Learn to colour correct like a pro with our free course DaVinci Resolve Colour Grading for Beginners. You'll learn how to use each important tool in Resolve, including how to set up your project using scene cut detection, how to get clean skin tones with noise reduction and how to create cinematic looks.
In this lesson I'll show you the best way to deliver your finished DaVinci Resolve colour grade to your editor.
How to Deliver Your Grade to the Editor from DaVinci Resolve
You've finished your colour grade, and now you need to send it to your editor, so let's take a look at the best way to do that.
The Deliver Tab
Choose a Codec
You'll need to be in the Deliver tab, bottom right, and you'll see a screen very similar to the one you've been editing on, but with extra options at the side.
This project was sent in ProRes 444 because this was shot in 10 bit. If this was shot in 8 bit, we could have done 422, that's totally fine. Sending it back to the editor I generally send it to them the same way that they provided it to me. You can probably get away with sending it back at 422 here, just to make the clip a little smaller, but for now, we'll do it at 444.
Choose ProRes Master and then drop down Format to select 444, and then everything else will be fine: you've got 25 frames per second, and 1920 by 1080. You can choose Use Constant Bit Rate and you'll get a chunkier file but also a more consistent render for the editor to be able to take it back into Premiere, drop it into their timeline, and then re render it out. The higher the quality going back to them, the better.
Save Your File
Once you're happy, you can hit Browse to choose where to save your file.
Add to Render Queue
Next, in the bottom left select Add to Render Queue and you'll see it appear in the top right. When you're ready, you can choose Render All to set off whatever is in the queue. How quickly your project renders will depend on how large it is.
And that's it, we've done our colour grade! If you've watched along, or if you've clicked along and played with your own footage while you've been watching this, you're now a colourist.
More DaVinci Resolve Resources
DaVinci Resolve 18 Beginners' Quick-Start Tutorial Guide (30 minutes)
15 Top Transition Templates for DaVinci Resolve (3 Free)
10 Top Wedding Title Templates for DaVinci Resolve
How to Export Premiere Pro Projects to DaVinci Resolve for Colour Grading
About the Authors
Tom Graham created the video course that includes this lesson. Tom is a multi-skilled content creator with a background in commercial filmmaking. Marie Gardiner wrote the text version of this lesson.
