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How to Quickly Change Video Aspect Ratio in DaVinci Resolve: A Step-By-Step Guide

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Read Time: 5 min
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What You'll Be Creating

Ever wondered "how to change aspect ratio in Resolve?" DaVinci Resolve offers a wide array of post-production capabilities. One of which is the ability to change the video aspect ratio easily. This tutorial will guide you through the process. This will be your go-to guide whenever you need to change aspect ratio in DaVinci Resolve. 

Step 1: Open Your Project

To start, open DaVinci Resolve and navigate to the project you're working on. Having a clear view of your timeline is crucial when learning how to change DaVinci Resolve aspect ratio.

Image displaying poor aspect ratio for How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio TutorialImage displaying poor aspect ratio for How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio TutorialImage displaying poor aspect ratio for How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Tutorial
Image displaying poor aspect ratio for How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Tutorial

Step 2: Select Your Media

From your existing timeline, select the media file you want to manipulate. For this example the video I initially imported is horizontally oriented. But imagine you want to change the video aspect ratio to vertical. 

As you can see the media I've important does not currently have the proper aspect ratio for the video settings I currently have. There is a black space above and below the image, and it is very small. Now let's quickly change the video aspect ratio using Davinci Resolve's Inspector Tool.

Start by clicking on the media in the timeline.

First, select your media. This will prepare you for the next step in our guide on "Davinci Resolve how to change aspect ratio."

User clicking on timeline to begin to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci ResolveUser clicking on timeline to begin to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci ResolveUser clicking on timeline to begin to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve
User clicking on timeline to begin to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve

Step 3: Use the Inspector Panel

After selecting your media in your timeline, you need to open the Inspector Panel. To do this, select the Inspector Panel on the upper right side of your screen. Understanding this panel is an important part of learning how to change aspect ratio in Resolve.

User clicking on Inspector tab to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci ResolveUser clicking on Inspector tab to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci ResolveUser clicking on Inspector tab to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve
User clicking on Inspector tab to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve

Step 4: Adjust the Zoom

In the Inspector Panel, find the Zoom control. This is where you can adjust the zoom settings. We'll start by changing the Y-axis of your video to change the aspect ratio. You'll be changing this value to vertically fill your screen. Try increasing it to around 3.1; this should suffice for most situations when you want to change aspect ratio Davinci Resolve style.

User taking  the next step to Change Aspect Ratio in Davinci Resolve by adjusting the Y-axis settings to adjust zoom.User taking  the next step to Change Aspect Ratio in Davinci Resolve by adjusting the Y-axis settings to adjust zoom.User taking  the next step to Change Aspect Ratio in Davinci Resolve by adjusting the Y-axis settings to adjust zoom.

User taking the next step to Change Aspect Ratio in DaVinci Resolve by adjusting the Y-axis settings to adjust zoom.

And that's it. You've successfully changed the aspect ratio of a single clip. Now, what if you have several clips that you want to change?

Step 5: Adjust Multiple Clips

Now, you might wonder, "What if I need to change the aspect ratio of multiple clips?" No worries, we've got you covered in our guide on "how to change DaVinci Resolve aspect ratio". Instead of individually adjusting each clip, there's a more efficient solution.

Let's start over. Assume you haven't made any changes and you are preparing your workspace for the import of clips. Start by scrolling down to your Media Pool, right-click on your timeline, then click on your 'Timeline Settings' option.

User adjusting timeline settings in Davinci Resolve for article on How to Change Aspect RatioUser adjusting timeline settings in Davinci Resolve for article on How to Change Aspect RatioUser adjusting timeline settings in Davinci Resolve for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio

User adjusting timeline settings in DaVinci Resolve for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio.

Here, uncheck the "Use Project Settings" box.  This will allow you to customize the default settings for this project.

User unchecking box for 'Use Project Settings' for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio in ResolveUser unchecking box for 'Use Project Settings' for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio in ResolveUser unchecking box for 'Use Project Settings' for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio in Resolve

User unchecking box for 'Use Project Settings' for article on How to Change Aspect Ratio in Resolve.

Step 6: Adjust Mismatch Resolution

In the Mismatch Resolution section, click on the dropbox and select "Scale Full Frame with Crop".

User attempting to Change Video Aspect Ratio by clicking on 'scale full frame with crop' dropdown option.User attempting to Change Video Aspect Ratio by clicking on 'scale full frame with crop' dropdown option.User attempting to Change Video Aspect Ratio by clicking on 'scale full frame with crop' dropdown option.

User attempting to Change Video Aspect Ratio by clicking on 'scale full frame with crop' dropdown option.

tip
Following this step is crucial in knowing how to change aspect ratio in Resolve for multiple clips at once.

Step 7: Adjust the Output Section

Proceed to the output section of the menu, by clicking on 'Output'.

User takes the next step to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve by clicking on output buttonUser takes the next step to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve by clicking on output buttonUser takes the next step to Change Aspect Ratio Davinci Resolve by clicking on output button

User takes the next step to Change Aspect Ratio DaVinci Resolve by clicking on output button.

In a similar fashion as before, select "Scale Full Frame with Crop". This step ensures that DaVinci Resolve will automatically zoom every clip in your timeline vertically.

User clicking 'Scale Full-frame with Crop", to continue on How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Guide.User clicking 'Scale Full-frame with Crop", to continue on How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Guide.User clicking 'Scale Full-frame with Crop", to continue on How to Change Davinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Guide.

User clicking 'Scale Full-frame with Crop", to continue on How to Change DaVinci Resolve Aspect Ratio Guide.

After making the necessary changes, click the 'OK' button. 

User clicks Ok to close menu and proceed with Davinci Resolve article on How to Change Aspect RatioUser clicks Ok to close menu and proceed with Davinci Resolve article on How to Change Aspect RatioUser clicks Ok to close menu and proceed with Davinci Resolve article on How to Change Aspect Ratio

User clicks Ok to close menu and proceed with DaVinci Resolve article on How to Change Aspect Ratio

Step 8: Change the Clip Position

Now that DaVinci Resolve has zoomed every clip in your timeline, you may need to reposition some clips for a better view. Change the position of the clips as required by accessing the position option in the Inspector section to your desired results. 

User clicking Change position box to adjust the position to complete the tutorial on How to Change Aspect Ratio in ResolveUser clicking Change position box to adjust the position to complete the tutorial on How to Change Aspect Ratio in ResolveUser clicking Change position box to adjust the position to complete the tutorial on How to Change Aspect Ratio in Resolve

User clicking Change position box to adjust the position to complete the tutorial on How to Change Aspect Ratio in Resolve.

And there you go! You've successfully changed the video aspect ratio in DaVinci Resolve for multiple clips!

Step 9: Render Your Project

After you've made all your adjustments, it's time to render your project. To do this click on Deliver at the bottom right-hand corner.

User performs one of the last steps for this guide on how to Change Video Aspect Ratio using Davinci by clicking on Deliver.User performs one of the last steps for this guide on how to Change Video Aspect Ratio using Davinci by clicking on Deliver.User performs one of the last steps for this guide on how to Change Video Aspect Ratio using Davinci by clicking on Deliver.

User performs one of the last steps for this guide on how to Change Video Aspect Ratio using DaVinci by clicking on Deliver.

Once rendering is complete, you're good to go. You've now learned the easy steps on "DaVinci Resolve how to change aspect ratio".

With this tutorial, you should now feel comfortable whenever you need to change the video aspect ratio. It's a common requirement in video editing. Thankfully, DaVinci Resolve makes the process straightforward and efficient. Practice these steps, and soon you'll be adjusting aspect ratios like a pro!

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