LOCAL
Stored on this workstation or directly attached storage. Best starting point for individual work.
01Project setup
Set it up so
the work can travel.
A clean project protects the edit, keeps media findable, and gives the colorist room to focus on the image instead of fighting the workflow.
FREE + STUDIOCLASS 2 • HANDS-ON
TODAY'S PATH
PROJECT LIBRARY→PROJECT
MEDIA + BINS→TIMELINE
THEN ASKWhat do you want the image to feel like?
THE GOAL Build a project another person—and future you—can understand.
02Workflow map
Build the container before the grade.
Each layer has a different job. Keeping those jobs distinct makes the project easier to move, troubleshoot, and finish.
01LIBRARYWhere projects live
02PROJECTSettings + organization
03MEDIALinked source files
04BINSA useful structure
05TIMELINEThe edited sequence
06COLORShape the feeling
WORKFLOW IS CREATIVE SUPPORT. Organization should make visual decisions easier—not become the assignment.
03Project setup
Project Manager outside. Project Library underneath.
The Project Manager is the front door. The Project Library is the system that stores the projects you see there.
NETWORK
Hosted for multiple workstations on the same network.
CLOUD
Hosted through Blackmagic Cloud for invited collaborators in different locations.
START SIMPLEName the project clearly. Confirm its media location and create it inside the correct library.
04Portability
A .drp carries the project—not the media.
A DaVinci Resolve Project file is a portable copy of project data. Importing it places a copy inside the current Project Library.
INCLUDES Settings, bins, clip links, timelines, edits, and grades.
DOES NOT INCLUDE Original video and audio media.
Select the `.drp`. Resolve copies the project into the current library.
Save a portable `.drp` at a deliberate location with a useful name.
A `.drp` is a project handoff. It is not a complete media backup.
Source: Beginner's Guide, pp. 3–5 Source: Resolve 20.3 Reference Manual, pp. 79–8005Media import
Storage is the drive. Pool is the project.
Browse source files in Media Storage. Add the clips you intend to use to the Media Pool.
LINK→DOES NOT COPY
01Find the source folder.
02Preview and verify clips.
03Select the destination bin.
04Add or drag media into the Media Pool.
KEEP THE LINK HEALTHYOnce work begins, do not casually move or rename the source media.
Source: Beginner's Guide, pp. 338–352 06Organization
Bins should explain the project at a glance.
A bin is a project folder inside the Media Pool. Use a small, predictable structure that matches the material and the work ahead.
MASTER
01FOOTAGECamera originals
02AUDIOProduction + music
03GRAPHICSLogos + titles
04TIMELINESEdits + versions
NAME FOR RECOGNITION.Use plain names your collaborator will understand.
SEPARATE MEDIA FROM TIMELINES.Don't make the Master bin a junk drawer.
ORGANIZE ENOUGH.The structure should serve the work, not slow it down.
07Editorial setup
Create the timeline in the right bin.
A timeline is the edited sequence. By default, a new timeline uses the project’s timeline settings and is stored in the currently selected Media Pool bin.
01Select the TIMELINES bin.
02Choose File → New Timeline.Cmd/Ctrl + N
03Give the timeline a clear name.
04Keep “Use Project Settings” checked for today.
08Resolve navigation
Same project. Different rooms.
Move between pages as the job changes. The media, timeline, and grade remain parts of the same Resolve project.
MEDIAShift 2
Import, inspect, and organize source media.
EDITShift 4
Create and work with the timeline.
COLORShift 6
Evaluate the timeline and shape the image.
MEDIA→EDIT→COLOR
Source: Beginner's Guide, p. 338 Source: Resolve 20.3 Reference Manual, pp. 32–44 You can move freely. The page strip is a workflow map—not a locked sequence.
09Protection + portability
Save, back up, and export are different actions.
Use layers of protection. One command cannot protect the project, the media, and the ability to move the work.
SAVE
Writes the current state of the project.
LIVE SAVE
Incrementally saves changes as you work.
PROJECT BACKUPS
Keeps periodic, retrievable project versions.
EXPORT .DRP
Creates a portable project file you control.
A USEFUL HANDOFF MAY NEED
PROJECT .DRP+SOURCE MEDIA+LUTS / FONTS / PLUG-INS+README
What belongs in the package depends on what the project actually uses.
Backups open as independent projects.Loading one does not overwrite the original project.
10Visual intent
What do you want the image to feel like?
Project setup gets the material to the Color Page. A shared visual language tells us what to do once we arrive.
BEFORE THE TOOLDescribe the feeling. Then name what in the image is creating it.
- Tone
- Contrast
- Color
- Saturation
- Texture
- Mood
- Focus
11
END OF CLASS
You can now build the path.
01Open the correct Project Library.
02Import or create a clearly named project.
03Link media and organize it into useful bins.
04Create a basic timeline in the TIMELINES bin.
05Navigate Media → Edit → Color.
06Save, back up, and export a portable `.drp`.
07State how you want the image to feel.
Sources + image credits
Interface screenshots are educational excerpts from official Blackmagic Design training and reference materials.
The Beginner's Guide to DaVinci Resolve 20 ↗DaVinci Resolve 20.3 Reference Manual ↗DaVinci Resolve is a trademark of Blackmagic Design. This course reference is not an official Blackmagic Design publication.