Essential DaVinci Resolve Settings and UI Customizations for an Optimized Workflow

Thom Lyons | Visual+Aid Productions

Introduction [0:00]

• The presenter expresses frustration with some default DaVinci Resolve settings and UI layouts, aiming to share crucial adjustments for new machines.

UI Settings [0:09]

• Optimized UI Layouts for Vertical Video:
  • Introduced in Resolve 20, this option, when enabled, provides a button in the UI that significantly expands the timeline viewer when working with vertical timelines.

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  • This feature is available on the Cut, Edit, and Color pages, making it easier to see vertical content.

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• Show focus indicators in the user interface:
  • This adds a thin red line at the top of the currently active panel.

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  • It is particularly useful for keyboard shortcut users, clarifying which panel (e.g., source viewer or timeline) is active for actions like marking in/out points.
• Use gray background for user interface:
  • By default, Resolve uses a blue-gray UI background.
  • Enabling this switches the UI to a neutral, desaturated gray.
  • A neutral gray background is recommended for color accuracy, preventing eye fatigue and accidental color compensation during grading, similar to having neutral gray walls in an edit suite.

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• Use gray background in viewers:
  • Turning this on sets the background of all viewers to gray.
  • This aids in evaluating image edges during sizing adjustments, as a dark background can obscure where the viewer's edge begins.

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• 2D timeline scrolling:
  • This is a personal preference setting.
  • When checked, scrolling the mouse wheel moves the timeline vertically through video and audio tracks.
  • When unchecked, it scrolls the entire timeline horizontally. Users should choose what feels more natural to them.
• Timeline sort order:
  • Allows setting the default sorting order for timelines displayed in viewer drop-down menus across Resolve.

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Project Save and Load [1:53]

• Load all timelines when opening projects:
  • Keep this setting off.
  • Disabling it makes projects open quicker, especially those with numerous timelines.

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• Save settings (Auto Save):
  • Turn all auto-save options on (Live Save, Project backups, Daily backups).
  • Configure the backup frequency and duration to personal preference for peace of mind, as even stable editors can crash.

Cache Management [2:16]

• Automatically delete any cache files older than:
  • Check this box to automatically delete old cache files.
  • Set the number of days after which cache files should be removed.
  • This helps prevent hard drive clutter and ensures efficient storage usage.

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Editing [2:25]

• New Timeline Settings - Start timecode:
  • This sets the default starting timecode for new timelines.
  • While broadcast files often use 01:00:00:00 or 10:00:00:00, online platforms often start at zero. Adjust according to project needs.

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• Automatic Smart Bins:
  • If using Smart Bins, enable automatic ones to organize clips based on their metadata.

Inconsistencies Between Cut and Edit Pages [2:53]

• The presenter highlights instances where the Cut page offers better functionality for tools also available on the Edit page, without clear justification.
• Dynamic Zoom presets:
  • The Cut page includes presets for side-to-side panning or corner-to-corner dynamic zooms.

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  • These convenient presets are still absent from the Edit page, making manual setup more fiddly.
• Voiceover recording with built-in teleprompter:
  • While both pages allow direct voiceover recording, the Cut page version is more powerful.
  • It includes a built-in teleprompter that allows importing text scripts to scroll over the picture during recording. This feature is missing from the Edit page.

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General UI and Edit page settings [3:56]

• Viewer background settings (Timeline View Options):
  • To better see the edges of your frame when resizing, change the viewer background.
  • Options include "checkerboard" or the new "alert red" (in Resolve 20) to highlight transparency issues.

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• Media Pool - Automatically resync media files:
  • Right-click in the media pool on a folder and enable this option.
  • If you add new files to that folder outside Resolve, they will automatically appear in the media pool.

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• Media Pool and Effects panel search:
  • The default search only searches the current bin.
  • Change this setting (via the drop-down next to the search icon) to "All bins" for comprehensive search functionality.

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• Dual Pane Media Pool:
  • Enable this option to have two media pools open simultaneously, useful for bouncing between different bins.

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• Floating Media Pool Window:
  • Right-click on a bin and select "Open as new window" to turn the media pool into a floating window.
  • This allows repositioning it anywhere on screen, including on a second monitor.
• Project Notes (File > Project Notes):
  • Resolve has a built-in basic text pad for project notes.
  • It lacks formatting but is useful for keeping notes directly within Resolve, avoiding switching to external applications.

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• Track EQ, Dynamics, and Track Effects:
  • Both the Edit and Cut pages can now access these audio controls directly from the mixer, eliminating the need to go to the Fairlight page first.

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• Optimize Screen Real Estate:
  • Show icons only: Right-click the bottom of the UI and select "Show icons only" to remove page labels.
  • Hide Page Navigation: Go to Workspace > Show Page Navigation and turn it off. Pages can still be switched using keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Shift+1 for Media, Shift+2 for Cut, etc.).

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Fusion page [5:59]

• Node Editor Settings:
  • Arrange tools to grid: Snaps nodes to a grid for cleaner organization.
  • Orthogonal pipes: Makes node connections appear in straight lines.

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  • Add pipe points: Hold Option (Alt on PC) and click a pipe to add a draggable point, allowing custom pipe routing.
  • Show tile pictures: Displays a visual representation of what each node is doing.
  • Build flow vertically: Arranges node trees from top to bottom instead of side to side.
  • Combine this with Workspace > Layout Presets > Fusion Presets (e.g., vertical presets) for optimized vertical video workflows.
• Viewer Guides:
  • Toggle guides on/off with Command/Control + G.
  • Right-click in the viewer to individually turn guides on or off.

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  • Custom guides cannot be created natively, requiring third-party DCTLs like Compositioneer (for Studio version users).

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• Sub View:
  • Click the sub-view icon to access various useful scopes.

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  • Scopes can be resized, moved, and made full screen by hitting Shift + V.

Color page [7:30]

• High visibility power window outlines:
  • Go to Preferences > User > Color and enable this.
  • On-screen power window controls will change colors: green for the window shape, yellow for softness feathering, and blue for resizing, making interactions clearer.

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• Keyframes panel - Copying Grades and Stabilization:
  • When copying grades from one shot to another using middle-mouse click, stabilization can be accidentally removed if the Keyframes panel setting is on "All."
  • Change the setting in the Keyframes panel from "All" to "Color" to prevent sizing information (like stabilization) from being overwritten.

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Fairlight page [8:07]

• Mixer Visibility Options:
  • The mixer can be overwhelming on smaller monitors.
  • Click the three-dot menu to choose which sections of the mixer are visible, optimizing screen real estate.

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• Floating Viewer Window:
  • Hit the icon in the bottom right corner of the viewer to turn it into a floating window.
  • This allows resizing and repositioning the viewer anywhere you want.

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Deliver page [8:25]

• Show job details:
  • In the Render Queue, click the three-dot menu and select "Show job details" to see more information about render jobs.

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• Updates during renders:
  • In the viewer's three-dot menu, pick an option under "Updates during renders."
  • Turning this off or reducing updates can slightly boost performance on less powerful machines by reducing the preview display during export.

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