DaVinci Resolve Quick Reference
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DaVinci Resolve Quick Reference
These are the most commonly used shortcuts and concepts on the Cut page, where short-form storytelling works best.
Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Spacebar | Play / Pause |
| J | Play backward (press repeatedly to speed up) |
| K | Stop |
| L | Play forward (press repeatedly to speed up) |
| Left arrow | Step back one frame |
| Right arrow | Step forward one frame |
| Home | Jump to the beginning of the timeline |
| End | Jump to the end of the timeline |
Editing on the Cut page
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Ctrl + B | Blade: cut a clip at the playhead position |
| Backspace | Delete selected clip (leaves a gap) |
| Delete | Ripple delete: removes the clip and closes the gap |
| Ctrl + A | Select all clips in the timeline |
Key workflow concepts
- Timeline vs Source Viewer: The Source Viewer (top left) shows the clip you are about to add. The Timeline Viewer (top right) shows what the finished edit looks like at the playhead position.
- In and Out points: In the Source Viewer, press I to mark where a clip starts and O where it ends before dragging it to the timeline. This lets you use only the best part of a longer clip.
- Ripple trim: On the Cut page, dragging a clip edge automatically ripple-trims by default - shortening one clip moves all subsequent clips to fill the gap. This keeps your narration audio aligned.
- Audio track vs Video track: Your narration MP3 sits on an audio-only track at the bottom. Your photos and video clips sit on video tracks above. They are independent - you can move the video without moving the audio.
- Render in Place: If your project is slow to play back, right-click on a clip and choose Render in Place. This creates a cached version so editing stays smooth.
Export settings for common uses
| Use | Deliver settings |
|---|---|
| Sharing online (YouTube, Vimeo) | Format: MP4, Codec: H.264, Resolution: 1920x1080, Audio: AAC 320kbps |
| Archiving a master copy | Format: MXF or MOV, Codec: DNxHR or ProRes (requires paid DaVinci Studio for ProRes on Windows) |
| Sending to someone with a slow connection | Format: MP4, Codec: H.264, Resolution: 1280x720, Video quality: Restrict to 5000 kbps |
Last modified: Thursday, 18 June 2026, 12:24 AM