9+ Tricky Little Things in DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 That Dominate

Welcome to the realm of video editing in DaVinci Resolve 19!

Let’s skip the small talk and dive straight into the juicy stuff. Whether you’re new to the platform or a seasoned pro, these ten essential tips, tricks, and hacks will level up your editing game.

Trust me, these pointers will save you time, ease your workflow, and, most importantly, keep your projects looking sharp and professional.

Render Crashes

Now, rendering is like the final boss of video editing, and it can be a beast, so trust me. Have you ever worked on a project for hours, only to have your render crash in the final seconds?

I’ve been there—so many times. Fortunately for you, I have discovered the fixes, so this nightmare will never happen again.

You truly experience the agony of seeing all that hard work go down the drain. But there are two quick fixes to this problem, and you will not believe how powerful they are.

Tip 1:

Optimizing your timeline resolution is one of the first hacks to solve render crashing.

This is located in the Playback menu. Cut your timeline in half or increments based on the size of your project.

I know it sounds really weird, but this is very effective!

It allows you to edit more smoothly and use less powerful machines without sweating your computer.

Don’t forget to switch it back to full resolution before you render.

Tip 2:

If the first tip doesn’t work (though it usually does), here’s your backup: Go to Preferences, head to Users, and ensure the “Stop renders when frame or clip cannot be processed” option is unchecked.

I know this sounds risky, but in my experience, I haven’t noticed any problems with unprocessed frames. I’ve noticed that my renders no longer crash, which is a win in my book!

Smart Reframe

If you create shorts, reels, or other vertical videos. And if you don’t enjoy that, by all means, go ahead to the next tip! ( totally relaxed)

For those who love an excellent vertical format, keeping your subject in frame can be tricky when repurposing horizontal videos. Converting that to a vertical video can be a headache when you’re moving around in the frame

Previously, this meant painstakingly keyframing every movement. But guess what? Smart Reframe is here to save the day.

Let’s break it down: You’ve got a horizontal video where the subject moves across the screen. If you convert that into a vertical video, the subject will constantly pop in and out of frame. Manually keyframing could fix this, but it’s tedious.

Enter Smart Reframe. Navigate to your clip in the Inspector and select the “Auto” under Reframe.

Voila! Resolve will automatically follow and lock on the subject (likely you!) in the centre of the frame.

Must-Know Shortcuts

Shortcuts are like that special sauce that makes editing easier to flow. If you aren’t using them, you’re working too hard. And who wants to work harder when you can work smarter?

All editors have their favourite shortcuts, but some should be in your arsenal, whether you edit movies or YouTube videos.

Let’s start with customizing your keyboard shortcuts. Head over to Keyboard Customization, and the first shortcuts you should memorize are Ripple Trim End to Playhead and Start to Playhead.

But what exactly is Ripple Trim? Let me explain: Ripple Trim End to Playhead trims the end of your clip to the playhead and shifts everything behind it to the left. Start to Playhead does the same but from the beginning of the clip. I use these shortcuts hundreds of times daily, and once you start, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.

Another handy trick is Ripple Delete. When you use it, the selected clip is deleted, and everything to the right of it shifts left, closing the gap. Master these shortcuts, and your efficiency will skyrocket. Editing will feel less like work and more like play.

Adjustment Clips

If you are not already taking advantage of Adjustment Clips, I need to know what has been holding you back.

Adjustment Clips is a game changer. You drag one onto your timeline from the Effects tab. The sky is the limit with how you can use them: color grading, effects addition, zoom-in — anything.

The magic of Adjustment Clips is they are non-destructive to the clips underneath. All the work stays in your Adjustment Clip, leaving you with clean clips.

So, for example, you have several clips or scenes that each call upon similar color grades. Instead of individually applying the grade to each clip, you apply it using an adjustment layer.

Make your final clips ending in the same grade and doll correct, and save it as an Adjustment Clip. Easy peasy.

J- & L-Cuts

Are your cuts feeling a little ragged? If you can, here’s a deep dive into the magic of J—and L-Cuts. You would not need any heavy effects; these little tricks can smooth your transitions.

J-cut: the audio cuts in when you change clips before you see a cut. They are shifting your ears in anticipation of the change before it is actually happening on screen.

L-cut: the audio from a clip changes before the video does, while with J-cuts, it’s just another cut between two scenes.

Even these simple changes can make your videos seem much more professional and give them a stronger sense of unity. The overlap length will depend on the vibe you are trying to hit—sometimes, it may only last for a few frames, and other times, it can be longer.

Highlights Clips

I don’t know about you, but my media pool can get chaotic. Finding the right clip sometimes feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, DaVinci Resolve has a trick that can help keep things organized.

Enable “Always highlight current clip in media pool” by going to Preferences, User, and Editing. Once this is activated, whenever you select a clip on the timeline, it’ll be highlighted in the media pool. No more guessing or fumbling through endless footage—everything is at your fingertips. It’s a simple feature, but it makes a difference when deep in the editing trenches.

Tracking (1/2)

Tracking objects in DaVinci Resolve can be intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s one of the most incredible features in your editing toolkit.

For example, I want to track an object (e.g., your finger) and stick text over it. Traditionally, you would be directed to the Fusion page, insert a tracker node, and move around the tracking box over your object.

Most beginners make the following mistake: Do not make the tracker box too small! The tracker will reject it depending on how fast your object is moving. Instead, make that inner box larger and push it out to cover the whole object.

It allows for a larger plane for Resolve to track and less opportunity for the tracker to lose your object during its move.

Tracking (2/2)

Here’s another tracking hack that’ll make your life easier: increase the contrast of the object you’re tracking. Adjusting the contrast makes the object stand out more to the tracking algorithm, improving accuracy.

The cool thing is that these adjustments will not affect the final video pictures—only the tracking itself. After you finish, you can revert the clip to its original state.

This trick is especially useful when tracking low-contrast objects or backgrounds. The cleaner and more distinct the object is from its surroundings, the better the tracker will perform. Practice makes perfect with tracking, but this tip will give you a head start.

Lost Audio

Have you ever mistakenly deleted the audio on one of your clips? This one has happened to the best of us. Do not worry about it.

Quick fix: Put the Playhead over your clip, hit “F,” and drag the audio back to the timeline. Voila, your audio should be working again. It doesn’t require sifting through the media pool or re-importing anything.

It’s a simple trick that’ll save you a lot of frustration when rushing to meet a deadline.

Dynamic Switching

Lastly, we have Dynamic Switching.

This function is an absolute must when you’re juggling multiple projects. Occasionally, you must refer to clips from a past project while working on something new. Stop opening and immediately closing projects — use Dynamic Switching.

To do this, right-click in the Project Library and select Dynamic Switching. You can switch seamlessly between projects from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

But remember that any open projects hurt your system resources — even on stronger machines.

Balance your projects wisely!

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