Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve 21 and Beyond The Timeline — How Raw Footage Becomes a Story

 

Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve 21 and Beyond

The Timeline — How Raw Footage Becomes a Story

Recording the video captures what happened. Editing decides what the audience experiences.

A camera might record ten minutes of a sailing afternoon: preparing the boat, sorting out a rope, launching, sailing and returning ashore. Everything happened, but does the viewer need to see every second?

Probably not.

The pleasure of being there and the pleasure of watching afterwards are different things. On the river, a quiet stretch can be wonderful. On screen, several similar minutes may tell the audience very little.

That is where editing begins. We choose the moments that help someone else understand and enjoy the experience.

For the sailing films, organ recitals, science videos and video podcasts I make, the question is much the same: what does the audience need to see or hear next?

This time you will…

Turn ten minutes of sailing footage into a two-minute film, then compare two openings: one chronological, the other beginning with a taste of the action.

You will practise arranging clips, trimming them and adding supporting pictures and sound.

What you need

• DaVinci Resolve and ten minutes of footage from one outing or activity.
• A safe copy of the original recordings.
• Headphones or speakers.
• Optional: a short voice-over and music you have permission to use.

The exercise centres on basic editing decisions that remain useful as Resolve develops. There is no need to master every page before making a coherent film.

Meet the Timeline: Time Across, Layers Above and Below

Think of the timeline as the working plan for your finished film.

Time runs from left to right. Clips are the pieces of picture and sound you arrange along it. The playhead marks the moment you are viewing; moving it lets you inspect different parts of the sequence.

A clip’s width represents its duration at the current zoom level. A long strip occupies more screen time than a short one.

On the Edit page, video and audio sit on separate tracks. A useful starting arrangement for this exercise is:

Track	Suggested contents
V2	Supporting pictures, known as B-roll, and occasional titles
V1	The main sequence of sailing shots
A1	Sound recorded with the main footage
A2	Optional narration
A3	Optional music

This is an organisational choice, rather than a compulsory layout. An opaque, full-frame picture on V2 normally covers the picture beneath it. Audio tracks can play together, so adding music does not automatically silence wind noise or speech.

Keep the picture and its original sound linked while making your first edits. It is surprisingly easy to move one without the other and discover that a splash arrives before the boat touches the water.

Cut or Edit: Which Page Should You Use?

Resolve offers two connected approaches:

• The Cut page emphasises speed. Its dual timeline shows the whole programme alongside a closer view of the section being edited.
• The Edit page provides a traditional multitrack workspace with detailed control over picture, sound and timing.

You can switch between them while working on the same timeline. Blackmagic describes them as complementary editing environments. For this first exercise, I suggest staying on the Edit page so the track arrangement is easy to follow.

Five Ideas That Make the Timeline Useful

1. A cut moves the viewer to the next shot

A straight cut changes immediately from one picture to another: hands releasing a rope, followed by the boat moving away.

Most of a sailing film can use straightforward cuts. The interest comes from the pictures and their relationship.

2. Trimming chooses exactly when a shot starts and finishes

Perhaps the camera ran for twenty seconds, but the useful action occupies only five.

Trim away the camera being repositioned, keep enough time to understand the action, then leave when the shot has done its job. These edits normally change which portion of the source appears in the film; they do not shorten the original recording on disk.

A ripple trim also moves later material to close or open space. Watch the rest of the timeline when using it, especially once several tracks are involved.

3. Transitions suggest a relationship

A dissolve briefly overlaps two pictures and can suggest a gentle passage of time. A fade to black can give an ending room to settle.

Neither is needed at every join. Try straight cuts first, then add a transition only where it improves the meaning or feeling. A dissolve needs spare source frames beyond the visible clip edges, so an unsuccessful transition may simply mean there is insufficient footage available.

4. B-roll gives an explanation something to show

B-roll is supporting footage: the sail filling, a hand on the tiller, water passing the hull or a rope being secured.

For example, narration might say:

“Once we were clear of the bank, there was enough breeze to get moving.”

The viewer can see the boat gathering speed while the explanation continues. Supporting pictures can also cover an edit in a spoken piece, provided the edit preserves what the speaker meant.

5. Pacing is the rate at which the experience develops

Short shots can create energy; longer shots allow observation.

But fast cutting is not automatically engaging. If every shot lasts two seconds, viewers may struggle to understand the manoeuvre. If every shot lasts twenty seconds, the sequence may feel repetitive.

Ask: has this shot given the viewer something new, and have they had time to take it in?

