter a space after the description variable, type shot, and enter another space.
9 Type %sh to display all the variables with an “sh,” and in the pop-up menu, choose 72
Shot to add it into the Clip name field.

10 Click OK to close the window, and apply the clip name variables.
The clip names now show a combination of the keywords, descriptions and shot
numbers for each clip.
If you have the metadata attached to your clips, you should use it. Naming clips with
variables can save hours of manual typing and provide clear, descriptive names that
you can match with other documents in a production like camera logs and script notes.
Searching with Metadata 73
You also can use this metadata to find clips quickly and easily. Being able to find the

material you want or need as rapidly as possible means you can more effectively focus
on the story and the flow of your edit.
1 Select the Video clips bin.
2 At the top of the Media pool, click the magnifying glass button to reveal the search field.
By default, the search criteria for the selected bin is set to search across a clip’s file name.
3 In the “Filter by” pop-up to the right of the search field, choose All fields.
Resolve will search across all the available metadata fields.
4 In the search bar, enter ext to display all the exterior shots that have EXT as a keyword.
5 In the search bar, highlight ext, and enter Sasha to reveal the two shots that have
Sasha entered into their description fields.
6 Clear the search bar by clicking the x to the right to return to the full list of media in the
Video clips bin.
Resolve’s powerful and responsive search feature lets you leverage the flexibility of
metadata to easily find Media pool clips in even the largest project.
You’re probably already familiar with using bins in DaVinci Resolve to store and organize
Saving Searches using Smart Bins

your media. However, Smart Bins provide a clever way to automatically filter your media
based on various rules that you define. They can be a powerful way to quickly organize
an entire project.
1 In the Smart Bins area of the Media pool, right-click and choose Add Smart Bin.
The Create Smart Bin window appears.

2 Enter Interviews as the name of this Smart Bin.
3 Click the File Name option, press K, and choose Keywords.
4 In the field to the right of the window, type interview.
5 Click Create Smart Bin.

This Smart Bin contains only media that has “interview” in the keywords metadata
fields. If you were to add this keyword to any other clip, it would also automatically
appear in this Smart Bin.
6 Right-click in your list of Smart Bins, and choose Add Smart Bin.
7 Name this Smart Bin B-Roll.
8 Choose Media pool Properties, Keywords, and “does not contain”, and in the final field, 75
enter interview.
Saving Searches using Smart Bins

9 Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the + (plus sign) button to add another
set of criteria.
10 Change the All pop-up on this new set of rules to Any.
11 Click the Keywords pop-up menu , and press C to move to Clip name. Press C again
to move to Clip Type, and choose Clip Type.
12 In the final pop-up menu, choose “Video”.
13 Click the + (plus sign) button, and choose “Video+Audio” in the final pop-up menu.
14 Click Create Smart Bin to save this Smart Bin with its rules.
This Smart Bin now contains any clip without the “Interview” keyword, but only if it is a
clip that contains just video, or a clip that contains video and audio, thereby excluding
clip types such as timelines, compound clips, or multicam clips from finding their way
into this Smart Bin.
Finally, you may need to create a Smart Bin for media based on a resolution, codec
or framerate.
15 Right-click in your Smart Bins list, and choose Add Smart Bin.
16 Name this Smart Bin Misc Media.
17 Change the second pop-up menu to Resolution. (You can repeatedly press R to
cycle through the metadata that begins with the letter R.) Set the third pop-up menu
to “is not”, and the next two fields to 1280 x 720.
76
Creating Power Bins

18 Click Create Smart Bin.
This Smart Bin collects the two pieces of media in this project that have a video
resolution other than 720p.
TIP To change the rules of any current Smart Bin, right-click the Smart Bin,
and choose “Edit Smart Bin”.
As you can see, coupled with the power of metadata, Resolve has some flexible and detailed
searching functions; so, you should always be confident you’ll be able to find your media.
One word of caution, however, is that a search is only as good as the quality of the available
metadata. Sometimes a simple spelling mistake can thwart all of a search engine’s benefits.
Creating Power Bins

Bins and Smart Bins are great organizational tools to use within a project. The Power Bin
is a third bin type that can assist you with organization. Unlike regular bins or Smart Bins
which exist only within the current project, Power Bins appear in every project you create
within a database. They are useful for storing elements you want to reuse across multiple
projects such as graphics, titles, sound effects or music files.
1 Choose View > Show Power Bins.
Power Bins are displayed in the Media pool above the Smart Bins.
77
Creating Power Bins

2 Select the Power Bin’s Master bin, and press Shift-Cmd-N (macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-N
(Windows) to add a new Power Bin. Name the bin Logo.
3 Select the Graphics bin that’s currently in your project.
This bin contains a file called CC-logo.tif.
4 Drag CC-logo.tif to the Logo Power Bin.
Because Power Bins appear in every project you create, this image file will be available
for any project you have in your current database.
NOTE Multicam, Compound Clips, Fusion Clips or Timelines cannot be placed

in Power Bins.
The next time you find yourself with a series of projects that share elements such as sound
effects, graphics, or common video elements, Power Bins can be a powerful tool to save
you time copying clips into different projects.
One of the last steps you might choose to do before you begin editing in earnest is to
Optimizing Clips for Editing

consider optimizing high-resolution media. Working with camera-original content is ideal
when color grading but it can slow you down if it over-taxes the hardware you’re working on.
As you are trying out different shots, trimming and adjusting clips, you need a proper feel for
the pacing of a scene and the changes you’re making. A computer that isn’t able to process
media efficiently at its current resolution can result in a frustrating editing experience.
If you plan to edit and color grade on the same computer, Resolve includes a convenient
method for creating lower-resolution clips while retaining a relationship with the camera
originals. Generating optimized media enables the speed you want when editing, yet leaves
you only one click away from the camera-original media when you need it for color grading.
1 In the Misc Media Smart Bin, select SF Bay Sunset Shot 15.
This clip is at 4000 x 2160 resolution and uses the Apple ProRes 4444 XQ codec. It is
considerably larger than the other clips, and may therefore slow down your computer
as you edit. You’d be well advised to generate optimized media for this clip. Before you
do so, however you’ll want to configure the resolution and codec to be used to create
the optimized file.
2 Choose File > Project settings, or press Shift-9, and choose the Master settings category.
The Optimized Media and Render Cache area of the Master settings pane includes
options for selecting the resolution and compression codec of the optimized media.
3 Click the Optimized Media resolution pop-up menu to view its options.
You can choose to scale down the clip by a specific percentage or allow the automatic
setting to make the decision for you. “Choose Automatically” scales down only those
clips that are larger than the timeline resolution. Such clips are scaled down to the
current timeline resolution or as closely as possible to the original resolution. Clips at
the timeline resolution or lower are not scaled.
4 Choose Quarter. 79
Using this setting will create an optimized version of this file that is 1000 x 540 resolution.
5 In the Optimized Media format pop-up menu, choose ProRes 422 Proxy (macOS) or

DNxHR LB (Windows).
These two compression formats are low bandwidth, so they will provide better
performance as you edit.
Now you can return to the Media pool and generate optimized media for the clip.
6 Click Save to close the Project settings window.
7 With SF Bay Sunset shot 015 still selected, right-click the clip, and choose Generate
Optimized Media.
The creation of the optimized file begins and a progress bar indicates how long it will
take to process the clip. Once finished, the new media is stored on your cache disk in
the first location set in the Media storage Panel of the System Preferences.
Identifying Optimized Media 80
With a simple project such as you have here, it is easy to remember which clips you have

optimized and which you haven’t. However, in a real-world project with dozens of bins and
hundreds of clips, you’ll need a way to quickly identify optimized clips.
1 Select the B-Roll Smart Bin. Review the columns of the Video clips bin, and locate the
resolution and codec columns.
For this optimized clip, the columns still display the camera-original resolution and
codec. Remember, the optimized media did not replace the camera-original files.
They still exist on your hard drive and are linked to these clips. So, Resolve continues
to display the camera-original parameters.
TIP To delete optimized media for an entire project, choose Playback > Delete
Optimized Media.
2 Right-click any column heading in the bin, and in the list of column options, choose
Optimized Media.
The Optimized Media column displays None in the columns of clips that have no
optimized media, whereas it displays the optimized resolution for clips that have
been optimized.
3 Double click the SF Bay Sunset shot 015 clip to load it into the viewer. 81
You can easily switch between the optimized media and the original files in the
playback menu.

4 Place the playhead near the middle of this clip so you can see a silhouetted profile
of the cyclist.
5 Use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in on the image to around 300%, or in the upper-
left corner of the viewer, click the magnification pop-up menu, and choose 300%.
6 Hold down your middle mouse button and drag to reposition the image in the viewer
until you can see the edge of the cyclist’s silhouette against the brighter background.
82

7 Choose Playback > Use Optimized Media If Available to deselect the option.
You should notice the compression artefacts disappear around the edges of the cyclist 83
when you switch between the optimized media and the original clip. Let’s switch back
to observe how the clip appears less sharp.
Lesson Review
8 Choose Playback > Use Optimized Media If Available.
9 In the magnification pop-up menu, choose Fit to return to viewing the entire frame in
the viewer.
DaVinci Resolve displays one of the two files based on the menu choice. Choosing
Optimized Media will help you work faster during the edit because Resolve won’t have to
process the full image resolution, but you can quickly and freely switch to the high-
resolution image for grading or other purposes.
Each project starts with a phase of importing and organizing footage. The features covered
in this lesson highlight how DaVinci Resolve can benefit your post-production workflow
before you even step into the cutting room.
Now you’ve seen some of the organizational aspects of working with Resolve, let’s look
at some of the more advanced techniques you can employ during editing.
Lesson Review
1 When using the clone tool, what is the default checksum type?
A) None
B) SHA 512
C) MD5
2 True or False? You can save a preset of your current project settings for future
project configuration.
3 What methods can you use to auto sync sound to video files in the Media page?
A) Waveform
B) Timecode
C) Markers
4 Which type of bin can you access across different projects in the same database?
A) Smart Bins
B) Super Bins
C) Power Bins
5 True or False? Optimized media replaces your original media files.

Answers 84
1 C. MD5.
Lesson Review
2 True. Project presets are saved in the Presets panel of the Project settings.
3 A. Waveform, and b. Timecode.
4 C. Power Bins.
5 False. Optimized Media is generated and stored in the first location set in the Media
storage panel in DaVinci Resolve > Preferences, and is used when Playback > Use
Optimized Media if Available is enabled.
Lesson 3
Cutting a Dialogue
Scene
Editing a dialogue scene is often done by Time

establishing the location and cutting between This lesson takes approximately
shots as they would play out in real time. 60 minutes to complete.
Commonly known as continuity editing, this
technique is centered around cutting Goals
between two (or more) shots, alternating
back-and-forth to each character as their
dialogue and reactions warrant. In this lesson, Editing with Continuity 92
you’ll apply this continuity technique to a Match Frame with an Offset 96
scripted scene. You’ll start with one of the Going Beyond the Straight Cut 99
most firmly established conventions in Auditioning Multiple Takes 106
cinema—the shot/reverse-shot—and see how
Lesson Review 111
DaVinci Resolve 15’s editing, match framing,
and trimming tools can speed up this classic
editing style.
Editing is a series of choices. Your first choice is often to sort through the daily collection
Selecting your Best Takes

of clips and single out the best takes. After that, you can start to block out the scene.
Watching each take and choosing those parts that feature the best performances is often
the most time-consuming part of your entire editing process, but it is also a critical step in
becoming familiar with the available content available and identifying which shots might and
might not work. In Resolve, creating subclips is one way to help identify the best selections,
or selects, within each clip. A subclip is a totally new instance of a clip that you create from a
selection within a longer clip. By creating subclips of your content, you can avoid repeatedly
sifting through long clips looking for a particular bit you remember. If you make subclips
while locating the good bits within clips, you’ll instantly be able to find them again.
NOTE When working in Resolve, you often have a choice of many routes to the
same result. The workflows described in this book have proven to be creative,
efficient, and flexible for each task. They also emulate workflows that many editors
use on a regular basis. Ultimately, however, your preferred workflows will emerge
from your own methods and experiences.
1 In the Project manager, right-click and choose Import. Navigate to R15 Editing 201 >
Lessons > Lesson 03 Dialogue, and select R15 Editing Lesson 03 Dialogue.drp. Click
Open, and click OK to import the project into your Project manager.
2 Open the project, and relink media files.
3 On the Edit page, in the Media pool bin list, select the “Dailies day 02” bin.
4 Drag all three clips in this bin into the source viewer.
By dragging these clips into the source viewer at the same time, you can access
them using the recent clips pop-up menu at the top of the viewer. Doing so provides
an easy way to switch between the last 10 clips you loaded in the source viewer
without searching for them in the Media pool.
87

5 If it’s not already open in the viewer, select 02_Dr_Sarah Close Up_.mov in the
recent clips pop-up menu to load it into the source viewer.
This clip starts with a clapper and takes a good 20 seconds to get going. Instead of
watching or scrubbing through the unusable range each time you return to this clip,
you can make new subclips based on in and out points that you set.
6 Scrub through the clip until just before the woman enters from the left at around 88
01:00:35:00.

7 Play the take until she turns her head toward the camera and stop playback.
The director has decided that the bald male actor is not making the cut, but you
can still use the remaining portion of the take.
8 In the source viewer, type 46. (period) on the keypad, and press Enter to move
the playhead to 01:00:46:00.
This location is far enough into the clip to cut out most of the bald actor and makes 89
for a good starting point for your subclip.
9 Press I to mark an in point that identifies the start of your subclip.

10 Play the clip until you hear the director yell, “Cut” at around 01:01:10:00, and mark
an out point.
11 To make a subclip based on these in and out points, choose Mark > Create SubClip,
or press Option-B (macOS) or Alt-B (Windows).
In the Media pool, in list view, look at the contents of the Dailies day 02 bin. You can
see that a new clip is underneath its parent clip. Notice that the word “subclip” is
appended to the file name. You might find it useful to keep these subclips in a separate
bin so you don’t confuse them with the original source clips.
12 Choose File > New Bin, or press Shift-Cmd-N (macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-N (Windows) to
create a new bin. Name this bin Subclips.
13 Select the Dailies day 02 bin. Drag the 02_DrSarah_Close_Up_.mov subclip to 90
the Subclips bin, and select the Subclips bin to see its contents.

14 In the source viewer recent clips pop-up menu, choose 03_DrSarah_Wide_Take 1_.mov
to open it in the source viewer.
15 Play the clip from the beginning and mark an in point when the bald actor begins
to walk away at around 01:02:55:00.
16 Press L twice to fast forward to the end of the clip where the director yells, “Cut”
at around 01:03:50:00, and mark an out point.
17 Press Option-B (macOS) or Alt-B (Windows) to create another subclip in your currently
selected Subclips bin.
18 In the source viewer recent clips pop-up menu, choose 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take 2_.mov.
19 Again, because this is a second take of the wide shot, play the clip from the beginning, 91
and mark an in point when the bald actor begins to walk away.
20 Press L twice to fast forward to the end of the clip where the director yells, “Cut,” and

mark an out point.
21 This time, drag the marked clip from the source viewer back into the Subclips bin in
the Media pool.
The new subclip is added to the bin.

Although a subclip is totally independent of its source clip, it does differ from placing a
duration marker to identify a portion of a clip, which is a technique you may already be
familiar with. Unlike ranges identified by duration markers, you can organize subclips
into their own bins, load them into the source viewer, add metadata, and edit them into
the timeline using any of the editing functions in Resolve. In effect, you’re treating them
exactly like any other source clip.
TIP You can convert existing in and out points into duration markers by
choosing Mark > Convert In and Out to Duration Marker, or convert existing
duration markers to in and out points by choosing Mark > Convert Duration
Marker to In and Out.
However, remember that when you edit using a duration marker to identify a portion of
a source clip, you still have handles available on either side of the marker after it is
placed in the timeline. By default, a subclip has no handles beyond the initial in and out
points you used to create it.
Modifying Subclips 92
To simulate handles in a subclip, it’s useful to set your initial in and out points a little before
Editing with Continuity

and after the portion you want to subclip, thereby leaving a little bit of wiggle room when
you later trim the clips.
However, when you find that you need a few extra frames extra not included in your
subclip, you can always extend the boundaries of that subclip.
1 Double-click the 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take 2_.mov Subclip to load it into the source
viewer and see the full extent of the subclip you created in the previous steps.
2 In the Media pool, right-click the 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take2_.mov Subclip, and choose
Edit Subclip.
In the dialog that appears, you can adjust the subclip’s start and end values or remove
the limits of the subclip entirely.
3 Change the New Subclip Start time to 10 seconds earlier and click Update.
The source viewer updates the positions of the in and out points to reflect this change,
and the bald-headed man is once more included in this subclip.

One method to use when cutting dialogue is to first identify which take is the master shot,
a clip that represents a complete good take in terms of dialogue and action. Ideally, this clip
can form the backbone of the scene. You can then replace part of that master shot with
close-ups and reaction shots that build both time and space continuity.
TIP When you don’t have one shot that works as a master shot, you can assemble
a very rough cut that effectively blocks out the scene and represents a clear idea
of the target.
In the following exercise, a quick master shot timeline was created for you.
1 In the timelines bin, double-click the “Party’s over edit” timeline to open it in the 93
timeline viewer.

This timeline will act as the master shot for this scene. Let’s play it to see how the scene
should unfold.
2 Play the timeline from start to end.
This master shot focuses on the FBI agents, so it is up to you to add reverse angle
shots of the doctor. Some editors call the next step “removing the air;” but, more
precisely, it consists of eliminating unnatural intonations or pauses in the dialogue
when you cut between reverse angles.
3 In the “Party’s over edit” timeline, navigate to the cut point between the first two clips,
and mark an in point.
4 Play the clip until the FBI agent says the doctor’s name, and you hear her off-screen
response, “Yeah?” Mark an out point just before the agent speaks again, around
01:00:11:20.
5 In the Subclips bin, double-click 02_DrSarah_Close Up_.mov Subclip to open it in the

source viewer.
Let’s start by marking an out point because it will be easier to locate.
6 Play the clip until the doctor turns her head, and mark an out point just after she says, 94
“Ah yes?”

You need just a bit of this clip to show the party scene and introduce the lead
female character.
7 In the source viewer, type -3. (minus sign, 3,period), and press Enter to move the
playhead back three seconds.
Because this dialog is just incidental chit-chat before the doctor turns, you can place
an in point here.
8 Press I to mark an in point.
Unfortunately, you have a slight timing problem here: all four marked points are well
placed, but the resulting durations of your two selections differ. You can preview the
edit using the preview marks.
9 Choose View > Show Preview Marks.
The preview marks display a virtual outpoint in the timeline ruler to indicate where 95
the source clip’s out point will land.
10 Press F10, or click the Overwrite Clip button above the timeline.

Performing an overwrite edit limits the edit based on the shorter source clip and leaves
a long pause as the FBI agent walks into frame. If you were to proceed with this edit,
you would have to trim the pause to correct for the continuity of the scene.
11 Choose Edit > Undo, or press Cmd-Z (macOS) or Ctrl-Z (PC)
Fortunately, Resolve has a unique edit called ripple overwrite that will overwrite the
source clip and appropriately trim the timeline with just one click. The ripple overwrite
replaces a selection in the timeline with a clip of a different length and does so without
opening a gap or overwriting the adjacent clip .
12 Choose Edit > Ripple Overwrite or press Shift-F10 to perform the ripple overwrite edit.
In the timeline, play over the edit to verify that you have successfully overwritten the 96
unwanted part of the clip with a shot that introduces the doctor. This time, the frames
between the preview mark and the timeline’s out point were automatically removed by
Match Frame with an Offset

the ripple overwrite edit.
You’ve just used a continuity editing style by alternating shots between the doctor and the
FBI agents. These shot/reverse shot sequences create a sense of space by matching the
characters’ eyelines along the axis of action (that is, the 180-degree line). The FBI agents are
looking to the left at the doctor, and in her shot, the doctor is looking to the right at the agents.

Let’s try another example of continuity editing by cutting in another reaction shot of the
doctor. This time you’ll use Resolve’s match frame feature to keep the source clip and
timeline in sync, making it easier to cut in reverse angles.
1 In the timeline, position the playhead at the end of 02_DrSarah_Close Up_.mov Subclip.
2 Play the timeline for roughly 10 seconds until you hear the off-screen doctor, say,
“I’ll catch up with you later.”
You need a reaction from the doctor to indicate that the FBI is showing up at her party,
and you want to end the reaction shot in time to cut back to the FBI agents to get their
impatient reactions.
3 Position the timeline playhead after the FBI agent says, “We need you to come with us right
away” and before the doctor says, “Umm.”, roughly three to four seconds from the last cut.
4 Press I to mark an in point in the timeline.
At this point you can turn your attention to the source clip that you want to cut in.
Because the dialogue is the same on both the doctor’s close-up in the source viewer
and the FBI agent’s shot in the timeline, you want to pick up the source clip dialogue in
a spot that roughly matches your timeline playhead location. Resolve has a very nice
match frame feature to do just that.
5 Without moving the timeline playhead, in the timeline, Option-double-click (macOS) or 97
Alt-double-click (Windows) anywhere on the previous 02_DrSarah_Close Up_.mov
Subclip.

The 02_DrSarah_Close Up_.mov Subclip is loaded in the viewer with the previously
marked in and out points used to edit the clip into the timeline.
The playhead in the source viewer is offset from the out point by the same three to four
seconds that you moved the timeline playhead. This is where the doctor starts to react
to the FBI and her assistant stops speaking. It’s a good place for your in point.
6 Press I to mark an in point in the source viewer.
Let’s place the out point after the friend asks if the doctor is OK, and the doctor turns away.
7 Play the clip in the source viewer, and mark an out point just after the doctor turns her
head, but before she says, “Yeah, yeah,” at around 01:01:02:20.
98

This time, a preview mark appears in the timeline showing us the implied outpoint.
8 Play forward in the timeline, and set an out point just after the doctor’s assistant asks,
“Is everything ok, Sarah?” but before the doctor starts to reply.
9 Press Shift-F10 to perform a ripple overwrite edit.
Now you have placed your shot/reverse shots to move this dialogue scene forward.
Let’s review the edits.
10 Press the Home key, and play the timeline to review your edits.
This type of shot/reverse shot juxtaposition is the most common technique used to initially
block out your scene. That’s why the ability to keep the same offsets between source and
timeline using the modified match frame feature is a major time saver.
Going Beyond the Straight Cut 99
A straight cut, with which audio and video start and end simultaneously, can be quite
Going Beyond the Straight Cut

abrupt and a little jarring. A split edit, often referred to as either an L-cut or J-cut because
of the implied shape it creates in the edit, delays either the audio or video cut of a clip.
Staggering the cuts this way can create a more natural transition between shots.
J-cut L-cut
The most common split edit is the J-cut, in which you first introduce the sound of the next
shot and then cut to the picture a beat or two later. This is the way that most of us perceive
the world around us; for example, when you hear a car horn in the street, you will look for
the source of that sound a fraction of a second later. An L-cut leads with the image and
then cuts in the audio, often used when you want to show a character’s reaction to
something happening or being said.
In Resolve, you have multiple ways you can create J- and L-cuts. Let’s look at a J-cut split
edit in which the upcoming clip audio is heard first, and the picture edit is slightly delayed.
Extending Edits
A common way to create a split edit is to trim either the video or audio part of the clip after
a straight cut was made in the timeline. Let’s cut in another shot using a simple straight cut,
and then adjust the video of that clip to create the J-cut.
1 In the timeline, position the playhead at the end of the last 02_DrSarah_Close Up_.mov
Subclip that you just edited into the timeline
2 Play the timeline for roughly 10 seconds until you hear the off-screen doctor say,
“So are you going to tell me what this is about?”
You want the audience to see the impatient reaction of the FBI agents and then hear 100
her line. Because you don’t have this line in the close-up shot, you’ll need to switch to
one of the wide shots.

3 In the Subclips bin, double-click 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take 2_.mov Subclip to load it
into the source viewer.
4 Play from the start of the clip until you hear the doctor say, “So, are you going to tell
me what this is about,” at around 01:05:42:00.
That’s the line you want to use in your timeline.

5 Position the source viewer around 01:05:42:12, and mark an in point just as the doctor
begins turning toward the camera.
6 Play the clip until the doctor finishes her line, “Are you going to tell me what this is
about?” Add an out point before the agent replies with “We need your help.”
101

7 In the timeline, set an in point where the doctor has turned to face the FBI agents,
just before she says, “So are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
At this point in the timeline, you may notice that the preview mark for the source out
point indicates that the delivery of this line in the 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take 2_.mov
Subclip is just a tiny bit longer than the current take in the timeline.
8 In the timeline, play forward and set an out point after the doctor says, “So are you going
to tell me what this is all about?” but before the FBI agent says, “We need your help”.
9 Press Shift-F10 to perform a ripple overwrite edit.
OK, so that fixed the timing of your new take. Now you need to split the edit.
10 In the timeline, Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the video edit between 102
04_Wide_ Dr Sarah_ Take 2_.mov Subclip and 05_Wide_ Agents_ Take 1_.mov.
11 Play forward until the FBI Agent has said, “We need your help.”

12 Choose Trim > Extend edit, or press E.
The extend edit moves the selected edit point to the position of your playhead in the
timeline, in this case performing an instant rolling trim.
Review your new split edit.

That edit now feels very natural in that you see the doctor react to the FBI agent’s
demand, while the FBI agent’s line of dialogue motivates the picture cut a second or so
later. This is a powerful editing technique that is used all the time not just in dialogue
scenes such as this, but in editing across all genres.
Marking Split Edits 103
A more sophisticated way to create a split edit is to actually mark the split in and out points

on either the source viewer or timeline. Let’s cut in the next shot using this technique.
1 Play the timeline until you hear the doctor say, “My help? You’ll have to do better
than that.”
This is where your next shot will be cut in. Again, you’ll use the reverse wide shot of
the doctor.
2 In the timeline, position the playhead before the doctor says, “My help?,” and mark
an in point.
3 In the source viewer, play 04_Wide_ Dr Sarah_ Take 2_.mov Subclip, and mark an
in point at the start of the doctor’s line “My help?” at around 01:05:46:00.
This is where you want the audio to start, but you don’t want the video to cut just yet.
4 Play forward in the source viewer, and stop playback just before the doctor delivers her
next line, “You’ll have to do better than that,” at around 01:05:47:00.
5 Under the source viewer, right click anywhere along the jog bar, and choose Mark Split
> Mark Video In, or press Shift-Opt-I (macOS) or Shift-Alt-I (Windows).
The jog bar splits into two lines. The green line indicates the in point for the audio
and the blue line shows the different in point for the video. Of course, you still need
to place an out point.
TIP You can use the same method to mark split edits directly in the timeline
or timeline viewer.
6 Play forwards in the source viewer until the doctor finishes her line. Set a regular out
point after she says, “You’ll have to do better than that.”
7 Press F10 to perform an overwrite split edit and play over the new cut to review it. 104

Congratulations! You have just learned two different methods for adding split edits and
created two effective J-Cuts to enhance the flow of this scene. In the next exercise,
you’ll learn some other techniques for trimming in real-time.
Trimming On-the-fly
The extend edit is a powerful feature that works with ripple trims as well as rolling trims.
In fact, it works well anywhere you want to quickly trim to the playhead. Let’s explore this
by working on the end of the cut you just made. This time, however, you’ll perform an
extend edit on-the-fly. By just listening to the cut and trimming in real-time as the edit plays,
you can get a better feel for the trim. You will hear and see how the edit works in real-time
instead of just looking at incremental frame updates and hearing audio scrubbing.
1 In the toolbar, click the trim mode button, or press T.
2 Select the head of the last video and audio cut for the 05_Wide_Agents_Take 1_ clip.
3 Under the timeline viewer, click the loop button.
With loop play activated, Resolve will continuously play whatever playback option you
choose. To loop play over the trim point, let’s play the selection.
4 To review the edit, press / (slash) to loop play the selection. 105
A long gap is present between the doctor’s last line and the FBI agent’s response.
Let’s trim that gap on-the-fly.

5 After the doctor speaks her line, but before the FBI agent says, “OK we don’t have
a lot of time,” press the E key to mark a new cut point to remove some of the silence
between the two lines. (Use the waveforms of the audio on the first track as a guide.)
6 Let the selection loop play a few times, and modify the edit by pressing either , (comma)
to add a single frame to the head or . (period) to remove a single frame from the head.
7 When you feel the edit is right, press spacebar to stop playback.
The rhythmic beats of your audio and the associated sound edits contribute
significantly to the pacing and mood of a scene. Trimming on-the-fly is one way to
realize the most natural and organic feel with that rhythm.
Let’s continue practicing trimming on-the-fly with another cut. You’ll bring the video cut
back a bit to see a little more of the FBI agent’s reaction. You’ll make the selection in
the timeline using keyboard shortcuts.
8 Press Opt-U (macOS) or Alt-U (Windows) to deselect the audio track and make the
selection video-only.
9 Press U twice to cycle the selection until both side of the cut are selected, as indicated
by the green highlight.
10 To loop the edit, press / (slash) to play. 106
11 As the doctor finishes her line and the FBI agent steps back in toward her, press the
E key to roll the edit back a second or so to create an L-cut.
Auditioning Multiple Takes

12 Let the selection loop a few more times, and modify the edit by pressing either ,
(comma) to roll the edit back one frame or . (period) to roll it forward one frame.
13 Press the spacebar when you have finished perfecting your edit.
14 In the toolbar, select the selection tool, or press A.
By this point, you should be well aware that J- and L-cuts are all about keeping the edit
flowing seamlessly. Offsetting the audio or video cuts from each other even slightly allows
you to keep the dialogue moving forward while giving the audience a peek at the reaction
of other characters helping the whole edit knit together better.
To finish this scene off, you have one more reaction shot of the doctor to add. Using any of
the techniques you’ve learned so far, add the shot of the doctor delivering the line, “You
mean like a virus? That wouldn’t be possible,” in the 04_Wide_DrSarah_Take 2_.mov
subclip. Don’t forget to use split edits to show her reaction to the news the FBI agent gives
her! You may also want to revisit the other edits you previously made in this scene.
Assuming the pacing of the dialogue works, can any of the cuts be improved by splitting
the video edits?

When cutting dialogue, you can easily fall into the trap of cutting based solely on words.
But dialogue editing is trickier than that because you not only have to pay attention to the
words, but also the eyes, the mouths, and the body language of the performers. All these
performance elements are essential to establishing the emotion of a scene. So, even
though your cut may maintain dialogue continuity, you might want to search out alternate
takes that feature superior performance elements.
Comparing different takes often means repetitively revising your timeline. DaVinci Resolve
makes this process a lot easier with the Take Selector.
1 In the timeline, position the playhead at the second shot in your timeline,
02_Dr_Sarah_CloseUp.mov Subclip.
The director feels this shot doesn’t effectively introduce the party and wonders how
the wide shot might look in its place.
2 In the Subclips bin, double-click 03_DrSarah_Wide_Take 1_mov Subclip to open it
in the source viewer.
3 Play the first half of the subclip to review it and refamiliarize yourself with the take.
4 Mark an in point just before the FBI agent walks into shot, around 01:02:59:00.
5 Mark an out point when the Doctor turns and says, “Yeah,” around 01:03:03:00.
107

To audition this take in the timeline without actually replacing the current close-up shot,
you can use Resolve’s take selector.
6 In the timeline, right-click 02_Dr_Sarah_close up, and choose Take Selector.
The take selector acts like a container for multiple clips. While only one of those clips
is seen when you play the timeline, you can switch between the clips at any time.
7 From the source viewer, drag the 03_Dr Sarah_Wide_Take 1_Subclip onto the take
selector clip in the timeline.
TIP The rest of the timeline is inactive when the take selector is in use.
108

The take selector now shows the two clips stacked on top of each other.
You can add as many takes as you want to audition.
8 In the Subclips bin, double-click 04_DrSarah_Wide_Take 2_.mov Subclip to open it
9 Mark an in point in roughly the same part of the shot as the previous take, just before the
FBI agent walks into shot; and mark an out point when the doctor turns and says, “Yeah?”
10 From the source viewer, drag 04_DrSarah_Wide_Take 2_.mov Subclip onto the take
selector clip in the timeline.
TIP You can also drag the clip from its bin in the Media pool directly into the
take selector.
Now all three takes are visible in the take selector. The initial clip is still the active take, 109
but you can change that by clicking the clip you want to view in the timeline.

TIP The currently selected take in the take selector is actually the clip with
the dullest brightness, thereby matching the other clips in the timeline.
11 In the take selector, click the middle clip in the stack to view it in the timeline.
12 Press the / (slash) key to play over the new take.
The new clip conforms to the duration of the original clip in the timeline. However,
you can see in the take selector stack that the new take is longer than the original clip.
When you select a take that is shorter or longer than the original clip, you can ripple
the timeline to adjust to the new take’s length.
13 In the upper-right corner of the take selector, click the ripple button.
The timeline now adjusts to fit the longer take.

