New Creator Here: How to Start Editing with DaVinci Resolve?

Welcome to the community! DaVinci Resolve is a great choice, and it's free. My advice: start with the Edit page only. Don't touch Fusion or Color yet. Learn the basics: cutting (B key for blade, C for cut), trimming (maybe with the trim mode), and using the Inspector to adjust clip properties. For music, just drag an audio file to the timeline and use the Fairlight page later—for now, keep it simple. For exporting, go to Deliver, choose MP4 and H.264, and set the resolution to 1080p (or 4K if your source is 4K). Make sure to set the bitrate to 'Automatic' or around 20 Mbps for 1080p to keep quality. Also, watch a tutorial by Casey Faris or the official DaVinci Resolve training videos—they're free and super helpful. Good luck!

To add to that, one trick that saved me a ton of time is using the 'Quick Export' button in the top right corner of the Edit page. It defaults to a good MP4 H.264 preset, so you can just hit it and go. Also, don't forget to set your project frame rate and resolution before you start editing—you can do that in Project Settings (gear icon). If you're editing footage from your phone, it might be 30fps, so set your timeline to 30fps to avoid any weird motion issues. And for a fast workflow, learn keyboard shortcuts early: spacebar to play/pause, I and O to set in and out points, and F9 to insert into the timeline. That alone will speed you up a lot!

I remember my first week with Resolve—it was a headache, but stick with it. One thing that helped me was to start with a simple project: just a couple of clips and a music track. Don't try to do everything at once. Also, for music, you can use the free music library in Resolve itself (under the Sound Library) or sites like YouTube Audio Library. When you export, make sure to check the 'Optimized Media' and 'Proxy' settings if your PC is struggling with playback—go to Playback > Proxy Mode > Half Resolution. That makes editing smooth even on older systems. And for quality, always render at the same resolution as your timeline, not higher, otherwise you'll get upscaling artifacts.

Great advice so far! I'd also recommend learning the 'Trim Edit' mode (T key) early on. It's a game changer for making precise cuts without adding ripple effects. Also, don't overlook the importance of organizing your media: create bins (like folders) for footage, music, and graphics. Right-click in the Media Pool and create bins. That keeps your project tidy and speeds up your editing. And when you're ready to export, remember to select 'Individual Clips' if you want separate files, but for a single video, just use the default 'Single Clip' option. If you have any specific issues, feel free to ask—we've all been there!

Thanks everyone, this is super helpful! I've already started applying your tips—I set my timeline to 30fps, learned the I and O shortcuts, and exported my first vlog using the Quick Export button. It came out looking great! I'm going to check out Casey Faris's tutorials next. Really appreciate the warm welcome and all the advice. This community is awesome!