Lab: Assemble Your Story in DaVinci Resolve

Lab: Assemble Your Story in DaVinci Resolve

This lab walks you through importing your narration and any photos or video clips, arranging them in the timeline, and exporting a finished video file. Estimated time: 45 to 90 minutes for a 2 to 3 minute story.

Watch first: This walkthrough covers the Cut page workflow - the fastest way to assemble a short story in DaVinci Resolve.

Before you start

• Download and install DaVinci Resolve (free version) from blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve.
• Gather your materials in one folder on your computer: your MP3 narration, any photos (JPG or PNG), and any video clips (MP4 or MOV).

Step 1: Create a new project

1. Open DaVinci Resolve. In the Project Manager, click the + button and name your project (for example, My Digital Story).
2. Double-click your new project to open it. You will land on the Cut page by default (the scissors icon at the bottom).

Step 2: Set your timeline settings

1. Go to File - Project Settings.
2. Set the Timeline Frame Rate to 23.976 fps or 24 fps for a cinematic feel, or 30 fps for a video look.
3. Set Resolution to 1920 x 1080 HD.
4. Click Save.

Step 3: Import your media

1. In the Media Pool panel (top left), right-click and choose Import Media.
2. Navigate to your folder and select all your files. Click Open.
3. Your files now appear as thumbnails in the Media Pool.

Step 4: Add your narration to the timeline

1. Find your MP3 narration file in the Media Pool.
2. Drag it to the timeline at the bottom of the screen. It will appear as an audio track.
3. Press spacebar to play it through. The playhead (vertical line) moves from left to right as the audio plays.

Step 5: Add photos and video as b-roll

B-roll is the visual layer that plays on screen while your voice narration continues underneath. It supports and illustrates what you are saying.

1. Listen to a section of your narration and decide what image or clip should appear at that moment.
2. Drag the photo or clip from the Media Pool to the video track in the timeline, positioning it roughly where you want it to appear.
3. To trim a clip: hover over its left or right edge until the cursor changes to a resize arrow, then drag inward to shorten it.
4. To move a clip: click and drag it left or right along the timeline.
5. Repeat until you have visual coverage across your full narration.

Step 6: Add a title

1. Click the Titles tab in the Media Pool toolbar.
2. Drag a Text or Lower Third title to the very beginning of the timeline, above the first clip.
3. Double-click the title in the timeline to open the Inspector panel on the right. Type your story title in the text field.

Step 7: Export your finished story

1. Click the Deliver page (rocket icon at the bottom).
2. Under Render Settings, select YouTube or choose Custom Export and set Format to MP4 / H.264.
3. Choose a save location by clicking Browse.
4. Click Add to Render Queue, then click Start Render.
5. DaVinci Resolve will show a progress bar. When it finishes, your exported video file will be in the folder you chose.

Checkpoint: You should now have a finished MP4 file of your digital story. Watch it through from start to finish before sharing it. Check that your narration is audible throughout, that b-roll appears at the right moments, and that the title reads correctly.