Tutorials

Step 1: Download and Install DaVinci Resolve

1. Go to the official DaVinci Resolve website.
2. Choose the free version (simply DaVinci Resolve, not the "studio" or "beta" versions), register your info, and download it.
3. Install the software following the on-screen instructions.

Step 2: Import Your Full Concert Video

1. Open DaVinci Resolve.
2. Create a new project by clicking on "File," then “New Project” and giving it a name.
   
3. In the Media Pool area, right-click and import your full concert video. (Keyboard shortcut is Mac: Cmd+I / Windows: Ctrl+I)
   
4. You might be asked if you want to change the project frame rate. Choose "Change."
   

Step 3: Set In and Out Points

1. Double-click the clip to open the preview window.
2. Play the video in the preview window on the right.
3. Pause at the beginning of the segment you want to extract.
4. Press the “I” key to set the In point (start) of your selection.
5. Play to the end of the segment.
6. Press the “O” key to set the Out point (end) of your selection. Now you have a rough clip ready to be imported into the timeline.
   
   You can always skip to a specific time by clicking in the audio waveform area above the Stop and Play buttons. Press “I” or "O" keys to set your starting and ending points.
   

Step 4: Insert the clip into the Timeline

1. Click on the "EDIT" tab at the bottom. (See circled green tab at the bottom; In v.18, this is located between "CUT" and "FUSION" tabs.)
2. Right-click the clip and select "Insert selected clips to Timeline." You will be prompted to create a new Timeline, simply select "Create."
   
3. If you have followed all the steps, your timeline should look similar to the screenshot below.
   

Step 5: Further Edits

1. Click the "Full Extent Zoom" icon to see the full length of the clip imported. Remember that this is not the entire video, but only the range between your IN and OUT points which you determined in the previous steps.
   
2. Next, let's refine our clip's start and end points. You will notice that your cursor icon changes depending on where it is hovering in your timeline. 
   • Hover the cursor over the green areas, then click and drag to shorten or lengthen the clip.
     
     
     
   • If you want to extend your video further left, you can move the entire clip to the right by clicking and dragging the entire clip, as a block, to the right (blue arrow motion). This creates enough space on the left to extend your video.
     
     After you are done, move the entire clip, again as a block, back to the left so it starts without any empty "gaps" in the timeline. You can always fix the "gap" in later steps, but it makes the process easier to do it here.
     
     
3. OPTIONAL STEP: Apply a fade-in or fade-out for a more professional look. Note that at the very top left and right corner of the video and audio clip you will see a marker icon. These are highlighted in green in the screenshot below; They will only show once you hover with the cursor over the clip.
   
   
   You can click and drag those markers to apply a fade-in and fade-out to your clips. Apply fades to your audio so that the audio starts from silence and ends in silence. You can also apply them to the video, which will make it so the video transitions from black when it starts, or to black when it ends. Below is an example of fades applied to both video and audio.
   
   IMPORTANT! Don't apply any fade-ins or fade-outs if you are submitting for a competition or application that is requesting unedited material.

Step 6: Export Your Segment

1. Go to the Deliver tab.
2. Choose your desired export settings. Select "YouTube 1080p" for a quick preset setting.
3. Name your file and choose a location/destination where your file will be exported.
4. Click “Add to Render Queue.”
5. Click “Render All"
   

Tips & Troubleshooting:

• Save your project regularly to avoid losing progress.
• If you are on Windows, there is a $0.99 charge you need to pay to download and install the official HEVC codec from Microsoft. Without it, the video files may show up as "offline," even when you have imported them correctly. There are some complicated workarounds for this, but the simplest way is to head to the Microsoft official app store (HEVC Video Extensions - Download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store), pay the $0.99 fee, and install the missing extension. After a restart, everything should work correctly again.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully extracted a specific piece from your concert video using DaVinci Resolve. You can also click here to search for DaVinci Resolve beginner tutorials on YouTube. Happy editing!