14 Move the playhead to the start of the clip and click play to review the rippled timeline.
15 In the take selector, click the upper clip to view it in the timeline.
16 Move the playhead to the start of clip, and play to review this take.
The director believes the middle wide-angle take introduces the party scene the best,
so you’ll make the new take a permanent part of the timeline.
17 In the take selector, click the middle clip to choose that take.
18 In the upper-left corner of the take selector, click the close button to collapse the
take selector stack.
19 Right-click the clip and choose Finalize Take.

110
TIP You don’t have to finalize the take. You can leave the alternate takes within
the take selector to review again later, if you choose. To reopen the take selector

stack, double-click the take selector icon in the lower-left corner of the clip in
the timeline.
While this lesson has been about editing dialogue, its underlying theme is continuity.
Continuity editing involves matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from
shot to shot. Using the two-up display while trimming, trimming on-the-fly, applying ripple
overwrite editing, and using the take selector are just a few of the many Resolve features
that support this single most important principle of editing.
Lesson Review 111
1 What methods can you use to create a subclip from a marked duration of a clip in
Lesson Review
the Edit page?
A) Drag the clip from the source viewer to the Media pool
B) Press Option-B (macOS) or Alt-B (Windows)
C) Click the Source Viewer Options menu, and choose Make Subclip
2 What do the preview marks on the timeline indicate?

A) They show where you can add Markers
B) They help you determine where clips will be placed when making a three-point edits
C) They show you where your text and graphics will align on the Timeline Viewer
3 True or False? Ripple Overwrite is a three-point edit.
4 How can you change the pre-roll and post-roll times when playing around a selection
in the timeline?
A) Pre-roll and post-roll times cannot be changed.
B) In DaVinci Resolve User Preferences
C) In the General Options of the Project settings
5 True or False? All clips in the take selector should all have the same duration.
Answers 112
1 A. and B. You can create subclips by choosing Mark > Create Subclip, and right-clicking
Lesson Review
the Source Viewer jog bar; then choose Create Subclip, press Option-B (macOS) or
Alt-B (Windows), or drag the subclip from the source viewer into the Media pool.
2 B. Preview marks help you determine where clips will be placed whenever you execute
a three-point edit.
3 False. Ripple Overwrite is a four-point edit that you use when the duration of the
marked source clip is different from the duration marked in the timeline, and when
you want the timeline to ripple to accommodate the difference in duration.
4 B. You adjust pre-roll and post-roll times are adjusted in the Editing panel of the
DaVinci Resolve User Preferences.
5 False. The take selector can contain clips of different durations. When switching
between these clips, you can enable the ripple take button in the upper-right corner
(to the left of the trash can button).
Lesson 4
Making A Radio Edit
Editing interviews is a great skill to master. Time

Being able to finesse an interview to get the This lesson takes approximately
very best out of your interview subject takes 50 minutes to complete.
a lot of practice and a good ear for the
spoken word. Goals
When cutting interviews, whether for a Examining Audio in a Radio Edit 114
documentary or a web promo, it’s common Editing Subframe Audio 124
to create the first cut to produce the best-
Creating Variable Speed Changes 126
sounding interview and almost completely
Using Smooth Cut 130
disregard the visuals until that first rough cut
is done. This cut is called a radio edit Working with Advanced
Transition Tools 131
because it is similar to editing an audio-only
interview. Once you have the interview audio Lesson Review 137
cut properly, you can turn your attention to
the video edits, often referred to as the paint
because you are illustrating, or “painting”,
your interview with appropriate pictures from
your b-roll rushes.
In this lesson, you’ll use advanced audio

and video trimming and other workflow
features in DaVinci Resolve 15 to finish an
engaging one-minute promotional piece
for a vegan restaurant.
Examining Audio in a Radio Edit 114
Let’s begin by opening a project with most of the radio edit already cut, but including some
Examining Audio in a Radio Edit

clips in which the audio hasn’t been examined for clarity. You’ll play the clips, and then
begin to identify and remove the small stutters and stray “umms” to get the best statement
from your interview subject.
Lessons > Lesson 04 Radio Edit. Select R15 Editing Lesson 04 RadioEdit.drp, choose
Open, and click OK to import the project into your project manager.
3 In the Media pool, select the timelines bin, and double-click the “01 Radio Edit start”
timeline to open it in the timeline window.
The first part of this interview with Miss Rachel, chef at the vegan restaurant, has
already been cut for you.
4 Play the timeline to hear the one-minute interview.
Notice how the interview is edited so it sounds clean, without many distracting pauses,
stutters, or poorly chosen words. Check out the rushes from the Interview Clips bin to
get a sense of how this edit was pieced together from the original clips. You will also
notice a couple of small gaps that were left intentionally to add short pauses between
thoughts or subjects and to allow the interviewee (and the audience) to take a breath.
However, one area in this timeline still needs your attention.
5 In the timeline, go to the start of the first orange clip, around 01:00:45:00.
6 Mute Audio 2 and play the three orange clips to hear their audio content. 115

With the music track muted, it’s easier to focus on the interview audio.
When creating a radio edit, you want to remove any large or small bits of audio that
may detract from the message. These three clips, include a number of places where
her words could be tightened to improve her conversational flow. You’ll be looking at
different techniques you can use to remove parts of this interview. As always, you’ll
need to consider which techniques work best for you.
7 Play the first orange clip again and stop playback when you hear the first time that the
interview subject says, “Umm,” around two seconds from the beginning of this clip.
8 Using the Timeline View Options menu, expand the size of the audio track so you can
clearly see the waveform. You may also want to zoom into the location of the playhead
by pressing Cmd-= (equals sign) in macOS or Ctrl-= (equals sign) in Windows a couple
of times. Now you should be able to clearly identify the problematic “Umm.”
116

9 Press the B key to switch to razor edit mode. Click just before the waveform
representing the “Umm” and just before she says, “We’re taking…”
Doing so has isolated the “Umm” into a separate clip. The dotted lines on the edit
points represent through edits; that is, edits that are visible on the timeline but
playback smoothly because no frames have been removed from either side of the cut.
The edits were also added to both the audio and video parts of the clip because the
timeline-linked selection was active.
TIP To remove an unwanted through edit, in the timeline, place your playhead
after the through edit, and choose Timeline > Join Clips, or press Option-\
(backslash) in macOS or Alt-\ (backslash) in Windows.
10 Return to Selection mode by pressing A. Select the “Umm” clip, and press Shift-Delete 117
(or backspace) to perform a ripple delete.

11 With your playhead over the new edit point, press / (slash) to play the edit.
You’re aiming to have this audio edit be as inconspicuous as possible. When you play
around the current edit, try listening to the cut without watching the picture. Does it
sound as if an edit is there? If it does, you’ll need to do a little finessing, which you’ll
be looking at soon.
TIP When you perform an edit, you can’t know how successful it’s going to
beuntil you playback your timeline. It’s highly doubtful if things are perfect
straightaway (though happy editing accidents have been known to occur).
In reality, most edits you’ll perform will always need to be improved with a few
trims here and there.
Continue playing what is now the second orange interview clip until you hear the next
problem where she says, “We’re taking dishes and flavors.” She stutters and says the
word “and” twice. It’s a simple task to tidy this up.
12 Press the JKL keys to play forward and backward over the clip, finally positioning the
playhead just before the first “and”.
TIP Remember that you can jog the playhead back and forth by holding down
the K key and tapping the L or J key. It’s also useful to have audio scrubbing
turned on so you can hear the starts or ends of words. Choose Timeline >
Audio Scrubbing, or press Shift-S, to toggle audio scrubbing on and off.
13 Press Shift-V to select the clip under the playhead.

14 Press Cmd-B (macOS) or Ctrl-B (Windows) to add a through edit to the selected clips.
118

TIP Pressing this keyboard shortcut adds an edit point to a selected clip or
clips at the playhead position. It’s a little more precise than clicking to add a
cut in razor edit mode.
15 Jog forward until the playhead is located before she says the second “and.”
Press Cmd-B (macOS) or Ctrl-B (Windows) again to add a second through edit.
16 Move your playhead over the isolated “and” in the timeline. Press Shift-V to ensure that
the clip is selected, and press Shift-Delete (or backspace) to ripple delete the clip.
17 Press / (slash) to play around the new edit.
Again, try listening to the edit without looking at the jump cut you’ve just created.
Remember, you’re trying to create a natural-sounding interview that won’t distract
the audience. Don’t worry if the current edit is not as smooth as you would like;
you’ll finesse it soon.
Keep playing through the interview. The next portion you’re going to remove is the
“Umm” just after she says “textures.” This time you’re going to place timeline in and
out points to remove this unwanted portion of the interview.
18 In the timeline, place your playhead at the start of the “Umm,” and press I to add an 119
in point.
19 Jog the playhead forward six or seven frames until you hear her start to say, “and really

making them.” Press O to set an out point just before she says, “and.”
TIP Because Resolve’s playhead is inclusive of the current frame, in points are
always added to the head of the frame and out points are added to the tail of
the frame. When adding out points, it’s often useful to find the frame you want
to keep (usually at the start of the next word) and then move the playhead one
frame back before adding the out point. By doing so, you’ll be sure to keep the
frame you wanted.
You’ve now set in and out points around the portion of the interview you want to
remove. But notice that the highlighted portion of the timeline also includes the music
on Audio 2, even though this track is muted.
20 In Audio 2, click the Auto Select button to disable the function, or press Command-
Option-F2 (macOS) or Control-Alt-F2 (Windows).
By turning off the auto-select control for Audio 2, you’ll notice that the highlighted 120
section no longer covers the music clip, so it will not be included in the next step.

21 Press Shift-Delete (or backspace) to ripple delete the contents between the in and
out points in the timeline, and on tracks with auto select enabled.
22 Press / (slash) to preview your new edit.
For a little extra credit, the director has also asked if you could tidy up the end of the
orange clip; she doesn’t like the interviewee’s use of the word “palatable” to describe
the food. This is a slightly more subjective cut; but when trying to put together the best
description of the food at the restaurant, it may be desirable to aim higher than simply
“palatable.” Do you think you’d be able to edit out the words “palatable and” so that
she simply says, “making them delicious”?
Trimming using Keyboard Shortcuts

Resolve 15 has very complete roll, ripple, slip, and slide trim commands that you can
perform using the mouse. However, when you’re making small, subtle changes to an edit -
often adding or removing single frames - it’s useful to perform most of your trimming using
keyboard commands. In doing so, you’ll exercise the most precise control over each of
your edits. Learning how to get the best from Resolve’s trimming options is an important
step in choosing the best technique for any given situation.
In the next exercise you’ll exclusively use keyboard shortcuts to move and select the cut
points you need to trim.
1 Position the playhead at the start of the orange clips.
2 Press the down arrow to go to the first cut in that clip.
Listen closely to the audio edit you created in the previous steps. Does it sound like
a natural, continual part of her speech pattern? Identifying how to adjust the edit
effectively, whether to add or remove frames from either the outgoing or incoming
clips, is a skill that will only come with practice.
4 Press T to enter trim mode.
5 Press V to select the cut for trimming. Then press the U key until only the outgoing (left) 121
side of the cut is selected for ripple trimming.

TIP Press V to select the edit point nearest the playhead on the highest auto
select-enabled track; and press U to toggle between the trim operations for
the currently selected editing mode.
6 Press , (comma) to trim the selected edit one frame to the left or . (period) to trim it
one frame to the right.
122
TIP Because you’re concentrating on the audio in these clips, it’s useful to
keep an eye on the clip waveforms to see if you’re adding or removing parts

of words.
7 If necessary, press U twice to change the trim to the head of the incoming shot,
and press , (comma) or . (period) to add or remove frames.
8 Press / (slash) to play around the cut point and check your trim decision.
TIP Press Shift-, (comma) or Shift-. (period) to perform a nudge operation that
trims multiple frames at once. The default value is five frames, but you can
change this value by going to DaVinci Resolve > Preferences, selecting User
settings, and adjusting the Pre-roll and Post-Roll times in the Editing panel.
Continue to refine the edit until you are happy with the results. Then you can move
on to the next cut.
9 Press the down arrow to go to the next cut in your timeline. This edit is selected in
the direction you last had the previous edit selected.
123

10 Press / (slash) to play around the cut point and to determine what you need to trim.
11 Decide if the edit needs to be refined or not, and press U to change to the appropriate
trimming operation.
12 Press the , (comma) or . (period) keys to refine the edit, adding or removing frames from
either the tail of the outgoing clip or the head of the incoming clip.
13 Press / (slash) to review your trim.
When the audio edit sounds good, move on to the next cut.
14 Press the down arrow to go to the next cut in that clip.
15 Press / (slash) to play around the cut point and identify what you need to trim.
16 Press U to toggle the edit direction, and press , (comma) and/or . (period) to refine
the edit.
17 Press / (slash) to review your trimming.
18 When you have finished, press A to exit trim mode and return to the selection tool.
You have refined a small part of this interview using various techniques to remove
unwanted parts of what the subject says and refining the rest into a succinct description
of her business. When chipping away at a longer cut with the goal of making it shorter,
these keyboard-oriented trim commands enable you to see and hear a trim as you make
it which can be invaluable!
Feel free to keep on practicing on the two additional orange clips in this timeline.
Editing Subframe Audio 124
While video trimming is limited to a project’s framerate (24 fps, in this project), audio is
Editing Subframe Audio

captured using tens of thousands of samples each second. DaVinci Resolve includes the
ability to edit audio at this subframe level which enables a much more detailed ability to
trim. Access to subframe audio editing means that you can separate subtle syllables or
words that are slurred and make them sound clean and clearer. Let’s use subframe audio
editing to smooth some of the dialogue that you just trimmed in the radio edit.
1 Place the playhead over the start of the clip after the first gap in this timeline
(clip A001_11161158_C007.mov at 01:00:31:20).
2 Press / (slash) to play over the cut.

Listen carefully and you’ll hear a portion of the previous word, “and,” before she
continues with, “We have our vegan macaroni and cheese.”
3 To access subframe audio editing, press N to disable snapping and press Shift-Cmd-L
(macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-L (Windows) to turn off linked selection.
4 Enable the selection tool by pressing A.

5 To select the cut for trimming, press V, and then press Option-U (macOS) or Alt-U
(Windows) until only the audio track is selected.
6 Press Cmd-= (equals sign) in macOS or Ctrl-= (equals sign) in Windows several times 125
to zoom into the timeline as far as you can go.
Editing Subframe Audio

Remember, because you are trimming subframes, you need to zoom in to see
more detail.
7 Press the U key until both sides of the audio cut are selected.
The tool tip tells you that you’re not trimming off any frames, because the portion of
the audio you are trimming is within the duration of a video frame.
8 Drag the audio cut to the right and find a location where you get the cleanest transition
in to “we” without hearing any of the “and.” Make sure you don’t take off so much that
you lose the start of “we.”
9 Press / (slash) to play around the selected cut and hear your cleaner edit.
10 When you are happy with your trimming, reenable snapping and linked selection in 126
the timeline.
Now that you’ve trimmed the audio in your project at the subframe level, you’ve learned
Creating Variable Speed Changes

how to apply a greater degree of audio control.
Continue refining this timeline, practicing the techniques you’ve learned so far in this
lesson. When your radio edit is finished, you’re ready to add the paint, or b-roll, to cover
holes and visual jump cuts. That said, you can still apply plenty of tricks to help massage
the footage into the exact shape you want and make your story as engaging as possible.

Changing the speed within a clip can grab the audience’s attention by turning what can be
an ordinary clip into something that makes people sit up and take notice. That is especially
true on the somewhat pedestrian food shots. In Resolve 15, you’ll find many advanced
controls to manipulate the playback speed of clips. One of these tools, the retime controls,
enables you to apply multiple speed changes to the same clip without splitting the clip into
multiple cuts. Such speed changes are commonly as speed ramps. To explore these
techniques, you’ll use a timeline that has some b-roll clips added to the project.
1 In the timelines bin, double-click “02 Radio Edit with B-Roll” to load it into the
timeline window.
2 Choose Workspace > Reset UI Layout to reset the timeline to its default size.
3 Play the timeline to review the edit.
Notice how the new b-roll clips illustrate what Miss Rachel is talking about, as well as
hiding most of the jump cuts and gaps created during the radio edit. Note also the
sound of the restaurant added on the Audio 2 track (with the music having been
dropped to Audio 3) to fill in the sound gaps between the interview clips.
4 In the timeline, go to the yellow clip on the B-Roll track, which starts at around
01:00:39:00.
127

This shot of the barbecued seitan would be nicer if it slowed down as the plate came
closer. Right now, the entire shot moves too fast.
5 Press Cmd-+ (plus sign) in macOS or Ctrl-+ (plus sign) in Windows to zoom into the clip
on the timeline.
6 Right-click the clip and choose Retime Controls, or press Cmd-R (macOS) or Ctrl-R
(Windows).
A blue bar appears along the top of the clip with the speed percentage of the clip
displayed underneath the video thumbnails.
7 Place the playhead about halfway into the duration of the clip.
This is the location where you would like to start slowing down the clip playback.
You do so by adding a speed point at the playhead location.
8 Along the bottom of the clip, click the disclosure arrow to the right of the speed 128
percentage display, and choose Add Speed Point.

The speed point divides the clip into two sections, with each section now having its
own playback speed. You can set the speed in the menu you used to set this speed
point. Let’s increase the speed slightly for the first half of the clip, and then slow it down
for the second half.
9 Click the disclosure arrow for the segment on the left and choose Change Speed > 200%.
10 Position your mouse pointer on the right edge of the Speed Change bar, and when the 129
pointer changes to a double arrow, can drag the edge of the clip to the point where
she laughs. Doing so reduces the speed even further and better covers the jump cut.

11 Play over the speed change to view the results.
You now have an eye-catching shot that feels more contemporary and engaging than
the straight food shot you had. Unfortunately, the slow parts of the footage now appear
a little stuttery because Resolve has to repeat frames to create that speed change.
12 Select the clip in the timeline, and open the Inspector. In the Retime and Scaling controls,
change Retime Process from Project settings to Optical Flow.
TIP Optical Flow is an intensive process whereby Resolve examines the

movement of pixels from one frame to another and attempts to interpolate
that information to create new frames.
13 Finally, to smooth the transition between to the two speed sections, right-click the clip
in the timeline, and choose Retime Curve, or press Shift-C.
The retime curve opens in the timeline below the clip. 130
14 In the retime curve, select the retime keyframe, and click the Bezier control. Drag the
handles out to adjust the amount of smoothing applied to the speed change.
Using Smooth Cut

15 Finally, click the retime curve icon on the clip to hide the retime curve, or press Shift-C.
Right click the clip, and choose Retime Controls, or press Cmd-R (macOS) or Ctrl-R
(Windows) to hide the retime controls.
This food shot in your timeline is now much more dynamic and exciting. You’ve also easily
manipulated a moving shot to increase its impact and help cover the jump cuts in the
interview edit.
Using Smooth Cut

Another way to hide a jump cut from your viewer is to use the Smooth Cut transition.
1 In the timeline, place your playhead over the edit between the first and second
interview clips, just after the lower-third title has faded away (at around 01:00:09:00).
Press / (slash) to preview the cut.
This is a classic jump cut that distracts from the story about the merits of this
vegan restaurant.
2 In the upper-left of the interface, click the Effects Library button to open your
Effects Library.
3 Click the Video Transitions group, and in the Dissolve category, locate Smooth Cut. 131
Working with Advanced Transition Tools

4 Drag the Smooth Cut transition to the edit point between the first and second interview
clips so it’s centered across the edit.
5 Set the duration of the transition to four frames by either dragging the edges of the
transition in the timeline, or typing 4 in the Duration field of the Inspector.
You should see that Resolve successfully manages to blend the two sides of the jump cut
into what appears to be a single take.
Remember, though, that you should use this transition with great care; you don’t want to
change or misrepresent the meaning of something your interviewee said through your
editing, no matter how subtly!

Transitions in Resolve are very straightforward to use. But they also allow you to go much
deeper into transition customization than you might have thought possible. Resolve has a
built-in curve editor for transitions that enables you to customize the acceleration of any
transition animation. Let’s create one for your radio edit.
1 Go to the lime green clip on the V2 B-Roll track at around 01:00:33:00.
132

This is the shot of macaroni and cheese in the middle of your timeline.
2 Play over the cross dissolve transition at the end of this clip.
The transition works well, but the incoming shot takes a few frames before the camera
motion settles down. If you ease out on the transition, it will fade into the incoming shot
more slowly, thereby reducing the impact of the camera movement at the start of the clip.
You can address this by creating a custom ease-out using the transition curve editor.
3 Select the transition, and in the lower-right corner of the transition, click the diamond
icon to open the keyframe editor.
TIP If you can’t see the diamond icon on your transition, zoom further in
to your timeline.
If you just wanted to move a keyframe earlier or later, you could use this editor.
However, to create a custom acceleration curve, you must use the curve editor.
4 On the right side of the keyframe editor that appears below the clip, click the curve 133
editor icon to open the transition curve editor.

Instead of making numeric adjustments to your transition in the Inspector, you change
the slope of the curve in this curve editor to change the transition acceleration.
The default linear transition is a diagonal line from the lower-left to the upper-right.
However, you can flatten that line’s slope to slow the transition speed. To slow down
the curve at the start, you can add a control point along the line and decrease the
slope between the initial control point on the left and the new control point you add.
5 Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) about one-third of the way along the
diagonal line to create a control point.
6 Drag down the new control point until the Transition Curve tool tip reads 0.10. 134

This setting indicates that at this keyframe, the transition will be only 10% complete.
7 Press / (slash) to play around the selected transition and view the results.
If the acceleration isn’t hiding enough of the slow camera start at the beginning of the
clip, you can move the control point horizontally to change the timing.
8 In the keyframe editor track, drag the control point to the right until it is almost in the
middle of the clip to lengthen the slow acceleration.
9 Press / (slash) to play around the selected transition. 135
Although you delayed the acceleration, a very linear transition remains between the
control points. You can smooth these transitions using the interpolation buttons at the

top of the curve editor.
10 Select the center control point that you added. It turns red.
11 Click the second interpolation button from the left to create an ease-in/ease-out
interpolation for the control point and to display Bézier handles that will allow you to
perform further refinement.
Because the Bézier handles are almost completely horizontal when added, they will
create a pause in the transition, holding it for just a moment. However, that’s not what
you want so you’ll need to adjust the handle to accentuate the slow acceleration at the
start of the clip.
12 Drag the right Bézier handle slightly up and to the right to create a smoother curve. 136

13 Press / (slash) to play around the selected transition.
14 If you are happy with the results, you can close the curve editor by clicking the curve
editor button in the upper-right corner of the graph. Then, click the diamond shaped
keyframe editor button in the lower-right corner of the transition icon in the timeline to
close the keyframe editor.
Custom transitions such as this are most often used in very specific situations, but you can
also save them as presets if you anticipate the need to reuse a custom curve transition in
the future.
Lesson Review 137
1 What is known as a “radio edit”?
Lesson Review
A) When your edit will be used on radio as well as television
B) A cut-down version of your film used by reviewers
C) A technique of concentrating on the audio before editing the visuals
2 What does an edit point with a dotted line represent in the timeline?
A) A back-timed edit
B) A through edit
C) An edit that needs a transition applied
3 Which retiming process can produce much smoother results by restructuring the visual
data between frames of footage?
A) Stereoscopic
B) Optical flow
C) Frame blend
4 What transition could be used to make short jump cuts less noticeable?
A) Smooth wipe
B) Smooth dissolve
C) Smooth cut
5 How can you access the advanced transition controls?

A) Right-click the transition in the timeline, and choose Advanced Transition Controls
B) Click the Transition’s keyframe button, and click the curve editor button
C) Click the transition’s curve editor button in the Inspector.
Answers 138
1 C. A “radio edit” is created when you focus on editing the audio of an interview to make
Lesson Review
it sound smooth and natural before turning your attention to the covering visuals.
2 B. A through edit—where you have an edit on a clip but haven’t removed any frames—
is represented as an edit point with a dotted line.
3 B. Optical flow uses motion estimation to generate new frames from the original source
frames to produce exceptionally smooth results when retiming a clip with linear motion.
4 C. Smooth cut is a special-purpose transition designed to make short jump cuts less
noticeable by using optical flow processing to automatically morph a subject between
to positions across the duration of the transition.
5 B. To reveal the Transition Curve editor, click the keyframe diamond in the lower-
right corner of the transition to display the Keyframe Editor, and then click the curve
editor button.
Lesson 5
Editing an
Action Scene
Some of the most enjoyable editing jobs are Time

cutting action scenes. Although action scenes This lesson takes approximately
don’t come along every day for most editors, 60 minutes to complete.
the techniques for cutting such scenes can be
valuable when editing sports, dance, and Goals
other movement-oriented footage.
As editor, it is up to you to create the overall Using Tabbed and Stacked Timelines 142
rhythm and flow of the action. You can do so
with the number and variety of the cuts you
Enhancing the Action 153
use, and the duration of the shots. Choosing
multiple angles, cutting on action, speed Comparing Timeline Versions 166
ramping, judiciously removing frames, and Lesson Review 169
inserting the right reaction shots will all
heighten the excitement.
In this lesson, you’ll edit, trim, reframe, and

retime clips in DaVinci Resolve 15 to create
a highly impactful fight sequence.
It is easy to import all your action dailies and then wonder where to start, but don’t let a
Starting a Dailies Timeline

big fight scene overwhelm you. Begin by making a dailies reel and marking all the best
moments. Once you’re done, you will be able to quickly assemble a cut.
Lessons > Lesson 05 Action. Select R15 Editing Lesson 05 Action.drp, choose Open,
and click OK to import the project into your Project manager.
This project includes a timeline with a version of the fight scene already cut.
3 Move the playhead to the start of the timeline, and click play to review the edit.
Overall, the director is happy with the general flow of the fight; but he would like to try
re-cutting the scene to give it a bit more impact, as well as experimenting with different
reaction shots. While you could immediately duplicate the original timeline and start
refining the edit, let’s first consider other ways of working between different timelines.
4 In the Media pool, select the Dailies bin, and click the list view button.
5 Click the Start TC column to place the clips in ascending order.
Each clip now appears in the order it was shot. This will be helpful moving forward
because all of the shots from a single camera setup (meaning, all the different takes)
will usually be located next to each other which will make them easier to find. You can
go one step further and place all of the clips in a timeline using this sort order.
6 Right-click the Dailies bin, and choose New Timeline Using Selected Bins.
141
Starting a Dailies Timeline

7 Name the timeline Rushes.
8 Change the “No. of Audio Tracks” to 2 to reflect the audio clip attributes of the
source clips.
9 Deselect “Use Selected Mark In/Out”.
10 Click Create.
The Rushes timeline is created in the Dailies bin and opens in the timeline window.
11 Press Shift-Z to view the entire Rushes timeline.
The clips in the Dailies bin are now placed into the timeline based on the bin’s sort order.
You also chose not to use the existing in and out points applied to each clip to ensure you’re
seeing the full duration of each take.
Using Tabbed and Stacked Timelines 142
You can use this Rushes timeline as a source clip because doing so is easier than loading
Using Tabbed and Stacked Timelines

each clip separately while looking for alternative takes. To start, let’s create a new timeline
that will be your new fight scene rough cut. The first cut should contain everything you
want to happen at roughly the right time. This process isn’t about finessing anything; it is
all about laying the groundwork.
1 Select the timelines bin, and choose File > New Timeline. Name it Sword Fight v2.
2 Change the Audio Track Type to Mono because the source audio you’ll be using
includes only mono channels.
3 Click Create.
You want to be able to edit one source timeline into another timeline. To do so, it’s often
easier to see more than one timeline at the same time.
4 Select the Timeline View Options, and choose the first option to enable Stacked Timelines.
The timeline window now shows the two timelines you’ve opened in separate tabs. 143
You can select each tab to view the contents of that timeline.

TIP You can open more tabs by clicking the + (plus sign) button to the right of
your timeline tabs, and close existing tabs by clicking the X next to the name of
each tabbed timeline. You can also drag timeline tabs horizontally to change
their order.
5 In the pop-up menu for the Sword Fight v2 timeline tab, choose the Rushes timeline.
You can also see different timelines at the same time by viewing stacked timelines.
6 In the upper-right corner of the timeline, click the new stacked timeline button.
A second, tabbed timeline window appears below your original timeline.

7 In the lower timeline window, in the pop-up menu on the empty timeline tab and
choose the Sword Fight v2 timeline.
You can now see the contents of the Rushes timeline and the Sword Fight v2 timeline
simultaneously. Let’s clean up the interface a little so you can concentrate on this scene.
8 Click the Media pool button to hide the Media pool. 144
9 Click in the upper-right corner of the Timeline Viewer to enter single viewer mode.
10 Click the tab for the Fight Scene v1 timeline, and press Shift-Z to view the entire

timeline in its tabbed window.
You are now ready to create an alternative, tighter cut of this fight scene.
11 In the Fight Scene v1 timeline, select all the yellow clips that make up the main
fight sequence.
12 Drag the selected clips into the empty Sword Fight v2 timeline (in the lower
timeline window.)
The selected clips are copied from one timeline into the other.
13 Press Shift-Z to view the newly edited contents in the Sword Fight v2 timeline.
You can also edit between timelines using a variation of the three-point editing technique.
14 In the upper timeline window, click the Rushes timeline tab .
15 Move your playhead to the start of the third clip in this timeline, 04_pirates.mov.
16 Play through the clip and set an in point where the hero jumps in for the second time.
17 Type +112 to move the playhead forward by one and a half seconds and add an out point.
18 Choose Edit > Copy to copy the select portion of the Rushes timeline.
19 Click in the Sword Fight v2 timeline window, and ensuring your playhead is at the start 145
of this timeline, choose Edit > Paste Insert.
The copied portion of the Rushes timeline is inserted into the Sword Fight timeline and

it effectively establishes the start of the fight scene. Now you’ll insert a quick reaction
shot of the female lead.
20 In the Rushes timeline, move the playhead to 13_pirates.mov and play through the
reaction shots of the heroine.
Because the hero has just jumped into the frame, let’s cut in a surprised reaction from her.
21 Set an in point where the woman gasps at 00:05:46:00.
TIP This timecode value is for the Rushes timeline. To see the original source
timecode for each clip right-click the timeline viewer timecode box, and choose
Source Timecode.
22 Type +4. (plus sign, 4, period) to move the playhead forward four seconds, and add 146
an out point after the woman turns from looking up.
23 Press Option-/ (slash) in macOS or Alt-/ (slash) in Windows to play between the in and

out points.
This four-second range has a good reaction from the actress. She jumps, apparently
in response to the swashbuckler jumping in from somewhere, and then she looks up to
the right, as if to figure out where he came from. This is a perfect reaction for your cut.
24 Press Cmd-C (macOS) or Ctrl-C (Windows) to copy the marked section.
25 Select the Sword Fight v2 timeline.
26 Ensure that your playhead is at the edit point between the first and second clips.
27 Press Shift-Cmd-V (macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-V (Windows) to paste insert the copied clip
into the timeline.
28 In the upper timeline window, click the close timeline window button to leave just the
Sword Fight v2 timeline open.
By utilizing Resolve’s tabbed and stacked timeline views, you can easily edit the contents
between different timelines. By using this technique, you have created separate versions of
these clips in your new timeline that you can trim and adjust without disrupting or changing
your original edits.
Editing from a Source Timeline

Another technique favored by many editors is to open the timeline of rushes in the
Source Viewer, mark the appropriate part of the footage and edit as normal using
overwrite, insert, etc. You can achieve this in DaVinci Resolve by dragging a
timeline into the source viewer. When editing in this manner you may want to
enable Edit > Decompose Compound Clips on Edit to prevent you from having to
decompose the compound clips manually (you’ll learn more about compound clips
in Lesson 7). You can also see the source timeline by choosing Timeline > Swap
Timeline and Source Viewer.
Now that you have another fully blocked-out version of the sword fight scene, let’s help
the director achieve his vision of a tighter fight sequence by looking at some trimming
techniques that work for all types of genres but especially well for action scenes.
Cutting on action is a basic editing technique, not just for action scenes but for movement
Cutting on Action
in any type of scene.
The idea is that you cut from the action in one shot to the matching action in another shot.
The scene will not only flow more smoothly compared to cutting on pauses in the action but
doing so adds to the continuity in the scene. You already have your basic blocked-out sword
fight, so let’s use some dynamic trimming to make sure your cuts happen on the action.
1 Press T to enable trim editing mode.
2 Move the playhead at the start of the third clip in the timeline, the [04_pirates clip.
3 Press spacebar to play the clip.

