DaVinci Resolve is Hollywood-grade software that’s completely free. Here’s how to get from zero to your first export.

The Interface

Resolve has dedicated workspaces at the bottom: Media, Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, and Deliver. For basic editing, you’ll mostly use the Edit page. The timeline is the large area at the bottom.

Importing Media

  1. Switch to the Media page
  2. Navigate to your footage in the file browser
  3. Drag clips into the media pool (the bin area)
  4. Switch to the Edit page

Basic Editing

Drag clips from the media pool onto the timeline. The toolbar above the timeline has your essential tools:

  • Blade (B) — Cut a clip into two pieces
  • Trim (T) — Drag the edge of a clip to shorten or lengthen
  • Selection (A) — Move clips around

Select unwanted sections and press Delete. Drag clips to rearrange them in the timeline. Add more clips to build your sequence.

Transitions

Drag the edge of two overlapping clips and choose a transition from the popup, or go to Effects Library → Video Transitions and drag one between two clips. Cross Dissolve is the standard.

Color Grading

Switch to the Color page. The primary wheels control lift (shadows), gamma (midtones), and gain (highlights). Drag the center dot in each wheel to shift colors. Use the curves below for fine control. Apply a LUT from the LUT browser for a quick look.

Export

Switch to Deliver. Choose H.264 for web, H.265 for smaller files. Set resolution (1920x1080 for Full HD). Pick a destination and click “Add to Render Queue” then “Render All.”

For YouTube, export at 1080p or higher, 24 or 30 fps, H.264 at 10-20 Mbps. That’s all you need.