DaVinci Resolve Basics: A Beginner's Guide

DaVinci Resolve is the most powerful free video editor available — and that power can feel overwhelming. This guide gets you productive fast by focusing only on what beginners need.

Understand the pages

Resolve is organized into “pages” along the bottom. You only need three to start:

• Cut / Edit — assemble and trim your video.
• Color — grade and correct color.
• Deliver — export.

Ignore Fusion (VFX) and Fairlight (advanced audio) until you need them.

1. Set up your project

Open Resolve, create a New Project, and drag your footage into the Media Pool. Drag a clip to the timeline to auto-match your project settings.

2. Make your first cut

On the Edit page:

• Drag clips to the timeline in order.
• Use B (blade) to cut, A (arrow) to select and trim.
• Press Delete to remove a section and close the gap with a ripple delete.

3. Basic color grading

On the Color page:

• Use the Primaries wheels: Lift (shadows), Gamma (midtones), Gain (highlights).
• Nudge them slightly — small moves look natural.
• Want a one-click look? Apply a LUT (we’ll have LUT packs soon).

4. Audio levels

Keep dialogue around -12 dB and music well below it. Resolve shows levels on the mixer — avoid letting peaks hit 0 (clipping).

5. Export

On the Deliver page, pick a preset (YouTube 1080p is a safe default), set your output folder, click Add to Render Queue, then Render All. File too large? See fix common editing problems.

Tips for beginners

• Save often — Resolve autosaves, but habits help.
• Proxy media if playback stutters on big files.
• Don’t chase perfection on your first project; finish it.

Comparing options? See our best free video editors roundup.

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