4 Although the end of this clip occurs on the action of two swords hitting, the shot is too
long for a fast-paced action scene. To fix this, you can cut earlier by trimming the shot
so the cut occurs on an earlier sword hit.
To refine this edit, you’ll use DaVinci Resolve 15’s Dynamic Trim Mode.
5 Move the playhead near the cut between the [04_pirates and 07_pirates clips.
6 Choose Trim > Dynamic Trim Mode, press W, or click the Dynamic Trim Mode button
in the toolbar to enable dynamic trimming.
The edit nearest the playhead is selected and both the playhead and the dynamic trim
mode button turn yellow to indicate that dynamic trimming is enabled. Now, instead of
pressing JKL to shuttle up and down the timeline, these keys will adjust the selected
cut point.
7 Press the U key twice to select the tail of the outgoing shot.
148
Cutting on Action
8 Press J to trim frames off the tail of the shot. Watch the viewer until you see the swords
connect with the pirate on the left and then release the keys.
9 If you go too far, press L to restore frames.
TIP If you find that the footage is playing too fast for you to place the cut, hold
down the K key and tap the J or L keys to trim one frame at a time. You can also
hold down the K and the L or J keys to scrub through the trim.
10 Press / (slash) to play around the selected cut and review the change.
TIP When working in Dynamic Trim Mode, the JKL keys enable you to trim
in real time, and the spacebar, which would normally start and stop playback,
changes to the “play around current frame” function.
The most important thing when placing this edit is to match the action with the earlier
sword hit. You want the outgoing shot to end earlier, just before the swords make
contact for the first time. Whether you cut just before or just after the action depends
mostly on your sense of timing; but in this case, you should cut just before the action
because the incoming shot appears to be in a good spot.
11 Press the down arrow to select the tail of the 07_pirates clip.
149
Cutting on Action
12 Press / (slash) to play around the selected cut.
TIP If you feel that you need to see a little more or a little less when playing
around the selection, you can adjust that play-around time by going to DaVinci
Resolve > Preferences, selecting the User tab, and then selecting the Editing
pane. In General Settings you will find options for Pre-roll time and Post-roll time.
Although this action more or less matches, it could do with quite a bit of tightening up.
Again, you will use dynamic trimming to end the cut earlier.
13 Press J to trim back to the previous sword clash with the villain to the right of the hero.
14 Press the U key twice to toggle the trim to the head of the incoming shot.
150
Cutting on Action
TIP Remember, you can use the JKL keys to perform single frame trims by
holding down K and tapping the J or L keys.
15 Press L to ripple trim the incoming shot forward to the point where the hero and the
villain’s swords clash
16 Press / (slash) to play around the selected cut.

Cutting on action is the basic editing technique learned by every fledgling editor. You
use the action to motivate the cut. Keeping with that simple principle will lead to your
edits becoming more fluid.
Repeating Action
Now that you have fine-tuned a few cuts by matching their action, let’s toss a little wrench
into the principles of action editing. A common contemporary tactic when cutting action
scenes is to repeat the same action on key shots to really milk the impact of a shot.
Sometimes action occurs too quickly and might be missed by viewers. That is the case
for the trim you just made. Even a few overlapping frames in two shots can increase the
dynamism of an action.
1 Press the up arrow to move back to the previous edit between [04_pirates and 151
07_pirates.
2 Click the loop button under the timeline viewer to enable looping during playback,
Cutting on Action
or press Cmd-/ (slash) in macOS or Ctrl-/ (slash) in Windows.
3 Press / (slash) to play over the selected cut between [04_pirates and 07_pirates.
This strike in the sword fight might happen too quickly for viewers to fully “digest” it.
You can create a very brief overlap to emphasize it a bit more. Let’s start on the
outgoing side and then switch to the incoming shot.
In addition to using the JKL keys, you can press , (comma) and . (period) to make
single-frame trims.
4 If necessary, press U until the tail of [04_pirates is selected, and then tap . (period)
two or three times to add two or three frames to the tail of the cut.
5 As you continue loop playing, press U twice to select the head of 07_pirates.
6 With the incoming side of the cut selected, tap , (comma) two or three times to add
frames to the head of the cut.
7 Using the U key, continue selecting either side and continue to refine the overlap.
8 Press spacebar to stop playback.
9 Press W to disable Dynamic Trim mode.
10 Under the timeline viewer, disable the loop button or press Cmd-/ (macOS) or
Ctrl-/ (Windows).
Creating these very short overlapping action frames gives the viewer time to catch up.
However, the opposite is also true; making action go a bit faster can also lend a greater
sense of energy to a scene.
Rolling Edits in Dynamic Trim Mode

As you’ve probably noticed when you’ve been switching between the two sides of a ripple
trim, you can also roll edits in Dynamic Trim mode too.
1 Move your playhead forward to the edit between 05_pirates and 06_pirates and
press / (slash) to preview the edit.
The shot feels a bit forced, waiting for the hero to turn his head.
2 Place you playhead near the cut and press W to enable Dynamic Trim mode and
select the edit point.
3 If necessary, press U until you have select the edit as a rolling trim.
4 Press J to roll the edit back about a second to before the hero turns his head. 152
Cutting on Action
5 Press W to toggle Dynamic Trim mode off.
Slipping and Sliding in Dynamic Trim Mode

As well as making ripple and roll trims in Dynamic Trim mode, you can also make slip
and slide trims.
1 Place the playhead over the next-to-last shot in your timeline, the reaction shot of the
heroine in 12_pirates.
The current shot doesn’t clearly convey her feelings, so the director would like to use
a later reaction shot.
2 Press T to ensure you’re in Trim Edit mode, and press W to turn on Dynamic Trim mode.
3 Press Shift-V to select the 12_pirates clip under the playhead.
4 Press J to slip the clip backward, and choose a later reaction shot that is more suitable.
153
TIP Slipping a shot using shortcuts often feels as if it’s working in reverse.
When you are slipping a clip, you’re moving the content of the shot in the
Enhancing the Action

direction of your trim rather than relocating the in and out points.
5 Press / (slash) to preview your changes.

You can also slide clips.
6 Press S to switch Dynamic Trim mode from slip to slide. The toolbar button changes.
7 Hold down K and tap J a couple of times to slide the reaction shot backward a
few frames. Be careful not to slide too far because you still want to see the hero’s
cheeky wink.
TIP You can also switch between slip and slide trims by right-clicking the
Dynamic Trim mode button in the toolbar.
8 Press W to turn off Dynamic Trim mode and A to return to Selection mode.
As you can see, working in Dynamic Trim mode has many advantages when it comes to
ripple, roll, slip, and slide trimming. However, you can employ a number of other editorial
tricks to further enhance this action scene.

Changing the speed of clips in an action scene requires a delicate touch to get that extra
boost of energy without making a scene look comical. Depending on the shot, a speed
increase between 10 or 15 percent will give a fight scene some extra punch.
1 Play the 05_Pirates clip.
First, let’s change the speed of one clip. 154
2 Select the 05_pirates clip , right-click it, and choose Change Clip Speed.
3 In the Change Clip Speed dialog, set the Speed to 110.00 %. Select “Ripple sequence”

and Pitch Correction, and click Change.
Selecting “Ripple sequence” ensure that gaps won’t be created in your timeline as you
speed clips up and shorten their durations. Selecting Pitch Correction will keep the
audio sounding natural.
NOTE Pitch correction is available only when using macOS 10.10

“Yosemite” and newer.
4 Play over the changed shot to review the speed change.

Notice how much more forceful the sword swipes appear. It’s subtle, but adding it to
shots in which the actors move a bit too slowly makes the action appear more realistic.
For extra good measure, see if you can influence the director and director of
photography to shoot actions scenes with a fast shutter speed. Combining that footage
with speed changes will make your scene feel even more energized.
Increasing Tension with Variable Speed Changes 155
Not all clips require a device as simple as a constant speed change. Occasionally, you will

want to assign different playback speeds to different ranges within a clip. This is the case
with one of the shots in your timeline.
1 Move the timeline playhead back to 18_pirates.
2 Play over the clip to review it.

Although this clip looks fine at 100-percent speed, the middle of the clip has a pause in
the action. It would be nice to extend this to build more tension toward the end of this
fight. Using the retime controls, you can divide the clip into ranges, and assign different
playback rates for each range.
3 Position the playhead about one-third of the way into the clip.
This roughly locates the area you should slow down to extend the pause in the action.
4 Right-click the clip, and choose Retime Controls, or press Cmd-R (macOS) or Ctrl-R
(Windows).
5 At the bottom of the clip, in the Change Speed submenu, choose Add Speed Point.
156

A speed point is added at the playhead location, dividing the clip into two ranges, each
with its own Change Speed submenu. You’ll add one more speed point, so you want to
slow down only the middle of the clip and return to sound speed after that.
6 Position the playhead about two-thirds of the way into the clip.
7 At the bottom of the clip, in the Change Speed submenu, choose Add Speed Point.
You have now divided the clips into three sections that you will use to ramp down the
speed in the middle.
Because clip durations change when you change the playback speed of clip sections,
you can decide if the changes should open gaps or ripple the timeline by choosing the
selection tool or the trim mode tool. In this case, you want to make these edits tighter,
so you’ll ripple trim using the trim mode tool.
8 Press T to enable Trim Edit mode. 157
9 In the Change Speed submenu under the section in the middle, choose Change
Speed > 75%.

The time appears next to the Change Speed submenu update to show each section’s
current playback speed and the timeline ripples to accommodate the clip’s change
of duration.
10 Play over the clip to see the results of the variable speed change.
You can modify the position of each speed point and the speed of each section by
dragging the speed points. Each speed point has two handles: The upper handle will
speed up or slow down the section to the left, whereas the lower handle will change
the location of the speed point.
Changes playback speed to

speed section left of speed point
Changes the frame where

the speed point occurs
On your clip, if you want the slow speed to occur only during the small pause in the 158
sword fight, the first speed point is placed too early and the second speed point is
placed too late.

11 On the first speed point, drag the lower handle to the right until the male lead finishes
engaging in the sword fight with the pirate who is lower in the frame.
Notice that the speeds of both sections on either side of the speed point did not
change speed. Only the location of the speed point has changed.
12 On the second speed point, drag the lower handle to the right until the male lead
begins to engage again with the pirate who is higher in the frame.
Now you might want to keep those locations, while changing the speed of the first
and last segments to speed them up just a bit.
13 On the first speed point, drag the upper handle to the left until the speed of the first
segment is roughly around 120%.
The last segment does not have a speed point, but you can change the speed of the 159
segment using the speed bar at the top of the clip.
14 Position the mouse pointer over the upper-right corner of the speed bar.

The pointer changes to a resize cursor and you can drag the edge to change the
speed of the last segment.
15 Drag the speed bar corner to the left until the speed of the first segment is roughly
around 120%.
16 Play over the clip to review your changes.
17 Press Cmd-R (macOS) or Ctrl-R (Windows), or right-click the clip and choose Retime
Controls, to close the retime controls.
18 Press A to change to the selection tool.
Being able to manipulate the speed and location of a speed change independently
using one speed point is a simple yet powerful device. You’ll explore even more ways
to manipulate speed and speed points in Lesson 5.
Adding and Selecting Multiple Cuts

In addition to changing a clip’s speed, a technique often used to raise the energy of action
scenes is to simply remove one or two frames just before the action. Placing this subtle jump
cut just before a hit or some other action can often make the shot appear more intense.
1 Press Shift-Z to see the entire timeline.
2 Position the playhead over the fourth clip in the timeline, 07_pirates.mov.
3 Play over the clip to review it.
Because you need to remove just a frame or two, it is easiest to create an edit point
where you want to remove the frames.
4 Position the playhead a few frames from the start of 07_pirates.mov, just as the hero 160
and the villain’s sword are still touching, but before the villain moves back slightly.

Positioning the playhead close to the point of action usually adds to the impact.
5 Choose Timeline > Razor, or press Cmd-B (macOS) or Ctrl-B (Windows), to add a
through edit at the playhead position.
This command adds an edit across all the clips with auto select enabled.
6 Position the playhead a few frames before the end of 07_pirates.mov, just before the
swords clash.
7 Again, choose Timeline > Razor, or press Cmd-B (macOS) or Ctrl-B (Windows), to add 161
a second through edit at the playhead position.
With the edit points in place, you can select both edit points and trim them simultaneously.

8 Press T to select Trim Edit Mode.
9 Position the pointer in the gray area of the timeline above and to the left of the first
razor edit you created.
TIP You may need to zoom into the timeline to perform this selection.
10 Drag down and to the right until both through edits are selected.
11 Press the U key until only the outgoing side of both through edits are selected.
12 Press , (comma) to trim one frame from each of the selected cuts. 162
13 Press / (slash) to preview these new cuts.
14 Press A to return to the selection tool.

When used in the right locations, this type of trim can have an effect similar to shooting
with a fast shutter speed. When done well, it quickens the pace of an action scene.
Reframing Shots
Controlling the speed of a clip–either through single-frame trims or retiming shots–helps
to build tension, even if only for a split second. Mixing up angles can have the same effect.
Unlike a typical dialogue scene, when you have multiple camera angles available for an
action scene, use them! And when you don’t have them, you can fabricate them by resizing
and repositioning shots you do have.
1 In the timeline, position the playhead at the start of the third clip from the end, 06_pirates.
2 Select the clip, and press / (slash) to play over it.

This is the main hero shot in the scene, yet it is a fairly wide shot with a lot going on.
It might be a better hero shot if you turned it into more of a close-up.
3 In the lower-left of the timeline viewer, click the on-screen controls. 163

To use the on-screen controls to scale up the image, you need to create more room
around the frame. You can do so by reducing the image magnification in the viewer.
4 Use your middle mouse wheel to zoom out in the timeline viewer, or in the magnification
menu in the upper-left of the timeline viewer, choose a value lower than your current
setting so the image and its on-screen controls appear smaller in the viewer.
5 Drag out any corner handle of the wireframe to slightly increase the size of the image. 164

Now you’ll reposition the shot so it is nicely framed on the hero without cutting off the
pirate to the right.
6 Drag anywhere within the wireframe to reposition the shot to show more of the right
side of the frame.
7 Press / (slash) to play over the resized and repositioned clip.

The rescaling appears fine, but the camera movement that was acceptable as a wide 165
shot is now too chaotic for a close-up. You can smooth out the camera movement
using Resolve’s stabilizer, which is located on the Color page.

8 Click the Color page button, and in the toolbar, select the tracker button.
9 In the mode pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the Tracker palette, choose Stabilizer.
10 Click the Stabilize button

11 Press Cmd-/ (slash) in macOS or Ctrl-/ (slash) in Windows to turn on loop, and click
play to see the results.
Unfortunately, the Stabilizer has introduced some strange twisting motion in the image.
This is because the Resolve stabilizer not only stabilizes vertical and horizontal camera
movement, it can also stabilize tilt, rotation, zooming, and perspective.
You want to keep that handheld feel while smoothing out some of the erratic camera
movement. To do so, you will stabilize only the up and down camera movement.
12 In the Stabilizer window, in pop-up menu in the lower-right, change Perspective
to Translation.
Whereas the default Perspective setting stabilizes all characteristics of a camera move,
choosing Translation stabilizes only the X and Y movement.
13 Click the Stabilize button again.
Notice that using that stabilization setting retained the overall natural camera
movement while smoothing out the X and Y motion. Let’s look at the unstabilized clip
to refresh your memory of the original shot.
14 While the clip is looping, select the Bypass Stabilization checkbox to disable the
stabilization.
166
Comparing Timeline Versions

The clip instantly scales down a bit because this is how stabilizers work. They up-size
the image just enough to apply inverse motion that offsets the camera movement.
15 Deselect Bypass Stabilization to reenable the stabilization.
The results could still use a bit more smoothness to the motion.
16 At the bottom of the Stabilizer palette, in the Smooth data field, enter 0.75.
Increasing the Smooth parameter value will remove additional jarring motion while
retaining the primary camera motion. Increasing the smoothness also requires
additional image resizing, so it is best to start with clips recorded at resolutions larger
than the final output.
17 Return to the Edit page.
You may think that all this resizing would lower the quality of your image, but in many cases
it does not. When cutting 4.6K content from a Blackmagic Design URSA camera for HD or
even 2K digital cinema output, you have the benefit of being able to zoom in and reposition
clips to get the framing you want. Even though the project may be in HD, DaVinci Resolve is
smart enough to always start with the original clip’s size when resizing.

Throughout any project you will create several versions of a timeline. And when multiple
versions of a scene exist, someone inevitably will want to know how they differ. So, it is
up to you to know be able to point out those differences. Resolve includes a unique and
helpful comparison tool for comparing two versions of a scene.
1 In the upper-right corner of the timeline viewer, click the double box icon to return to
Dual Viewer mode, and then click the Media pool button.
2 In the Media pool, select the timelines bin.

3 With the Sword Fight v2 timeline still open, right-click the Fight Scene v1 timeline, 167
and choose Compare With Current Timeline.

The timeline comparison window shows the current timeline in the timeline viewer
along the bottom and the timeline that you right-clicked along the top.
4 In the upper-right corner of the timeline comparison window, drag the zoom slider to
the left until you see both timelines in their entirety.
Areas of the timelines are highlighted to indicate larger areas in which changes occur.
The green highlights indicate entirely new sections that do not appear in the current
timeline. The red highlights indicate sections that do not appear in the right-clicked
timeline. Both the upper and lower timelines have their own playheads, so you can
review each one. Your current Sword Fight v2 timeline will play in the timeline viewer
as usual, and the Fight Scene v1 timeline will play in the source viewer.
5 Drag the upper timeline playhead over the green section of the comparison timeline. 168

The comparison timeline appears in the source viewer. To view the current timeline in
the timeline viewer, you can drag the playhead along the lower timeline.
6 Drag the lower timeline playhead over the red section of the timeline to see it in the viewer.
As you compare the two timelines, you can accept and add changes into the
current timeline.
7 Right-click the first green area in the comparison timeline, and choose Accept Change.
The green section in the comparison timeline is now added to the current timeline.
8 Right-click the second green area at the end of the upper timeline, and choose Accept
Change to add the closing shots from the original cut to your new, enhanced cut.
9 In the lower-right corner, click the close button to return to the current timeline with all
the new changes.
As you may have noticed, you edit action scenes with many of the same tools you would
use in any other genre, but you do so in distinctive ways. Action scenes are just short
storylines in and of themselves, so the tools and some of the techniques used to advance
a dialogue scene are also used here. You needn’t be anxious about editing your first action
scene; just remain organized and treat it like a mini-story.
Lesson Review 169
1 How can you see more than one timeline at the same time?
Lesson Review
A) Choose Timeline > Open Additional Timeline
B) Cmd-double-click (macOS) or Ctrl-double-click (Windows) another timeline
C) By enabling tabbed timelines in the Timeline View Options menu
2 What visual indicators does Resolve give to let you know you’re in Dynamic Trim Mode?
A) The Dynamic Trim toolbar button changes to yellow
B) The timeline playhead changes to yellow
C) The Trim Edit mode button changes to yellow
3 True or False: The function of the J, K and L keys differ when you are in
Dynamic Trim Mode?
4 What does the lower speed point handle adjust?

A) The speed of the clip to the left of the speed point
B) The speed of the clip to the right of the speed point
C) The position of the speed point on the clip
5 Where are the stabilization controls located?

A) In the Effects Library
B) In the Inspector of the selected clip

C) In the Color page
Answers 170
1 C. You enable stacked and tabbed timelines by clicking the top left button in the
Lesson Review
Timeline View Options pop-up.
2 A. and B. The timeline playhead and the Dynamic Trim Mode toolbar button both
change to yellow.
3 True. When in Dynamic Trim Mode, the J, K and L keys are used to trim the selected edit(s).
4 C. The lower speed point handle adjusts the position of the speed point on the clip
without adjusting the speed either side.
5 C. The stabilization controls are located on the Color page.

Lesson 6
Editing Multicamera
Many types of productions capture a scene Time

using multiple cameras running simultaneously, This lesson takes approximately
including scripted dramatic series, reality 75 minutes to complete.
programming, interviews, and music videos.
These multicamera productions all require Goals
a unique editing setup in which you can Syncing Angles 172
synchronize and view all of the angles at once. Editing a Multicamera Music Video 178
DaVinci Resolve 15’s multicamera feature Complex Multicamera Editing 186
allows you to initially synchronize multiple Lesson Review 197

clips, and then easily manage and edit
between camera angles without any further
concern about sync issues. Resolve enables
you to cut to any camera angle, safe in the
knowledge that you can later change your
mind and select a different angle from the
same sync point.
In this lesson, you will explore the power

of multicamera functionality, discover some
of the best ways to work with simple and
complex multicamera setups, and learn how
to solve some common challenges.
Syncing Angles 172
From the very beginning of a project, accurately establishing the sync relationship between
Syncing Angles
multiple camera angles is critical to a successful multicamera edit, so let’s look at the
various ways you achieve this in Resolve.
Lessons > Lesson 06 Multicam. Select R15 Editing Lesson 06 Multicam.drp, choose
Open, and click OK to import the project into your Project manager.
3 In the Media pool, select the 01 Sasha Interview bin.
4 Play each of the clips to review the interview contents.
This bin contains two clips shot from different angles of an interview with Sasha from
the cycle shop Citizen Chain in which he explains the inspiration for the business’s
name. It’s a nice story, but the director would like it to flow a little better. Thankfully,
because this interview was shot on more than one camera, you can cut between the
cameras instead of adding b-roll cutaways to cover jump cuts in the edit, or patching
the interview with the Smooth Cut transition.
First, you need to sync the interview clips.
5 In the Media pool, select both clips. Right-click either clip, and choose “Create New
Multicam Clip Using Selected Clips”.
The New Multicam Clip window opens in which you can select how Resolve will
create the multicam clip.
6 In the Multicam Clip name, type Sasha Interview.
7 Leave the Frame Rate at 24. Resolve uses the frame rate of the source clips.
8 Change the Angle Sync to Sound.
Resolve will automatically synchronize the two clips using their audio content as
references, much as you did when syncing dual system clips in Lesson 1.
173
Syncing Angles
9 Leave “Move Source Clips to ‘Original Clips’ Bin” selected.
10 Click Create.
Resolve analyses the clips’ audio and creates a new multicam clip in the selected bin
called Sasha Interview. A new bin also appears, Original Clips, that contains the two
interview source clips.
Viewing the Multicam Clip

Now that you have created the multicam clip, you can work with it just as any other source
clip. However, because it contains both angles in a single clip, you can switch between the
two shots at any time.
1 Double-click the Sasha Interview multicam clip to open it in the source viewer.
Because this is a multicam clip, Resolve automatically displays both angles side-by- 174
side. The angle with the red outline represents the currently active angle, the angle
that you will see and hear.
Syncing Angles
2 Play the multicam clip in the source viewer. Both angles should be in sync.
NOTE You may notice some black frames at the start on the shot on the left,
labelled Angle 1, because the camera recording this shot may have started rolling
a short time after the other camera started. These frames are not a problem. In
fact, multicamera source clips don’t have to be exactly the same length.
3 In the source viewer, set an in point just before Sasha says, “I was a big fan of Orson
Welles (around 01:00:07:00).
4 Set an out point after Sasha nods at the camera, but before he says, “Sort of a happy
coincidence“ (around 01:00:34:00).
5 Select the Timelines bin, and press Cmd-N (macOS) or Ctrl-N (Windows), or choose
File > New Timeline.
6 Name this timeline Multicam Interview, and click Create.
7 Press F10 to perform an overwrite edit into the Multicam Interview timeline, and press
Shift-Z, if necessary, to view the whole clip.
175
Syncing Angles
When you play this multicam clip in the timeline, you’ll see only the currently active
angle. The second angle is hidden.
Refining the Radio Edit

Now that you have the interview in the timeline, you can start to edit to improve the flow of
Sasha’s storytelling. First, you’ll have to remove a couple of distracting “umms” and “ahhhs”
to remove. Then, you’ll want to tighten up the last part of the interview.
1 Play through the timeline until you hear the first “ahhh.” Set an in point before that
“ahhh,” and set an out point before Sasha says, “Going through school.”
2 Press Shift-Delete (or Backspace) to ripple delete the marked section.

By now, this process should be second nature to you.
4 Continue playing the timeline and use the same technique to remove the “ummm” a
few seconds later, after he says, “I appreciate the pun,” and before he says, “Citizen
Chain, Citizen Kane.”
5 Another “ahhh” occurs before he says, “And only after we named the shop.” Ripple
delete it.
6 Set another in point after he says, “It was only after we named the shop,” and place an
out point just before he says, “We found out that Rosebud was really a bicycle.” Again,
ripple delete this section of the interview to tighten up the punchline of the story.
176
Syncing Angles
At this point, your director is satisfied that your new cut has engaged the audience
sufficiently, so doesn’t want to use the rest of the interview.
7 Set an in point before Sasha says, “The inspiration for Rosebud,” but don’t set an
out point.
8 Press Delete (or Backspace) to remove the rest of the interview from this timeline.
9 Press Shift-Z to fit the timeline in the available space.
10 Press Home to return your playhead to the start of the timeline, and click play to listen
to this radio edit.
Remember, at this stage you are listening to ensure that the interview sounds right and
contains no obviously distracting audio edits. If you need to adjust any edits, use the
techniques you learned in Lesson 3 to ripple trim the edit points to suit yourself.
Once you have the radio edit working, you’re ready to switch the angles of your
multicam clip.
Switching Angles in the Timeline

Not all multicamera edits must done on-the-fly, cutting between angles in real time as the
footage races past. You can switch between the different angles within a multicam clip at
any time.
1 In the Multicam Interview timeline, place the playhead on the edit between the first
and second clips.
TIP You can identify a multicam clip in the timeline by the little box icon next
to the name of the clip.
2 Press / (slash) to review the cut. 177
Ouch! I think you’ll agree, that’s a pretty nasty jump cut.
3 Right-click the first clip in the timeline, and choose Switch Multicam Clip Angle > Angle 2.
Syncing Angles
4 Press / (slash) to review the new edit.
Now, the jump cut isn’t quite so noticeable, but splitting the edit will hide it a little
more effectively.
5 Press V to select the edit between the first and second clips.
6 Press Option-U (macOS) or Alt-U (Windows) to select the video edit, and press U,
if necessary, until the video edit is selected as a rolling trim.
7 Press , (comma) two or three times to roll back the video edit a few frames to create
a small L-cut.
8 Press / (slash) once more to review the edit.
The slight offset of the video edit from the audio cut slightly softens the edit, making
it much less jarring.
9 In the timeline, select the third clip. Right-click it, and choose Switch Multicamera Clip
Angle > Angle 2.
10 Select the fifth clip, right-click it, and choose Switch Multicamera Clip Angle > Angle 2.
11 Review each of these edits, and if necessary, repeat the rolling trim procedure to split
the video edit from the audio edit. Offsetting the edits even one or two frames can
make a big improvement in the way the edits are perceived.
178
TIP Remember, you don’t always have to roll the edit backward to create an
L-cut. A cut might work better if you roll the video edit forward to create a J-cut.
Editing a Multicamera Music Video

12 When you have finished, press Cmd-A (MacOS) or Ctrl-A (Windows) to select all the clips
in your timeline. Right-click any of the selected clips, and choose Flatten Multicam Clip.
Flattening a multicam clip in the timeline removes all the additional angles, and leaves
the active angle in its place as a normal timeline clip.
By shooting this interview with more than one camera, you are able to cut the interview
effectively without having to paint it entirely with b-roll or rely on the Smooth Cut transition.

The fun aspect of working with a multicamera edit is that you can cut between the different
cameras in real time, as if you were sitting in the studio gallery and directing a live shoot.
Often, this real-time technique will save you hours because you’re able to cut the material
in the time it takes to play the timeline.
In the next exercise, you’re going to concentrate on a simple multicamera edit for the
beginning of a music video. You will then explore more in-depth features of multicam
editing in DaVinci Resolve 15.
1 In the Media pool, select the Timelines bin, and press Cmd-N (macOS) or Ctrl-N
(Windows) to create a new timeline. Name this timeline Simple Music Video.
The new timeline automatically opens and replaces the previous timeline in the 179
timeline window.
2 Right-click the 02a JBR Angles bin, and choose Create New Multicam Clip Using

Selected Bin.
TIP You can create multicam clips using selected clips or the contents of one
or more selected bins.
3 In the New Multicam Clip window, name your multicam Simple Music Multicam.
4 Change the Angle Sync to Sound.
5 Change the Angle Name to Clip name.
Once again, the multicam clip is created in the selected bin, and the original source
clips are tucked into a new Original Clips bin.
180
NOTE The Angle Name option dictates the order in which the angles are
sorted. When you choose Sequential, Resolve labels the angles and sorts

them as Angle 1, Angle 2, and so on, based on their starting timecode values.
Choosing Clip name sorts the clip names in ascending alphanumeric order
and labels the angles. Similarly, choosing “Metadata - Angle” or “Metadata -
Camera” sorts the clips based on information in their respective metadata fields.
6 Double-click the Simple Music Multicam clip to open it in the source viewer.
At first, it looks as if these clips have no video content; but if you play through the first
few seconds, you’ll see the video of each clip appear because the audio clip starts a
little before each of the video clips, much as in Sasha’s interview.
The multicam source viewer organizes the angles from left to right and from top to
bottom. So, in this 2x2 multicam layout, angle 1 will appear in the upper-left window
and angle 4 will appear in the lower-right window. Notice that the angles names have
inherited the original clip names.
7 In the source viewer options menu, make sure “Video and Audio” is selected. 181

8 In the source viewer, click the MUSIC angle to select it.
When you play the clip back in the source viewer, you will now hear the music track
rather than the camera audio recorded on the set.
9 Set an in point just before the music starts, after the sync bleeps (at 01:00:03:03). 182
10 Perform an overwrite edit to edit this clip into the empty timeline.
11 Press Shift-Z, if necessary, to view the whole clip, and press Home to return the

playhead to the start of the timeline.
In the timeline, the clip remains blank because you are monitoring an angle that has no
video, the angle with the music track.
12 In the source viewer mode pop-up menu, choose Multicam to display the multicam viewer.
In the source viewer below the multicam clip, you see three buttons that set the parts
of this multicam clip you will edit: video, video and sound, or only sound.
13 Click the video button to the left to edit only the video of this multicam clip.
14 In the source viewer, Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the video for CAM_01.
Holding down the Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) key switches the video of the active
angle. If you didn’t use this keyboard modifier, you would cut the video of the active angle.
15 The source viewer now displays two boxes; the blue box identifies the active video
angle and the green box identifies the active audio angle.
183

Now for the fun part…
16 With the playhead at the start of the timeline, click play, and begin clicking each of the
video clips in the source viewer to cut between the angles of the multicam clip. You will
see the edit points appear in the timeline as you cut between the angles. Keep going
until the angles run out and you reach the end of the timeline.
TIP You can also press the 1, 2, and 3 keys along the top of your keyboard
to cut between the angles in real time.
17 Return the playhead to the start of the timeline, and click play to review your
multicamera masterpiece.
This first attempt at a real time multicamera edit is probably not going to result in a
perfect edit. It’s very rare that you would cut to the exact angle at exactly the right time
on your first try (although happy editing “accidents” have been known to happen).
Instead, think of this as your rough cut. You’ll now need to refine the edit.
Adjusting a Multicamera Edit 184
Now that you have completed your rough cut, when you review it you’ll probably notice

two main issues: you’ve made a cut at the wrong time, or you cut to the wrong angle.
Even worse, it could be both issues!
Fear not. You’re not directing live television here; this is post-production so you can change
your mind before anyone has seen your previous “creative choices.” In fact, you already
know how to change an existing cut point by simply performing a rolling trim using any one
of several techniques.
TIP When working with a multicamera edit, you need to be very mindful of the
sync between the angles. For this reason, it’s probably not advisable to begin
rippling, slipping, or sliding shots until you are confident you have mastered
those edits.
Previously, when working on the multicamera interview, you switched the angles in
the timeline. When you have more than two angles, it’s easier to switch angles in the
source viewer as in the next exercise.
1 In the timeline, play your multicam edit until you see a shot you want to change,
then stop playback.
As the edit plays, the source viewer will also update because, in multicam mode,
the source viewer is automatically ganged to the timeline playhead position.
2 In the multicam viewer, Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) a different image
to switch the active angle to the new angle.
185

When you’re switching the active angle, the mouse pointer changes to a replace
edit icon.
It’s just as easy to add further cuts to your multicam edit too.
3 In the timeline, move the playhead to the middle of one of the multicam clips, and in
the source viewer, click any other angle.
A new edit point appears at the playhead position in the timeline and changes the rest 186
of the multicam clip after the cut to the new active angle.
Complex Multicamera Editing

TIP Pressing the number keys at the top of your keyboard (1, 2, 3, and so on)
makes a cut at the playhead position in the timeline. Pressing Option-<number
key> in macOS or Alt-<number key> in Windows) switches the multicam clip angle
at the playhead position in the timeline. You can perform either of these operations
during playback or when the playhead is stationary.
Excellent. Now that you’ve got a real taste of how much fun multicamera editing is,
and how it works in Resolve, it’s time to look at a more complex editing challenge.

Editing a multicamera clip with three or four angles is very enjoyable and relatively
straightforward. Things become much more challenging when dealing with multicamera
shoots that used more cameras.
Understanding some of the issues that you may encounter during a complex multicamera
edit is essential to learning how you can begin to solve these problems.
1 Select the Timelines bin, and press Cmd-N (macOS) or Ctrl-N (Windows) to create a
new timeline. Name this timeline Complex Multicam.
Again, this new timeline replaces the previous timeline in the timeline window.
2 Select the 02a JBR Angles bin, and Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the 02b
JBR More Angles bin.
3 Press Cmd-A (macOS) or Ctrl-A (Windows) to select all the clips in these bins, and
choose New Multicam Clip Using Selected Clips.
187

Even though the 02a Simple Multicam bin already contains a multicam clip from the
previous exercise, Resolve will ignore it when you are making the new multicam clip.
You can always Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows) to remove it from the
selection, if you wish.
4 In the window that opens, change the name of the multicam clip to Miserable Girl.
5 Set the Angle Sync to Sound
Although synchronizing clips using sound is a great method, you can also synchronize
clips using timecode, in points, out points, or clip markers. These other methods are
useful when, for whatever reason, the source clips were recorded without sound or
with poor-quality reference audio
6 Set the Angle Name to Clip name.
7 Select “Detect clips from same camera”.
Doing so ensures that Resolve will look at the metadata for each clip and see if any of
the clips share a camera number or name. When they do, those clips are treated as a
single angle in the multicam clip and sorted based on timecode.
TIP The camera number metadata is located in the Shot & Scene category of
the metadata panel.
8 For this example, deselect “Move Source Clips to ‘Original Clips’ Bin” to leave the 188
source clips where they are and click Create.

