An Introduction to DaVinci Resolve’s Tab Layout
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen you open DaVinci Resolve for the first time, it can be overwhelming. Let’s make you familiar with the tab layout to simplify navigation.
DaVinci Resolve may seem daunting for a beginner video editor, so getting to know the layout can help you get the hang of it quite easily.
When opening the software, the first window that you’ll see is where you’ll be building the project library, or linking to a pre-existing one, in order to start a project. Upon completing this, you’ll be greeted by the Resolve system itself. Take note of the tabs at the bottom of the screen, they will be our point of reference for the remainder of this guide.
Media
If you wish to follow along with the guide, you can download DaVinci Resolve here for free.
The first tab from the left is the Media tab. The icon appears as a photo stack with a green mountain range and yellow sun in the front.
Within this window, you can do a deep dive into the storage system of your device. You can also find media on any connected devices, such as external hard drives, and through network devices.
In the default layout, the file system remains on the left-hand side. The right side of the screen is used as a playback window, allowing you to review the content you find before adding it to the media pool below.
Noteworthy Feature: The Reveal Media feature is great at finding the source file in its location on your device. Just right-click on the image in the pool or in the file list on the top left to do this.
Cut
The icon for the next tab appears as a small, blue film cell with a red line through it. This is the Cut tab. Here you can bring the clips into a timeline, review them again, and start making some basic cuts, trimming the fat, as it were.
The faster way to build the timeline is to highlight the clips in the box on the top left and right-click. Then choose the drop-down menu option to build the timeline using the selected clips.
Beneath the media pool and reference window, there is a full-length timeline view, where you can scrub back and forth along the entire timeline. Below this, there is a closer view of the timeline that allows for slower and more accurate scrubbing through the clips.
There are a number of useful tools here too. For example, the Split Clips tool allows you to make a cut at a specific point on the timeline, thus dividing the clip each time it is used.
There is a Lock and Unlock playhead toggle, which enables you to scrub either along the timeline whilst it is fixed in place, or by moving the timeline itself to quickly find a specific point.
You can also begin to add markers at this stage which will carry over to the next tabs throughout the editing process.
Noteworthy Feature: Fast Review is a unique feature that plays your timeline at a higher speed so that you can review the chronology of the clips as you make cuts.
Edit
The next tab is where the bulk of the editing will probably take place. The icon looks like a portion of a layered timeline, with the playhead in the center. This is the Edit tab.
In the top left are the options to open up the media pool, effects list (though not all are available to use on the free version), the edit index, and sound library. The top right gives access to toggling the audio mixer on and off and viewing the clip metadata and inspector.
The editing tools can be found in the center of the window. A nice little feature to note is that whilst scrubbing along the timeline with the Trim Edit, Dynamic Trim, or Blade Edit modes, the video in the top-left window follows as a reference.
When you are ready to take the plunge and edit your first video, yet need a helping hand, there are some fantastic tutorials on YouTube, such as the DaVinci Resolve 18 full tutorial for beginners by Kevin Stratvert.
Noteworthy Feature: In the middle on the far left is a timeline icon that gives a drop-down menu for customizing your timeline view options. Here you can change the height of the video and audio tracks.
Fusion
The magic wand icon in the middle of the selection marks the Fusion tab. This is where special effects and transitions can be added.
The first, rather striking feature of this window is that we now deviate from the linear timeline, and clips are edited as nodes. See our beginner’s tutorial on how to use nodes in DaVinci Resolve to help you get started.
At the top left again we find the options to toggle viewing the media or effects list. There is also the option to reveal the timeline clips at the bottom. The nodes themselves can even be hidden and revealed from here.
Noteworthy Feature: When you are starting out with Fusion and using nodes, it is very easy to make mistakes and apply too many unintended effects. There is an option to reset the composition under the Fusion drop-down menu at the top of the screen. This removes any applied effects and sends you back to the start and a fresh clip.
Color
The friendly little rainbow wheel marks the Color tab. This is what Resolve was famous for, to begin with. The amount of color grading options for a free system is fantastic.
There’s a playback window in the top left and the list of effects is now on the right. It’s interesting to note here that we have both a node to represent the source clip and apply color effects, and a timeline to use for creating keyframes.
The range of color-correcting tools can be found in the middle. This includes such useful tools as the primaries, which can be used as either bars or wheels, and the curves, which lets you adjust the luminance and RGB chrominance.
If this still seems a little daunting, we have a handy guide on using the color correction tools in DaVinci Resolve. You will also find many color-correcting tutorials available on YouTube.
Noteworthy Feature: DaVinci Resolve LUTs. LUT stands for look-up table, they are a variety of presets that contain color information for a certain, target look. Here’s how to import and export LUTs in DaVinci Resolve.
Fairlight
The icon appearing as two joined, musical quavers is the Fairlight tab. This is Resolve’s audio editing arena.
With a very simple layout, there is the track list on the left, the tools in the middle at the top, and the mixer on the right.
At the top right of the window, there’s a Meters button which when pressed, gives a video reference. It also shows the volume of the clip in decibels, and color markers to warn you if the level is too high.
Clicking on the Effects box on the right-hand mixer will give you a drop-down menu of audio effects that can be applied. Double-clicking on the Dynamics and Equalizer boxes below them brings up a pop-out window that allows a more in-depth adjustment of each of them.
Noteworthy Feature: Around the right-hand side and near the top, there are two sliders that let you adjust the height and width of the audio track. This is very useful for seeing the wavelength of the audio, most notably where the audio is susceptible to peaking, and where it may drop too low.
Deliver
The rocket ship is a great way to represent the final tab; Deliver. It is here that you will render and export your finished project.
This is your final chance to review the video and conduct your quality control check. If you notice anything wrong, simply click back to the relevant tab to perform a fix.
All being well, the export option can then be decided. From the custom export through AVID AAF and Pro Tools outputs, there is a varied and detailed range of options to try out.
It’s also worth checking the small arrow next to some of the logos, as there are export options that have more than one type. For example, the arrow next to YouTube and Dropbox allows you to export in a video resolution of 720p, 1080p, or even 2160p.
Noteworthy Feature: The ability to not only export to YouTube, but also upload the video from Resolve itself. See our guide on how to upload videos to YouTube from DaVinci Resolve for a walkthrough.
DaVinci Resolve’s Tabs in a Nutshell
DaVinci Resolve may seem intimidating due to its complexity, but taking things slowly at first and practicing with demo content on each tab will help you get to grips with the software. Since the release of Resolve 18, it is now better than ever to dive into this fantastic, free editing system.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/davinci-resolve-tab-layout/
Ref: makeuseof