The Complete Guide to Changing Frame Rate in DaVinci Resolve

Frame rate is one of the most important settings in all of video production. It has a profound effect on the look, feel, and technical performance of any video project. For video editors, understanding how to choose and manipulate frame rates is an essential skill.

Industry-leading editing platforms like DaVinci Resolve give you complete control over frame rates. You can dial in the exact frame rate you need for any task. But all those options can be overwhelming if you don‘t know how and when to use them.

In this ultimate guide, we‘ll demystify frame rates and show you how to use them like a pro in DaVinci Resolve. We‘ll cover both the creative reasoning and the technical steps involved. Whether you‘re a beginner or a battle-tested editing veteran, you‘ll gain new insights on harnessing the power of frame rates.

Frame Rate Basics: The Technical and Creative Implications

Before diving into the how-to details, let‘s define what exactly frame rate is and how it works. Frame rate refers to the number of individual still images that make up each second of video. It‘s measured in frames per second, or fps.

The most common frame rates are:

• 24fps: The standard for movies and TV dramas
• 25fps: Used for PAL broadcast in Europe and most of Asia
• 30fps: The standard for NTSC broadcast in North America and Japan (actually 29.97fps)
• 50fps and 60fps: Used for sports, video games, and creating slow-motion effects

But frame rate is about more than just the number of frames recorded. It‘s the key factor that determines how motion is represented on screen. And that comes down to the relationship between frame rate and shutter speed.

Shutter speed (or shutter angle) controls how long each individual frame is exposed. The longer the exposure, the more motion blur is captured in each frame. Conversely, a faster shutter freezes motion more crisply.

Most cameras use a 180-degree shutter angle by default. This means the shutter is open for half of each frame duration. So at 24fps, the shutter is open for 1/48 of a second. At 60fps, it‘s 1/120.

This consistent motion blur is what allows our brains to perceive the series of still frames as fluid movement. The "film look" comes from a combination of a slower frame rate (24fps) and a 180-degree shutter. This allows more motion blur in each frame compared to higher frame rates.

So as an editor, your choice of frame rate is really a creative choice of how you want motion to look and feel. Do you want the dreamy, slightly soft motion of 24fps? The crisp realism of 60fps? Or something in between? That‘s where mastering frame rates in your editing software comes in.

Setting and Changing Frame Rates in DaVinci Resolve

Resolve makes it easy to start every project at your desired frame rate. You set it once when creating the project and it becomes the default for every timeline you create.

To choose your project frame rate:

1. Open the Project Settings window
2. Go to Master Settings
3. Click the "Timeline frame rate" dropdown menu
4. Choose your desired frame rate
5. Click "Save"

Resolve supports all the standard frame rates like 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 fps. It can also handle more unusual frame rates for special use cases.

Keep in mind that your project frame rate should typically match the frame rate that the majority of your footage was recorded at. Using mismatched frame rates can cause issues like choppy motion and distracting artifacts.

But what if you need to use multiple frame rates in the same project? That‘s where Resolve‘s timeline-specific settings come in handy.

You can create different timelines within the same project, each with their own unique frame rate setting. This allows you to work with multiple frame rates simultaneously and output separate deliverables from the same project.

To change the frame rate of a specific timeline:

1. Open the Media Pool
2. Right-click in an empty area and choose "Timelines" > "Create New Timeline"
3. Uncheck the "Use Project Settings" box
4. Go to the "Format" options and choose your desired "Timeline frame rate"
5. Click "Create"

Now you have a new timeline that uses a different frame rate than your default project setting. You can edit and render it separately.

If you need to change the frame rate of an existing timeline, the process is slightly trickier. Changing it directly will cause your existing edits to be interpreted differently, likely changing the motion in unwanted ways.

The safer method is to create a duplicate of your timeline at a new frame rate:

1. Right-click your timeline in the Media Pool
2. Choose "Create Timeline Using Current Settings"
3. Go to the "Format" options
4. Choose your new "Timeline frame rate"
5. Give the timeline a new name to differentiate it
6. Click "Create"

Now you can copy and paste your edits from the original timeline into the new one. The clips will be automatically conformed to the new frame rate. This method ensures your footage is interpreted as closely as possible to the original motion.

Choosing the Right Frame Rate for Any Project

Now that you know how to technically change frame rates in Resolve, let‘s look at some tips for choosing the right frame rate to begin with.

As we covered earlier, frame rate is ultimately a creative choice. But there are also practical considerations around post-production workflow, file size, and deliverables.

Here are some general guidelines for the most common use cases:

• Narrative filmmaking: 24fps. Stick with the classic cinematic look unless you have a specific creative reason to deviate.

• Broadcast television: 25fps for PAL regions, 29.97fps for NTSC regions. Make sure to confirm the exact spec with your broadcaster.

