The C&W animation toolkit · DaVinci Resolve
Your first steps in DaVinci Resolve.
Free editing, colour, VFX and sound. The one we use to finish our films.
DaVinci Resolve is where a pile of clips becomes a finished film. The free version edits, colour grades, does visual effects and mixes sound, all in one program. Follow the twelve steps below to make your first edit.
“Resolve is where everything comes together. The edit, the colour, the sound: it’s the moment a pile of shots becomes a story people feel. A good grade can change the whole mood of a film.”
Gary CarseCreative Director at Carse & Waterman
Free version, properly useful
Most people never need to pay. The paid Studio version adds extras for big professional jobs.
Colour like the pros
Resolve started life as a colour-grading system, and it’s used to grade feature films and TV.
Seven rooms, one program
Media, Cut, Edit, Fusion (VFX), Color, Fairlight (sound) and Deliver, each one a page along the bottom.
Step by step
Twelve steps to your first edit.
Pick a step, watch it play, then try it in DaVinci Resolve. Use the arrow keys to move between steps.
Keep this handy
The DaVinci Resolve cheat sheet.
Everything from the steps above on one card. On a Mac, use Cmd where it says Ctrl.
Getting started
- Ctrl + I
- Import footage
- Shift + 4
- Edit page
- Shift + 6
- Color page
- Shift + 8
- Deliver page
- Ctrl + S
- Save the project
Editing
- Space
- Play / stop
- J K L
- Back, stop, forward
- I / O
- Mark in / out
- Ctrl + B
- Cut at the playhead
- B / A
- Blade tool / select tool
Tidying up
- Backspace
- Delete, leave a gap
- Shift + Backspace
- Delete and close the gap
- Ctrl + T
- Add a transition
- Ctrl + Z
- Undo
Where next
Keep going. It’s all free.
Done the steps? These are the places we point people to next.
Free official training
Blackmagic Design’s own books and videos take you from beginner to certified, all free.
See the training ↗ VideoBeginner tutorials
There are brilliant free walkthroughs for every page of Resolve. Start with anything marked “beginner”.
Search YouTube ↗ Ask for helpThe Blackmagic Forum
Thousands of editors and colourists answering questions every day.
Visit the forum ↗ Communityr/davinciresolve
Tips, tutorials and before-and-after grades from people learning just like you.
Join the community ↗Where it can take you.
Editing and post-production skills lead into real jobs. These are some of the roles that start with what you just learned.
- Video editorShapes the story by choosing what stays and what goes.
- ColouristGrades every shot so the film has a mood and a look.
- VFX compositorLayers effects and footage so it all looks real.
- Sound designerBuilds the sound effects, music and mix.
- Content creatorMakes video for YouTube, TikTok and brands.
- Post-production producerKeeps the whole finishing process on track.
Made something? Show us.
Tag @carseandwaterman with your first edit. Or if you’d rather the humans made it for you, we’d love to hear what you need.