DaVinci Resolve Tutorial for Editing Your First Video

This DaVinci Resolve tutorial shows how to use DaVinci Resolve to turn a few raw clips into a finished 30–60 second video. The shortest path is to create a project, import footage, assemble and trim a timeline on the Edit page, add a simple title, check the sound, and render the result from the Deliver page. Finish by opening the exported file outside Resolve to confirm that it plays correctly.

DaVinci Resolve tutorial quick start

1. Create a project. Launch the DaVinci Resolve desktop application on Windows or macOS, create a new project, and give it a descriptive name.
2. Bring in your media. Open the Media page and import the video and audio files required for the edit.
3. Build a timeline. Move to the Edit page, create a timeline from the selected material, and arrange the clips in story order.
4. Refine the sequence. Trim unwanted footage, close accidental gaps, adjust distracting audio levels, and add one concise title.
5. Render the video. Open the Deliver page, choose appropriate output settings and a destination, add the job to the render queue, and start the render.
6. Check the file. Open the completed file in a media player and inspect its picture, sound, title, duration, and ending.

These steps produce a complete first result without requiring Fusion effects, advanced color grading, multicamera editing, or detailed professional delivery settings.

Start a project and prepare your footage

Before opening Resolve, place the source clips in one clearly named folder on a drive with enough room for the original footage, cache data, project backups, and the final render. Avoid moving or renaming those files during the edit because the project needs to retain access to its source media.

Create a new project and use a name that identifies the subject and version, such as Garden Tour First Edit. If you need to define timeline resolution and frame rate, choose values that suit both the source footage and the intended destination. Changing core timing decisions after extensive editing can create avoidable work, so settle them before building the sequence where possible.

Play a sample from each group of source files. Check that the picture appears, the audio is present, and playback is reasonably smooth. Media compatibility and performance can depend on the operating system, Resolve edition, codec, resolution, frame rate, GPU, and storage speed. If demanding footage struggles, a proxy workflow can make editing easier without changing the camera originals.

Import clips and build a first timeline

Use the Media page to add the files needed for this project. Import only the useful folder or selected clips rather than an entire unorganized drive. Resolve keeps editing, effects, color, audio, and delivery connected inside the same project, while the original media remains stored on your drive.

Review the imported clips and identify the strongest beginning, middle, and ending. For a simple video, that might mean an establishing view, a closer action shot, and a final result. This small planning decision makes the first timeline easier to understand than dropping every recording into it.

1. Select the clips that support the short story or explanation.
2. Create a timeline and place the clips in the desired viewing order.
3. Keep related video and recorded audio together as you arrange the sequence.
4. Play from the beginning and confirm that every expected clip appears.
5. Listen for missing sound, abrupt changes, or unwanted noise that needs attention later.

A timeline is a time-based arrangement of video and audio. Moving a clip changes where it appears in the finished program; trimming it changes which part of the source is used. The original source file is not shortened by a normal nonlinear timeline edit.

At this stage, aim for a complete rough sequence rather than precise timing. If the story order is wrong, rearrange whole clips before polishing individual cuts. You should be able to play from the first shot to the final shot with both picture and sound present before continuing.

Make the essential edits

Start by trimming the beginning and end of each clip. Remove the moment before the intended action begins, then cut after the useful action or spoken line finishes. Leave enough visual and audio context for the edit to feel intentional; cutting every clip to its shortest possible length can make the sequence difficult to follow.

To remove an unwanted section from the middle, divide the clip around that section, remove it, and close the resulting gap. Play across both edit points afterward. A clean cut should preserve the intended action or idea without a flash frame, repeated movement, missing word, or unexplained pause.

Reorder clips when the sequence is technically complete but narratively confusing. A practical structure is context, action, and result. For example, show the workspace before a close-up of the task, then end with the completed outcome.

Worked example for a 45-second edit

Imagine three source clips showing the setup, the main activity, and the result. Trim the setup to 12 seconds, the activity to 18 seconds, and the result to 15 seconds. The resulting sequence is 45 seconds long before any additional title-only screen is added.

Play the illustrative sequence without stopping. If the 18-second middle shot feels repetitive, shorten its least informative section rather than adding an effect. If the cut into the final shot feels abrupt, first look for a more natural action or audio endpoint. Use a short transition only when it clarifies the change; ordinary cuts are usually sufficient for a simple first video.

Listen once without concentrating on the picture. Adjust an individual clip when it is noticeably louder or quieter than adjacent material. Resolve includes dedicated Fairlight audio tools, but a first project only needs intelligible speech, sensible relative levels, and no accidental silence. Avoid trying to repair every sound problem while you are still changing the picture edit.

Add a title and make final checks

On the Edit page, add a title element above the opening footage and enter a short phrase that tells the viewer what the video is about. Keep it on screen long enough to read, use strong contrast against the picture, and avoid covering an important face or action. One opening title is enough for this exercise.

Then watch the timeline from beginning to end without editing as it plays. Look and listen for:

• Blank gaps or unintended black frames between clips
• A title that is difficult to read or disappears too quickly
• Muted, missing, distorted, or abruptly cut audio
• Speech that is overwhelmed by other sound
• Repeated frames, unfinished trims, or an abrupt ending
• Playback problems that may indicate demanding media or effects

Correct obvious problems and replay the affected area. After local fixes, perform one final uninterrupted review so changes in one section do not conceal a new issue elsewhere.

Export the finished video

Open the Deliver page when the timeline is ready. Resolve uses this workspace for final output, and its render queue can organize one or more output jobs. Choose an output preset or settings appropriate for where the file will be played. The receiving website, client, application, or archive may have its own requirements, so do not assume one format is suitable for every destination.

1. Define the output. Select the required video and audio output options, using a supported format that the destination can accept.
2. Name the file. Use a clear version name such as garden-tour-v1 rather than overwriting source media.
3. Choose a destination. Select a folder with enough free space and make a note of its location.
4. Queue the output. Add the configured job to the render queue and review its destination and settings.
5. Start the render. Allow the job to finish before closing the application or disconnecting the destination drive.

The render completing is not the final success check. Find the exported file and open it in a separate media player. Confirm that it starts normally, shows the opening title, includes audible sound, runs for roughly the expected duration, and reaches the intended final frame. Scrub through the whole file to catch obvious blank sections, then watch it continuously if it will be published or sent to someone else.

If the file does not play on its intended destination, return to the Deliver page and select output settings compatible with that destination. Format availability can vary by operating system and Resolve edition, so consult Blackmagic Design’s supported-codec information when a particular source or delivery format is essential.

Next skills to learn after the first edit

Keep this first project as a reference and learn one new skill at a time. A useful progression is basic color correction, clearer dialogue and noise cleanup, captions, more deliberate transitions, and simple motion graphics. Resolve’s Color, Fairlight, and Fusion pages support deeper specialist work, but none is required to prove that your initial editing workflow succeeds.

Your best next step is to make a second short video with the same import, timeline, trim, title, render, and verification process. Repetition will make the core workflow familiar before additional tools increase the project’s complexity.

Explore more technology guides on Techistuff.