I Had Zero Video Editing Experience — Here's How I Learned in 2 Weeks

Three cuts handle 90% of editing: split (cut a clip into two), trim (shorten a clip from the edge), and ripple delete (remove a section and close the gap). Practice on a single clip until they feel automatic.

1. 1
   Make a split cut with the razor tool — Move the playhead to where you want to cut. Select the razor tool (B key shortcut). Click on the video track at the playhead position. You'll see the clip split into two separate clips. This is how you isolate a section to remove or move.
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   Delete a section with ripple delete — Select the section you want to remove with the selection tool (A key). Press Delete or right-click and choose 'Ripple Delete'. The gap closes automatically, and the remaining clips snap together. This is faster than deleting and dragging.
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   Trim the start or end of a clip — Hover the mouse over the edge of a clip until the cursor changes to a double arrow (trim mode). Click and drag left or right to shorten or extend the clip. The rest of the timeline stays in place. Use this to remove dead air at the beginning or end.
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   Use keyboard shortcuts for speed — Learn these: B for razor, A for selection, Ctrl+Z for undo, and Shift+Delete for ripple delete. Shortcuts cut editing time by 50%. Write them on a sticky note and keep it next to your monitor.
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   Practice on a one-minute clip — Find a 1-minute video of someone talking. Your goal: cut out every pause, 'um', and mistake. Use split + ripple delete. The result should be a tight, continuous clip with no awkward silences. Time yourself. Aim for under 10 minutes.
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   Preview and adjust — After cutting, play the entire timeline. Listen for jump cuts (abrupt visual jumps) or unnatural gaps. If a cut feels jarring, split the clip again and add a short cross dissolve transition (0.5 seconds). Don't overdo transitions — one per 30 seconds is plenty.

Bad audio ruins a video faster than bad visuals. Use DaVinci Resolve's built-in Fairlight tools to reduce background noise, normalize volume levels, and add a compressor for consistent audio.

1. 1
   Select the audio track in Fairlight — Switch to the Fairlight tab at the bottom. Your audio appears as a waveform. Click on the track to select it. If you have multiple audio tracks, work on one at a time.
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   Apply noise reduction — In the Fairlight panel, find the 'Noise Reduction' effect. Click 'Get Noise' to sample a section of background noise (e.g., a silent part of the room). Then apply the effect. Adjust the amount slider to about 70-80% — too much makes audio sound robotic.
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   Normalize the volume — Select all audio clips (Ctrl+A). Right-click and choose 'Normalize Audio'. Set the peak level to -3 dB. This ensures your audio is loud enough without clipping (distorting). For dialogue, aim for an average of -12 dB.
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   Add a compressor for consistency — Apply the 'Compressor' effect to the audio track. Use a preset like 'Dialogue' or set the ratio to 3:1, threshold to -20 dB, and makeup gain to +3 dB. This smooths out volume spikes when someone talks loudly or quietly.
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   Check audio levels visually — Look at the audio meter on the right. Green is good, yellow is okay, red means clipping (distortion). Adjust the clip volume by dragging the small audio line on the clip up or down. Keep peaks in the yellow zone.
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   Add background music (optional) — Import a royalty-free music track (e.g., from YouTube Audio Library). Drag it to a separate audio track below the dialogue. Lower the volume to -20 dB or use a 'ducking' effect so music lowers automatically when someone speaks.

Text overlays — lower thirds, titles, and captions — make a video look professional. DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page offers free templates. Use the 'Text' tool for simple titles and adjust font, size, and color.