The Miserable Girl multicam clip is created and placed in the uppermost selected bin.
TIP If you can’t easily find your multicam clips, this project already includes
a Multicam Clips Smart Bin.
9 Double-click the Miserable Girl multicam clip to load it into the source viewer.
10 In the source viewer, set an in point just before the music starts at 01:00:03:05,
and overwrite the clip into the Complex Multicam timeline.
It is important to edit the multicam clip into the timeline prior to switching to the 189
multicam source viewer because that viewer is designed specifically to work when
multicam clips are already edited in the timeline.

11 Press Shift-Z and then press Home to return the playhead to the start of the timeline.
12 In the source viewer mode pop-up menu, choose Multicam.
13 Play through the timeline, keeping an eye on the source viewer to check the sync
of all clips.
TIP Black frames are shown at the start and end of some clips because all
of the cameras started and stopped recording at slightly different times.
Because the clip name sorting organizes clips alphabetically, CAM 01 is the first clip in
the list and is used in the timeline as the default picture and sound reference.
Renaming Tracks
Although the multicamera clip appears as one segment in the timeline, it is actually a type
of container timeline, which is very similar to a compound clip. You will work more with
compound clips in Lesson 06; but for now, it’s useful to know that you can open a multicam
clip in its own timeline when you need to make changes, such as altering an angle name.
You can use the pop-up menu in the timeline header to rename angles to be more
descriptive and helpful. However, renaming is available only when you expand the track
view in the Timeline View Options menu.
1 In the Timeline View Option pop-up menu, select stacked timelines.
190

The timelines you worked on across this project now open as individual tabs.
2 In the timeline, right-click the Miserable Girl clip, and choose “Open in Timeline”.
The multicam clip opens in its own tabbed timeline and you can see how Resolve has
structured and organized it. The organization is simple: any content on the Video 1
track is displayed in the multicam viewer as Angle 1. If content is present on Video 2,
it is displayed as Angle 2, and so on. The same naming convention applies to the audio
clips. Notice that the track names follow the names of the original clips.
3 In the timeline header for the V2 track, click the name CAM_02_Pt1.
4 Rename the track to CAM_2. 191
5 Click the timeline tab for the Complex Multicam timeline, and in the multicam viewer,
verify that the name of the second angle is updated.

Rearranging Angles in the Viewer
When viewing the order of angles in the multicam viewer, you may deem some angles less
important and some more important. Sometimes these superfluous or less-important
angles clutter your screen and distract you from selecting the angles you actually want.
You can limit the number of angles displayed in the viewer using the multicam display
pop-up menu.
1 In the lower-right of the source viewer, click the multicam display pop-up.
You can choose how many angles are displayed by selecting one of the grid options.
2 Choose 3x3 to display three rows of three columns for a total of nine angles in
the viewer.
TIP Limiting the number of displayed angles can also improve playback
performance on slower computers.
The source viewer organizes the angles into pages to provide access to the additional
camera angles.
3 Click the right page control arrow to display additional angles.
This page displays angle CAM_10; a nice shot of the lead guitarist. You might want this
important close-up shot on the first page, so let’s relocate that angle in the track order.
4 In the timeline, click the Miserable Girl tab.
5 Scroll up to locate the CAM_10 track, right-click the timeline header, and choose 192
Move Track Down.

Doing so swaps the CAM_10 and CAM_9 angles in the track order, which should
also move the guitarist onto the first page.
6 Click the Complex Multicam tab to return to the main timeline.
In the source viewer you’ll see that CAM_10 has switched places with Cam_09.
Adding New Angles

Another reason you may need to open a multicam clip in its own timeline is to add
additional angles that you were not able to add when you created the multicam clip. For
example, you may have created the original multicam clip using sync’d timecodes, but had
one clip that didn’t have the proper timecode. In a situation like this, it’s useful to know that
you can manually add angles after the multicam clip has already been created.
1 In the timeline, click the timeline tab for the Miserable Girl multicam clip timeline.
2 Click the Timeline View Options button, and select the rightmost clip view option.
Press Shift-Z to fit the entire timeline in the window.
193

This arrangement collapses all the tracks to a small size, leaving you the maximum
amount of space to move tracks around in the timeline.
NOTE Notice that CAM_02 contains two clips. These two clips were captured
by the same camera and placed on the same track according to their timecode
based on the Angle Name option you selected when creating the multicam clip.
3 In the Media pool, select the 03 JBR Extra Angle bin.

4 Open the New Angle.mov clip into the source viewer.
This clip is a low-angle shot of the entire stage that is missing from the original
multicamera angles.
5 Position the jog bar at the start of the source clip, and press Shift-down arrow to jump
to the first marker. Press I to add an in point.
This marker was placed at the start of the music for you. Having it in place makes it 194
quicker to sync this angle with the multicamera clip.

6 In the Miserable Girl multicam clip timeline, position the playhead at the start of the
music at 01:00:03:05. The in point set in this timeline is the original in point that you set
prior to editing the multicam clip into its own timeline.
7 Press Option-Cmd-1 (macOS) or Alt-Ctrl-1 (Windows) to disable the A1 source control,
or disable the source control for A1 in the timeline track headers.
8 Press F12 to perform a place on top edit, and edit the clip in track V11 (the lowest free
track) so this clip starts at the correct position.
195

A new angle is added to the multicam clip. You can use the standard slip and slide
trimming tools, as necessary, to refine the sync relationship of this clip with the music.
NOTE While a place on top edit will normally create new video and audio
tracks as necessary, in this case, an empty V11 track was already in the timeline.
V11 was empty because Angle 11 in this multicam clip is used for the music track
which has no video. By manually adding the new video-only angle to the
empty V11 track, both clips now display as the 11th camera angle in the viewer.
9 In the timeline, close the Miserable Girl tab. You have finished changing your multicam
clip for now.
10 In the source mode pop-up menu, re-enable the multicam viewer.
11 Click the Timeline View Options button, and click the button to enable audio
waveforms. Choose other timeline view options to suit yourself.
Ok, back to the fun bit. It’s time for you to do some more multicam editing!
12 In the multicam viewer, click the audio-only button, switch to page 2, and Option-click
(macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the MUSIC angle to switch the multicam clip audio to
the music track.
196

13 Switch to page 1, click the video-only button, and Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click
(Windows) CAM_03 to switch the picture to this first starting angle.
14 Return the playhead to the start of this timeline.

15 Click play, and start editing!
When you have played to the end of this multicam clip, go back through your edit and 197
refine it by rolling the edit points, switching existing angles, and adding new cuts. Don’t
forget the two additional angles on the second page in the multicam viewer! Although your
Lesson Review
instincts might tell you to flatten the timeline and remove all of the unused angles, consider
that color grading can be easier when opening a timeline and grading each track instead of
grading clip-by-clip.
When editing multicamera projects and playing back in real-time, you are really trying to
assess the rhythms and themes of the music and capture those characteristics as you are
cutting. Sometimes you might cut a multicam clip in three or four ways to experiment with
various pacing strategies and later decide which one is showing the most love; but as with
all editing, each cut requires constant revisiting and reworking to ensure that your audience
is watching the best possible results.
Lesson Review
1 What options do you have for synchronizing angles in a multicam clip from video clips
without sound?
A) Use in or out points
B) Use markers
C) Use timecode
2 What is the maximum number of angles you can view simultaneously in a multicam clip?
A) 16
B) 18
C) 28
3 What modifier key is held down to switch the entire multicam clip to another angle
instead of adding a new edit point?
A) Command (macOS) or Control (Windows)
B) Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows)
C) Shift
4 True or False? You cannot change the order of angles, add additional angles to an
existing multicam clip, or change the current order of the angles.
5 True or False? When you choose to flatten a multicam clip, you lose all the other
synchronized angles.
Answers 198
1 A., B., and C. You can choose to synchronize angles using in points, out points,
Lesson Review
timecode, or markers instead of sound.
2 A. 16. You can have multiple pages of more angles, but the maximum number of angles
you can view in any one page is 16 (4x4).
3 B. Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) an angle to switch the existing angle.
4 False. Right-click a multicam clip, and choose Open in Timeline to adjust an existing
multicam clip.
5 True. Flattening a multicam clip removes all the unused angles and leaves only the
clip that was used in the active angle in the timeline.
Lesson 7
Creating Multilayered
Composites
Multilayered promotional videos, or promos, combine Time

video, audio, motion graphics, and text into a seamless
animated storyline. While creativity and imagination This lesson takes approximately
make every promo unique, the ultimate goal still 75 minutes to complete.
comes down to clearly conveying the message.
You can apply the layering, graphic, and animation Goals
techniques you learn in this lesson to commercials Roughing out your Vision 200
in which you need to quickly persuade viewers to
engage with a business. These techniques also Working with Graphics 218
come into play when creating educational content Working in a Compound Clip 223
that needs to explain difficult or complicated
Improving Multi-layered Performance 231
concepts in an easy-to-understand way.
Adjusting Keyframes 233
Because motion graphics communicate important
messages, they must be easily grasped by the Lesson Review 239
viewer. As a result, you strive for clarity and
simplicity. The visual effects that you include,
movement you create, and colors you choose must
enhance the overall clarity of the piece. By doing
so, you create an animation that communicates
its message effectively to the target audience.
This lesson will introduce the compositing and
animation features available to you in DaVinci
Resolve 15’s Edit page. As an editor, you will often
be required to build composites and apply some
level of keyframe animation. Then, you, or a motion
graphics artist, can use that composite as a guide,
or previz (previsualization), for further work in the
Fusion page or Fusion Studio.
Roughing out your Vision 200
To ensure the clarity of your multilayered promo, you must have a vision for the project
Roughing out your Vision

before you even begin. Unless you fully define what you need to communicate, it will be
very difficult for you to choose the right approach.
The goal for this promo is to create a multilayered, thirty-second promotional piece
incorporating multiple video layers into an animated wall of pictures. Before you actually
start putting your promo together, let’s look at the style you will want to use.
1 In the Project manager, right-click and choose Import. Navigate to Rhinos Compositing.
Select R15 Editing Lesson 07 Compositing.drp, choose Open, and then click OK to
import the project into your Project manager.
3 In the Edit page, in the Master bin, double-click the final composite clip, and play it.
This clip is a multilayer graphic promo like the one you will create. As you can see,
to realize a project such as this, you need lots of images visible at the same time,
and they must be stacked on top of each other using multiple timeline video tracks.
The vertical placement of clips is best dealt with after you have determined when the
most important shots should be seen. So, let’s take a closer look at the starting timeline
which roughs out the basic structure of the promo but is still missing a few elements.
4 In the timelines bin, double-click “01 start timeline”.
201

5 Play the timeline from the start to review the current edit.
This timeline already has most of the voiceover (VO) in place, along with some music
and b-roll clips. In the next exercises, you’ll continue building out the narration and
adding more of the b-roll clips.
Recalling Previous Clips

When you are cutting VO for a promo, you often bounce between two or three takes.
As you switch back and forth, it helps to know a few fast ways to return to clips that you
used previously.
This timeline contains a sentence from the VO source clip that you would like to use. The
easiest way to locate and load the VO clip into the source viewer is to match frame it from
an existing VO clip in the timeline.
1 In the timeline, ensure that the playhead is over the third VO.wav clip on track Audio 1,
just before the on-camera Interview HD clip.
To successfully match frame and find the desired sentence, you need to indicate which
track DaVinci Resolve 15 should be examining. You can set the correct track for the
match frame by disabling auto select on all of the tracks above the track you want to
match frame to, which in this case is Audio 1.
NOTE You can also manually select a clip to match frame to, irrespective of
the auto select controls focus.
2 Click the auto select button to disable auto select for Video 1, or press Opt-F1 (macOS) 202
or Alt-F1 (Windows).

3 In the lower-right corner of the timeline viewer, click the match frame button, or press F,
to perform a match frame operation.
TIP You’ll also find a match frame button under the source viewer with which
you can locate the current source frame in the timeline.
The match frame function loads the clip under your timeline playhead and on the 203
highest auto select-enabled track into the source viewer. This simple action saves you
the trouble of tediously searching through the Media pool to locate the clip you have

already used.
TIP When you want to locate a particular timeline clip in the Media pool, select
the clip in the timeline, and choose Clip > Find Clip in Media pool; right-click the
clip, and choose Find in Media pool; or press Opt-F (macOS) or Alt-F (Windows).
4 With the source viewer active, type 3. . (two periods) and press Enter.
Pressing two periods is the same as adding two decimal points with zeros. So, it is the
equivalent of typing 3:00 minutes. This location is near the starting point for the next clip.
5 Press spacebar to play over the ending sentence.
You’ll use this last sentence as the ending for your promo.
6 Return to the three-minute location, and mark an in point before the doctor says,
“This is why I continue to fight,” at around 00:03:01:00.
7 Mark an out point after she says, “Give up on them,” at 00:03:08:00.
Now you want to add this VO to the end of your timeline, you’ll do so using the append
at end edit function.
8 Press Shift-F12 to append the clip to the end of the timeline of the targeted audio track. 204

9 Play over the onscreen interview and the audio VO you just added to the timeline to
review the edit.
The VO clip was edited directly after the end of the on-camera interview. When cutting
a voice element, don’t forget that people need to breathe, and for that matter, so does
your edit.
10 In the timeline, move the playhead anywhere over the new VO.wav clip you just added.
11 Press Shift-V to select the clip.
12 Type +10 and press Enter.
You just moved the clip by a relative amount (10 frames) because the plus key was
entered before the numerical value. Doing so adds some much-needed breathing
space between the two sentences. At this point, take some time to review the entire
edit before you move on to the next exercise.
Editing with Fit to Fill

Fit to fill is a four-point edit in which both the source clip and timeline have in and out
points. When these two selections have different durations, DaVinci Resolve automatically
calculates the rate of speed adjustment required to make the marked duration of the
source clip fit into the marked duration of the timeline. This automatic speed change is
helpful in promos where you want a particular action to happen within a musical beat or
within a certain VO section.
1 With the playhead positioned at the start of the timeline, click play, and mark an in point
at the third musical beat (at roughly 01:00:02:00).
2 Mark an out point on the fifth musical beat (at around 01:00:04:00).
205

The duration between these marks should be about two seconds, which you can verify
in the upper-left duration field in the timeline viewer.
3 In the Media pool, select the Media bin.

4 Double-click Clip 02 to load it into the source viewer.
The marks are already set on this clip and ready for you to edit into the timeline with 206
a duration of four seconds. Let’s look at the content you are going to use.
5 Press Opt-/ (slash) on macOS or Alt-/ (slash) on Windows to play from the in to out

points before returning the playhead to its current frame.
The rhino in this shot moves very slowly. You are going to speed up the shot because
you want to fit the full action of the rhino looking up into the two-second duration you
just marked on the timeline.
6 In the timeline track header, disable the A1 destination control so you edit only the
video track.
7 Press Shift-F11 to perform a fit to fill edit.

A speed change icon appears on the clip and the clip in the timeline is sped up to fit
the four-second source clip into the two-second timeline region.
8 Return to the start of the rhino clip in the timeline and watch the edit.
Fit to Fill is an easy edit to make in this way; but in some cases, it can be even easier. 207
If you are performing a fit to fill edit to replace an existing clip in the timeline, you
needn’t mark in and out points. You can position the timeline playhead over the

segment and enable the auto select control for that track. When performing the fit to
fill edit, Resolve will automatically calculate the in and out points for the segment.
Aligning Action with a Replace Edit

So often in promos, you want multiple pictures to appear on-screen at the same time. To do
so, they must be layered vertically on different tracks in the timeline, but at the same time.
For your next few edits, you’ll stack up clips that will work well together on-screen.
Creatively, the director wants multiple shots of guns firing on screen simultaneously in your
wall of pictures. She also wants this moment to occur at a natural pause in the voiceover.
1 In the timeline, play from the start of the loading rifle clip, and stop at the pause
between “It isn’t because they dislike you” and before the doctor says, “It’s just
because they are scared,” at about 01:00:19:15.
This is where the new clip’s gunshot should be heard. When performing a replace edit,
it’s important to position the playhead where you want the sound or action to occur.
2 Press the right and left arrow keys to ensure the playhead is positioned between
“dislike you” and “it’s just because”.
TIP If you will need to locate this exact frame later, you might want to add a
clip or timeline marker as a reference.
3 In the Media pool, double-click single round shot to open it into the source viewer. 208

At one point, the gun is fired in this clip. You can find it easily using the audio overlay
4 In the options menu above the source viewer, choose Show Full Clip Audio Waveform.
By examining the audio waveform overlay, you can easily locate the gun being fired
because the shot is the only sound in this clip.
5 In the source viewer, drag the playhead directly over the frame where the gun fires. 209

Using the source playhead, you identified the gunshot as a sync point; and in the
timeline, you identified the pause between the doctor’s two sentences as the other
sync point. You’re almost ready to perform a replace edit.
An effective replace edit is all about the playhead’s position in the timeline and the
source viewer. This placement is critical because when you perform the replace edit,
the playhead frame in the source viewer is introduced exactly at the playhead frame in
the timeline.
You may already have used the replace edit function to replace an entire clip on the
timeline. However, if you add in and out points in the timeline before performing a
replace edit, the points can limit the amount of source media handles that is edited on
either side of the playhead location.
6 Press Q to activate the timeline viewer.
Previously you disabled auto select on Video 1 to match frame to the audio, now you
need to enable it on this track to mark the clip’s duration.
7 Click the auto select button on Video 1, or press Option-F1 (macOS) or Alt-F1 (Windows),
to enable auto select for video track 1.
210

8 Choose Mark > Mark Clip, or press X, to mark in and out points for the duration of the
loading rifle video clip on the Video 1 track.
To edit in the new clip and layer it above the loading clip, you need to add a new
video track.
9 In the timeline, right-click the Video 1 track header, and choose Add Track.
A new Video 2 track is added above Video 1. Now you’ll patch the video from the
source clip onto Video 2 track.
10 Press Option-2 (macOS) or Alt-2 (Windows) to patch the source video to Video 2
in the timeline.
Because you also want the gunshot to be heard, you’ll also edit in the audio. 211
11 Press Cmd-Opt-2 (macOS) or Ctrl-Alt-2 (Windows) to patch the source Audio 1 into Audio 2.

With the duration correctly marked, the right tracks targeted, and your playhead in
the correct position, you are now ready to perform your replace edit.
12 Press F11 to perform a replace edit.
The gunshot clip is now layered on top of the clip on Video 2, and the sound of the
gunshot occurs exactly in the pause of the sentence.
13 Press / (slash) to review the edit you just made to see and hear the placement of
the gunshot.
You have one more gun firing shot to add. You’ll edit this on another layer above 212
single round shot.
14 In the Media pool, double-click two rounds shot to open it in the source viewer.

This clip has two places where a gun is fired. You’ll locate the second gunshot using
the audio overlay.
15 In the source viewer, drag the playhead directly over the frame in which the gun fires.
Now you need to patch the audio and video to new tracks in the timeline.
16 Right-click anywhere in the timeline header and choose Add Tracks.
In the Add Tracks dialogue, you can determine how many tracks you’re adding and 213
where they are placed in relation to existing tracks.
17 In Video Tracks, set the Insert Position menu to Above Video 2; and in Audio Tracks,

set the Insert Position menu to Below Audio 2 and the Audio Track Type to Mono.
18 Click Add Tracks to add the audio and video tracks.

Depending on your screen size, you may need to reduce the size of your video tracks
using the Timeline View Options.
You do not always have to patch to a specific numbered track. You also can quickly
patch to the next highest video track by using the up arrow keyboard shortcut.
19 Press Cmd-Shift-up arrow (macOS) or Ctrl-Shift-up arrow (Windows) to patch source V1
one track higher to Video 3 in the timeline.
20 Press Cmd-Opt-down arrow (macOS) or Ctrl-Alt-down arrow (windows) to patch source 214
A1 on track lower to your new Audio 3 in the timeline.

21 In the timeline, make sure your playhead is still over the point where the gun is fired
in Single round shot.
22 Press X to mark the clip in the timeline on the lowest track with auto select enabled
(Video 1).
23 Press F11 to replace the clips on the targeted tracks.
The replace edit is ideal for making edits in which the timing and placement of action 215
is far more important than where the start and end of a clip might happen.

Aligning Action with Slip Edits
You aligned the two gunshot clips using replace edits. But what about aligning actions with
sound after a clip is already edited into the timeline? The easiest way to align clips with
sound once they are edited is by performing a slip edit.
Let’s look at loading rifle which is positioned under your gunshot clips on Video 1. Because
you cannot currently see loading rifle in the timeline, you need to disable the clips on the
higher tracks.
1 In the timeline, select single round shot and two rounds shot. Right-click one of the
clips, and choose Disable, or press D, to disable the clips.
The two selected clips are no longer visible in the viewer and they are dimmed in the
timeline, which reveals the loading rifle clip beneath on Video
2 Press / (slash) to play over loading rifle to view its contents.
At the start of the clip, the rifleman slaps the cartridge into his gun. Aligning that action
with the gunshot sound effect would sync all the visuals very nicely.
3 Make sure your playhead is still positioned over the sound of the gunshot on Audio 2. 216
If it isn’t, use the waveforms of the guns firing as a guide (or any markers you may have
added as reference).

Now you can slip the rifle shot to align with the gun sound effect.
4 Press T to select the trim edit mode tool.
5 Move your mouse pointer over the thumbnail and click loading rifle to select it with the
slip cursor, or press Shift-V to select the clip on the lowest track with an enabled auto
select control.
6 Tap the , (comma) key three or four times to move the clip three or four frames later.
Now you have a problem. By default, the slip tool shows the four-up display in the 217
viewer, which shows only the start and end frames of the clip you are slipping.
However, you are not interested in the first or last frame of that clip. You need to see

the exact frame under the playhead where your sound effect is located.
7 Deselect View > Enable Preview During Editing, or press Shift-Q, to disable the
four-up display.
8 Now press the , (comma) and . (period) keys to slip the rifle shot to where the gunman
smacks his hand on the cartridge.
9 Choose View > Enable Preview During Editing or press the Shift-Q again to reenable
the four-up display.
To be sure you have the rifle shot aligned with the sound effect, you need to enable
the sound effect without enabling the linked video on the higher video tracks.
10 Press A key to return to the selection mode tool
11 Opt-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) the audio clip on the Audio 2 track to select it
without selecting the linked video clip.
218
Working with Graphics

12 Press D to enable the selected audio clip.
13 Press / (slash) play over the selection to see how the rifle aligns with the gunshot.
14 Select the remaining two disabled video clips, and press D twice to reenable them.
Now that you have a layered stack of clips, and aligned their actions, all your video
elements are edited into the timeline and you can lay out that Mondrian-like wall of pictures.

When working on graphical promos, composition must always influence where your images
will be placed. Composition also comes into play when deciding what shot to use.
Aesthetically, for a graphic edit such as in the current project, you must constantly assess
how the vertically placed elements will work together on screen. Your goal is to make them
complement each other, enhance the overall topic at any particular moment, and fit
logically with the voiceover.
By placing images in expressive temporal and spatial relationships, you can guide the
audiences’ interpretation of what is presented at any moment in time and heighten the
desired emotional response.
The first step in devising your graphic design is to import any graphics that you may want to
use. Resolve can import standard graphic file formats including TIF, PNG, JPEG and PSD,
including any alpha channels that determine the transparency of an image.
1 Select the graphics bin, which is where your imported graphic will be placed. 219
2 Choose File > Import File > Import Media, or right click in the Media pool and choose
Import Media. Navigate to R15 Editing Lesson07 > Graphics.

3 Select the .dropzones file and click Open to import it.
The psd-format graphic is imported into the bin. You can edit this into your timeline
and extend it to the duration you need.
4 Drag .dropzones from the bin to the timeline above the uppermost clip
on the Video 3 track. Release the mouse button when a new Video 4 track is added
to the timeline.
5 Trim the head and tail of .dropzones so it extends across the entire timeline from the
first clip to the last.
220
TIP Resolve’s default scaling behavior is to fit all images within the timeline
resolution. Although this graphic has a much higher resolution than the

timeline resolution, it is scaled to fit. This default behavior can be changed
in the Project settings > Image Scaling category.
As the name implies (and as you can now see), this graphic has an alpha channel that
creates transparency. This channel makes it easy to scale and reposition the video
layers under the graphic to fill in the areas of transparency.
TIP To ignore, invert, or modify the type of alpha channel in a graphic, right-click
the file in the bin, and choose Change Alpha Mode. Alternatively, you can switch
between these same options in the Video tab of the Clip attributes dialogue.
Scaling and Cropping

Currently, each image is full raster layered behind the graphic. Using the on-screen scale
and crop controls, you can place the images so they appear to fit within the rectangles of
your graphic.
1 Position the timeline playhead over the Interview HD clip, and press Shift-V select it
(because it’s still on the lowest active auto select-enabled track).
You’ll use the on-screen controls to position and crop this interview clip so it fits within
one of the rectangles. Because this is your main interview clip, it will go into the largest
rectangle in the layout.
2 In the lower-left corner of the timeline viewer, click the transform On-Screen Control
button to show the wireframe outline.
221

3 Drag any of the wireframe’s corner control handles to scale down the image and
position it so it fits within the long, large rectangle in the center of the graphic.
Because the video frame isn’t in the same aspect ratio as the rectangular graphic,
some of the image edges bleed over into other rectangles. Again, using on-screen
controls, you can crop the image to fit perfectly.
4 In the lower-left corner of the timeline viewer, click the on-screen control pop-up menu, 222
and choose Crop.

5 Drag the upper, lower, left, and right control handles of the wireframe to crop the image
until it fits within the rectangular box. If necessary, zoom in on the timeline viewer and
hold down your mouse’s scroll wheel or middle button to scroll around the image in the
timeline viewer.
223
TIP To nudge the control handles and resize the image in very small amounts,
you may find it easier to adjust the settings in the Inspector.
Working in a Compound Clip

6 In the lower-left corner of the timeline viewer, click the crop on-screen control button
to hide the wireframe outline, and return the zoom pop-up option to Fit.
One by one, you will scale and crop each image to fit into the open rectangles. It’s good
practice to do so on this timeline, so feel free to complete these tasks as extracurricular
activity. Then, in the next exercise, you’ll jump to a new timeline in which all the scaling and
cropping was done for you.

Your animation will pan from left to right across the graphic and video elements. Of course,
whilst you could animate each clip individually in your timeline, the process would be much
easier if you could treat all the layers as one. By doing so, you could animate just a single
element rather than having to manipulate several different layers and clips. By collapsing all
your tracks into a single compound clip, you enjoy the ease of managing a single clip while
retaining access to all your edits.
1 In the timelines bin, double-click the “02 cropped” timeline.
This timeline has all the cropping and resizing completed on the remaining clips,
as well as a few additional clips. Let’s take a quick look.
2 From the start of the timeline, play over the first five clips, until the narrator says,
“It’s just because they are scared.”
Although the timeline isn’t completely done, you can still turn it into a compound clip.
Making a compound clip doesn’t prevent you from making further changes to your
timeline.
3 Press Cmd-A (macOS) or Ctrl-A (Windows) to select the entire timeline and all its contents.
4 Right-click one of the clips and choose New Compound Clip.
A dialog appears asking you to name the compound clip. Compound clips are treated 224
just like regular source clips. They have names and appear in the current bin.
5 Name the compound clip Animation comp 01, and press Enter.

All of your audio and video edits are collapsed into a compound clip, which is added
to the current bin in the Media pool.
However, the compound clip is not a mixdown of your video and audio clips. It is a
container of all your edits which you can still access at any time.
TIP Deleting a compound clip from a bin deletes it from any timeline into which
it was edited, just as with a normal source clip.
6 In the Timeline View Options, enable Stacked Timelines.

7 In the timeline, right-click the Animation comp 01 clip, and choose Open in Timeline.
The compound clip opens into its own tabbed timeline and includes all your original
edits. Every change you make inside this compound clip will update every instance of it
in this project; this case in 02 cropped timeline and in the Animation comp 01 clip in
the bin. Let’s make some changes to see this updating in action.
8 Go to the start of the timeline and play over the first four clips. 225
Notice that the first four clips are not on-screen at the same time. They pop on and off
as one clip cuts to the next. Because you don’t want gaping holes in your graphic,

you’ll need to ensure that the first four clips appear on-screen simultaneously. To do
so, you must layer them on top of each other for the same duration.
9 In the timeline, select the second clip and press Opt-up arrow (macOS) or Alt-up arrow
(Windows) once to move the clip up to the higher video track.
10 Select the third clip in the timeline, and press Opt-up arrow (macOS) or Alt-up arrow
(Windows) twice to move the clip up two tracks.
Because the graphic is on the Video 4 track, you’ll need to move it up to a new track 226
before you can move the last clip. Even without an existing track, moving the graphic
up automatically will create a new track.

11 In the timeline, select the graphic clip, and press Opt-up arrow (macOS) or Alt-up arrow
(Windows) once to move the clip up to a new track.
Now let’s move the last clip.

12 Select the fourth clip in the timeline, and press Opt-up arrow (macOS) or Alt-up arrow
(Windows) three times to move the clip up three tracks.
TIP When moving clips using the arrow keys, be careful to move only into
empty areas of the timeline. Any clips you pass over, even temporarily, will
be overwritten.
With all four clips on their own tracks, you can trim their heads so they all begin at the
start of the timeline.
13 Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the heads of each of the three clips on V2,
V3, and V4.
227

14 Move the playhead to the start of the timeline
15 Press E to perform an extend edit, thereby extending the start of each clip to the playhead.
16 Press Shift-Cmd-A (macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-A (Windows) to deselect the heads of each of
the clips and then Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the tails of each of the
clips on V1, V2 and V3.
17 Move the playhead to the start of loading rifle, Single round shot and two rounds shot.
18 Press E to perform an extend edit, this time lengthening the end of each clip to
the playhead.
All four clips now fill the rectangles at the start of the timeline. You can return to the 228
compound clip using the path control in the lower-left corner of the timeline.
19 In the lower-left corner of the timeline, in the path control, double-click the name of the

main timeline, 02 cropped.
Because the timeline was updated with the changes, the Animation comp 01
compound clip has also been updated.
20 Play through the first few seconds of the timeline to verify that the changes were made.
The compound clip in the bin includes all the same updates you’ve made to compound
clip in the timeline.
TIP When you need to decompose a compound clip back to its constituent
parts, select the compound clip in the timeline, and choose Clip > Decompose
in Place; or right click the compound clip in the timeline, and choose
Decompose in Place. Doing so will return you to all the separate clips that were
inside the compound clip. Note that this process does not remove the original
compound clip from your bin.
Animating a Compound Clip

Adding even subtle animation to your promos can make them more compelling. Animations
can direct the viewers’ eyes, set a mood, and provide more sophisticated transitions
between individual elements or entire scenes. Animating in DaVinci Resolve is familiar to
you if you have ever used keyframe animation in another application. You can perform
animation in the Inspector, in the timeline, or directly in the viewer.
1 In the timelines bin, double-click the “03 layered” timeline to open it in the timeline viewer.
This timeline has all of the clips layered, trimmed, cropped, and repositioned for you.
It will enable you to jump right in and begin animating your compound clip.
229
TIP To tidy up all the unused tracks, right-click any of the track headers,
and choose Delete Empty Tracks.

2 With nothing selected in the timeline, type 10. (period), and press Enter.
The playhead is placed at 10 seconds, just after the gunshots. This is where you will
create the first keyframe to begin your animation.
3 In the timeline, select the compound clip. Open the Inspector, and in the Transform
controls, set the Zoom data field to 2.800 to scale up the image the fill the frame.
NOTE DaVinci Resolve is a resolution-independent application. When making

complex scaling changes, as in this exercise (where you are scaling clips down,
and up), the final resolution of each clip is calculated by taking into account the
original resolution of the source media, the timeline resolution, image scaling
settings, and any transforms applied in the Edit and Color pages, so that the
final output always delivers the best possible resolution for each clip,
regardless of the number of transforms applied to it.
4 Drag right in the Position X data field until the edge of the image reaches the left edge
of the raster, or type 1145, and press Enter.
230

5 In the Inspector, to the right of the Position parameters, click the keyframe button.
A keyframe is added to the X and Y Position parameters in the transform category.

