A 20-Year Veteran Editor's 18 Essential Tools and Workflow Enhancements for DaVinci Resolve Post-Production

Thom Lyons | Visual+Aid Productions

Summary:

This video highlights 18 indispensable software tools and plugins that a 20-year editing veteran uses to streamline his DaVinci Resolve workflow, focusing on workflow optimization, problem-solving, and efficiency. Key tools cover secure media offloading, online video downloading, file management, system optimization, advanced audio and video repair, workflow automation, and remote editing solutions.

• Shotput Pro for secure media offloading with checksum verification and professional reports.
• Clip Grab for downloading online videos without quality loss.
• The Unarchiver for opening various compressed file formats on Mac.
• VLC Media Player as a universal video player supporting nearly all codecs.
• Shutter Encoder for versatile video transcoding, trimming, cropping, and subtitle editing.
• Carbon Copy Cloner for creating exact, scheduled backups of hard drives on Mac.
• CleanMyMac for optimizing Mac performance, clearing junk files, and thorough app uninstallation.
• iZotope RX Elements for advanced audio repair, especially effective for fixing clipped audio.
• Flicker Free plugin for removing video flicker caused by lighting or monitors.
• Elgato Stream Deck (App) for customizable workflow automation and macros using a smartphone or tablet.
• Text Sniper to copy unselectable text from any part of the screen.
• Visual Studio Code for writing and editing custom scripts and macros for DaVinci Resolve.
• Parsec for low-latency remote desktop access for video editing tasks.
• Chrome Remote Desktop as a backup remote access tool for troubleshooting Parsec.
• OBS Studio for screen recording with separate audio tracks, ideal for tutorials.
• MagicZoom for quickly creating smooth zoom and pan animations for tutorial videos.
• Cursor Pro to enhance mouse visibility and add temporary zoom for teaching and presentations.
• Adobe Creative Cloud for essential compatibility with client projects in Premiere Pro, After Effects, and design applications.

Introduction [00:00]

After 20 years as a full-time editor, the speaker shares his essential tools for improving workflow, fixing problems, and making his life easier in video editing, particularly with DaVinci Resolve. He clarifies that this is not a sponsored video.

1. Secure Media Offloading: Shotput Pro [00:23]

• Purpose: Securely copy footage from memory cards to multiple hard drives.
• Functionality:
  • Automatically detects memory cards and allows copying to multiple hard drives for redundancy.
  • Performs a checksum function, acting like a "digital fingerprint," to verify the integrity of copied files and alerts the user if any discrepancy is found.

    

  • Generates a PDF report with clip thumbnails, serving as proof that all footage was correctly copied, which is crucial for professional accountability.

    

• Comparison to DaVinci Resolve: While Resolve has a similar clone tool with checksum, Shotput Pro's detailed report is a key differentiator.

2. Online Video Downloader: Clip Grab [01:26]

• Purpose: Download videos from platforms like YouTube or Facebook without quality loss.
• Benefits over Screen Recording:
  • Avoids issues like internet stutter, on-screen notifications, or limitations by screen resolution.
  • Downloads the native video file directly, ensuring original quality.
• Ease of Use: Copy the video link, paste it into Clip Grab, choose quality, and download.

  

3. Archive Utility for Mac: The Unarchiver [02:24]

• Purpose: Open various compressed file formats on macOS, especially those that Apple's native Archive Utility struggles with.
• Compatibility: Handles common formats like ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip, making it a reliable tool for almost any compressed file.

  

• Benefit: It's one of the first tools installed on any new Mac due to its reliability in opening almost anything.

4. Universal Media Player: VLC [02:58]

• Purpose: Play virtually any video file, regardless of its format or corruption.
• Key Feature:
  • It's a free, open-source program that carries its own comprehensive set of video codecs (decoders).
  • Unlike QuickTime on Mac, which relies on macOS's built-in codecs, VLC doesn't need external system support to decode files, making it more versatile.

    

• Benefit: Resolves issues with unplayable, corrupted, or obscure video formats.

5. Versatile Video Converter: Shutter Encoder [03:54]

• Purpose: Transcode video files between different formats, perform light editing, and additional functions.
• Nature: Donationware (free to use, with optional donations).
• Capabilities:
  • Converts unreadable video files into formats compatible with DaVinci Resolve.
  • Can create audio files from videos, trim video clips (sometimes without re-encoding), crop footage, apply LUTs, and burn timecode/clip names into images for client drafts.
  • Includes a video downloader and a subtitle editor.

    

6. Mac Backup Solution: Carbon Copy Cloner [04:53]

• Purpose: Create exact, bootable duplicates of hard drives for backup.
• How it Works:
  • Selects a source drive (e.g., editing RAID) and a destination backup drive.
  • Compares the drives and copies only new or changed files, then verifies the copy.

    

• Benefit: Provides an immediate backup ready to use if the main drive fails, minimizing downtime. The speaker schedules it to run nightly.

7. Mac System Optimizer: CleanMyMac [05:51]

• Purpose: Clean digital junk, remove malware, and optimize Mac performance.
• Features:
  • Smart Scan: Scans the system for old cache files, broken downloads, and app leftovers, and offers to clean them.

    

  • Space Lens: Visual map of hard drive space, displaying folders as bubbles by size, making it easy to spot large, forgotten files.

    

  • Uninstaller: Completely removes applications and all associated hidden files (preferences, launch agents, support folders), preventing wasted space.