Get Editing: Ten Minutes into Two

Step 1: Give the afternoon a simple story

Write one sentence:

“We prepare the boat, get afloat, enjoy the breeze and return ashore.”

Create a project, import your recordings into the Media Pool and organise them into four bins: Preparation, Launching, Sailing and Return.

For a straightforward first exercise, use footage recorded at one frame rate and match the timeline to it. Choose the intended frame rate before building the edit.

Step 2: Find the useful moments

Watch the footage and identify:

• A clear beginning.
• Actions that move the outing forward.
• One particularly engaging sailing moment.
• A satisfying ending.

In the source viewer, mark an In and Out around each useful section and add those selections to the timeline. Leave enough room around actions to refine their timing later.

You are choosing material for a story, rather than trying to rescue every recording.

Step 3: Make the chronological version

Build a two-minute sequence using this suggested allocation:

Section	Duration	What it establishes
Preparation	25 seconds	The boat, people and intention
Launching	25 seconds	The move from shore to water
Sailing	50 seconds	The main experience
Returning ashore	20 seconds	Resolution and a clear finish
Total	120 seconds	A complete short story

These are section lengths containing several shots, rather than instructions to hold four long clips.

Preparation might include a wide view of the boat, a close-up of a fitting and a short shot of the crew getting ready. One clear rope adjustment usually tells us enough; several repetitions probably do not.

Step 4: Duplicate it and open with the action

Keep the chronological timeline and duplicate it as “Sailing — Action Opening”.

Try this alternative:

Film time	Content
0:00–0:08	A strong moment from the sailing section
0:08–0:28	Return to preparation, with “Earlier that afternoon” if needed
0:28–0:48	Launching
0:48–1:40	Sailing, developing towards the featured moment
1:40–2:00	Return ashore and a brief closing thought

The opening creates a question: how did we get here?

It need not feature rough weather or a dramatic incident. A clean tack, an attractive low camera angle or an expressive crew reaction may be enough. Avoid replaying the entire opening later unless the repetition adds something.

Changing the order can improve the introduction while keeping the events understandable and honest.

Step 5: Refine pictures and sound

Remove repeated information and unnecessary gaps. Check that the viewer can follow where the boat is going and what the crew are doing.

Add a few relevant close-ups on V2. If those clips contain unwanted camera sound, mute or lower that sound deliberately.

Let useful natural sound remain: water, a sail filling, a brief exchange between the crew. Keep music beneath speech and listen for sudden changes in volume. Small audio fades can soften abrupt joins.

An optional extra is to let the sound of the next shot begin just before its picture appears. Hearing water before cutting to the river can make the sequence flow naturally.

Step 6: Watch both versions without stopping

Do not adjust anything during this viewing.

Ask someone unfamiliar with the afternoon:

• When did you become interested?
• Was anything confusing?
• Where did your attention wander?
• Did the ending feel complete?

The action opening may work better for a short social film. The chronological version may better explain a launch procedure. Choose according to purpose.

Personal Reflection: The Camera Remembers More Than the Viewer Needs

When I look at sailing footage, I bring my own memory of the afternoon. I know what the wind felt like, why we were waiting and what happened just outside the frame.

The viewer has only the pictures and sound I give them.

That is a useful discipline when editing. A shot can matter to me because I remember taking it, yet contribute little to the film. Sometimes the better decision is to leave it out.

I want the finished sequence to convey something of being afloat, while giving the audience a clear route through the afternoon.

The Same Timeline, Different Rhythms

For an organ recital, preserve the musical performance. Cut between synchronised views of the manuals, pedals and performer while keeping the sound continuous. A sustained phrase may need time to breathe.

For a science video, remove avoidable waiting while retaining the steps needed to understand the experiment. Label sped-up sections or time jumps, and preserve any timing that matters to the result.

For a video podcast, trim repetition and distracting pauses with care. Keep the speaker’s meaning and natural rhythm. A supporting image should help explain the discussion.

The audience’s needs determine the pace.

Why Professional Editing Adds Value

Filming provides the raw material. Editing turns it into something an audience can follow.

For a customer, that can mean a clearer explanation, a stronger opening, more intelligible sound and a film suited to its intended viewers. A two-minute highlight and a complete event recording serve different purposes; both can be valuable.

The value of editing lies in the judgement behind the selection, sequence and timing.

Your Challenge: Make Every Shot Earn Its Place

Take ten minutes of footage and make the two versions.

Keep the originals. Compare the openings. Notice what happens when you remove a repeated action, shorten a hesitant beginning or allow a good moment to last a little longer.

The timeline is where a collection of recordings becomes an experience someone else can share.