To finish your animation, you now need only to go to the end of the timeline and set
your final framing.
6 With nothing selected in the timeline, type 24. (period), and press Enter.
The playhead is placed just after your on-screen interview shot concludes. This is where
you will place the ending keyframe.
7 In the timeline, select the compound clip.
8 Drag left in the Position X data field until the graphic reaches the right edge of the screen,
or type -1150, and press Enter.
231
Improving Multi-layered Performance

9 Play the Timeline to see the results.
For the first time, you can start to see what your output eventually will look like and even
which grid boxes will be visible. However, unless you are using a very powerful
workstation, the playback won’t be anywhere near smooth enough to properly evaluate the
actual speed and motion of your animation. To improve playback, let’s look at some of the
performance optimization available in DaVinci Resolve.

When working with many layers, it’s important that you optimize your timeline for playback,
especially if your computer doesn’t have plenty of RAM or a powerful graphics processing
unit (GPU). Resolve offers several ways to monitor and improve playback performance.
1 Move the playhead to the start of the timeline and click play.
Look at the frame rate display in the upper-left of the timeline viewer that shows the
playback frame rate Resolve is achieving. The small green or red light to the left of the
frame rate display is the graphics processing unit’s performance. Because all image
processing goes through the GPU (graphics processing unit), if the light is green, it
indicates that the GPU has enough processing power to render the current frame in
real-time. A red light indicates that the GPU lacks the processing power for a real-time
rendering. The fastest way to improve GPU performance is to lower the resolution of
your clips on-the-fly.
2 Choose Playback > Proxy Mode > Half Resolution.
3 Move the playhead to the start of the timeline and click play.
Enabling proxy mode increases performance by lowering the image quality as the
image is read from disk. If lowering the image quality is not an option, and you have the
flexibility to wait a few seconds, you can instruct Resolve to render images to a disk
cache for smoother playback.
4 Choose Playback > Proxy Mode > Off.
Enabling the smart render cache automatically renders areas of the timeline that 232
would not otherwise play back smoothly. The Project settings dictate the compression
format used for the cache and sets the wait time to determine when rendering should

be activated.
5 Choose File > Project settings to open the Project settings window, or press Shift-9.
6 In the Master settings, in the Optimized Media and Render Cache area, set the Render
cache format to DNxHR LB.
This is a low-bandwidth compression format that produces a data rate of around

4.5MB/second (around 36Mbps) for HD 25fps media. It will result in a better viewing
quality than proxy mode and still enable smoother playback on almost any system.
TIP Changing the Render cache format will re-render all previously cached
frames for your entire project.
7 Click Save to close the settings window.

8 Choose Playback > Render Cache > Smart.
A red line appears along the top of the timeline to identify the area to be cached. After
you leave your system idle for a fixed wait period (the default is 5 seconds), Resolve starts
to cache the frames and the red lines turn blue to indicate a successfully cached area.
9 Allow the compound clip to cache in the timeline, and then play back the timeline to
review your animation.
233
TIP Another way you can begin to assess how an animation is working is to open
the compound clip in the timeline and disable groups of clips or tracks. In doing so,
Adjusting Keyframes
less media being is played, and you will be reducing Resolve’s workload. Once you
have finalized the keyframes timing, you can begin to re-enable the clips or tracks
within the compound clip and let Resolve cache the resulting animation.
In Lesson 1 you generated lower-resolution proxy files as part of the edit prep process.
Such files, when combined with smart caching, can vastly improve performance when
working with high-resolution clips, complex multi-layered timelines or interframe-
compressed video formats, such as H.264.
Adjusting Keyframes
Now that you have playback performance at a point where you can evaluate the
effectiveness of your animation, let’s review and adjust the timing and acceleration of that
animation. At present, the animation begins a little too early. The on-screen interview
appears as black frames as the animation starts. If you move the keyframe later, your
interview clip should be on-screen just before the animation gets to her.
1 In the lower-right corner of the compound clip, click the diamond-shaped keyframe button.
The Keyframes editor appears directly under the compound clip in the timeline. 234
The two white diamond icons represent the current positions of the keyframes
you’ve added.
Adjusting Keyframes
TIP You can reveal the Keyframes editor by selecting the clip on the timeline
and choosing Clip > Show Keyframe Editor or pressing Shift-Cmd-C (macOS)
or Shift-Ctrl-C (Windows).
2 To change the start of the animation, select the first keyframe in the Keyframes editor.
When a keyframe is selected, it turns red to show that you can drag it earlier or later in
the timeline.
3 Drag the keyframe to the right until the tooltip displays 2:00. This should place it right
as the on-screen interview can be heard.
4 Repeat this process with the second keyframe, moving it to the right until the tool tip
reads 3:00.
TIP You can Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows) multiple keyframes

to select them, and move them together.
Now, you’ll add an ease-in/ease-out acceleration to the ending keyframe to create

a smoother landing for the animation.
5 In the timeline viewer, click the onscreen control menu, and choose Transform.
235
Adjusting Keyframes
6 In the timeline viewer, zoom out of the image.
You can now see the motion path created by the keyframes you’ve added to the
compound clip, along with the usual on-screen controls for the clip’s anchor point,
rotation and zoom.
7 Click the motion path’s keyframe on the right to select it. (This is your first keyframe on
Animation comp 01, the animation’s starting point, where the compound clip had been
moved left across the screen). Right-click the control point, and choose Smooth.
A Bézier spline handle is added to the path, allowing you to modify the curvature of the 236
path and also to increase or decrease the ease-in, or smoothness, of the motion path.
The outer handle allows you to modify the shape or curvature of the path. The inner
Adjusting Keyframes
handle controls the acceleration of the animation.
8 Drag the outer control slightly to the right, bringing it closer to the keyframe and then
adjust the inner handle further to the right.
See how the dots along the motion path adjust to these changes? This behavior will
help smooth the beginning of the animation so it doesn’t begin moving abruptly.
9 Repeat these steps to smooth the animation of the second keyframe (to the left of
the screen).
10 Return the timeline zoom pop-up to Fit, and turn off the transform on-screen controls. 237
Allow time for the new animation to cache, and then play it to see the smoother start
and end to the animation.
Adjusting Keyframes
Now the motion path has a nice, smooth landing as the animation ends.
TIP If you need to clear the current render cache so you can see your
changes, select the compound clip in the timeline, and choose Playback >
Delete Render Cache > Selected Clips.
You can also see the curve editor for this animation in the timeline.
11 In the lower-right corner of the compound clip in the timeline, click the curve editor.
This displays the curve controls below the Keyframes editor underneath the clip in
the timeline.
12 In the upper-left corner of the curve editor, click the pop-up menu, and choose the
Position X control.
238
Adjusting Keyframes
TIP The checks next to parameters indicate that keyframes have been added
to those parameters.
13 Select the first keyframe for Position X to see the Bézier handle.
In the curve editor, you can further refine your animation’s motion path, and edit X and
Y position keyframes independently.
14 Once again, allow time for the new animation to cache, and then play it to see any
changes you’ve made to the animation. Refine further to suit yourself.
Animation is so full of creative possibilities that it can be tempting to add elements just for
the sake of watching them on the screen. However, animation and graphics added “just for
fun” typically detract from the overall impact of a message. Unnecessary elements can
often increase confusion when they should instead bring clarity to your message.
As a result, when you create a motion graphics animation for promos, think through every
visual element and the way it will move. Make sure that each creative and technique choice
the overall communication of the project, as well as the individual scene to which it belongs.
By doing so, you should be able to create a more appealing design and maximize its impact.
Lesson Review 239
1 What will happen to a four-second source clip that is edited into a two-second marked
Lesson Review
section of the timeline using a Fit to Fill edit?
A) Only the first two seconds will be used in the timeline.
B) The clip will be retimed to 50 percent of its original speed.
C) The clip will be retimed to 200 percent of its original speed.
2 True or False? The Replace edit will respect in and out points set in the source viewer.
3 How do you create a compound clip?

A) Set in and out points around the clips in the timeline, and choose Clip > New
Compound Clip.
B) Select the clips in the timeline, and choose Clip > New Compound Clip.
C) Click the New Compound Clip button in the Media pool
4 How can you edit the contents of a compound clip?

A) Right-click the compound clip, and choose Decompose in Place.
B) Right-click the compound clip, and choose Open in Timeline.
C) Right-click the compound clip, and choose Open in Tab.
5 Where do you adjust the timing of keyframes that have been added to timeline clips?
A) In the Keyframe controls in the Inspector
B) In the Keyframes editor of the Timeline
C) In the clip’s Keyframes editor
Answers 240
1 C. The source clip will overwrite the contents on the destination track and be retimed
Lesson Review
to 200 percent of its original speed.
2 False. The duration in the timeline being replaced can be set with in and out points,
but the replace edit will ignore any in or out points set in the source viewer as it aligns
the frame at the position of the source playhead with the timeline playhead.
3 B. Select the elements in the timeline that you want to place within the compound clip.
Choose Clip > New Compound Clip; or right-click the selected clips, and choose New
Compound Clip.
4 B. Right-click a compound clip in the Media pool or the timeline, and choose Open in
Timeline. Alternatively, choose Clip > Open in Timeline.
5 C. Click the keyframe button in the lower-right corner of the clip. Alternatively, you can
select the clip, and choose Clip > Show Keyframe Editor; or press Cmd-Shift-C (macOS)
or Ctrl-Shift-C (Windows).
Lesson 8
Creating Graphics
in Fusion
Fusion is an advanced compositing Time

application built directly into the This lesson takes approximately
DaVinci Resolve 15 interface. It employs a 90 minutes to complete.
node-based approach to compiling visual
effects and motion graphics, which is the Goals
preferential method in film and television
industries due to its superior quality, flexibility
and efficiency. Editors can use Fusion to
create custom titles and credit sequences, Using Text and Merge Nodes 249
insert missing elements into a scene and Creating Rolling Credits 259
cover-up continuity issues. Tracking a Scene 265
As Fusion is located directly in DaVinci Resolve,
Lesson Review 279
switching between editing, grading, audio
mixing and compositing is a seamless
process. It is no longer necessary to
transcode or pre-render media. Instead, you
click on the page you need to immediately
switch to the necessary toolset. The
exercises in this chapter are designed to
familiarize you with the Fusion Page interface
and some of its fundamental operations, like
merging nodes, creating rolling credits,
tracking clips, and keying green/blue screen.
To begin creating custom graphics and composites in Resolve, all you need to do is click
Navigating the Fusion Page Interface

on the Fusion page icon at the bottom of the software. This quick exercise will take you
through the Fusion interface and identify the layout and functionality of its panels.
The project used for the exercises in this chapter will be based on a series of shots from
the short sci-fi film ‘Sync’.
1 In the project manager, right-click, and choose Import. Navigate to R15 Editing 201 >
Lessons > Lesson 07 VFX.
2 Select R15 Editing Lesson 08 VFX.drp, choose Open, and click OK to import the
project into your project manager.
3 Open the project and relink media files.
4 On the Edit Page, ensure 01 Fusion timeline is open, and the playhead is on the first clip.
To work on a specific clip in Fusion, the playhead needs to be placed over it on the Edit
page timeline. If there are multiple video tracks, the top-most clip will be sent to Fusion
for compositing.
5 Click the Fusion page icon at the bottom of the software interface, or press Shift-5 to
launch Fusion.
Viewer 1 Viewer 2
Work Area Toolbar Inspector

Fusion is divided into four main sections. The two viewers at the top can be used to 243
show the output of any node in the pipeline. Directly under the viewers is a time ruler
with playhead controls. In the middle of the page is the toolbar, where you can access
Navigating the Fusion Page Interface

the most commonly used tools and effects. The large work area at the bottom is used
to construct and animate composites via the Node, Keyframe and Spline editors. The
Inspector on the right side of the page contains the adjustable parameters for any
selected node.
6 The main work area currently displays the Node editor. The Keyframe and Spline
editors can be activated in the work area by clicking their respective buttons in the
Interface Toolbar at the top of the page.
To move around the work area, hold the middle mouse button and drag inside the panel.
TIP To zoom in and out of the work area editors, press the Cmd key (macOS)
or the Ctrl key (Windows) and scroll the middle mouse wheel.
7 Underneath the Viewers, drag the red playhead line to scrub through the clip.
Note the green lines that appear under the frames of the time ruler. These represent
the portions of the video that are cached. To see a composite in real time, you must
first play the video through until all frames are cached. Once the time ruler is solid
green, it will playback in real time.
TIP You can allocate more RAM to the Fusion page using the Fusion memory
cache setting located in Preferences >System>Configuration.
The yellow lines on either side of the time ruler define the render range. This is the
duration that will be used for playback, caching, previews and final rendering. In longer
takes, you might want to drag the yellow bars to shorten the render range and focus
only on the composited areas for faster preview.
TIP Use square brackets [ and ] to navigate up and down the timeline by 1
frame. Move the playhead to the start and end of the render range by pressing
Option-[ or ] (macOS) or Alt-[ or ] (Windows).
Now that you are familiar the time ruler and can navigate in the node editor, you can
begin adding nodes to the pipeline.
As with all node-based compositing interfaces (including the node editor in the Color Page
Understanding the Node Editor

of DaVinci Resolve), the order and placement of the nodes in the pipeline has great
significance. The RGB signal flows through the various media and image processing
operations in the node editor before it reaches a final output node.
This method of compositing requires some practice to fully grasp, but is ultimately more
processor efficient and versatile than layer-based systems.
The next set of exercises will familiarize you with the signal pipeline and the impact that
node order has on it.
Assigning Media Nodes to the Viewer

You can change the behavior of the viewers in the Fusion page based on the stage of your
workflow that you want to focus on. In this exercise, you will assign viewers to different
nodes for preview.
1 Any clip or image file that you bring into the Fusion page is represented by a MediaIn
node. In the current node editor, the MediaIn1 node is connected to the source video
file of clip 1 in the timeline.
The MediaOut node is the final output of the signal flow and represents how the image
will look upon delivery.
Select MediaIn1 and press 1 on your keyboard to send the signal of the source video
to viewer 1.
The two dots under the nodes represent which node is being shown in which viewer.
To change what the viewers display, click any node in a pipeline and press 1 or 2 on
your keyboard, or click directly on the dots underneath the nodes.
TIP When using a 3rd display, like a full screen broadcast monitor connected via
a Blackmagic Design UltraStudio or DeckLink card, you will see three dots under
the nodes. Pressing 3 will display the node in full screen in the grading monitor.
2 To maintain order and ease navigation within the node editor, you can rename your 245
nodes. Right-click MediaIn1 and choose Rename or press F2 to reveal the rename tool.
3 Enter the name SYNC_SHOT.

TIP Spaces are not displayed in the node labels of the Fusion page.
Create separation between words with capital letters or an underscore.
4 Rename MediaOut1 as OUTPUT.

With the media assigned and labelled, you can start to add additional nodes
between them.
Adding a New Node

Nodes are essential to manipulating the image in the Fusion page. There are a wide variety
of node types – some alter the pixel data of the image, some control its movement and
behavior, and others generate RGB data that is added to the existing image.
NOTE In Fusion, nodes that affect the behavior of a signal are also referred to as
tools. In these exercises, both terms will be used based on function.
There are several ways in which tools and nodes can be accessed and added to a
composite. One way is to use the Effects Library panel, in which the tools are clearly
labelled and categorized.
In this exercise you will resize and reframe the first shot in the timeline to change its
narrative.
1 Open the Effects Library panel.
2 Expand the Tools folder and enter the Transform category.
246

3 Drag the Transform tool onto the connection between SYNC_SHOT and OUTPUT
in the node editor.
4 Click the Effects Library button again to hide the panel and make more room for
the viewers.
At the moment, the scene in the viewer is building tension by showing the growing line
of these ‘sync’ surveillance machines. They take up the majority of the frame, and are
presented as an imposing group.
In this quick exercise, you will change the narrative of the scene by resizing and
reframing the shot. The aim will be to get the audience to connect with the character
in the middle.
5 Select the Transform node.
6 In the Inspector, increase the Size to about 1.2.
7 Use the on-screen controls in viewer 2 to push the video to the left. Your goal is to move
the central character to the left third of the screen, giving them a stronger screen presence.
Note that only viewer 2 shows you the result of this change. This is because viewer 1
is currently set to show you the state of the SYNC_SHOT source, which is not being
affected by the transform node.
247

This has left the final image with a significant gap on the right side of the screen.
You can fill this gap by stretching the RGB data on the right side of the shot. This is only
advisable in shots where there are no moving elements, and the data is either out of
focus, or a solid/gradient color.
8 Open the Effects Library.
9 Expand Tools > Warp and click on Grid Warp.
This will add the Grid Warp tool directly after the Transform node.
10 You can use the Grid Warp to stretch pixel data in the viewer. At the moment, there are
too many divisions to be able to stretch the data to a satisfactory degree.
In the Inspector, change the X Grid Size to 2. This will decrease the divisions down to 2
columns, which will allow you to use the entirety of the data on the right-hand side of
the shot.
11 Press the Cmd key (macOS) or the Ctrl key (Windows) and scroll the middle mouse
wheel to zoom out of viewer 2.
12 Press the Cmd key (macOS) or the Ctrl key (Windows) and drag across the side of the
grid to select all the points in the right-most column.
248

13 Hold Shift-Alt on your keyboard and press the right arrow key to move the edge of the
column off the screen.
This will stretch the pixel data on the right side of the image. Continue to stretch the
grid until the gap on the right is completely filled up.
The scene now has a different feel to it – as the audience, we are now connecting
much more strongly with the central character.
This reframed shot is now ready to be viewed back in the timeline of the Edit Page.
14 Click the Edit page icon at the bottom of the software interface, or press Shift-4.
Note that the changes you have made have been immediately applied to the clip.
No rendering or exporting was required.
A symbol in the bottom-right corner of the clip indicates that it has been composited in 249
the Fusion page.
Using Text and Merge Nodes

15 Return to the Fusion page.
Warp tools can be used to create dramatic results, but they are also capable of more subtle
application, like when realistically extending the edge of a frame.

Nodes that act as tools can be connected directly to the node pipeline. When you want to
introduce additional media layers to a composite, or add nodes that are generators of RGB
data (such as text nodes or solid backgrounds), you will need to make use of merge nodes.
Switching Between Clips

For the next exercise, you will first need to switch to a new clip on the timeline. We saw at
the start of the chapter that you can accomplish this by placing your playhead over the
relevant clip in the timeline on the Edit Page. But there is also a way to switch between
clips inside the Fusion Page.
1 Click the Clips button at the top of the page to open the thumbnail timeline.
2 Select clip 2.
The Fusion page will load the new clip, and show you a blank composition pipeline
consisting of just the MediaIn and MediaOut nodes.
Notice that you can right-click on any thumbnail in the timeline to reveal new
composition controls. Use these controls when you want to attempt a new version of
a composite, but do not want to lose your previous work.
3 Click the Clips button again to hide the timeline and make more room for the Node
Editor and Viewers.
With the relevant clip selected, you can now begin to composite the opening title
graphics over it.
Adding Text to a Composition 250
When adding additional media to a pipeline, you need to specify how it will relate to the

existing composite in terms of its layer structure. Merge nodes allow you to combine the RGB
data of multiple media streams, with dedicated inputs for foreground and background elements.
In this exercise, you will design the opening text graphic for the film ‘Sync’.
1 Open the Effects Library and locate Tools > Generator.
2 Drag the Text+ tool into an empty part of the node editor, above MediaIn1.
The Text+ node appears in the graph, but does not yet have a relationship with the
connection line between the MediaIn and MediaOut nodes, and so will not have an
impact on the image in Viewer 2.
To layer the Background over the video, you will need to use a Merge node.
Although the Effects Library includes the full range of tools, you can access the most
common tools in the toolbar above the Node editor. The toolbar is divided into six
categories. From left to right the categories are: Generators, Color, Transforms, Masks,
Particles and 3D.
Generators Color Transforms Masks Particles 3D
Clicking on any tool in the toolbar inserts it directly after the selected node. This make
it very easy to add nodes precisely where you need them without having to manually
connect them.
TIP Hover your mouse over the icons in the toolbar to see the names of
the tools.
3 With the MediaIn1 node selected in the node editor, click the merge tool in the toolbar.
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The merge node appears in the editor. It has three color-coded inputs: background
(yellow triangle), foreground (green triangle), effect mask (blue triangle) and one output
(white square).
Foreground Input
Background Output
Input
Effect Mask Input
4 Click the output of the Text1 node and drag it to the Merge node to connect them.
With the Text node selected, you can now enter and customize the text that appears
over the video clip.
NOTE The merge node is one of the most essential and frequently used
tools in the Fusion page. In each merge node, the yellow connector always
represents one background layer and the green connector is always a
foreground. Every time you want to add additional layers to a composite,
you need to create a new merge node and link the respective foreground
and background layers along the node pipeline.
5 In the Inspector, enter the film title SYNC into the Styled Text field.
6 Use the drop-down menu to set the font to Open Sans and give it a Regular weight.
7 Increase the size of the text slightly (0.125) to make it easier to read on the screen.
252
TIP The small gray dot under any parameter shows the default position of that
slider. Clicking the gray dot resets the slider to the default position.

8 Increase the tracking (1.100) to space the letters further apart.
9 Use the on-screen controls to move the position of the text into the lower-right. Placing
it over the building in the foreground will give it a good amount of contrast and make
the text ‘pop’.
At the moment, the text is plain white. You can use the swatch under the Font field
to change the text to a different solid color. For more advanced controls of the text
appearance, including adding outlines and shadows, you will need to use the Shading
tab in the Inspector.
Using Shading Elements to Customize Text

Visual configurations of text nodes are known as shading elements. By default, when you
create a new text node, there is only one shading element which defines the fill type and
color of the text.
1 Click the Shading tab button at the top of the Inspector.
2 Under the Properties heading, change the fill Type to Gradient.

You can now use the Shading Gradient bar to specify which colors will appear in the
gradient fill of the text. The default setting is a black-to-white gradient.
3 Click the triangle on the left side of the gradient bar, and then use the color picker
underneath to set its color to dark grey.
4 Click the triangle on the right side of the gradient bar, and set its color to light grey. 253
5 Click on the gradient bar itself to add a new swatch triangle on the left half of the
gradient.

6 Use the color picker to set the middle gradient color to white.
The resulting gradient should look like brushed metal.

To make the text stand out against the background a bit more, you can also add a
soft shadow. To accomplish this, you will need to create a new shading element and
designate it as a shadow.
7 Click the Select Element drop-down menu at the top and choose 2.
8 Click Enabled to open the shading element controls.
Shading elements can be modified in a multitude of ways – you can use the
Appearance controls in the Properties segment to specify a starting point like Text Fill,
Text Outline, Border Fill, or Border Outline.
However, the numbered elements also have some default behaviors. As you can see,
element 2 begins as a red outline. To save time, you can activate shading element 3,
which always starts off as a drop shadow.
9 Unselect Enabled to disable shading element 2.
10 Select Element 3 and click Enabled. This reveals the default text shadow.
11 Lower the Opacity to 0.5 to make the shadow softer against the background.
12 To better blend the text into the scene behind it, you can activate a composite mode
in the merge node.
NOTE Composite or blend modes refer to processes in which two layers are
combined using an algorithm that adds, subtracts, multiplies or divides their
respective luminance or chrominance pixel values. Blend modes are often
used in graphic design, or for light/shadow-based visual effects.
Select the Merge node.

13 Change Apply Mode to Hard Light.
This will blend the darker elements of the foreground (the edges of the gradient), while 254
retaining the brightness of the lighter elements.

With the text in place, you can now start animating its parameters to make its appearance
on screen more dramatic.
Keyframing Parameters
You can change the value of a parameter over time by using the keyframe controls in the
inspector. In this exercise, you will change the opacity and scale of the text as it appears,
and then refine the gradient to give it a dynamic shine. You will then use the keyframe
editor to refine your animations.
1 When animating motion graphics, it’s often a good idea to start at the end, where your
graphics are set to their final position.
On the time ruler, move the playhead to frame 75.
2 One of the most common animations for text is to change the opacity, creating a fade-
in effect.
With the merge node still selected, click the keyframe icon next to the Blend parameter.
This will lock the value of the blend parameter to that moment in time.
3 Drag the playhead to the beginning of the clip (frame 58).
4 Change the Blend parameter to 0.0.
The text will disappear from the screen.
5 Drag the playhead across the time ruler to see the text slowly fading in.
You can also animate physical properties of the text – like size or rotation. Any
parameter with the keyframe icon next to it is capable of being animated.
6 Select the Text node.
7 In the Inspector, enter the Transform tab.
At the bottom, the individual X and Y size parameters allow you to stretch or compress
the text on a vertical or horizontal scale. You are going to animate the X Size parameter
to have the individual characters expand into their final positions.
8 Move the playhead to frame 75.
9 Press the keyframe next to the X size parameter. 255
10 Drag the playhead to the beginning of the clip.
11 Change the X Size value to 0.0.

12 Drag the playhead across the time ruler to check the animation. The characters now
fade in, as well as scaling horizontally.
Finally, you can also animate color values. You will adjust the behavior of the gradient
to give the illusion of a white highlight travelling down the letters.
13 Enter the Shading tab.
14 Move the playhead to the end of the clip (frame 92).
15 Press the keyframe next to the Shading Gradient bar.
16 Drag the playhead to the beginning of the clip.
17 Drag the center of the gradient (the white triangle swatch) to the right side of the gradient.
Watching back the animation, the highlight will appear to react to the ‘spinning’ effect
of the letters. However, the speed of the opacity fade and the rotation appears too
slow. Let’s refine the speed of these two parameters.
18 Click the Keyframes button in the interface toolbar.
TIP Press Cmd-F (macOS) or Ctrl-F (Windows) to expand the size of the
Keyframes or Splines editors to accommodate all the node animations.
19 Expand the Merge1 and Text1 headers. These will reveal all the parameters you have
animated, and their respective keyframes.
20 Drag the first keyframes (white horizontal lines) of the Blend and CharacerSizeX
parameters to start on frame 65 of the time ruler.
When you play back the animation now, there will be a pause before the letters start to 256
fade in. The speed of both the rotation and opacity will be increased due the keyframes
being closer together.

As you can see, most keyframing can be accomplished directly from the inspector,
using the time ruler as a reference for placement of keyframes. To make refinements,
or to ease the speed of animation, you can access the Keyframe and Spline editors
to gain more control over the behavior of the keyframes.
Adding Effect Nodes to the Pipeline

In this exercise, you will add a lighting effect to the gradient and a simple blur tool to imitate
a shallow depth of field. An important question to ask yourself when adding new tools is
where in the pipeline the node should be placed to give you the result you need.
1 Open the Effects Library.
2 Expand OpenFX and select ResolveFX Light. You will add an effect to the text to
enhance the travelling gradient, turning it into a shard of light.
For this to work, the effect needs to be placed directly after the text node.
3 Drag the Aperture Diffraction effect onto the connection between the text and
merge nodes.
4 At first, the light will look distorted. You need to refine the effect parameters to correctly
impact the gradient values.
5 Increase the Result Gamma (3.0) to concentrate the brightness to the text gradient
highlight.
6 Reduce the Result Scale (0.400) to limit the diffraction to a smaller area.
7 Reduce the Brightness (0.11) in the Compositing Controls to make the reflection
more realistic.
To further enhance the text composite, you’ll blur the image in the background to 257
imitate shallow depth of field. Review your node pipeline and think about where the
blur tool needs to be placed.

If it is placed after the merge node, both the text and image will be blurred.
If it is placed after the Aperture Diffraction, only the text will be blurred.
The blur tool needs to be placed after MediaIn1 to only affect the background video.
8 Select MediaIn1.
9 Click the Blur tool button in the toolbar – it is the last button in the Color category.
10 Increase the Blur Size (10.0) until the image appears out of focus.
The text now stands out, but too much interesting information has been removed by
the blur. Ideally, we’d still want the audience to see the spaceship in the background.
In the next exercise, you will use a mask to define which area of the image will be
affected by the blur tool, and which area will be left in ‘focus’.
When adding new nodes to a pipeline, you will occasionally need to pause and think
about how various stages of the signal will be impacted. Occasionally, some
experimentation may be necessary to review how the node impacts the final
composite. Over time, this workflow becomes more intuitive and the placement of
nodes more apparent.
Using Masks to Target Effects

With the effect in place, you can now use a mask node to isolate which region of the image
the tool affects. Mask nodes can be made based on preset shapes (rectangles, ellipses),
custom drawn (polygons, b-splines), animated, or even based on luma/chroma data.
1 With the blur node still selected, click the Ellipse mask in the toolbar.
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The blur effect becomes contained within a circle in the viewer. To create the effect of
soft focus, you will need to invert the circle, and then soften its edges.
2 Select the Invert checkbox in the Inspector.
3 Increase the Soft Edge (0.18) setting to blur the circumference.
4 Scrub through the time ruler to check the position of the spaceship.
5 Use the controls in the viewer to adjust the position and size of the circle mask to keep
the spaceship in focus throughout the shot.
Masks have a wide range of application when it comes to compositing. They are frequently
employed in motion graphic design to achieve specific shapes and animations, they are
frequently combined with chroma key workflows to eliminate unusable parts of a green
screen, and they are also used for rotoscoping workflows, in which a subject is carefully
traced to allow another image or video layer to be placed behind them.
Creating Rolling Credits 259
With an understanding of node pipeline construction, you can now start to look at more
Creating Rolling Credits

dedicated industry motion graphic workflows. For example, depending on production
scale and budget, it is frequently the role of the editor to create rolling credits at the end
of a film. This can be easily accomplished in the Fusion page with the help of a text node,
a keyframed transform node and some dedicated text parameters.
Generating a Blank Fusion Composition

First, you will need to create a blank Fusion composition to act as the foundation of your
credit roll animation.
2 Open the Effect Library from the interface toolbar at the top of the page.
3 Expand the Toolbox bin and select Generators.
4 Drag the Fusion Composition generator to the end of 01 Fusion timeline.
5 To adjust the duration, right-click the Fusion composition clip on the timeline and
select Change Clip Duration.
6 Change the clip duration to 00:00:15:00.
This will extend the blank Fusion composition to 15 seconds.

7 With your playhead on the Fusion composition, enter the Fusion Page. 260
This time, the node editor will only have a single MediaOut1 node. Unlike the previous
exercises, there is no associated source media in the Fusion composition.

8 Drag the text tool from the toolbar onto an empty part of the node editor.
9 Connect the text tool output to the MediaOut1 input.
10 Enter the film title Sync into the Styled Text box of the Inspector.
11 Press the enter key two times and write Written and Directed by Hasraf Dulull.
12 Leave the font as Open Sans, but change the weight to Regular.
13 Reduce the font Size to 0.05
These are the two lines of text that you will want to keep centered. All the following
credits, listing the actors and their roles need to be placed into columns.
Using Tab Spacing to Align Columns

Traditional rolling credits tend to appear as two columns of text aligned at the center.
A parameter in the text node inspector allows you to quickly define and align columns of
text within a single node.
1 Press the enter key two times under the director’s line in the Styled Text box.
2 Type Martin Batchelor Sync
3 Press enter and type Dean S. Jagger FBI Agent Jenkins 261

At the moment, the two actors’ lines appear centered and difficult to read. Tab spacing
will allow you to define the alignment of their names and roles. You can use the tab key
on your keyboard (usually above the Caps Lock) to define multiple columns in your text.
4 Click in front of Martin Batchelor’s name in the Styled Text box and press the tab key.
5 Click in front of Dean’s name and press the tab key.
To define the second column in the credits, you will need to click in front of the roles
and press the tab key again.
6 Click in front of the word Sync and press the tab key.
7 Click in front of FBI and press the tab key.
You’ve defined the columns, but the text appears to look worse in the viewer! This is
because you have not specified the position or alignment of the columns.
8 At the bottom of the Inspector, expand the Tab Spacing category.
9 Under Tab 1, change the Position to -0.03.
10 Drag the Alignment all the way to the right (1.0) to line up the names.
11 In the drop-down menu next to Tab, select 2 to adjust the second tab column.
12 Change the position to 0.03.
13 Drag the Alignment all the way to the left (-1.0) to line up the roles. 262

The actors’ names now have a right alignment against the roles’ left alignment. You can
enter the rest of the names from this short film to compete the credits.
14 Open the R15 Editing 201 > Lessons > Lesson 08 VFX folder and launch Sync_Credits.rtf.
15 Copy the remainder of the cast list and paste it into the Styled Text box under the two
lines you have already entered.
The tab information from the text document should travel across and automatically
place the actors and roles into their respective columns. If it does not, use the tab key
to define the columns in the Styled Text box.
When preparing credits for a film, you can pre-emptively start defining the columns by 263
pressing tab in front of names and roles. Tab information will carry across from most
word editors and can immediately be used to define the position of credit columns.

Adding a Logo to a Credit Roll
As a finishing touch, you will merge a logo to the end of the credits sequence and use a
transform node to have it scroll together with the text layer.
1 Open the Media Pool.
2 Enter the media bin and drag Blackmagic_Design_alpha_logo.png into the node editor.
3 Drag the output of the logo node to the output of the text node.
When connecting the output of one node to another, you automatically generate a
merge node that will treat the first node as the foreground layer.
4 Rename MediaIn1 as LOGO.
5 The logo is too big and is overwriting the credits. You can use a transform node to
resize and reposition the logo.
With the LOGO node selected, press the Transform node in the toolbar.
6 In the inspector, decrease the size to 0.60.
7 To make it easier to see where you are placing the logo, zoom out of the viewer until
you can see the grey area around it.
8 Drag the Center Y parameter in the inspector, or use the on-screen controls to lower 264
the logo under the credits.