1. 1
   Create a title clip — In the Edit tab, click 'Effects' in the top left. Go to 'Titles'. Drag a title template (e.g., 'Fade On Center') onto a new video track above your main video. A purple clip appears. Double-click it to edit the text.
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   Customize the text — In the Inspector panel (top right), change the text to your title (e.g., 'Introduction'). Adjust the font to something clean like 'Arial' or 'Open Sans'. Set size to 60 for a main title, 30 for lower thirds. Choose a color that contrasts with your video.
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   Adjust duration and animation — Drag the edges of the title clip to set how long it appears. For a lower third, 3-5 seconds is standard. In the Inspector, you can change the animation style (e.g., 'Fade In/Out'). Keep it simple — no flying or spinning text.
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   Add subtitles manually — For subtitles, create multiple text clips — one per sentence. Align them on the timeline. To speed this up, use the free tool 'Autocap' or YouTube's auto-caption feature, then copy the text into DaVinci Resolve.
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   Use built-in templates for lower thirds — In the Effects library, search 'Lower Third'. Drag one onto your timeline above the video. Edit the name and title fields in the Inspector. Most templates have two text fields: name and description. Keep text short — under 20 characters per line.
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   Preview and export with titles — Play the section with titles. Check for readability: is the text visible against the background? If not, add a shadow or outline in the Inspector (under 'Shading' or 'Outline'). Avoid placing text near the bottom of the frame — it may be cut off on some screens.

Color correction fixes exposure and white balance issues. Use DaVinci Resolve's Color page to adjust shadows, midtones, and highlights. Apply a simple 'S-curve' for contrast and a color wheel for warmth.

1. 1
   Switch to the Color page — Click the 'Color' tab at the bottom. You'll see your video in a viewer with color wheels on the right. Below, each clip is a thumbnail. Click on a clip to select it for grading.
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   Correct exposure with Lift, Gamma, Gain — Use the three color wheels: Lift (shadows), Gamma (midtones), Gain (highlights). Drag the center wheel up to brighten, down to darken. Aim for a balanced histogram — no clipping on the left (shadows) or right (highlights).
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   Adjust white balance — Find the 'White Balance' controls (temperature and tint). If your video looks too yellow (warm), drag temperature toward blue. If too blue (cool), drag toward yellow. Use the eyedropper tool to click on a neutral gray area in the video for automatic correction.
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   Apply a simple S-curve for contrast — In the 'Curves' panel, click on the diagonal line. Add a point in the lower left (shadows) and drag down slightly. Add a point in the upper right (highlights) and drag up slightly. This creates an S-shape that boosts contrast without crushing blacks.
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   Use a LUT for a cinematic look (optional) — LUTs (Look Up Tables) are presets that apply a color grade instantly. In the Color page, right-click on a clip and select 'LUTs'. Choose a mild one like 'Film Look' or 'Warm'. Be careful — strong LUTs can make skin tones look unnatural.
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   Match colors between clips — If you have multiple clips from different cameras or lighting, use the 'Color Match' tool. Select a clip with correct color, then shift-click other clips. Right-click and choose 'Match'. This adjusts them to match the reference clip automatically.

Exporting is the final step. Use the Deliver tab to choose a preset (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo). Set format to MP4, codec to H.264, and resolution to 1080p. Add a custom filename and click 'Add to Render Queue'.

1. 1
   Switch to the Deliver tab — Click 'Deliver' at the bottom. You'll see export settings on the left. Choose a preset based on your platform: 'YouTube' for YouTube, 'Instagram' for social media, or 'Custom' for other uses.
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   Select format and codec — For most platforms, set Format to 'MP4' and Codec to 'H.264'. This is the most compatible format. For higher quality (but larger files), use 'QuickTime' with 'ProRes' — but stick with MP4 for your first exports.
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   Set resolution and frame rate — Set Resolution to '1920x1080' (1080p) or '3840x2160' (4K) if your footage is 4K. Frame rate should match your source — typically 30 fps or 24 fps. Don't change the frame rate unless you know what you're doing; it can cause stuttering.
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   Adjust quality settings — Set Quality to 'Best' (slower export) or 'Good' (faster). For YouTube, 'Best' is recommended. Under 'Advanced', set 'Key Frames' to 'Auto' and 'Quality' to 'Automatic'. Leave other settings at default.
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   Add to render queue and export — Click 'Add to Render Queue' at the bottom. Then go to the 'Render Queue' panel (top) and click 'Start Render'. The export time depends on video length and your computer's power. A 5-minute 1080p video takes about 10-20 minutes on a modern laptop.
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   Check the exported file — Once done, open the exported file in a media player like VLC. Watch the entire video. Look for audio sync issues, missing clips, or export artifacts (blocky pixels). If something is wrong, fix it in the timeline and re-export.