    

8. Audio Repair Plugin: iZotope RX Elements [06:52]

• Purpose: Industry-standard toolset for fixing bad audio.
• Key Tools in Elements Version: Repair Assistant, De-click, Voice De-noise, De-reverb, De-hum, and De-clip.

  

• De-clip Function (most used):
  • Fixes audio that has "clipped" or "blown out" due to being too loud for the recording device, resulting in crunchy, distorted sound.
  • Uses advanced algorithms to reconstruct the "chopped off" peaks of the sound wave.

    

9. Video Flicker Removal Plugin: Flicker Free [07:59]

• Purpose: Remove flicker and strobing effects from video footage.
• Common Causes of Flicker: LED lights, old fluorescent bulbs, or filming computer monitors.

  

• How it Works:
  • Drag the effect onto a clip and choose a preset based on the flicker source.
  • Analyzes the brightness of each frame and smooths out inconsistent changes.
• Comparison to DaVinci Resolve's built-in tool: Flicker Free uses a different calculation method, often succeeding where Resolve's native deflicker effect struggles, making it a "break glass in case of emergency" tool.

10. Workflow Automation: Elgato Stream Deck (App) [08:48]

• Purpose: Turn a smartphone or tablet into a customizable control panel for desktop applications.
• How it Works: Installs a desktop program and a mobile app; they communicate via Wi-Fi.
• Benefits:
  • Allows experimenting with Stream Deck workflow cheaply without physical hardware.
  • Program individual buttons to launch apps, perform shortcuts, or execute complex macros (sequences of keystrokes).
  • Uses visual icons, reducing the need to memorize keyboard shortcuts and streamlining tasks.

    

11. Text Extraction: Text Sniper [09:53]

• Purpose: Copy unselectable text from any part of the screen.
• Functionality:
  • Works like taking a screenshot but extracts text instead of an image.
  • Use a keyboard shortcut, drag a box around the desired text, and it's copied to the clipboard.

    

• Use Cases: Copying error messages, file paths, video credits, or text from images and videos.

  

12. Code Editor: Visual Studio Code [10:32]

• Purpose: Write and edit computer code, particularly for custom scripts and macros.
• Nature: Free, open-source code editor from Microsoft.
• Key Features:
  • Syntax highlighting: Automatically colors code, making it easier to read and spot errors.
  • Clean interface.
  • Supports AI features like GitHub Copilot (though the speaker primarily uses it for the interface).

    

• Use in Video Editing: Writing custom scripts for DaVinci Resolve or tweaking Fusion macros.

13. Remote Desktop for Editing: Parsec [11:11]

• Purpose: Connect a home computer to a more powerful office computer for remote video editing.
• Key Advantage: Built for video games, resulting in incredibly fast and low-latency streaming of the work computer's screen.

  

• Benefit: Enables making creative editing decisions remotely due to high picture quality and instant response.

  

• Drawbacks:
  • App can crash on the host computer, locking out the user.
  • Has a habit of keeping office monitors awake, risking screen burn-in.

14. Backup Remote Access: Chrome Remote Desktop [12:03]

• Purpose: Serve as a backup remote access solution for troubleshooting.
• Limitations: Too slow and jerky for video playback and active editing.
• Use Case:
  • If Parsec crashes, Chrome Remote Desktop provides a "backdoor" to restart the Parsec app.
  • Allows opening Parsec on the work computer only when needed, preventing monitors from staying on unnecessarily.

    

15. Screen Recording: OBS Studio [12:26]

• Purpose: Record computer screens for tutorials, live streams, or presentations.
• Nature: Completely free, open-source program (Open Broadcaster Software).
• Features:
  • Scene-based recording: Create scenes that combine different sources (e.g., DaVinci Resolve UI, webcam, logos).
  • Audio Control: Records microphone audio on one track and computer sound on a separate track, allowing independent level adjustments during editing.

    

16. Smooth Zoom for Tutorials: MagicZoom [13:16]

• Purpose: Create smooth, customizable zoom-in and zoom-out effects for tutorial videos, especially on UI elements.
• Workflow Trick: Apply the effect to an adjustment clip on a separate layer above the main footage in the timeline.
• Benefits:
  • Decouples zoom animations from cuts or speed changes in the underlying footage.
  • Quickly duplicate and reuse zoom animations.
  • Stretch or shrink the adjustment clip to adjust animation duration, with automatic animation fitting.

    

  • Significantly faster than manual keyframing and graph adjustments in Resolve's inspector.

17. Enhanced Cursor Visibility: Cursor Pro [14:21]

• Purpose: Improve mouse pointer visibility for teaching and presentations.
• Features:
  • Adds a customizable glowing ring around the cursor.
  • Includes a hotkey-activated digital magnifying glass feature to instantly zoom in on specific screen areas.

    

• Distinction from macOS Accessibility: Designed for the audience to follow the mouse, unlike macOS features that help the user find their own pointer.

18. Industry Compatibility: Adobe Creative Cloud [14:58]

• Purpose: Maintain compatibility with clients and freelancers who use Adobe software.
• Included Applications: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and others.
• Reason for Retention:
  • Clients often send projects or assets created in Premiere Pro or After Effects, requiring the software to open, check, or export them.
  • The "bundle trap": Since the subscription is necessary for Premiere Pro and After Effects compatibility, Photoshop and Illustrator are essentially "free" within the package, reducing motivation to switch to alternatives like Affinity, despite its free core design tools.