With all the elements in place, you can now animate the credit scroll. The best place
to do this will be in a transform node added after the merge, which will treat the credit
and logo as a single combined layer.
9 Add a Transform tool after the merge node.
10 Drag the playhead to the first frame (0.0) of the composition.
11 Lower the Center Y value until the top of the credits are beneath the bottom of
the viewer.
12 Press the keyframe next to Center Y to activate keyframing.
13 Drag the playhead to the last frame (359.0) of the composition.
14 Raise the Center Y value until both the credits and logo are off screen at the top of
the viewer.
15 Playback the animation to check your credit scroll.
Credits and logos can be combined in numerous configurations using multiple merge
nodes and a universal transform control.
Tracking a Scene 265
Tracking refers to a process in which the software detects the motion of a camera or subject
Tracking a Scene
based on the changing pixel values in a video clip. Once tracking data is extracted, it can
be applied to other layers to create the illusion of those elements being part of the scene.
Tracking is a vital component of all compositing workflows that feature moving footage -
whether you are inserting a 3D character, putting up a poster, replacing a screen or removing
film equipment from a scene.
Creating a Fusion Clip in the Edit Page

When editing media that is intended for compositing – for example green screen and
backplate footage - it is usually the role of the editor to define the cut points of both media
clips. This tends to be easiest to do on the timeline of the Edit page.
Once the clip lengths are determined, they can then be transformed into a Fusion clip,
where they will appear merged and ready for compositing on the Fusion page.
The third clip in the timeline features a video of a presenter on stage with a robot
graphic on the video track above it it. You’ll being by rescaling and repositioning the
graphic before proceeding to the Fusion page.
2 Select the robot graphic clip.
3 Open the Inspector in the Edit Page.
4 Lower the opacity to 50.00 to see through to the background image.
5 Click the Transform button in the lower-left corner of the viewer.
6 Use the on-screen transform controls resize and reposition the robot onto the stage.
266
Tracking a Scene
7 Set the opacity back to 100.00.
8 Select both the robot graphic and clip 3 on the timeline.
9 Right-click and choose New Fusion Clip.
10 Enter the Fusion page.
The two clips will now appear merged in the newly created Fusion clip.
11 Rename the clips as BACKPLATE and ROBOT.
To remove the black background from the robot graphic, you will use a blending mode
that subtracts dark areas from a foreground layer.
12 Click the merge tool and set the Apply Mode to Screen.
With the clips merged in the Fusion page, you can now proceed to track the backplate 267
and apply the data to the foreground graphic.
Tracking a Scene
Using the Tracker Node
The tracker tool allows you to define a specific area in the frame that is a reliable reference
for the movement of the camera, or to a visible item in the shot. Ideally, you want to specify
an area that is always in shot, and located on the same plane as the object you wan to add
to the scene.
1 Drag the playhead to the first frame of the clip in the time ruler. This will make it easier
to perform a track, as you will only need to analyze the footage in one direction.
2 Select BACKPLATE to indicate the media you wish to track.
3 In the Effects Library, locate the Tracking folder and click on the Tracker tool node.
Tracker1 appears between the BACKPLATE and merge node. A green tracker outline
appears in viewer 2.
Hovering over the tracker in the viewer reveals two boxes. The inner box defines the
‘pattern’ that the program will search for in every frame of the clip. The outer box is
the search area within which the program will search for the pattern. If the pattern
travels beyond the confines of the search area from one frame to the next, the track
will be unsuccessful.
When performing pattern selection, aim to pick an area with high contrast, sharp focus
and reliable movement in relation to the scene. The search area must also be reshaped
to match the projected movement of the clip (i.e. a larger search area is necessary for a
clip with rapid movement). In both cases, the larger the box, the longer the analysis will
take to perform.
4 Click the upper-left corner of the tracker and drag it down onto the lower-right corner
of the projection screen in the shot. The dark geometric shapes against the white
surface make an ideal tracking pattern.
5 Drag the lower-right corner of both boxes to expand the size of the pattern and elongate 268
the search box in preparation for the panning camera motion.
Tracking a Scene
6 At the top of the Inspector, click the Track Forward button.
Keep an eye on the pattern as the track is performed. If the tracker loses its place
at any point, its best to terminate the action instead of continuing with an unusable
track analysis.
7 A pop-up window will verify if you want to stop the render. Click Yes to confirm.
TIP Double clicking in an empty gray space in the node editor will temporarily
hide on-screen controls. Select the tracker node to return the on-screen
controls to the viewer.
Next, you will apply the gathered tracking data to the robot to match its movement
to the motion in the background.
8 Click on the Operation tab at the top of the inspector.
9 Change the Operation to Match Move.
10 Change the Merge option to FG over BG. This specifies to the tracker that any
foreground element will be match moved to the motion tracked in the background.
At the moment, the tracker node does not have a foreground signal.
11 Drag the output of the ROBOT node to the green foreground input of the tracker. 269
12 Like the merge node, the tracker node also offers blending mode options. Change
the Apply Mode in the inspector to Screen in order to blend the robot graphic into
Tracking a Scene
the backplate.
Since the tracker is now performing the function of merging and blending the graphic,
the merge node has become redundant.
13 Delete the merge node.
14 Drag the playhead through the time ruler to verify that the track has been successful.
15 To better blend the graphic into the background, add a blur node after the ROBOT
node and leave the gentle default blur size 1.0.
16 Drag the Color Corrector tool from the toolbox and attach it to the connection after
the blur node.
17 In the inspector, drag the master wheel towards cyan to make the graphic a greender
shade of blue.
You can also add another Transform tool to the ROBOT connection line to make changes
to the scale or positioning of the graphic.
Match moving is the central principle behind placing artificial elements into a scene with
camera movement. Amongst its most popular applications is sky replacement, sign
removal, cover-up and paint work, compositing of 3D characters and vehicles, and much,
much more.
Chroma keying refers to any process in which a portion of the frame is targeted based on
Keying and Compositing

its color properties. Most frequently, this is associated with removing blue or green screen
to leave the foreground subjects on a transparent background. These subjects can then be
placed over any other layer, giving filmmakers complete control over their environment.
Pulling a Key
In this exercise, you will key a subject from a portable blue screen and place them into a
new environment.
1 Go to the Edit Page.
2 Select Blue Key Clip and Clip 4 on the timeline, right-click and choose New Fusion Clip.
3 Rename MediaIn1 as BACKPLATE and press 1 to view it in the left viewer.
4 Rename MediaIn2 as BLUESCREEN and press 2 to view it in the right viewer.
As you can see, the BACKPLATE node features an interior background onto which you
want to composite the character. The BLUESCREEN node features the shot of the
character in front of a portable chroma blue screen. The first step in this composite
will be to key out the blue screen.
5 Select the merge node and press 2 to view it in the right viewer.
6 Select the BLUESCREEN node.
So far, you have been adding new tools and nodes using the Effects Library and
the toolbar. There is a third way to quickly add nodes to pipeline with the help of a
simple shortcut.
7 Press Shift-spacebar to bring up the Select Tool dialogue window.
8 Type delta into the search bar at the bottom.
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The Select Tool will filter any tools that contain a search term as you type. This is one
of the quickest ways to add nodes to the editor, provided you already know their
names beforehand.
9 Select Delta Keyer (DK) and press Add.
10 To extract the blue screen, click and hold the eyedropper tool next to the Background
Color swatch in the inspector, and drag your mouse across to viewer 2.
Release your mouse over the blue screen to grab a chroma sample.
272

11 You will immediately see the result of extracting the selected blue hue. However, this is
just the first step of the keying process. You now need to review the quality of the key
and clean it up.
Select the delta keyer node and press 1.
12 In viewer 1, press the Color drop-down menu and choose Alpha to reveal the alpha
channel of the key.
A good key should be black and white – with black representing transparency and
white representing full opacity. At the moment, the matte has too many grey areas,
which will result in semi-transparency in the top layer.
273

13 To clean up the matte, enter the Matte tab in the inspector.
14 Drag the Low Threshold right until you no longer see gray areas in the black background.
15 Drag the High Threshold left until the character in the foreground turns a solid white.
16 Drag Clean Foreground to the right until the reflection on the helmet is reduced.
The matte looks much cleaner now. However, looking at the merged image, it is
obvious that there is still a lot of unnecessary information that needs to be removed
from the edges of the foreground layer.
Creating a Garbage Matte 274
In a previous exercise, you used a matte to define which area of the frame should be

impacted by an effect node. In this exercise, you will use a polygon matte to refine what you
want to keep visible in the foreground layer. This type of mask is known as a garbage matte.
1 Drag the polygon tool from the toolbar onto an empty part of the node editor.
2 Drag the playhead to the first frame of the clip.
3 Click around the character in viewer 2. If necessary, zoom out of the viewer to make it
easier to click outside the frame.
When creating custom polygon shapes, you need to click on the first point you made
last to close the shape loop.
4 Next, you will need to animate the polygon shape as the camera pushes in. By default,
all polygon shapes will automatically animate as you make changes to them on
different frames on the time ruler.
Drag the playhead to the last frame of the clip.
5 Adjust the polygon corners to fit the new frame.
275

6 Move to the center of the time ruler, and adjust the points further, if necessary.
Keep making changes up and down the time ruler until the polygon moves smoothly
with the character.
7 With the garbage matte completed, you can now connect it to the delta keyer node.
The delta keyer has several dedicated inputs based on your workflow, supporting
clean plates and solid mattes.
TIP The Status bar in the lower left corner of the interface shows basic
metadata about any node you hover over.
Hold the Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) key and drag the polygon output to the delta
keyer node.
You will see a drop-down menu prompting you to indicate the input you would like
to use.
8 Select GarbageMatte. 276

The edges of the frame will disappear from the foreground layer, revealing a clean
extraction of the subject.
Compositing Layers using Color Correction

The two layers can now be clearly seen, but do not match due to their different filming
conditions and color spaces. You will use a color corrector node to match the foreground
to the background, and then add an additional color corrector at the end of the pipeline to
create a single look for the scene.
1 Select the delta keyer node.
2 Press Shift-spacebar and type in corr.
3 Select the Color Corrector tool and press Add.
To better match the appearance of the foreground layer to the background, you will
need to substantially darken the image.
4 Drag Lift left to darken the shadows (-0.5).
The foreground character becomes darker, but the background is affected too! This is
occurring because the color correction tool is applied to the full frame of the video,
with no regard for the mask (or alpha channel) of the BLUESCREEN layer.
When making adjustments to the brightness or color of a node with transparency, you
will need to specify to the color correction tool to affect only the areas defined (or
‘premultiplied’) by the alpha channel.
5 To fix the issue caused by premultiplication, open the Options tab of the color corrector.
6 Select Pre-Divide/Post-Multiply.
The grade is now limited to the foreground character layer. 277
7 Return to the Correction tab to continue grading.
8 Drag Gamma left to darken the midtones (0.75).

9 Drag Contrast left to reduce the contrast and bring the highlights closer to the
shadows (0.70).
10 Drag the center of the color wheel slightly towards magenta to undo the green tint in
the midtones of the image.
11 The highlights of the image are also very warm. At the top of the inspector, change the
Range to Highlights.
12 Drag the center of the color wheel towards blue/cyan.
With the layers matched, you can now apply a uniform look to the clip.
13 Add a new color corrector node after the merge node.
You’ll aim for a cold, futuristic look.

14 First, lower the gamma and increase the gain to increase contrast in the image. 278
15 Drag the master color wheel towards cyan/blue to make the image cooler.
16 Switch the Range to Highlights.

17 Drag the highlights color wheel towards magenta to give a slight tint to the lights in the
ceiling and the reflections on the suit.
18 Switch the Range to Shadows.
19 Drag the shadows color wheel towards green to give the overall look a more ‘techy’ feel.
The final grading node was effective in compositing the two layers together, helping sell
the look of the overall environment. In clips where there is a change of lighting conditions
(such as the light going out at the end of this scene), you can also use keyframing to
animate colors and luminance values over time.
Fusion is used for professional-grade visual effects work in film and television. Its tools
offer a wide breadth of functionality, ranging from subtle coverup work, motion graphic
design and animation, to eye-catching particle generators, 3D assets, green screen keying
and set extension.
Due to this impressive variety of tools and their parameters, it might take some time to
discover and master all of them. The DaVinci Resolve 15 User Manual includes more
in-depth explanations of all the Fusion features and the The Visual Effects Guide to
DaVinci Resolve 15 is a good follow-up to this training manual.
Lesson Review 279
1 True or False: It is possible to have more than one MediaIn node in a composition.
Lesson Review
2 What type of node do you need to combine media and generator nodes (like text)
into a single pipeline?
3 Which inspector tab should you use if you want to add a drop shadow to text?
4 Which of the following would be inappropriate to use as a tracking point?
A) Corner of a building
B) Stickers on a desk surface
C) Leaf on a tree
D) Pen mark on actor’s face
5 True or False: You can animate color correction effects.
Answers 280
1 True. MediaIn nodes are a link to the source media in the Media Pool. When
Lesson Review
compositing multiple layers, there will be a dedicated MediaIn node for each image
and/or video source.
2 The merge layer. It has a foreground and background input to indicate the layer order
of media/generator nodes. A new merge node is required for every additional layer.
3 The shading tab. In this tab, you will find advanced controls for the text fill, outline
and shadows.
4 Leaf on a tree. In all other scenarios, the tracking point will behave in a predictable
manner (in the case of the actor, it’s assumed we are adding/removing something
from their face). Leaves tend to move with the wind, which makes them unreliable
tracking points.
5 True. Any parameter with a keyframe icon next to it can be animated. This includes
transform controls, text parameters, effects, and color values.
Lesson 9
Building and Mixing

the Soundtrack
Your project’s soundtrack is an essential Time

part of the overall audience experience. This lesson takes approximately
Fortunately, while the Fairlight Page in 80 minutes to complete.
DaVinci Resolve 15 is designed to create big
Hollywood soundtracks, you’ll find it familiar Goals
enough for you to use as an editor.
In this lesson, you’ll explore techniques for Setting up the Fairlight Page 283
audio editing, sound design, and final mixing,
including “sweetening” your soundtrack as
you apply professional equalization, dynamic
controls, panning, and automation to Normalizing Clip Levels 299
your tracks. Working with Clip Equalization 300
The goal of mixing and mastering is to Controlling Dynamic Range 314
balance the levels coming from each track Automating Track Changes 318
so they sound good as a whole. You do so Simplifying Mixing using Buses 323
by making subtle changes to the track levels Creating Additional Output Buses 332
or combining similar tracks into submixes
Assigning the Music and
to make them easier to control with a single Effects Tracks 336
fader. The final master needs to sound great
Monitoring Loudness in your Mix 337
and meet delivery standards for Loudness.
Lesson Review 341
Fortunately, the Fairlight page includes
everything you need to make sure the
levels are right on target.
Before you start, let’s take a moment to open the project and get acquainted with the bins
Preparing the Project

and timelines that you’ll be using throughout this lesson. Also, because you’ll be working in
a new interface page, it’s a good idea to reset the DaVinci Resolve 15 user interface (UI) so
your interface will match the screenshots and descriptions in this book. Then, you can
customize your workspace, as needed, while you work your way through the lesson.
TIP Ideally, you’ll want to have a good set of speakers or headphones connected
to your computer for this lesson to appreciate the audible subtleties.
Lessons > Lesson 09 Audio. Select R15 Editing Lesson 09 Audio.drp. Choose Open,
In the Media pool, you can see a series of bins that contain the elements of your scene
with the Doctor and the FBI Agents.
3 Right-click the Master bin, and choose Sort By > Name to organize the bins by ascending
alphabetical order.
4 Select the Timelines bin, and if necessary, switch to list view. 283
This bin contains seven timelines for the exercises in this lesson.
5 Click the File Name column header to sort the bin in ascending order.
Setting up the Fairlight Page

6 Double-click the 01 AUDIO EDITING timeline to open it.
7 Play through the timeline to reacquaint yourself with the scene.
For all intents and purposes, this process of enhancing the sound of your audio tracks
could be called audio correction. You enhance, or sweeten, each track’s four fundamental
elements—equalization, dynamics, pan, and volume level—so your tracks complement
each other in the final mix.
DaVinci Resolve 15’s controls enable you to manipulate all four of these elements on every
track without additional plug-ins or patching. Keep in mind that each of these controls could
fill an entire lesson on their own, or even a book; however, for the purpose of this advanced
editing instruction, you’ll gain a basic understanding of how these controls work and when
you might need to apply them to your projects.

Moving a project from picture edit to audio post has never been easier than it is in DaVinci
Resolve. That’s because Resolve is the only professional editing system that also includes
the Fairlight page, which is a fully functional digital audio workstation (DAW). As you work
your way through the following exercises, you’ll find that many Fairlight page features function
similarly or identically as in the Edit page.
1 At the bottom of the Resolve window, click the Fairlight button to go to the Fairlight page.
284

2 Choose Workspace > Reset UI Layout.
The default Fairlight layout shows only the audio tracks, toolbar, and transport controls.
Also, the Fairlight timeline appears with plenty of room allotted for working on additional
audio tracks. Let’s resize the current tracks to better fit the available workspace.
3 Press Shift-Z to fit the timeline clips horizontally, if necessary.
4 Fit the audio tracks vertically in the timeline window by holding down Shift and scrolling
your middle mouse wheel.
TIP On a trackpad, scrolling up zooms in and scrolling down zooms out.

Keep in mind that when zooming a Fairlight timeline, the focus remains on the
playhead followed by the selected track.
The default Fairlight workspace focuses entirely on the audio tracks in the timeline and
the audio clips in the Media pool. However, you can use the buttons at the top of the
window to show or hide additional interface panels, as needed.
5 At the upper-left of the Resolve window, click the Media pool button to show the Media
pool, including the Fairlight Page’s Media pool preview player. Click the Timelines bin,
if necessary, and switch to list view.
285

TIP By default, the Media pool in the Fairlight Page displays only audio clips
or clips that have audio. You can choose to change this behavior in the Media
pool options menu in the upper-right corner.
6 At the upper-right of the Resolve window, click the Meters button to open the
monitoring panel.
In the monitoring panel, you can monitor all of the audio and video contents of the
current timeline.
For the moment, you only need to see the viewer in the monitoring panel. So, this is a
great time to expand the viewer as a separate window and hide the meters.
7 In the lower-right corner of the viewer, click the expand button to turn the viewer into
a floating window.
286

The viewer appears in the middle of the interface. Now, you can drag the top of the
viewer to move it.
8 Click the Meters button to hide the monitoring panel.
9 Move the viewer to an unobtrusive position on your screen. Feel free to resize or move
the viewer at any time as you work through these exercises.
NOTE If you are using Blackmagic Design hardware to output the video from
your Resolve workstation to a client monitor, you don’t necessarily need to use
the preview viewer because the video output will still be maintained when
working in the Fairlight page.
You can also view the clips on your video tracks in the Fairlight Page. 287
10 Click the Timeline View options button, and select the Video Tracks option.

The video tracks in your timeline are now viewable, but not editable. They will be useful
to see where the clips start and stop.
Now, you are ready to start your first audio post-production role!
When you begin to think about sound effects, the first step is to just watch a scene without
Editing in the Fairlight Page

any audio. That’s right, totally silent. By watching a scene with the audio muted, your
imagination can fill in the blanks and allow you to think about all the scene audio you might
expect to hear or would like to hear.
1 In the audio monitoring controls, click the mute button.
The mute button turns red to indicate that audio playback is muted.
NOTE The slider to the right of the mute button allows you to change the level
you are using to monitor the audio playback from Resolve while the DIM button
is used to lower the playback volume to allow you to chat with your client,
while keeping half an ear on the mix.
2 Play the timeline from the beginning.

During playback, make mental notes as to what sounds (other than dialogue) should be
included to make the scene seem real to the audience. Also, think about moments in
the scene that might benefit from the addition of music, sound effects, or something
extra to elevate the moment.
3 Click the mute button to unmute playback.
4 Play the timeline again from the beginning. During playback think about which sound
elements are still needed to enhance the scene.
TIP You may want to add markers to remind yourself of the different sounds that
may be needed to enhance this scene. Feel free to add any you may think of, so
you can later refer to the markers tab in the Index to easily locate these sections.
Chances are, the soundtrack elements that you imagined will seem even more
necessary during this playback. First, you need to add some background to this scene
to make it feel as though the room is full of people.
5 In the Media pool, in the Audio bin, select the Foley bin. 289
6 Select the Atmosphere wild sound clip.

You can play this clip in the Media pool preview player in a similar manner to the
Source Viewer in the Edit page, including adding in and out points, as necessary.
7 In the timeline, right-click in the track headers and choose Add Track > Mono.
8 Rename the track WALLA 1, right-click its track header, and choose Change Track
Color > Chocolate.
290

TIP A “walla” track is a background track that consists of the general murmur
of people talking without any actual discernable conversation.
9 Drag the Atmosphere wild sound from the Media pool player to the WALLA 1 track,
starting at the first line from the Doctor on A1.
The audio clip inherits the same color as the track, but it’s a little too long for this scene.
10 Trim the end of the clip to the end of the last dialogue clip from the FBI Agent on A2.
291

11 Drag the fade handles at the start and end of this clip to fade the background sound
in and out of the scene.
12 Press Home, and play the scene to hear how the sound effect fits.
Building up Sound Effects

One common sound design trick used in both music production and soundtracks is to
double a track to thicken, or fatten, the sound. Sound is cumulative, so more tracks equals
more sound.
For example, if you had a recording of 10 people in a room murmuring to each other like
party guests, it would sound like ten people in a room no matter how loudly you played the
track in the mix. However, if you were to copy (double) the track, place the same audio clip
on a duplicate track, and offset it slightly so it didn’t play in sync with its duplicate, the result
would sound more like a roomful of people. As it happens, this scene’s party track sounds
like a handful of people (probably the ones you see in the background). To really “sell” that
an auditorium full of people are at the gathering, you’ll want to double-up (or possibly even
triple-up) the walla track.
You’ll need to duplicate the clip and offset it just slightly so that it sounds like more people
and not just an echo. Then, you’ll apply a couple of tricks to further differentiate it from the
first track.
1 Right-click the WALLA 1 track header, and choose Add Track > Mono. Rename this track
WALLA 2, Right-click the track’s header, and choose Change Track Color > Chocolate.
2 Select the clip on the WALLA 1 track, and choose Edit > Copy, or press Cmd-C (macOS)
or Ctrl-C (Windows).
3 Click the track header for the WALLA 2 track to select that track.
You will see a semi-transparent version of the copied clip in the selected timeline.
292

4 Choose Edit > Paste, or press Cmd-V (macOS) or Ctrl-V (Windows) to paste the copied
clip into the new track.
5 Play the scene back to preview the changes.
So far, this still sounds like a small group of people murmuring and clinking glasses
every now and then. When the two tracks play together, the only audible difference is
an increase in the volume level.
To offset the clips, you could just drag the copy to the left or right. However, a more
sophisticated way to offset clips is to find a recognizable sound in one and make sure
that it isn’t too close to the same sound in the other. In this case, you’ll use the sound
of clinking glasses to track the clip offset. Luckily, that sound also happens to be the
highest level peak in the clip, so it is easy to locate.
6 Press the JKL keys to play the highest peak in the WALLA tracks. Then, place the
playhead just before the peak.
7 Using the timeline ruler as a guide, trim the beginning of the duplicate clip to around
00:00:06:00.
8 Select the clip on the WALLA 2 track, and press Cmd-X (macOS) or Ctrl-X (Windows)
to cut the selected clip.
The clip’s opacity lowers, just as it did with the copied clip; but this time, instead of
creating a copy, you want to move the original.
9 Press the J key to move the transparent duplicate to the left until the beginning of
the clip aligns with the beginning of the clip on the A6 track. Press Cmd-V (macOS)
or Ctrl-V (Windows) to paste the clip.
293

Notice that throughout the move, the playhead maintained its position on the selected
clip. Don’t worry about extending the duplicate clip because you’ll be changing its
speed shortly. You’ll change its duration, as well.
TIP You can also simply pick the clip up and move it as you would in the
Edit page.
10 Play the beginning of the WALLA tracks to hear how the offset clips suggest a larger
number of guests in the room. Unsolo and then solo one of the WALLA tracks during
playback to compare the sounds of one track with the offset-doubled tracks. When you
are finished, unsolo the tracks.
Of course, because audio levels are cumulative, the background tracks are now too
loud. So, before moving on, this is a good time to lower the walla clips’ playback levels.
11 Choose Fairlight > Clip Info Display, and in the Clip info Display box, select Volume.
Click OK.
The current gain level for each clip appears at the head of each clip in the timeline.
12 Play the scene with the WALLA tracks, and lower their clip volume curves. Trust your
ears and set them to suit yourself. If you aren’t sure of a satisfactory level, set each clip
to around -2.80 dB.
294

TIP You can also adjust the clip volume of the selected clip or clips in
the Inspector.
You’ve just increased the number of party guests without hiring extras, reshooting a
scene, or even recording audio with more guests. Best of all, you learned a cool audio
trick for doubling tracks. Audio post-production often involves precisely moving a lot
of clips, so those common keyboard shortcuts to cut, copy, move, and paste will be
real-time savers.
Applying Speed Changes to Audio

In this exercise, you’ll apply the power of audio speed changes in the Edit page to enhance
this scene. The three variables to consider are duration, pitch, and sync.
1 Go to the Edit page.
The first thing you should notice is that all the editing you’ve been doing in the Fairlight
page has instantly updated in the Edit page because the two pages display exactly the
same timeline, albeit in two different ways.
2 In the timeline, scroll down to the A7 WALLA 2 track, and select its audio clip. Right-
click the selected clip, and choose Change Clip Speed.
The Change Clip Speed dialog appears with a Speed field for changing speed, as well 295
as the Pitch Correction checkbox. Your goal is to lower the pitch of the walla clip to
differentiate its sound from the first WALLA track. Doing so will enhance the fuller

crowd sound that you created previously.
3 In the Change Clip Speed dialog, deselect the Pitch Correction checkbox which will
produce a deeper, slower sound.
4 In the Speed Data field, type 90. Click Change, or press Return.
You won’t see a difference in the timeline, but you will hear it, eventually. First, let’s trim
the clip in the WALLA 2 track to match the length of the clip in the A6 track.
5 Drag the right edge of the clip to extend it. When you are finished, deselect the clip.
6 Solo the A6 and A7 tracks. Play them together, and then play each soloed to hear the
difference in pitch between the original and the modified clips. When you are finished,
unsolo both tracks.
As you can hear, speed changes are as useful in sound design as they are on your video
tracks. Those walla tracks now really sound like a roomful of people.
Pan controls place a track’s audio within a panoramic sound field. They enable you to
Panning Tracks in Acoustic Space

compose the spatial arrangement of audio elements just as a cinematographer composes
the visuals of a shot. Mono tracks can be precisely located to sound as if they come from
an off-screen source, or somewhere within the frame. Resolve 15 includes advanced pan
controls in both the Edit and Fairlight pages that support both 2D (stereo) and 3D (surround)
audio placement.
In this exercise, you’ll use the pan controls to widen the walla tracks so they don’t “crowd”
the dialogue tracks.
NOTE If you are working in a quiet room with a good set of stereo audio monitors,
you should be good to go. If you have been using your built-in computer speakers
or an inexpensive single speaker, you are well advised to use headphones for this
panning exercise.
1 Return to the Fairlight page.

2 Start playback, and listen carefully. Can you pinpoint where the dialogue or walla is
coming from?
Your eyes tell you their locations; but when you close your eyes, the sound from all
of these tracks are playing equally from both speakers, which makes them sound
centered within the sound environment.
Let’s pan the walla tracks to the far left and right to hear what happens.
3 Click the Mixer button.
4 Using the Mixer’s Pan controls, drag the blue handle for the A6 WALLA to the upper-
left corner of the panning control in the control strip. Drag the A7 WALLA 2 blue
panning handle to the upper-right corner of the control on the A7 channel strip.
297

5 Play the timeline from the beginning to hear the walla tracks panned to the far left
and right of the acoustic space.
Can you hear the change? In just a matter of seconds, you filled the far reaches of the
acoustic space with the walla sound, making the crowd seem to spread out within a
much larger room. Additionally, you moved their sound away from the actors’ audio
tracks, thereby making it easier to hear the all-important dialogue.
Let’s take a closer look at the Pan controls.
6 In the Mixer, in the A6 track, double-click the Pan controls to open the Audio Pan window.
The Pan controls can work with either 2D (stereo) or 3D (surround) panning depending 298
on your setup and project. The center of the graph represents the acoustic center from
the audience’s perspective. The small letters F, R, B, and L—positioned clockwise

around the space in the top, right, bottom, and left positions—represent the Front,
Right, Back, and Left positions in the panoramic field, respectively.
Where you place audio tracks within the panoramic space will reflect where the
audience will locate each audio source. The Spread control is for linked sources.
Divergence determines the spread of the audio signal to additional speakers in a
surround mix, and Boom determines how much of a track’s sound is sent to the
low-frequency effect (LFE) speaker.
Look carefully to see that the A6 WALLA track is currently panned to the front-left
position. Let’s relocate it to the back-left position to hear the difference.
NOTE You may or may not hear the sound change from front to back when
you are listening through stereo speakers or headphones. Also, if you are
monitoring audio through an audio interface and mixer that outputs only left
and right channels, then you may not hear any output that is not panned to the
front left, front center, or front right.
7 Unsolo all the tracks, except for the A6 WALLA track.

8 Start playback, and drag the blue Pan handle to the lower-left corner of the pan area.
Pan the track to the center, and then to the right. Return the control to the back left.
Could you hear the crowd move around the room as you panned? As the sound
designer and re-recording mixer for this scene, you can choose where to place
the crowd.
9 Use the Pan controls in the A6 and A7 tracks to place the walla tracks wherever you’d
like in the panoramic field. If you aren’t sure of their placements, try putting them in the
far-left and far-right between the back and center locations.
When you are finished panning tracks to compose the acoustic space within your scene,
you can move on to finessing the levels of those tracks. In audio post-production, volume
control is an ongoing process right up until you output the final mix.
Normalizing Clip Levels 299
Ensuring that your dialogue levels are consistent is one of the main issues you’ll be facing,
Normalizing Clip Levels

whether you are responsible for a dialogue scene such as this, or a timeline with interviews,
voiceover, or any kind of speech. Thankfully, DaVinci Resolve can help out, so you can
spend time finessing your levels in other ways.
1 In the Media pool, select the Timelines bin, and double-click the 02 LEVELS timeline
to open it.
2 Play through this timeline and listen carefully to the dialogue.
The dialogue is generally clear throughout, but you do need to sort out some of
the levels.
3 Select all the clips along the three dialogue tracks: A1, A2, and A3.
4 Right-click any of the selected clips, and choose Normalize Audio Levels.
The Normalize Audio Levels box appears asking you to set a peak level and how you
want to apply normalization across the selected clips.
5 Set the Reference Level to -12 dbFS and the Set Level option to Independent.
300
NOTE -12 dbFS is a good starting level for these clips. The level that you will
choose to normalize your peaks may differ depending on your audio delivery
Working with Clip Equalization

requirements. By changing the Set Level to Independent, you are letting
Resolve normalize the levels of each clip relative to its individual peak, rather
than normalizing the clips by the same amount based on the highest peak level.
6 Play through the timeline to listen to the change.

The level of each clip is now adjusted to the highest peak reached, -12dbFS. But the
Doctor’s third clip level is now a little high.
7 Using the volume curve, lower the level of the third clip on the DOCTOR track to
around 4 db.

Equalization (EQ) manipulates specific frequencies to enhance the overall sound. The
primary function of equalization is to lower frequencies that detract from dialogue and
boost certain frequencies to improve the overall sound clarity. The Fairlight page includes
a four-band equalizer for each clip in the Inspector, and a six-band parametric equalizer on
each track in the Mixer.
Creating a Two-way Radio Effect with EQ

To better understand the power of frequency equalization, let’s use it in an extreme context
to transform a recording so it sounds more like a two-way radio. You will systematically
eliminate frequencies in the clip to emulate the limited frequency response of a CB radio.
Along the way, you’ll also alter various voice frequencies to determine which ones enhance
and detract from this recorded voice.
1 In the Media pool, in the Timelines bin, open the 03 EQ AND COMPRESSION timeline. 301
This is a version of your scene with a couple extra tracks of ambience added.
2 Solo the A8 RADIO track and play the clips in the timeline.

As is, the voice sounds normal. Let’s take a closer look at the radio dispatcher clips
in the Inspector, focusing on the second and fifth clips that contain the actual voice,
not the bookend radio clicking sounds on either side.
3 Zoom horizontally until you can clearly see both clips in the A8 track.
4 In the toolbar, click the Inspector button.
5 Select the second clip in the A8 track to see it in the Inspector.
6 Click the enable button to turn on the Clip Equalizer.
Before making any changes, take a quick look at the controls.
Frequency
Gain
Graphical EQ controls
Band enable button

Band filter type
Numeric controls
In the graphical EQ controls area, you can see and manipulate the frequency graph. 302
The numerical controls at the bottom of the equalizer give you more precise control
over the frequencies and gain of each band.

