Sai Rachana M - VFX-001 Level 1 Report
18 / 8 / 2025
1. Installation
To install DaVinci Resolve, I visited the official Blackmagic Design website through the link:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/in/products/davinciresolve
Afterwards, I clicked on the Free Download button and selected the version suitable for my operating system. Once the download was complete, I followed the on-screen instructions to finish the installation.
Creating a Project:
I created a new project by clicking on “Create New Untitled Project”. This opened the DaVinci Resolve workspace, where I could explore the main pages: Media, Edit, Cut, Fairlight, and Deliver.
2. Media Page
- Imported video and audio clips from various sources.
- Created folders (bins) to keep my media organized—for example, “Tropical Theme” or “London Clips.”
- When I used a particular source folder multiple times, I added it to Favorites by right-clicking or dragging it—this made it faster to locate later.
3. Edit Page
Assignment 1 – 30-Second Tropical Video
- Theme: Tropical travel vibes.
- Collected travel clips from Pexels and other free video platforms.
- Arranged the clips in order and applied smooth transitions for a natural flow.
- While editing, I cut unwanted frames using the Blade tool and the shortcut Ctrl+B on both the starting and ending points of the timeline. After making cuts, I removed unnecessary portions using Ripple Delete (shortcut: Shift + Backspace), which automatically joined the remaining clips without leaving gaps.
- Did not face any major issues during this edit.
- Outcome: A 30-second video with a refreshing tropical theme.
Note: Always use copyright-free audio tracks when publishing on platforms like YouTube. Using copyrighted songs can lead to restrictions, muted audio, or even the video being taken down.
4. Cut Page
Assignment 2 – 1-Minute Fast-Paced London Video
- Theme: London City.
- Gathered multiple clips from free video sources.
- Edited with quick cuts and fast transitions to give the video an energetic, fast-paced vibe.
- Faced playback lag since most clips were in 4K.
- To solve this, I generated proxy media:
- Right-clicked on the clips in the Media Pool
- Selected Generate Proxy Media
- Chose a lower resolution (e.g., 720p) for smoother editing
- Final export still used the original 4K quality
- Also explored the Titles feature to add text overlays and enhance the video.
- Outcome: A 1-minute fast-paced London edit with titles, transitions, and smooth playback thanks to proxy media.
Tip: If you only want to delete the audio without affecting the video (or vice versa), use the Lock feature. By clicking the lock icon next to the audio or video track, you can safely edit one track while keeping the other untouched.
