DaVinci Resolve for beginners: free video editing

Step 1

Download the free version

Blackmagic Design offers two versions: DaVinci Resolve (free) and DaVinci Resolve Studio (paid). The free one already includes editing, color, effects, audio, multi-user collaboration and HDR grading. Studio adds the DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, more Resolve FX, noise reduction, text-based editing, Magic Mask, 10-bit video up to 120 fps and resolutions beyond 4K. You don't need any of that to start.

• •system: Mac, Windows or Linux;
• •the current version at the time of writing is DaVinci Resolve 21;
• •technical support for the free version is only available via the Blackmagic Design community forums.

💡 Start with the free version and come back to Studio only when you hit a specific limit, not just in case.

Step 2

Get to know the pages

DaVinci Resolve is divided into pages, separate workspaces for different tasks. You switch between them with a single click. What happens where:

• •Media: importing and organizing files;
• •Cut: fast editing; the interface adapts itself to a small laptop screen;
• •Edit: classic track-based editing with titles and transitions;
• •Fusion: visual effects and motion graphics;
• •Color: color correction;
• •Fairlight: audio;
• •Deliver: export with every setting and a render queue.

💡 Version 21 also added a Photo page for still images. You don't need it for editing: spend your first week on Cut and Edit.

Step 3

Import and your first cut

Drag files from your drive into the Media Pool in the top-left corner: even a whole folder with subfolders works, and the structure is kept. Double-click a clip to load it into the viewer and mark the part you need with I (in) and O (out). Then drag the clip onto the timeline or into the timeline viewer: an overlay with edit types appears.

• •Append at End: add the clip at the end, the simplest way to build a first assembly;
• •Insert: insert and push everything to the right;
• •Overwrite: record over whatever is already on the timeline.

💡 The trim tool on the Edit page switches modes by itself depending on where you click a clip. Don't hunt for separate buttons: drag a clip's edge first and see what changes.

Step 4

Titles, transitions and color

Open the Effects Library in the top-left corner. Drag a transition onto the cut between clips and a title onto the track above your video. Set the title's text, font, size and color in the Inspector in the top-right corner. That's also where you turn on Dynamic Zoom, a gentle push in or pull out on a static shot. Then go to the Color page: the primary sliders for contrast, temperature, mid-tone detail and saturation will feel familiar to anyone who has used an image editor.

• •one or two transition types across the whole clip look cleaner than a new effect on every cut;
• •match color so neighboring shots don't jump in warmth and brightness;
• •check that titles are readable on a small screen.

Step 5

Export and your first mini project

The fastest route is File > Quick Export: it has presets for YouTube, Vimeo and TikTok, plus H.264 and H.265. If you need full control over format and codec, or several versions, switch to the Deliver page: it has every encoding option and a render queue. Final exercise: a one-minute clip about your project with titles, music and color correction, taken all the way to a file.

💡 Blackmagic Design publishes free training videos with project files. Start with "Introduction to Editing", Part 1, and bring the questions that come up to the community.