Sahithi's VFX Level 01 Report
18 / 8 / 2025
Installation
I went to https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/in/products/davinciresolve. Chose the DaVinci Resolve 20 free download option. Ran the installer and agreed to terms and conditions. Created a new project.
Getting familiar with the interface
DaVinci Resolve has several pages, but as a beginner i mostly stuck to the Media, Cut, and Edit pages.
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Media Page
I used this page to import and organize all my files. I created bins for videos, images, and audio so everything was structured neatly. Basically, it became my project’s library where I kept all the raw material. -
Cut Page
The Cut page is designed for fast editing. It has a simple two-timeline view. one for the whole project and one zoomed in for details. This makes it easy to trim clips quickly and arrange them in order.
cut-page.png -
Edit Page
I spent most of my time here. The Edit page gave me more control with multiple video and audio tracks, effects, transitions, and precise adjustments. This is where I added text, adjusted timing, and polished details using the Inspector. edit-page.png
Additional things I learned
Timeline
The Timeline was where everything came together—video, audio, text, and effects. I dragged clips from the Media Pool onto the Timeline, arranged them in order, and layered tracks when needed. Whatever I placed higher on the Timeline visually appeared above the clips below it. This is usually called as a b-roll.
Inspector
The Inspector was really useful when I wanted to fine-tune something. I used it to resize, move, or rotate clips, change opacity, and style my text (fonts, colors, animations). It was basically the control panel for every element I selected on the Timeline.
Effects
DaVinci Resolve provides a variety of effects to make your video more engaging. You can find them in the Effects Library and drag them directly onto clips in the Timeline.
- Video Effects: These include transitions (like fades, wipes), color effects, blur, glow, and other visual styles. I used them to change the look and flow of my video.
- Audio Effects: Used to improve or stylize sound. For example, you can add echo, reverb, noise reduction, or equalizer effects to make voices or music clearer.
- Text Effects: These help animate and style text. You can make titles appear with fades, slides, or typewriter effects. Text can also have drop shadows, outlines, or glowing highlights.
Trimming Clips
Trimming is one of the most important parts of editing. It means cutting out unwanted sections of a video or adjusting the start and end points so the pacing feels right .I trimmed clips frequently to improve pacing and remove unnecessary bits. Dragging the edges of clips on the Timeline made it easy to cut sections cleanly, especially for syncing with audio.
Sound Effects
Sound effects make the video more immersive and dynamic. They can highlight important words, transitions, or actions.
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Why they are important:
- They grab attention and emphasize key moments.
- They make visuals feel more alive (e.g., whoosh sounds for text, static for TV screen).
- They add rhythm, especially when combined with background music.
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What I did:
- Added a techno whoosh when the word "Magic" appeared.
- Used TV static sounds to match the visual of a TV screen.
- Experimented with drum beats and layered them under narration to make the scene more powerful.
All the effects i used were from mixkit other than my voiceover, ofcourse.
Saving & Exporting (What I Did)
While working on my project in DaVinci Resolve, I made sure to save often so I didn’t lose progress.
- I used Ctrl + S regularly while editing.
For exporting, I used the Deliver Page:
- Selected MP4 format with H.264 codec (good balance of quality and file size).
- Set resolution to 1920x1080 (Full HD) since my video was horizontal.
- Named the file and chose a folder to save it in.
- Clicked Add to Render Queue and then Start Render.
This created the final video with both my visuals and audio included.