Final Cut Pro to DaVinci Resolve 20 Best Practices
In this video, Steve walks you through the process of sending your
Final Cut Pro projects over to DaVinci Resolve 20.
Section 1 – Key Differences Between FCP and Resolve
• Demonstrates the transition from Final Cut Pro’s magnetic timeline to Resolve’s track-based system.
• Highlights how audio comes over — including hidden or disabled audio channels that show up as separate tracks in Resolve.
Section 2 – Media Management
• Explains how Final Cut stores media inside its library file, while Resolve looks for externally referenced files.
• Recommends consolidating media to an external folder for smoother relinking in Resolve.
Section 3 – Exporting from Final Cut
• Guides users through exporting an XML file from Final Cut Pro using the latest supported version to preserve project data for Resolve.
Section 4 – Importing into DaVinci Resolve 20
• Walks through importing the XML into Resolve 20.
• Covers important settings like matching timeline resolution and avoiding basic color board imports if you plan to grade in Resolve.
• Shows how to verify media is online and relink clips if needed.
Section 5 – Cleaning Up the Timeline
• Details how to clean up a cluttered timeline after import:
• Hiding unused viewers and resizing the timeline area
• Muting music, consolidating dialogue to one track, and coloring it for visibility
• Removing unnecessary audio
• Decomposing compound clips from Final Cut’s secondary storylines
• Deleting empty tracks and organizing sound effects into a dedicated stereo track
