Take Full Advantage of Adjustment Clips in DaVinci Resolve

Editing videos can be much simpler with the right tools, and DaVinci Resolve’s adjustment clips are here to help. Think of an adjustment clip as a blank layer you can drop into your timeline. Any DaVinci Resolve effects added to this layer automatically apply to all the clips below them. So in general, you spend less time tweaking each clip and more of your creative vision on the piece.

What are Adjustment Clips?

Adjustment clips in DaVinci Resolve work exactly like adjustment layers in Adobe After Effects. It’s an overlay you could apply on your timeline above the video clips you are editing. 

When you apply any DaVinci Resolve effects or adjustments to the adjustment clip, these changes automatically affect all the clips underneath it. You can uniformly tweak multiple clips at once, which keeps your project looking sharp and cohesive. Plus, you’re not messing with the original footage. So, if you want to try something wild or dial something back, you can do that without any stress.

It saves you a ton of time. Instead of fiddling with each clip individually, you handle everything in one go. Adjustment clips make the whole editing process smoother, letting you focus on getting creative instead of getting bogged down in repetitiveness.

This layer-like functionality makes adjustment clips a versatile tool for effects and color grading.

How To Use Adjustment Clips

By using adjustment clips, you can easily manage and apply consistent effects across multiple clips, making your editing workflow in DaVinci Resolve much smoother.

Open the DaVinci Resolve Effects Library

First up, navigate to the Effects Library in DaVinci Resolve. You’ll find the Effects Library in the Edit workspace. It’s on the upper left side of your screen, labeled as (what a shocker) Effects Library.

Within the Effects Library, you’ll see different categories. Scroll through these and click on Toolbox to expand its options and select “Effects.”. 

Hint: Right-click on it and then ‘Add to Favorites.’ This little trick puts it at your fingertips for future projects, saving you from searching the menu each time.

Place the Adjustment Clip on Your Timeline

Now, drag the adjustment clip from the Effects Library onto your timeline. Position it above the clips you want to adjust. You’re basically setting up a net to catch all the changes you’re about to make — except it won’t do anything until you start tweaking its settings.

Pro Tip: When adjusting the length of your adjustment clips, make your changes from the end to maintain effect integrity and avoid errors. 

Customize the Adjustment Clip

To start making changes, Click on your adjustment clip in your timeline. That will open the Inspector panel on the right-hand side of your screen, where you can start tweaking properties such as zoom, opacity, or some color grading. Any changes you make here will apply to all the clips beneath the adjustment clip.

Apply Effects to the Adjustment Clip

For the final touch, if you want to add specific DaVinci Resolve  effects like a blur or color effect, just drag those effects from the Effects Library and drop them onto your adjustment clip in the timeline. This will automatically apply the effect to all clips underneath. If there’s a clip you don’t want to be affected, simply move it above the adjustment clip in your timeline layering order.