• Live events and sports: 50fps or 59.94fps. Higher frame rates will give you smoother motion and the ability to apply slow-motion effects in post.

• Online video (YouTube, Vimeo): 24fps or 30fps. Either of the most common frame rates are a safe bet for general online viewing. 24fps if you want a cinematic look, 30fps if you prefer smoother motion.

• Video games and screen capture: 60fps. Higher frame rates will preserve the smooth motion of gameplay and reduce stuttering effects.

• VFX and compositing: Match the frame rate of your live action plates. Visual effects should be rendered at the same frame rate as the footage they‘ll be combined with to avoid strange motion mismatches.

In general, the best practice is to choose a single frame rate for all footage in a given project. Mixing frame rates can lead to complications and should only be done intentionally for specific effects.

It‘s also important to consider your total project length and available storage space. Higher frame rates produce larger file sizes. A one-minute clip at 60fps will have 2.5x the data of the same clip at 24fps. Over the course of a large project, those file sizes can really add up.

Here‘s a quick comparison of the relative data rates of common frame rates:

Frame Rate	Data Rate (Mbps)	Relative Size
24	65.7	1x
30	81.6	1.2x
60	164.3	2.5x

The actual data rates will vary based on your codec and resolution. But in general, expect file sizes to increase linearly with frame rate. Make sure you factor this into your storage planning and post-production pipeline.

Advanced Frame Rate Techniques in Resolve

Once you‘ve got a handle on the basic concepts of frame rates, Resolve offers some powerful tools for more advanced frame rate workflows.

One common technique is using a higher frame rate for slow motion. By capturing footage at 60fps or higher, you can conform it to a 24fps or 30fps timeline to create a smooth slow-motion effect. Resolve makes this process easy.

To conform high frame rate footage for smooth slow motion:

1. Change the clip‘s attributes in the Media Pool
2. Modify the "Frame Rate" setting to your timeline frame rate (e.g. from 60 to 24)
3. Ensure the "Retime process" is set to "Optical Flow"

The optical flow setting will create new frames to smoothly blend the motion. You can make further speed adjustments as needed in the Edit page.

Another advanced use of frame rates is for mixing different types of footage in multi-cam projects. It‘s common to have a mix of frame rates from different cameras in live event production.

To combine mixed frame rate footage in a multi-cam edit:

1. Create a new multi-cam clip in the Media Pool
2. Select all of your mixed frame rate angles
3. Right-click and choose "Make New Multi-cam Clip"
4. Select "Use frame rates from clips"

Resolve will conform each angle to the frame rate of your timeline. You can then edit the multi-cam clip as normal, cutting between angles without worrying about mismatched motion.

Some newer cameras also offer special variable frame rate recording. This allows the frame rate to change dynamically during a shot, often to create a ramping slow-motion effect.

To work with variable frame rate footage in Resolve:

1. Change the clip‘s attributes in the Media Pool
2. Modify the "Frame rate" setting to your timeline frame rate
3. Set the "Retime process" to "Optical Flow"

The optical flow processing will ensure the motion remains smooth through the frame rate ramps. You can further adjust the speed points in the Edit page if needed.

Conclusion

Frame rates are a fundamental concept in filmmaking and video production. As an editor, understanding how to choose and manipulate them is key to achieving your desired look and feel.

DaVinci Resolve offers a robust set of controls for working with frame rates. You can dial in your frame rate on a project level, on a timeline level, and even on individual clips.

As you‘ve seen in this guide, the "right" frame rate is a mix of creative intention and practical considerations. Genre, deliverable requirements, file size, and post-production workflow all factor in.

For most projects, your best bet is to pick a single frame rate and capture everything using that setting. 24fps for a cinematic look. 30fps for smoother motion. 60fps for crisp action or slow-motion flexibility. Then conform everything to that frame rate in your editing timeline.

In cases where you need mixed frame rates, Resolve offers advanced tools like multi-cam auto-conforming and optical flow processing. These allow you to combine just about any footage into a single seamless edit.

As you explore frame rates further, you‘ll develop an intuitive sense for the motion cadence of each setting. You‘ll start to "see" the difference between 24fps and 30fps just by looking. You‘ll know how different frame rates will impact your post workflow.

Whenever you‘re in doubt, don‘t be afraid to do tests. Shoot some sample footage at a few different frame rates. Edit them together and see what feels right for your story.

As renowned editor Walter Murch once said, "The tools are there to be used, but the art is outside of that." Frame rate is ultimately a tool in service of your creative vision.

With the technical knowledge from this guide in hand, you‘re well on your way to mastering the art of frame rates in DaVinci Resolve. Get out there and experiment. Your audience will feel the difference.