Looking more closely at the blue graph, you can see that the default setting resembles
a clip with fade handles applied to the head and tail. The steep slope at the left edge
of the curve is actually a high-pass filter that allows high frequencies to be heard while
it eliminates the lowest frequencies. The slope on the right side of the curve is a
low-pass filter that allows lower frequencies to be heard while eliminating the highest
frequencies. In the next exercise, you’ll work with both the high- and low-pass filters to
alter the recorded voice in the clip.
Common Frequencies for Dialogue EQ

Audio frequencies are measured in either Hertz (Hz) or thousands of Hertz, or kilohertz (kHz).
Low numbers represent low frequencies and high numbers represent high frequencies.
When you change the amount of gain in a frequency range, you either boost (increase)
or attenuate (reduce) the volume level of the frequencies within that range. Filtering out
a specific frequency or a narrow range of frequencies is referred to as cutting.
The audible frequency range for the average human is between 20 Hz and 20 kHz
(or 20,000 Hz).
Sweeping Frequencies to Target Changes

Dragging the graphical controls left or right through the EQ graph during playback is
referred to as sweeping and is the most effective way to hear changes and identify areas
that need work. For this exercise, you’ll sweep a midrange frequency bell curve in Band 3
to boost or attenuate frequencies during playback and isolate the talent’s voice. Then,
you’ll adjust the high- and low-pass filters in Bands 1 and 4 to observe how these filters
change the clip’s audio. Let’s start by turning off all the bands except for Band 3. Then,
you’ll sweep the bell curve to evaluate the radio dispatcher’s recorded voice.
1 In the transport controls, turn on loop playback, and press R to choose the range
selection tool.
2 Using the range selection tool, select the second clip in the A8 track. Click the clip
a second time to show it in the Inspector.
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3 In the Clip Equalizer controls in the Inspector, click the red-colored band enable
buttons for Bands 1, 2, and 4 to turn them off. This enables you to focus your attention
on Band 3.
4 Click the band filter type pop-up menu below the Band 3 button to see the types of
frequency filters available for Bands 2 and 3.
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High shelf
Bell curve
Notch
Low shelf
High and low-shelf filters are similar to high- and low-pass filters, but the shelf filters
attenuate (lower) unwanted frequencies, whereas the pass filters completely block
unwanted frequencies. You can apply bell curves to boost or attenuate frequencies
anywhere on the graph and their range of influence can be narrowed or widened as
needed using the Q control. A notch filter is used for completely removing, or cutting,
specific frequencies.
TIP A common rule of thumb when adjusting dialogue EQ is to cut narrow and
boost wide. Also, a little EQ goes a long way, so make subtle changes, just as
you would when refining an edit, or adjusting hue on the Color wheels.
Basic frequency ranges for the human voice

Men 80–160 Hz Bass 50–250 Hz
Women 165–255 Hz Mid-Range 250–2300 Hz
Children 250–300 Hz High 2500–20,000 Hz
Human female voices tend to fall between 165 Hz and 255 Hz. As you sweep the
frequency graph, this is a good chance to find the fundamental frequencies for this
particular voice. You can sweep the Band 3 bell curve by dragging its corresponding
numbered handle on the graph. If you drag the bell curve up, you will boost the current
frequencies, whereas dragging down will attenuate them.
5 Press Option-/ (slash) in MacOS or Alt-/ (slash) in Windows to start looped playback of
the marked range.
6 During looped playback, drag the Band 3 bell curve handle up, and sweep left and
right through the graph to hear the boosted frequencies. Then, drag the bell curve
down, and sweep to hear how attenuating certain frequencies can affect the voice.
When you are finished, press the spacebar to stop playback.
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As you can hear, sweeping frequencies can really help you pinpoint the best and worst
frequencies in a vocal. Because this exercise is focused on transforming the voice to
sound as if it is coming from a two-way radio, you’ll need to eliminate most of the high
and low frequencies, and boost the remaining frequencies using the bell curve.
7 Click Band 3 to disable it, and click Bands 1 and 4. 306

You can sweep the high-pass filter (Band 1) by dragging its corresponding numbered
handle on the graph. Keep in mind that this is a frequency filter that allows only those
frequencies higher than the shaded part of the curve to pass through.
8 If necessary, press Option-/ (slash) in macOS or Alt-/ (slash) in Windows to restart
looped playback.
9 During looped playback, drag the Band 1 EQ handle to the right on the graph, and
listen to the change in the voice as you slowly eliminate the low and midrange
frequencies. Sweep right as far as 4 kHz and sweep back to the left to around 550 Hz.
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10 Continue with looped playback, and sweep the Band 4 EQ handle to the left as far as
you can without lowering the curve in Band 1. Then, sweep back to the right to around
2 kHz. When you are finished, stop playback.
The last step is to use the Band 3 bell curve to sweep and boost the remaining
frequencies between the Band 1 and 4 handles.
11 Enable Band 3, and start looped playback.
12 During playback, boost Band 3, and sweep back and forth to find the best sounding
“radio” voice. When you are finished, stop playback.
There is no wrong choice here, so trust your ears. Any frequencies that you boost in 308
the narrow frequency range that is available will successfully exaggerate the radio
voice effect.

The last step is to listen to the clip with and without the EQ changes to compare the
before and after results.
13 Start looped playback. Click the Clip Equalizer button to toggle EQ off and on to
compare the original audio with the EQ version. When you are finished, stop playback.
14 Press A to go to Selection mode, and select the second clip in track A8, RADIO.
15 Press Cmd-C (macOS) or Ctrl-C (Windows) to copy the clip.
16 Right-click the fifth clip on the A8 RADIO track, and choose Paste Attributes, or press
Option-V (macOS) or Alt-V (Windows).
17 In the Paste Attributes box, select EQ, and click Apply to paste the EQ settings.
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18 Deselect the Solo button for track A8 RADIO.
Using the Equalizer, you’ve manipulated the frequencies to create that radio-voice effect.
You’ll apply some dynamics controls to the track shortly to complete the effect. First,
however, let’s apply some track EQ to improve the overall clarity of Agent Jenkins’ voice.
Frequency level troubleshooting

100 Hz - 300 Hz Too low sounds thin, too high loses clarity
200 Hz - 500 Hz Just right sounds warm, too high can sound boxy
250 Hz - 750 Hz Potentially muddy if too high
600 Hz -1.1 kHz Potentially nasal/honky if too high
1 kHz - 3 kHz Adjust for intelligibility
3 kHz - 6 kHz Add presence
5 kHz - 8 kHz Adjusts sibilance (esses)
9 kHz - 15 kHz Adjusts sheen/sparkle
10 kHz - 20 kHz Adjusts Breathiness/Airiness
Sweetening Dialogue with EQ

As you’ve just proven, sweeping frequencies and stripping out the high and low end
of a voice is pretty easy. In contrast, actively listening, delicately cutting, and selectively
boosting frequencies to improve a voice takes patience and practice. In this exercise,
you’ll apply three different bell curves to the AGENT J track to find and reduce detracting
frequencies, and then selectively boost frequencies to enhance the voice.
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TIP You should first find and cut, or attenuate, the detracting frequencies.
Then boost the positive frequencies to sweeten the voice.

1 Press Shift-Z to fit all the clips horizontally in the visible timeline.
2 Solo the A2 AGENT J track. Then, using the range selection tool, drag across the first
group of clips on the A2 track to select a range for looped playback.
3 In the Mixer, double-click the EQ box for track A2 AGENT J to open the Track
Equalizer window.
You can start sweeping for unwanted frequencies. The main issue with Agent Jenkins’ 311
voice is that it is a bit boomy or boxy sounding which can compromise its clarity,
especially in the final mix with all the other tracks. His fundamental vocal frequencies

fall between 80-160 Hz. The boxy frequencies are somewhere between 200-500 Hz.
Let’s start by sweeping the Band 3 bell curve in the mid/low range (ML) to identify the
offending frequencies.
4 Start looped playback. Drag the Band 3 handle up to around +10 to +15 dB and sweep
back and forth between 200-500 Hz. Listen carefully to the agent’s voice as you
sweep the frequencies. Notice which frequency range improves the voice and which
amplifies its irritating qualities. When you are finished, stop playback.
Chances are you found that boosting the frequencies near 200 Hz improved his voice,
while boosting around 450 Hz made his voice sound less pleasant, as if he were
talking into a cardboard box.
TIP Training your ears to recognize subtle dialogue differences, both positive
and negative, takes time, much the way colorists must train their eyes to see
subtle nuances in flesh tones and shadows.
5 Restart looped playback, and drag the Band 3 bell curve handle to around 450 Hz.
Then, drag it below the 0 dB line to attenuate the frequencies by about -3 dB.
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Next, you’ll sweep the Band 4 bell curve to find the sweet spot that enhances clarity.
You’ve already noticed that the agent’s voice improves with a boost around 200 Hz.
Now you can pinpoint a more precise range that provides the most improvement and
boost it by approximately 3 dB. One more thing, try improving his voice while the other
tracks are playing.
6 Unsolo the A2 track. Start looped playback, if necessary. Sweep the Band 4 bell curve
between 120-300 Hz. Identify the frequency range that most improves the clarity of his
voice, and raise it slightly to boost these frequencies.
Trust your instincts and your ears. However, if you aren’t sure, try using +3 dB at 313
around 130 Hz.
The last adjustment to the agent’s voice is to boost its intelligibility between 1-3 kHz.

7 Change the Band 5 filter type to a bell curve. Drag the Band 5 bell curve up to see the
shape of the curve.
The default curve is too wide for this change. You can narrow the frequency range
with the Q Factor controls.
8 At the bottom of the Band 5 controls, drag the Q Factor control to the right until the
frequency range (curve) resembles the +2.3 curve in Bands 3 and 4.
9 Start playback, and sweep between 1-3kHz. Identify which frequencies improve the
intelligibility of his voice, and boost the frequencies between 1-3 dB.
10 Continue looped playback, and toggle the Equalizer button off and on a few times to 314
hear the agent’s voice with and without the EQ. When you are finished, stop playback.
11 Close the Equalizer - AGENT J window, and deselect the clips in the A2 track.
Controlling Dynamic Range

Though subtle, the improvement to Agent J’s voice EQ is significant. This is another
reason to separate each character on their own track during dialogue editing so that
you can not only balance their volume levels, but also apply equalization to the entire
track, as needed.

The difference between the loudest and quietest levels in a track is its dynamic range.
A track’s dynamic range is very similar to contrast within a shot. A track with a high dynamic
range has very loud and quiet elements within the track, such as a character whispering
and then screaming in the same scene. A low dynamic range is fairly flat, such as in a
commercial voiceover in which the volume level of the talent is very even from start to
finish. If you have ever worked with a waveform or Parade scope in the Color page,
controlling a track’s dynamics is very similar to adjusting the white and black levels of a clip.
Just think of white as the loudest and black as the quietest.
The Fairlight page Mixer includes the four most common dynamics controls in one
easy-to-use panel.
1 Solo the A8 Radio track, and with the range selection tool, select the second clip in
the track to mark your looped playback range.
2 In the Mixer, on the A8 Channel strip, double-click the Dynamics area to open the
Dynamics window.
The Fairlight page Dynamics controls include four tools for modifying a track’s
dynamic range.
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The compressor is the most common control and is used to narrow the dynamic range
by lowering the highest peaks and bringing them closer to the lowest peaks. It’s a
great tool for bringing out some of the quieter spoken words, while simultaneously
lowering the level of the loudest words.
The expander, in contrast, enlarges the dynamic range to increase the difference
between the loudest and quietest peaks.
The limiter and gate both work as acoustic “barriers” to limit sound from exceeding
a target level (limiter), and to prevent sounds lower than a set threshold from being
heard (gate).
In this exercise, you’ll apply heavy compression and boost the overall gain in the Radio
track to further emulate the radio sound. Adjusting the frequencies was just the first
step. Compressing the dynamic range will further modify the radio voice to emulate
the under-the-hood vocal processing in two-way radios.
TIP Many devices, including smart phones, intercom systems, and two-way
radios use heavy compression to limit the dynamic range so that each spoken
word can be heard. Obviously, the results don’t follow natural volume
fluctuations in vocal patterns but are a convenient enhancement to the voice
amplification process.
3 In the Dynamics - RADIO window, click the Compressor button to enable the 316
Compressor controls.

The default Compressor settings include a Threshold of -15 dB and a Ratio of 2.0:1.
The Threshold indicates where in the dynamic range you want to start compression.
So, in this example, any peaks over a Threshold value of -15 dB will be compressed by
a 2:1 Ratio, which means that with every two decibels increase over -15 dB, only a one
decibel increase will be permitted. When a track has a wide dynamic range, you can
apply a higher Ratio value such as 5:1 so that for every five decibels of level increase
over -15 dB only a 1 dB increase will be permitted. The heavier the compression, the
more likely you will start to hear it in the quality of the sound. However, because you’re
emulating a low-quality radio speaker in this scene, the more compression, the merrier.
4 Start looped playback. In the Dynamics window or the A8 channel strip in the Mixer,
watch the Output meter, to see the average volume level of the soloed range.
The current average volume is around -23 dB, which is lower than the current Threshold.
5 Drag the Threshold knob to the left to lower it to around -24 dB. Then, drag the
Ratio knob to the right to raise it to an 8.0:1 ratio. Listen to the change as you apply
the compression.
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With this much compression applied at -24 dB, notice that the graph of the upper end
of the decibel curve (light green) is nearly horizontal, as are the peaks.
Let’s boost the gain to more clearly hear the heavy compression. The Make Up gain
fader lets you raise the overall level sound coming from the track’s compressor. You
can still adjust the track’s overall output level independently using the track fader in
the Mixer.
6 Drag the Make up gain fader up to around +10 to raise the output level of the track to -12 dB.
318
Automating Track Changes

Now you can really hear the compression in the track. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to
lower the level of the Radio track in the Mixer and still maintain the distorted, over-
compressed effect.
7 Toggle the Compressor button off and on to compare the voice with and without the
compression applied. When you are finished, close the Dynamics window, unsolo the
A8 RADIO track, and deselect the clip.
8 Play the timeline to hear the finished radio effect with the other tracks.
Another successful exercise in acoustic manipulation. Although this is an extreme example
of compression and EQ, it should pave your way to experiment with these controls in your
own projects. You can start by applying a small amount of compression to the Doctor’s and
Agent Jenkins’ dialogue tracks to help give them a little more punch in the mix.

Adjusting faders, panning, and other controls during a mix is part of your job. You could
try making all of the changes on-the-fly during your final mix, or alternatively record the
parameter changes as automation. In this exercise, you’ll use DaVinci Resolve’s automation
controls on the Fairlight page to record panning control changes over time.
At the top of the Fairlight page, you’ll find the automation button to the right of the
transport controls.
1 In the Media pool’s Timelines bin, open the 04 MIXING timeline. 319
2 Click the automation button to open the Automation toolbar.

The Automation toolbar includes buttons for every available option to set up and
record automation for your mix. The buttons are organized in groups from left to right.
You can record automation data in Write or Trim modes. Write mode records absolute
changes to controls, whereas Trim mode records relative changes that either increase
or decrease levels that are already recorded.
The other important settings for automation include:
Touch determines what will happen when you begin automation. If the touch mode is
turned off, no automation is recorded.
Latch begins recording as soon as you touch a control that is set for automation and
continues to record automation after you release the control.
Snap begins recording automation when you touch a control and stops when you
release the control.
Your goal in this exercise is to start with the radio track panned left and then automate
panning to the right after the doctor’s first look so the second radio call sounds as if it
is coming from a radio on Agent Jenkins. Use the doctor’s eyeline in her second look
as a guide.
TIP Before recording automation, it’s always a good idea to practice recording
at least once.
3 Make sure that the Touch automation menu is set to Off.
TIP When you are working with automation, it’s a good idea to set the Touch
mode to Off any time that you aren’t actively recording. Otherwise, you could
accidentally record or overwrite automation during playback. Also, you can
click the Automation button to the left of the Automation toolbar to disable or
enable all automation that is applied to a timeline.
4 In the Automation toolbar, click the Pan button. 320

5 In the A8 RADIO channel strip, double-click the Pan controls to open the Audio
Pan window.
6 Start playback, and practice the panning maneuver once.
7 When you are ready to record, set the initial pan to be on the left speaker.
8 In the Touch pop-up menu, choose Latch.
9 Click play, and record the panning automation. When you are finished, set the Touch
menu to Off.
TIP Automating pan controls on your mono FX tracks is a great way to track
sounds to objects that move in the frame.
10 In the Automation toolbar, click the Pan button to deselect pan automation. Close the
Audio Pan window.
11 Playback the timeline to hear the automation.
As the timeline plays back over the automation, you should hear the pan change and
also see the pan control update on its own accord.
Adjusting Recorded Automation Changes

After you have recorded automation for a particular control, you can view the automation
graph directly in the timeline track.
1 In the track header for Track A8 RADIO, right-click, and choose Lock Track Height To >
Large, or manually resize the track.
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So long as your automation controls are visible, an additional set of controls appear
in the header of each track.
2 Click the pop-up menu, and choose L/R Pan.
The track updates to display the pan changes you recorded in the previous exercise.
If you want to adjust this recorded automation data, you have a couple of options. First, 322
you could try re-recording the change. Place the playhead before the automation starts
and play the timeline while adjusting the controls, as necessary. Alternatively, you

could use the Pencil tool to redraw the automation graph.
3 Select the pencil tool.
4 Position the pencil tool to the left of the automation data you want to adjust.
5 Drag the pencil tool across the automation data to redraw the graph.
TIP To adjust a group of automation keyframes simultaneously, use the Select

Range tool to the right of the Pencil tool. Drag out a range across a group of
automation keyframes, and then move them horizontally and/or vertically within
the automation graph, or press the Delete (backspace) key to remove them.
When you are working on a slower computer or laptop, automation may affect the
quality of video playback. To streamline your workflow during the remaining exercises,
you can temporarily disable automation by hiding the automation toolbar. Later, you
can turn on automation for your final output.
NOTE The Pencil and Select Range tools are visible only when you the
automation tools are active.
6 Click the automation button to hide the automation toolbar.

Now that you’ve had a taste of automating track controls, you can start applying automation
to your own projects.
Simplifying Mixing using Buses 323
You already know how to balance individual clip levels; but if you have numerous similar
Simplifying Mixing using Buses

tracks that have already been balanced, such as dialogue, atmosphere tracks, or music,
you can combine them and send the output signal from each of the tracks through a bus
to create a submix. As the name suggests, a submix lets you independently mix a subset
of the tracks.
Submix buses are signal paths that send the signal from multiple tracks to a new channel
strip where the sum of their signals can be controlled like a single track, in a similar way
that you used compound clips in Lesson 6.
In this exercise, you’ll create submix buses for the dialogue, music, and background FX tracks.
Once again, before you begin, let’s reconfigure the Resolve interface to more effectively
support your upcoming workflow.
1 In the Media pool’s Timelines bin, open the 05 BUSSES AND MAINS timeline.
2 In the toolbar at the top of the Fairlight page, click the Meters button to show the
monitoring panel.
3 In the upper-right corner of the viewer window, click the dock button to return the
viewer to the monitoring panel.
Now the viewer appears to the right of the monitoring panel once more.
4 In the Fairlight page, choose Fairlight > Bus Format to open the Bus Format window.
324

In the Bus Format window, you can assign tracks to one of four types of buses. The project
currently contains one bus, the default main bus named Main 1. The Format and Channels
columns indicate that this main bus is in stereo.
5 Click the Sub button three times to add three new submix buses to the list.
The three new sub buses (submixes) appear below Main 1 in the Bus Format pane. 325
Notice that three sub buses—labeled S1, S2, and S3—are to the right of the Mixer,
as well as on the monitoring panel.

Let’s name the sub buses and change their formats and colors based on the tracks
they will contain.
6 In the User Name column, double-click the Bus 1 name, and enter DIAL. Then change
the name of Sub 2 to MUSIC and Sub 3 to BG FX.
7 In the Format column, change the format of the MUSIC and BG FX subs to Stereo.
Leave the DIAL sub set to Mono.
Finally, let’s change the colors of each submix to correspond to the tracks in the timeline.
8 In the Color column, change the Sub 1 DIAL color pop-up menu to Yellow, the Sub 2
bus color to Navy, and the Sub 3 bus color to Chocolate.
326

9 Click OK to close the Bus Format window.
The new sub bus names and colors also appear in the Mixer and the Meters.
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You are all set up with submixes. The next step is to route the appropriate tracks into
those submixes.
Assigning Tracks to Submix Buses

You must now assign the tracks that you want to send to each bus.
1 Choose Fairlight > Bus Assign to open the Bus Assign window.
The Bus Assign window has two sections. At the top of the window is a list of all the
buses. The rest of the window shows the available tracks. In the Available Tracks area,
initials under each track name indicate the current assignments for each track. Below
each track name, you’ll see an M1 to indicate that the track is assigned to the Main 1
output. Tracks with B1, B2, or B3 initials below the name are assigned to those
corresponding buses (in this case, the DIAL, MUSIC and BG FX submixes respectively).
To better understand the bus and main architecture, let’s clear all of the current track 328
assignments and reassign them from scratch. To do so, you’ll select each bus
individually, and click the Un-Assign All button.

2 In the Buses area in the Bus Assign window, click the M1:Main 1 button.
The name of the selected bus highlights to indicate it is selected.

3 In the Available Tracks area, click the Un-Assign All button.
All of the tracks are removed from the M1:Main 1 output bus. Remember that only tracks
assigned to a Main output are audible. So, you’ll eventually need to reassign these tracks.
All the tracks and buses are successfully unassigned. Now you can manually select 329
each bus and assign tracks to them.
4 In the Buses area, select the S1:DIAL bus. In the Available Tracks area, select the DOCTOR

K, AGENT J, and ASSISTANT tracks as these are all the tracks containing dialogue.
TIP The dispatch radio track includes recognizable words in spoken English,
so like all other dialogue tracks, it would usually be omitted in a Music and
Effects-only (M&E) mix intended for foreign distribution. However, in this case,
the purpose of these submixes is to control the primary dialogue tracks.
Similarly, for this scene, the source music is more a part of the background
ambience than a musical score, so you’ll assign it to the BG FX submix rather
than the MUSIC submix. In this scene, the purpose of your submixes is
primarily to finesse the levels between the dialogue, music, and background
FX tracks in the second half of the scene.
5 Select the S2:MUSIC bus, and then select the STING, BEAT, BED, and SCORE tracks
to assign them to that bus.
6 Select the B3:BG FX bus, and assign the STAGE FX, WALLA, WALLA 2, and SC MUSIC
tracks to it.
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Next, you’ll assign the as-yet unassigned tracks to the M1:Main 1 output. They represent
sounds that are heard for a short time and their tracks levels can be adjusted
independently using the standard faders in the Mixer. You’ll also need to assign each
of the three submix buses to the M1:Main 1 bus so that the audio of those buses will be
audible through the main output.
7 Select the M1:Main 1 bus, and assign each of the unassigned tracks to it, as well as the
DIAL MUSIC and BG FX buses.
8 In the Bus Assign window, click the Save button.

All the tracks are assigned to the main output or a sub bus, so you can see and hear
them in action in the Mixer.
Working with Buses in the Mixer

The middle section of the Mixer always shows your main and submix buses, and the
current signal flow of each track so you know where it is assigned. In this exercise, you’ll
play through the timeline to verify that all your tracks and submixes are playing properly.
Then you’ll try out your new submix faders.
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TIP You can expand or compact the Mixer at any time by dragging its left
edge. The buses are always visible to the right of the Mixer.
1 Drag the left edge of the Mixer to the left to expand it, if necessary.
2 Press Shift-Z to fit all the timeline clips horizontally in the visible timeline.
3 Play the project from the beginning, and listen to the current mix.
The mix should still sound pretty good. You haven’t actually changed any of the levels,
just altered the way that you will control them. You can continue to balance clip level
curves and individual faders as usual.
The background FX tracks seem a little distracting. Let’s emphasize the dialogue by
lowering some of the background sounds.
4 Start playback, watch the scene, and move the S3 fader down to where it sounds less
distracting (about -5dB).
Now you know why submixes are a mixer’s best friend. It is much easier to move one
fader that lowers three tracks than to manually lower three separate faders on-the-fly.
TIP Re-recording mixers working with large mixing consoles are used to
moving hardware faders during playback and can maneuver their hands
around the controls like a musician playing a church organ. When you are
working in a software-only environment, you must do the best you can using
a mouse or track pad. You can always record automation to your tracks or
submix buses to help simplify the final mix. Also, numerous hardware mixing
consoles are compatible with DaVinci Resolve and its Fairlight page. You can
find a list of compatible mixing hardware at www.blackmagicdesign.com.
Creating Additional Output Buses 332
Every audio signal in the timeline flows from the track to the main output. Whether you are
Creating Additional Output Buses

listening to speakers or headphones at your workstation, you are hearing the main output
every time you play your timeline.
The current timeline has one main output, three submix buses, and sixteen individual
tracks. However, depending on the delivery requirements for your final project, you may
need to create additional main output buses in multiple formats. In fact, most professional
projects require several versions of your mix, such as for stereo and surround.
Furthermore, if dubbing a program into another language, you need to provide an M&E
version of the mix that is devoid of all intelligible on-screen dialogue so that it can be
replaced by actors speaking another language.
You can create and assign main buses just as you created submix buses in the Bus Format
and Bus Assign windows.
In this exercise, you’ll create a three-channel DCP main output and an M&E main output
based on the current mix. Since the M&E mix will be identical to the Main 1 mix without
dialogue, you can simply duplicate the Main 1 with all tracks and subs identically patched
then make any changes from there. As for the DCP main output, you’ll create that one
from scratch.
1 In the Fairlight page, choose Fairlight > Bus Format.
2 In the Bus Format window, select Main 1, and click the Duplicate button.
The duplicate main appears below Main 1 with the bus assignment of Main 2 and the
username Main 2.
3 Click the Main button to create a new main output bus for the DCP main. 333

The two new mains (Main 2 and Main 3) appear below Main 1 in the Bus Format pane.
4 Name the Main 2 bus M&E and the Main 3 bus DCP.
Although the default setting for the Main 1 output format is stereo, you can change it to
a different format at any time, or create multiple mains for each of your delivery formats.
Digital Cinema Projection (DCP) delivery, for example, requires a minimum of three
channels (LCR) or a maximum of 16 audio channels for multichannel surround sound.
Because you probably are not doing this lesson with a surround sound set up, let’s use
the minimum requirement of three channels and set them to LCR (Left, Center, Right).
LCR is a common format, sometimes referred to as the “poor man’s surround sound,”
in which all the tracks are mapped to three front speakers. In LCR mixing, the music
and effects are mapped to the left and right channels and the dialogue is locked to the
center channel. This is similar to multi-speaker surround sound formats because they
also place dialogue in the center channel, but also include additional side or back
speakers and a subwoofer for low frequency effects (LFE).
5 Change the Format of the DCP bus to LCR.
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You now have three Main outputs to the right of the Mixer and on the monitoring
panel –labeled M1, M2, and M3.
6 In the Bus Format window, click OK.
7 Choose Fairlight > Bus Assign.
Now you’ll assign tracks to these main outputs. Let’s start with the M3:DCP bus. Later,
you can set up the M2 bus on your own.
8 In the Buses area of the Bus Assign window, select the M3:DCP bus. In the Available
Tracks area, select the DIAL, MUSIC, and BG FX buses. Finally, select each of the
tracks that are mapped directly to the M1 output to also route these to the M3 output:
ROOM, APPLAUSE, RADIO, END FX, SC FX 1, and SC FX 2.
335

9 Click Save to save and close the Bus Assign window.
Excellent. Your new DCP output bus is set up.
Monitoring Multiple Outputs and Buses

The Control Room settings in the monitoring panel let you determine which outputs or
submixes are audible during your mix. The default is always the Main 1 output. To monitor
a different main output or bus, you choose from the pop-up menu below the control
room meters.
Let’s give it a try. In this exercise you will change the control room monitoring to the DCP
output. Play the timeline once, then change it back to the Main output. Keep in mind, your
control room monitoring can be changed anytime.
1 Below the Control Room meters, in the control room monitoring pop-up menu,
choose DCP.
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Assigning the Music and Effects Tracks

2 Play the timeline once to monitor the DCP main output.
3 Change the Control Room monitoring back to Main 1.
TIP It’s a good idea to always reset the control room monitoring to the Main
output when you are finished.
Assigning the Music and Effects Tracks

Now it’s up to you to think through the M&E output to make sure all of the correct tracks or
submixes are included.
For example, the dispatch radio sound includes spoken words. Because it is not part of the
original script, and source is not even visible onscreen, the foreign language translators
may choose to omit it altogether. You can include those scripted lines and reference audio
for the distributors and let them decide.
Meanwhile, you need to make sure the spoken radio audio is not included in the M&E mix.
The best way to do so is to create a duplicate submix for the BG FX that excludes the
RADIO track.
Another consideration is the ROOM track. Technically, ROOM is part of your dialogue mix; 337
and because all evidence of the dialogue and production sound must be removed for
dubbing, ROOM should also be left out of the M&E mix.
Monitoring Loudness in your Mix

1 In the Bus Format window, duplicate the S3 BG FX submix.
2 Name the S4 BG FX submix, S4 BG FX M&E.
3 In the Bus Assign window, assign the WALLA and SC MUSIC tracks to the submix.
4 In the Bus Assign window, select the M2:M&E bus, and assign the appropriate
submixes and tracks. Keep in mind that no spoken dialogue should be present in the
M&E output bus.
5 Save the changes in the Bus Assign window.
6 Choose Control Room Monitoring > M&E, and play the timeline to hear the M&E output.
The scene should sound great but have no trace of dialogue (including the radio).
7 If tracks are missing, or you hear dialogue in the M&E output, go back to the Bus
Assign window, and make the necessary changes to the track assignments.
8 Change the Control Room monitoring back to Main 1, and save the project.

Now that you are ready for final output, you need to monitor your output levels. In the past,
broadcast standards were based on the highest peak level in a soundtrack. As long as
audio content did not exceed that level, it would pass quality control. That led to
commercials that applied heavy compression to narrow their dynamic range and bring all
voiceovers to the maximum allowable (and overbearing) level.
To even the acoustic playing field, new loudness standards were introduced that apply to
all broadcast programs (television and radio) regardless of the length or type of program.
In North America and parts of Asia, an integrated target of -24 LUFS (Loudness Units Full
Scale) is the norm for broadcast content, whereas in Europe the target is -23 LUFS.
(Theatrical films, trailers, and streaming videos have different standards.)
Resolve includes two types of monitoring panel meters to measure such standards. Peak
meters are traditional Root Mean Square (RMS) meters available for every track and bus
that uses a decibel scale, and Loudness meters measure the loudness in your program
based on the loudness unit scale (LUFS).
338

You can use the Loudness meters to measure the perceived loudness over the entirety of
your program to verify that the levels of your final mix meet the current loudness standard,
ITU BS.1770.
The Fairlight page Loudness meters include a numeric display that outputs a variety of
useful loudness measurements with the most important being the Integrated level.
Maximum LU measures maximum

loudness unit value during playback
M measures
momentary
loudness unit Short measures the average LU
average. level over a 30-second window
following the playhead.
Short Max displays the maximum level

over the same 30 second window.
Range measures the dynamic range

of the Loudness of your mix
Integrated measures the LUFS

value of the range you’ve played.
This analysis is required by most
broadcast specifications.
M displays the momentary loudness unit at the playhead location. 339
The loudness units meter displays the sum of all channels for the duration of playback.
The numeric value at the top is the max LU value over that range.

Short displays loudness over a 30-second range.
Short Max displays the played range’s maximum true peak level.
Range displays the dynamic range of loudness in the entire program.
Integrated displays the average loudness for the entire played range. This is the value
that targets either -23 LUFS or -24 LUFS as required by broadcasters and is configured
in your Project settings.
In this exercise, you’ll monitor the integrated loudness display to ensure it comes within
+/- 0.5 of the target -23 LUFS.
1 At the bottom of the Loudness meters, click the Reset button to clear all current
measurements.
2 Move the playhead to the beginning of the scene.
3 Under the Loudness meters, click the Start button to enable the analysis.
4 Press the spacebar to play the timeline. Watch the integrated loudness display during
playback to see how close to 0 on the loudness scale (-23 LUFS) your program measures.
The Loudness meter is a solid blue color that measures from -18 to +9, unlike decibel
meters that show from -50 dbFS to 0 dbFS across their green, yellow, and red ranges.
The Loudness meter is designed in this manner because -23 LUFS is equal to 0 on the
Loudness meter scale. When you monitor levels with a Loudness meter, your goal is to
keep the level near to 0.
TIP If you are delivering content for a region that requires an integrated
loudness level other than -23, you can change the target loudness level in
the Project Setting’s General options.
Although they analyze and measure audio differently, Loudness Units and Decibels
have a 1-to-1 relationship which makes it easy to adjust faders when targeting the
integrated loudness level. For instance, if the integrated loudness display shows +2
LUFS after you play through your program, you can use the master fader to lower the
decibels by -2 dB and reach the targeted 0 in the Integrated display.
5 Raise or lower the master fader as necessary (a boost of about 1.5db should work here)
to get the integrated level closest to 0 (-23 LUFS).
6 Reset the meter, click Pause, and play the timeline again. 340
Don’t worry if your levels aren’t perfect. Just be aware of the Loudness meters and the
Integrated loudness goals before you finally output your project.

