A step-by-step guide to editing a video from raw clips to a finished file in DaVinci Resolve. It covers importing and organizing footage, cutting on the timeline, transitions, titles, basic color correction, audio cleanup, and exporting, with practice footage for every exercise.
What the guide covers
Importing and organizing footage
Setting up a project, bringing in clips, sorting them into bins, and finding the shot you need quickly.
Cutting on the timeline
Marking in and out points with I and O, placing clips, trimming, ripple edits, and working with more than one video and audio track.
Transitions
Adding, adjusting and removing transitions, and when a straight cut works better.
Titles
Adding text titles and lower thirds, setting their timing, and keeping them readable.
Basic color correction
Adjusting exposure and white balance, and making shots from the same scene look like they belong together.
Audio cleanup
Setting levels, reducing background noise, adding fades, and keeping dialogue clear under music.
Exporting
Choosing export settings for common uses and rendering the finished video.
Inside the guide
Every chapter follows the same pattern: the skill is explained, broken into steps, practiced in an exercise, and checked against a worked solution. These illustrations show the three kinds of page you will find in the PDF.
Illustrations represent the layout of guide pages. They are not reproductions of any software's interface.
What's in the .zip
Your .zip download
- PDF guideEach skill explained, then broken into numbered steps.
- Step-by-step instructions
- Annotated illustrations
- Practice exercises
- Worked solutionsEvery step, not only the final answer.
- Practice footageVideo clips and audio for the exercises, so you can practice every step on the same material the guide uses.
The software is not included. See Software required below.
Software required
This guide uses DaVinci Resolve. DaVinci Resolve is not included with the guide; you need your own copy, obtained separately from its maker.
About software updates. Software makers update their programs, so menus and button locations can change between versions. When an update changes the steps, the guide is revised, and updated files are free to anyone who bought this guide.
How the guide works
This is a self-study guide. You read each step, carry it out in your own copy of the software, then do the exercises and compare your work with the worked solutions. There is no video, no live instruction, no tutoring, and no feedback on your work. Everything you get is in the .zip.
Is this guide a good fit?
Who it's for
- You are new to DaVinci Resolve, or new to video editing in general.
- You have used a simpler editor and want a structured path through a full editing workflow.
- You would rather read a step and try it than follow along with someone on screen.
Who it isn't for
- You need visual effects compositing, advanced color grading, or motion graphics. Those are not covered.
- You already edit regularly in DaVinci Resolve and want advanced techniques.
- You want video lessons, live help, or someone to review your work.