7 Save your progress.
NOTE To listen to a version of this timeline completely mixed, feel free to open
and play the 07 FINAL OUTPUT timeline.
Lesson Review 341
1 What steps do you need to perform in the Edit page to prepare your timeline for audio
Lesson Review
mixing in the Fairlight page?
A) Export your timeline as an XML file, and open this file in the Fairlight page.
B) Choose File > Send to Fairlight.
C) Click the Fairlight page button.
2 Which Mixer control would you use to play one audio track from either the left speaker,
the right speaker, or any surround speaker attached to your system?
A) Pan
B) Dynamics
C) EQ
3 Which control would you use to make dialogue sound a little less bass-heavy?
A) Pan
B) Dynamics
C) EQ
4 Where would you set up a set of submixes for your dialogue, effects, and music tracks?
A) Fairlight > Bus Format
B) Fairlight > Bus Assign
C) Fairlight Patch Input/Output
5 How do you change the Target Loudness level from the default value of -23 LUFS?
A) You cannot change the Target Loudness level.
B) In Project settings
C) In User Preferences
Answers 342
1 C. Switch to the Fairlight page and continue working. You can switch between the
Lesson Review
Edit page and the Fairlight page at any time.
2 A. The Pan controls.
3 C. The EQ controls.
4 A. Submixes and mains are setup in Fairlight > Bus Format. Individual tracks and
submixes can then routed appropriately using Fairlight > Bus Assign, or by using
the Main and Submix buttons in the Mixer.
5 B. The Target Loudness level is set in the Audio Metering section of the General
Options panel in Project settings.
Lesson 10
Delivering Projects
When you’re ready to export a project— Time

whether at the end of a workflow, at an This lesson takes approximately
intermediate point, or when generating 40 minutes to complete.
dailies—the render settings and final output
are configured in the Deliver page of Goals
DaVinci Resolve 15.
The aim of this lesson is to shed some light Delivering Programs with Subtitles 354
on advanced exporting options. You’ll gain
Configuring a Timeline for
an understanding of working with subtitles, Digital Cinema 356
outputting for digital cinema and outputting
Rendering a DCP 359
multiple jobs from different projects.
Rendering and Editing Jobs from
Multiple Projects 364
Lesson Review 367
DaVinci Resolve 15 allows you to add subtitles to your timelines in several ways. You can
Working with Subtitles

manually create all your subtitles for your project, or you can import a supported subtitle
.srt file.
Lessons > Lesson 10 Delivery. Select R15 Editing Lesson 10 Deliver.drp, choose Open,
This project contains a finished version of the scene between the doctor and the FBI
agents. Take a few minutes to reacquaint yourself with the scene and how the audio
is mixed. All that’s left for you to do is add subtitles before outputting the final files
for delivery.
3 On the Edit page, open the Effects Library.
4 In the Effects Library, in the Titles group, locate the Subtitles section.
5 Drag the Subtitle generator to the timeline in the space above the video tracks, and 345
snap it to the beginning of the timeline.
A new track appears in the Timeline labelled “ST1 Subtitle 1,” and the subtitle text

appears in the timeline viewer.
TIP You can show and hide existing subtitle tracks in the Timeline View
Options menu.
6 In the timeline, select the subtitle, and open the Inspector.

The Inspector includes the controls for the individual subtitle captions and for the entire
subtitle track.
7 In the Caption field, highlight the word “Subtitle,” and type Applause. 346

NOTE Settings for the maximum number of characters per line and the
minimum duration for each of your captions is set in the Subtitles panel of
the Project settings window.
8 Place the timeline playhead at the start of the second clip in the timeline,
02_Dr_Sarah_Close Up.mov, and in the Inspector, click the Add New button.
A new subtitle is overwritten into the timeline at the current playhead position.
9 Select the new Subtitle generator, and in the Inspector, type the dialogue from the 347
doctor, “Oh, thank you. I’m so glad you really liked it.”
10 Trim the end of the second Subtitle generator to the end of the second clip on V1,

02_Dr_Sarah_Close Up.mov.
You can edit and trim Subtitle generators, just like any other clip on your timeline.
Importing Subtitle Files

You can continue working through this timeline, adding subtitles for the lines of dialogue.
However, it’s usually much more efficient and accurate to have someone transcribe the
dialogue for you, and create a .srt file that you can import directly into Resolve.
1 In the Media pool, press Shift-Cmd-N (macOS) or Shift-Ctrl-N (Windows) to create a
new bin. Change the name to Subtitles.
2 Choose File > Import File > Import Subtitle.
3 Navigate to R15 Editing Lessons > R15 Editing Lesson 10 Deliver, and select the file
Lesson 10 Subtitles US.srt.
4 Click Open. 348
The .srt file is added to the selected bin as a subtitle clip.

5 Select the subtitle file. Lesson 10 Subtitles US, and drag it into the timeline so it starts
at the location of the red timeline marker.
All the subtitles in the .srt file are added to the Subtitle 1 track in the timeline.
Adjusting Subtitles
Subtitles clips behave just like any clip in the Resolve timeline, so you can easily adjust
their timings, as necessary.
1 Type 1814 to navigate to the point before the doctor says, “That wouldn’t be possible.”
Play the timeline from this point to review the dialogue and subtitles.
The subtitles appear on-screen too late for the doctor’s line of dialogue. You’ll need
to adjust the subtitle timing to sync it correctly.
2 Press T to enter Trim edit mode.
3 In the timeline, select the lower portion of subtitle, “That wouldn’t be possible,”
so the mouse pointer changes to a slide icon.
4 Slide the subtitle back to the left by about 17 frames, or until it snaps to the beginning 349
of the doctor’s audio clip on A1.

5 When you have finished sliding the subtitle into the correct position, press / (slash)
to review the change.
6 Press A to return to Selection mode.
You can also ripple and roll trim each of the subtitle generators, as well as cut each
subtitle into shorter clips using the Razor Edit mode and keyboard shortcuts. Be aware
that auto select controls for the subtitle track work the same as they do across all the other
tracks in the timeline.
Maintaining Subtitle Sync

If you want to further ensure that your subtitles remain synced to the appropriate audio
clips, you can link the clips. By doing so, if you inadvertently change the timeline and knock
the subtitles out of sync, red clip sync indicator will show how far out of sync they are.
1 In the timeline, select the second subtitle clip with the text, “Oh thank you, I’m so glad
you really liked it.”
It makes sense to link this subtitle with the audio clip on A1.
2 Select the second subtitle clip, and in A1, Cmd-click (macOS) or Ctrl-click (Windows)
the orange audio clip.
3 With both clips selected, right-click either of them, and at the bottom of the shortcut menu, 350
choose Link Clips, or press Opt-Cmd-L (macOS) or Alt-Ctrl-L (Windows) to link these clips.

You can also link multiple subtitles to multiple video and audio clips.
4 In the timeline, select the next three subtitle clips along with the two yellow audio
clips on A2.
5 Press Opt-Cmd-L (macOS) or Alt-Ctrl-L (Windows) to link these clips.
These clips are now linked and will display the red out-of-sync indicators if they lose sync.
Styling Subtitles
Just as with any other title generator in Resolve, subtitle generators have many parameters
that you can change to adjust the style and position of your subtitles and closed captions.
One common style applied to subtitles is a semi-transparent box behind the text to help it
stand out against video with a similar brightness.
1 Move your playhead over the last subtitle in your timeline.
The end of the line appears a little obscured against this final shot and isn’t easy to read.
351

2 In the timeline, select the subtitle, and in the Inspector, click the Track Style tab.
3 Scroll down to the Background options, and click the switch to enable the
Background settings.
4 Adjust the Width and Height settings so that the box extends behind the white text and
helps it stand out from the similarly light video background.
Because you have added this track style, all the subtitles in this track are updated with 352
the change. This behavior is particularly useful when you need to modify style settings
for all the subtitles in a track.

You can, however, override those track-wide settings for any individual subtitle when
you need to adjust the color, font, or position of one or more subtitles, but not all.
5 In the timeline, move the playhead to the first subtitle.
This subtitle indicates a sound effect rather than detailing spoken dialogue. As such,
the director would like you to adjust it to appear a little more obvious.
6 In the timeline, select the subtitle, and in the Inspector, select the Captions tab.
7 Deselect Use Track Style.
A set of additional controls appear for this caption.
8 Change the “Font face” to Italic to distinguish this caption from the other captions.
The subtitle updates to reflect the change in style.
Adding Additional Subtitle Tracks 353
You can add multiple subtitle tracks, which is particularly useful when you have to supply

subtitles in more than one language.
1 In the Edit page, right-click any one of the timeline track headers, and choose Add
Subtitle Track.
An additional subtitle track is added to the timeline.

2 In the Media pool’s Subtitles bin, right-click, and choose Import Subtitle.
3 Navigate to R15 Editing Lessons > R15 Editing Lesson 10 Deliver, and select the
Lesson 10 Subtitles FR.webvtt file. Click Open.
4 Edit this new subtitle file into the empty subtitle track you just created, starting at the
beginning of the timeline.
This subtitle file includes French subtitles. You can rename subtitle tracks to reflect the 354
language used, making it easier to identify the different tracks.
Delivering Programs with Subtitles

NOTE This subtitle has none of the styling included with the previous subtitle
you worked with; however, because the WebVTT format has support for basic
text formatting, the first subtitle is italicized.
5 Double-click the Subtitle 1 track name, and type en_US to identify this subtitle as English
for a US audience.
6 Double-click the Subtitle 2 track name, and type fr_FR to identify this subtitle as French
for a French audience.
TIP To choose the subtitle track visible in the timeline viewer, in the head of
the track you wish to view, click the eye icon. You can display only one subtitle
track at a time.
More Info
Depending on your workflow and delivery specifications, you may be required to use
standardized two- or three-letter abbreviations for each language as dictated by the
International Organization for Standardization.
See the website at www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php for more details.

When it comes to delivering subtitles with your finished program, a number of options are
open to you. Depending on your delivery format, you can include subtitles as burned-in
graphics, embedded text in a supported media file, or as a separate file.
In this next exercise, you will output a file suitable for web delivery together with the
necessary separate subtitle files.
1 On the Deliver page, in the Render Settings window, choose the Vimeo 720p preset.
2 Scroll to the bottom of the video tab, expand the option for Subtitle Settings, and 355
choose to Export Subtitle.
3 Set the Format options to “As a separate file”.

If you chose the “Burn into video” option, Resolve would burn the currently active
subtitles (with their styles) into the final rendered video file, so the subtitles would be
permanently included as part of the video content. Choosing “As embedded captions”
will output the currently active subtitle track as an embedded metadata layer within
those media formats that support it. Currently, DaVinci Resolve has support for CEA-
608 and text captions within MXF OP1A and QuickTime containers.
4 In the Export As pop-up menu, choose WebVTT and select both the “en_US” and
“fr_FR” subtitle tracks to include them in the export.
5 Click the Location Browse button, and navigate to R15 Editing Lessons > R15 Editing
Lesson 10 Deliver > Output folder to choose the destination for your exported content.
Click ok.
6 Click the File tab, and in the “File subfolder” field, type Web.
7 Click Add to Render Queue. 356
The job is added to the Render Queue; but before you start the render, you may want
to add more jobs and process them all at once.
Configuring a Timeline for Digital Cinema

Understanding Data Levels
In the Advanced Settings, Data Levels specifies the data range of an image based on its
source. The default Auto setting renders media at a data level that is appropriate for the
selected codec. Video refers to YCbCr formats that constrain to pixel data values between
64-940 on a 10-bit system in formats using a Rec.709 video standard. Full expands the
range to the film standard of 4-1024 values, which is utilized in digital film formats such as
DPX. In general, the choice is leave this setting unchanged and let DaVinci Resolve choose
the data level automatically. However, if you find that your final video looks substantially
darker or lighter than it appears on your calibrated monitor, it is possible that the data levels
are being incorrectly distributed. In that rare case, you may want to manually set the Data
levels correctly for your intended distribution.

A digital cinema package, or DCP, is a collection of media and metadata files used to
project digital movie files in a theatrical venue. Resolve makes it convenient to create an
unencrypted digital cinema package. . This exercise will combine some practical
information about the DCP with the few configuration steps required in the Deliver page.
TIP DaVinci Resolve 15 also allows for the creation of encrypted DCP files using
the easyDCP plug-in.
When creating a DCP, the timeline in Resolve must be set to one of three 2K resolutions:
2K Native (1.90:1) 2048 × 1080 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps
2K Flat (1.85:1) 1998 × 1080 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps
2K CinemaScope (2.39:1) 2048 × 858 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps
Or one of three 4K resolutions:

4K Native (1.90:1) 4096 × 2160 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 fps
4K Flat (1.85:1) 3996 × 2160 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 fps
4K CinemaScope (2.39:1) 4096 ×1716 @ 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 fps
This project is a Rec.709, full HD-resolution project. But as is often the case, you may have 357
to output deliverables in multiple formats. So, let’s assume you need to output a DCP. The
resolution for your DCP will be 2K flat because it is the closest resolution option when

starting from full HD. You will still need to scale the project up and crop some of the top
and bottom but not by much.
16 x 9 frame 1.78:1
Native 1.9:1
Flat 1.85:1
Scope 2.39:1
TIP 4K DCPs use a lower bit rate when played on 2K projectors than do 2K
DCP’s. For that reason, when your target projector is 2K, always make a 2K
DCP, even if your content supports higher resolutions.
1 Choose File > Save Project As, and save a copy of this project as R15 Editing Lesson
10 Deliver DCP.
2 Choose File > Project settings, or press Shift-9.
3 In the Master settings, set the “Timeline resolution” to 1998 x 1080 DCI Flat 1.85.
358

4 In Input Scaling, set the “Mismatched resolution files” to “Scale full frame with crop”.
Scaling full frame with crop ensures that the shortest dimension of the source clip fills
the timeline resolution’s frame to omit letterboxing or pillars. However, it does crop a
small bit off the top and bottom of the image.
5 Click Save to close the window.
That takes care of the frame size, but your timeline frame rate is 23.976 fps and almost all
DCPs use 24 fps. Fortunately, DCP interprets 23.98 fps as 24 fps, and audio playback is
pulled up to match.
Rendering a DCP 359
Now all your formatting is done, and you can move to the Deliver page to set up some
Rendering a DCP
DCP-specific parameters.
1 In the upper-left, in the Render Settings, click Custom.
Because there’s no default preset available for outputting a DCP package, you’ll create
your own.
2 In the Render area, choose Single Clip.
When creating a DCP, you will always want to output a single file for your project.
3 In the Video tab, in the Format menu, choose DCP.
4 In the Codec menu, choose Kakadu JPEG 2000 2K DCI Flat.
TIP The above settings will produce an unencrypted DCP package. If you need
to produce an encrypted package, you should choose one of the easyDCP
settings in the Codec pop-up menu. A demo version of easyDCP is included in
all versions of Resolve that will allow you to playback up to fifteen seconds of
good quality picture and sound that includes a visible watermark. For full
functionality, licensing modules must be purchased from www.easyDCP.com,
and Server Certificate Sets must be generated for each DaVinci Resolve
system. See the DaVinci Resolve Manual for additional information.
Let’s leave the maximum bitrate at 250 Mb/sec because that is the limit of most projectors. 360
The next checkbox determines if you are generating the DCP based on the older but
more widely supported interop standard, or the more current and feature-rich SMPTE
Rendering a DCP
standard. One of the benefits of using the SMPTE standard is that it supports a wider
range of framerates. The major benefit of using the interop standard is that it will work
in more theaters, even though it is limited to only 24 or 48 fps.
TIP DCP uses the XYZ color space. The color space conversion is performed
during the export to DCP. The source color space is determined by the timeline
color space setting in the Color Management settings, even when DaVinci
YRGB color management is not in use.
Setting Audio for DCP

Audio can have a few fits when exporting to a DCP. Stereo mixes such as in this project can
be troublesome. First, a stereo soundtrack will be heard differently depending on the side
of the theater you are sitting on, and the mono dialogue track will tend to get lost. If your
project does not have a full surround sound mix, you can avoid these two-channel stereo
issues by creating a three-channel LCR (left, center, right) mix for your stereo soundtrack.
All the dialog will go to the center channel while music and sound effects go to the left and
right channels.
If you are finishing your audio in the Fairlight page, you only need to set up a Main bus in
the desired format. In this project, you set up an LCR Main bus in Lesson 8. If you also have
a 5.1 or 7.1, or Imax mix to output, you could add those additional Main busses which would
provide for correct signal panning in the Mixer.
1 Click the Audio tab.
361
Rendering a DCP
Your only audio codec choice is Linear PCM. DCP audio is converted to broadcast
.WAV files in an MXF wrapper at 24-bit, 48 kHz. The important aspect that you do
control is which Main or Submix you want to output.
2 In the Output Track 1 menu, choose the DCP (LCR) mix that you created in Lesson 8.
TIP If you are providing multiple DCPs in various languages, a mixer setup
with separate M&E and dialogue sub buses would be the desirable
mixer configuration.
One of the benefits of using Fairlight to mix your audio, other than the fact that it is built
into your editing and color grading system, is that it is somewhat format agnostic, so
you can mix content once and then output to several formats. You can easily switch
between stereo, LCR, and surround formats, and various speaker configurations with
monitor control and metering following the selected set.
Naming and Outputting a DCP 362
DCPs follow a somewhat specific, yet voluntary Digital Cinema Naming Convention for the
Rendering a DCP
content title. For each version of a movie you create (such as the English 5.1 version, the
Spanish 5.1 version, the stereo version, the in-flight version, and so on), a composition play
list (CPL) must be created that contains the appropriate content name. DaVinci Resolve
includes a straightforward way to create a name that follows this naming convention using
the DCP Composition Name Generator window.
1 Click the Video tab.
Access to the content title creation tool is located in the Video tab.
2 Scroll down to locate Composition name, and click Browse to open the Composition
Name Generator window.
Here, you can enter the metadata that will be used to create a content title that is
compatible with DCP servers and theater management systems.
TIP Separate the words in your movie’s title using initial caps, not spaces,
hyphens, or underscores.
3 Enter information, and from the various menu options, choose the metadata that will
be added to the content title. Click OK to close the window.
363
Rendering a DCP
The content title is not to be confused with the folder name that contains the DCP.
That folder name is still managed in the File tab of the Deliver page.
4 Click the File tab, and add a custom name as you would for any other output.
Finally, you need to select a destination for this DCP. Because you had previously
set the output location in the earlier exercises, we just need to specify a different
File subfolder.
5 In the File subfolder field, type DCP.
364
TIP You can output the DCP to a hard drive in a Cru Dataport DX-115 enclosure
which will load directly onto many digital cinema servers and is often required
Rendering and Editing Jobs from Multiple Projects

by some film festivals. More conveniently, you can output to a USB 2.0 or 3.0
hard disc or USB stick if your film’s file size fits. No matter what storage device
you choose, the device must be formatted as a Linux EXT2 or EXT3 drive. You
can do so in a macOS or Windows environment by installing Linux in a virtual
environment. Some servers do not deliver enough power for some USB-
powered drives to mount. In those scenarios, be sure to use a USB drive that
uses an external power source.
6 When you are done selecting your drive destination, click “Add to Render Queue”.
After your DCP is rendered onto the correct hard drive, you’ll want to test it. The only
foolproof way to test your DCP is to rent a theater and run it just as it would be projected for
an audience. Only that way can you be absolutely sure that the color conversion worked
perfectly, and the sound mix is what you wanted. In the meantime, you can view the DCP
package contents by importing it into Resolve.
Rendering and Editing Jobs

from Multiple Projects
The Render Queue can show jobs from the current project or from all projects in your
database. If you split longer projects into reels, or you are working on timelines with
different frames rates for the same client, you might need to access all of the jobs in the
queue instead of waiting for one batch to render before outputting other projects.
1 Verify that the Deliver page is open.
2 In the Render Queue options menu, choose Show All Projects.
Any jobs added to the Render Queue in any project currently in the database are
displayed for you to select and render.
Even after you add jobs to the Render Queue, you can update their settings or 365
remove them from the queue entirely.
3 In the Render Queue options menu, choose Show Job Details.

The specific settings for each job are displayed, including resolutions, codec,
and framerate.
4 In the Render Queue, click the pencil icon on Job 1.
Because this job was sourced from another project, the project is switched and
the Render Settings change to reflect the settings of the previous job.
The presence of additional Update Job and Cancel buttons at the bottom of the 366
Render Settings indicates that a job is currently being edited.
Let’s make a small change to update the job

5 In the Video tab, change the resolution to 1920 x 1080 HD.
6 Click Update Job.
The change updates the original Vimeo job settings with the new setting as is reflected
in the displayed job details in the Render Queue.
TIP To delete a job, click the X in the upper-right corner of the job in the
Render Queue.
7 Finally, verify that neither of the jobs are selected in the Render Queue, and then click
the Start Render button to create the output files.
Remote Rendering
DaVinci Resolve Studio allows you to offload rendering to another Resolve workstation.
Remote rendering requires that all workstations have a copy of DaVinci Resolve 15 Studio
installed, a shared Postgres database, and access to all necessary media files using the
same file name path. With one computer acting as a render station, all other Resolve
stations can continue to be used for further editing and grading.
Utilizing the correct render settings is vital to delivering an aesthetically correct and
technically functional video project. Understanding these settings has even greater
benefits. It elevates your skillset as an editor and imbues confidence that your projects
are delivered at their optimal quality and adhere to industry standards.
This book has covered a range of editing workflows and tools, while making frequent 367
references to craft techniques. However, it is important to remember that even when
following common guidelines within the craft, each editor has a high degree of leeway in
Lesson Review
the workflows he or she chooses.
As with any technical and creative skill, editing takes practice and experimentation to
master. In the early stages of your career, you will experience times of uncertainty and
self-doubt when cutting a scene. So, it is important to utilize your tools wisely, and
approach each editing challenge with the intention to produce the clearest possible story.
Listen to feedback and re-evaluate your previous work to understand what did and didn’t
work (and why). In time, by working through many editing issues and identifying your
preferred workflows, you’ll acquire a greater sense of confidence in your ability, and a
defining command over your personal and professional editing style.
Lesson Review
1 Depending on the format you choose, what options might you see when choosing to
output subtitles with your final video file?
A) Burn into video
B) As embedded captions
C) As a separate file
2 What are acceptable aspect ratio standards for 2K and 4K cinema?

A) DCI, DCI Flat, and DCI Scope
B) 2.35:1, 1.85:1 Anamorphic, and 16:9 Square Pixels
C) CinemaScope, IMAX, and Supermarionation
3 True or False? You can adjust the settings of a job that’s already been submitted to the
Render Queue.
4 Where do you specify the Composition Name for your DCP?

A) In Project settings
B) In the DCP Render Settings
C) Choose File > easyDCP > import KDM/Digest.
5 True or False? You can access jobs submitted to the Render Queue from other projects
in your database in the Project manager?
Answers 368
1 A., B., and C. Subtitles can be output as burned in captions, as separate files (either
Lesson Review
.SRT or .WebVTT), or as embedded captions (Text or CEA-608) for QuickTime or MXF
OP1A containers.
2 DCI, DCI Flat, and DCI Scope
3 True. Click the pencil icon for any job that’s currently in the Render Queue. You can
then update the current settings in the Render Settings before clicking Update Job.
4 B. In the DCP Composition Name Generator window—which you find in the Video
tab of the Render Settings, and access by clicking the Browse button next to the
Composition Name field.
5 False. To access jobs submitted to the Render Queue from different projects, click the
Render Queue options menu, and choose Show All Projects.
Congratulations!
Congratulations! You just completed some high-end professional audio post-production
from the comfort of your own computer workstation. Hopefully this lesson has opened your
eyes and ears to the wonderful, yet often underappreciated world of audio post, as well as
the awesome audio tools available as standard in DaVinci Resolve.
Test your skills by taking the online assessment: http://bit.ly/2O5197B
Index 369
Index
A C
Animation Clip attributes, 64, 65, 67, 70, 220
Curve Editor, 238 Clone tool, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59
Keyframes, 237, 255, 256 Color Correction, 276
Audio Color Corrector, 269, 276
dB, 293, 311, 312, 313, 316, 317, 339 Color Management, 360
fade, 291, 302 Color page, 165, 244, 314
level, 124, 126, 283, 288, 292, 293, 299, Compound Clip, 189, 223, 224, 228, 229,
300, 302, 309, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318,
230, 232, 233, 234, 235, 237
331, 337, 338, 339, 341, 356
loudness, 338, 339
D
meters, 285, 335, 337, 338, 339
Mono, 66, 142, 213, 289, 291, 296, 325 Database, 58, 76, 77, 83, 364, 366, 367
mute, 288 Deliver page
patch, 211 Render Settings, 354, 359, 365, 366
recording, 291, 294, 298, 300, 319, 322, Delta keyer, 271, 272, 275, 276
331 Digital cinema package, 356
scrubbing, 64, 117 Dynamics, 314, 316, 318
solo, 293 Dynamic Trim, 147, 148, 151, 152, 153
waveform, 62, 63, 115, 208, 314
Audio tracks E
add, 126, 213, 360
Edit page, 86, 166, 200, 242, 248, 249, 259,
Naming, 72, 362
265, 270, 283, 289, 293, 294, 341, 344,
patch, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214
353
Auto Select, 119
Effects Library, 130, 245, 246, 247, 250, 256,
267, 270, 344
B
EQ, 300, 301, 302, 304, 306, 307, 308, 309,
Bin
310, 314, 318, 341
list view, 59, 89
Master bin, 77
F
media bin, 263
new bin, 89, 173 Fairlight page, 283, 286, 294, 296, 300, 314,
toolbox bin, 259 318, 323, 331, 332, 338, 341, 360
Bus Assign, 327, 328, 330, 332, 334, 335, Fit to Fill, 207
337, 341, 342 Fusion
Bus Format, 323, 324, 325, 326, 332, 333, clip, 266
334, 337, 341, 342 color corrector, 276
G O 370
Garbage matte, 274, 275, 276 Open in Timeline, 190, 224
Optimized Media, 78, 79, 80, 82, 83, 232
Index
I
Import P
clips, 69, 86, 114, 140, 172, 200 Pan, 223, 283, 296, 298, 320, 321
projects, 283 Parade scope, 314
Inspector, 129, 131, 133, 223, 228, 229, 230, Paste Insert, 145
243, 246, 247, 251, 252, 254, 256, 258, Power Bins, 76, 77
260, 261, 265, 268, 294, 300, 301, 302, Projects, 57, 59, 76, 77, 197, 283, 318, 322,
303, 345, 346, 347, 351, 352 332, 364, 366
J R
J-cut, 99, 178 Razor Edit mode, 349
JKL keys Render Queue, 356, 364, 365, 366
scrubbing, 117 Ripple delete, 117, 118, 120, 175
Ripple Overwrite, 95
K
Keyframes editor
S
curve editor, 131, 132, 133, 135, 136, 237, Smooth Cut, 130, 131, 172, 178
238 Speed change
constant speed change, 155
L Split edit, 99, 102, 103, 104
Stabilization, 165, 166
L-cut, 99, 106, 177, 178
Stacked timelines, 142, 143, 189
Link/Unlink, 64
Subtitles, 344, 346, 347, 348, 353
Loudness, 337, 338, 339, 341
T
M
Timecode, 70, 145
Media page, 52
Timeline
Metadata
playhead, 64, 115, 116, 117, 140, 144, 160,
keyword, 70, 73, 74, 75
161, 189, 231, 242
viewing, 70, 83, 143, 191, 232
resolution, 220
Meters, 285, 286, 323, 326
Timeline View options, 287
Mixer, 296, 297, 300, 310, 314, 316, 317, 318,
audio waveforms, 195
325, 326, 330, 331, 334, 341, 360
Titles, 344
Multicamera editing
Toolbar, 16, 20, 25, 49, 52, 55, 104, 106, 147,
editing, 186
153, 165, 169, 170, 243, 250, 255, 257,
259, 260, 263, 270, 274, 284, 301, 319,
N 320, 322, 323
New Fusion Clip, 266, 270 Tracking, 252, 265, 267, 268
Node, 257, 259, 263, 264, 267, 268, 269, Transition
270 duration, 91, 109, 125, 127, 131, 141, 157, 204,
Node editor, 243, 244, 245, 246, 249, 250, 205, 206, 209, 210, 211, 219, 225, 293,
260, 263, 268 294, 339, 346
Normalization, 299 Trim Edit mode, 152, 157
V 371
Versions, 146, 166, 332, 359
Viewer, 144, 166, 244, 246, 247, 250, 258,
Index
261, 263, 264, 265, 267, 268, 270, 271,
272, 274, 289
W
Watermark, 359
Waveform, 62, 63, 115, 116, 208, 314
About the Authors 372
About the Author

Chris Roberts has over 20 years editing experience and has cut all sorts of programs from
online corporate promos to broadcast television. He has been delivering video editing
training since 2003 and has worked with non-linear editing software from Avid, Apple and
Adobe. Over the years he has trained all sorts of editors; from university students and staff,
to broadcast journalists, sports, factual and drama editors. As a Blackmagic Certified
Master Trainer he has been responsible for delivering DaVinci Resolve training across
Europe. He lives in Worcestershire, UK, with his partner Samantha and, when not working,
enjoys reading post-apocalyptic fiction, listening to hard rock and blues music and binge-
watching the TV he has invariably missed.
Rory Cantwell is an editor with over 25 years in the industry and has worked for lots of the
major broadcasters, post-production facilities and Advertising Agencies over the years,
creating a diverse range of content and working in many different genres. Based in the UK,
he is a founding partner in Soho Editors Ltd; Europes leading post-production talent
agency and a training centre for Black Magic Design, based in the heart of London.
A certified trainer of Apple Final Cut Studio, Autodesk Smoke and then Final Cut Pro X,
and a Master Trainer for Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, Rory initially fell-in-love with
Resolve’s incredible colour-grading toolset before embracing it as his favourite editor.
DaVinci Resolve 15 is the world’s most advanced editing, visual effects, color
correction and audio post production solution. This official Blackmagic
Design hands-on training guide will teach you the art and craft of editing
using DaVinci Resolve’s advanced editing features. The hands-on lessons will
show you how to cut dramatic, documentary, music videos and action scenes.
You’ll also learn how to build eye-catching effects on both the Edit and the
Fusion pages. Then you’ll learn how to mix audio and deliver your final film Professional Editing
for digital cinema, broadcast TV or streaming services.
What You’ll Learn

• Backing up and importing media files.
• Organizing and optimizing footage to prepare for editing.
• Professional editing techniques from different genres.
Fusion Effects
• Frame accurate real-time trimming.
• Advanced transition options.
• Variable speed changes to enhance action.
• Subframe audio editing.
• Syncing multiple camera angles for multicamera editing
• Building complex composites on the Edit Page
• Creating and working with compound clips Color Correction
• Using keyframes to create sophisticated animations.
• Using the Fusion Page to perform common tasks.
• Editing and mixing audio on the Fairlight Page
• Sweetening dialogue and enhance sound with built-in EQ and Dynamics
• Working with subtitles.
• Delivering projects for digital cinema and online distribution.
Fairlight Audio
• How to setup a collaborative workflow with multiple users.
Who This Book is For

This book is designed for both beginners and professionals. Beginners will find clear and
concise lessons to get you up and running quickly. If you’re a professional switching from
another system, you’ll find lessons that cover everything from basic editing and trimming to
working with audio, adding text, effects and more. You’ll also find dozens of pro tips and
tricks that will help you work faster!

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ADVANCED EDITING WITH

by Chris Roberts and Rory Cantwell

Series Editor: Patricia Montesion

2 Managing Dailies and Edit Prep 51

3 Cutting a Dialogue Scene 85

Auditioning Multiple Takes 106

4 Making A Radio Edit 113

5 Editing an Action Scene 139

6 Editing Multicamera 171

7 Creating Multilayered Composites 199

Navigating the Fusion Page Interface 242

9 Building and Mixing the Soundtrack 281

10 Delivering Projects 343

About DaVinci Resolve 15

Downloading DaVinci Resolve 15

To Download and Install the Two Lesson Files

You are now ready to begin Lesson 1, “Editing Basics”.

The Blackmagic Design Learning Series

Welcome to Advanced Editing with Time

Editing is so central to cinematic storytelling

To begin with though, let’s take a quick trip

Your new project opens in DaVinci Resolve on the Edit Page.

Importing Source Files

Working with Bins

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

This is where you’ll make your next edit.

Creating the First Assemble

9 In the Interviews bin, double-click AB0101_01.mov to open it in the source monitor.

Creating the First Assemble

12 Press I to set an In Point at this location.

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

23 Double-click 01_A380_TAXI.mov from the Master bin in the Media Pool.

Creating the First Assemble

This will be the location for your next edit.

Creating the First Assemble

Removing the Excess

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Trim Edit Mode

6 Press T to enter Trim Edit Mode.

Creating the First Assemble

8 Press A to return to Selection edit Mode.

Adding More Tracks

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Creating the First Assemble

Finessing the Edit

A copy of your timeline appears in the same bin.