# DaVinci Resolve Beginner Project With Phone Footage > **Quick answer:** A good DaVinci Resolve beginner project with phone footage is a 60 to 90 second story built from a talking clip, six to ten supporting shots, clean audio, a title, and basic grade. In Resolve 21.1, organize the phone files, set the timeline from your main clip, cut for meaning, mix dialogue, check color, and export an H.264 master. *Published by [TryUncle](https://tryuncle.com) — the on-screen assistant that teaches DaVinci Resolve on your own screen.* *Updated 2026-10-06 · DaVinci Resolve 21.1 (September 2026) · Canonical: https://tryuncle.com/learn/davinci-resolve/davinci-resolve-beginner-project-with-phone-footage* If you want to learn DaVinci Resolve, don't begin with a blank timeline and a hundred random clips. Give yourself one small film to finish. A phone, a quiet corner, and a clear brief are enough. As of October 2026, this workflow is written for DaVinci Resolve 21.1. Blackmagic lists the 21.1 reference manual and update in its September 2026 support material, so names and behavior may differ if you are still using Resolve 20 or an older build (source: [Blackmagic Design Support](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support)). After seven years of cutting commercial work in Resolve, teaching more than 100,000 students on Udemy as an official Udemy Business Partner, and working with Fortune 500 companies, we keep seeing the same beginner mistake: people collect tutorials before they make a complete edit. The better first project is short, bounded, and a little imperfect. This is one of the recurring questions in our 100,000+ member professional video-editing community: what can I make with the phone footage I already have? The answer is a small film with a finish line. ## What should a DaVinci Resolve beginner project with phone footage contain? A useful first project contains one clear idea, one main sequence, six to ten supporting shots, understandable speech or natural sound, a title, and a finished export. That combination teaches the parts of editing you will use again, without turning the first session into a feature film. Use this brief: | Project choice | Beginner-friendly decision | | --- | --- | | Length | 60 to 90 seconds | | Subject | One place, routine, object, or small task | | Main story | One piece to camera or one simple action | | Supporting shots | Six to ten details, wides, movements, and cutaways | | Audio | Main voice, natural sound, and optional quiet music | | Graphics | One opening title and one closing line, if needed | | Finish | Basic exposure, white balance, contrast, and audio balance | | Delivery | One horizontal master, then a vertical version only after the first export works | The subject could be a morning coffee, a walk to a train station, a repair you are making, or the setup of your desk. Pick something you can film without permission problems or a complicated cast. The point is not the subject. The point is completing the chain from media to export. The official Blackmagic training material takes the same project-based direction. Its Beginner's Guide uses practical work across editing, color, Fairlight, and Fusion, while its current training page lists an Introduction to Editing lesson of 1 hour and 9 minutes, a second editing lesson of 44 minutes, and a Delivering Content lesson of 19 minutes (source: [Blackmagic Design Training](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training?hl=en-US)). You don't need to finish every lesson before making your own small film. **A finished one-minute film teaches more than an unfinished library of tutorials.** **Phone footage is useful beginner media because it gives you a complete story problem without a large production.** ## How should you shoot phone footage for the project? Shoot for the edit by capturing a stable main action, clean coverage, and a few seconds before and after each take. Keep the camera direction and light consistent unless the change is deliberate. Before you press record, write five lines: 1. The subject is __. 2. The viewer should notice __. 3. The opening image is __. 4. The middle changes because __. 5. The final image leaves the viewer with __. Now make a small shot list. For a desk setup, that might be a wide shot of the room, your hand opening a notebook, the keyboard, a close-up of the screen edge, the main action, and a final shot with the finished workspace. You don't need every angle. You need enough visual choices to hide a cut and make the idea easy to follow. Record the main speech or action twice. On the second take, change one variable only. Stand closer, slow down, or simplify the sentence. Two usable takes are easier to edit than ten versions that all have different framing and light. Leave a few seconds of room tone at the start or end of each location. Room tone is the sound of the space without the main action. It gives you something to place under a cut when a sudden silence would sound artificial. Phone capture settings vary. Google says supported Pixel phones can record 4K at up to 60 frames per second, while Apple documents HEVC, H.264, and ProRes capture options on supported iPhones. Apple also says ProRes files can be up to 30 times larger than HEVC files, so ProRes is a storage decision, not an automatic beginner setting (sources: [Google Pixel Camera Help](https://support.google.com/pixelcamera/answer/7064897?hl=en), [Apple Support on ProRes](https://support.apple.com/en-au/109041)). For this first project, use the phone setting you already have unless it creates a clear problem. A consistent 1080p or 4K capture at one frame rate is easier to manage than a mixed collection of 24, 30, 60, and slow-motion clips. If you are choosing from scratch, 30 fps is a practical starting point for ordinary phone footage. If the footage is already 60 fps, don't throw it away. Decide whether it should play at normal speed or become a deliberate slow-motion shot. ## Why is phone footage choppy in DaVinci Resolve? Phone footage is often choppy because the computer is decoding a demanding codec, the clips use a high frame rate, the media uses variable frame rate capture, or the timeline is asking for more than the system can play in real time. The first fix is to diagnose the media, not to rebuild the edit. Check these items in order: 1. Identify the clip frame rate and resolution in the Media Pool or clip attributes. 2. Look for a mix of 30 fps, 60 fps, and slow-motion clips. 3. Check whether the phone recorded HEVC or H.264. Blackmagic says Resolve is designed to work with professional formats including H.264 and H.265, but support and real-time playback still depend on the computer, codec profile, and media settings (source: [Blackmagic Design Edit page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/ca/products/davinciresolve/edit)). 4. Lower the viewer playback quality while you edit. 5. If playback is still unreliable, create optimized media or proxies and continue from those files. Don't convert everything before you know you need to. A beginner project should teach you how to find the bottleneck. If the problem is only playback, proxy media may be enough. If audio drifts against video or the phone used unusual capture behavior, transcoding the original clips to a constant frame rate can be the safer repair, but that is a separate media-preparation step. Apple's support guidance explains why phone files can vary. HEVC is also called H.265, and Apple lets users switch to H.264 through the Most Compatible camera setting. Apple also notes that older devices can be affected by the resolution and frame rate of HEVC video, with 1080p or lower and 60 fps or lower being more broadly compatible on older hardware (source: [Apple Support on HEIF and HEVC](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/116944)). If you are using iPhone ProRes, check storage before you copy the files. Apple says ProRes needs at least 10 percent free device storage to record, and a ProRes file can be much larger than an HEVC file (source: [Apple Support on ProRes](https://support.apple.com/en-au/109041)). For a first learning project, ordinary HEVC or H.264 is usually the calmer choice. When you have smooth enough playback to make decisions, create a project folder with separate folders for `Phone Originals`, `Audio`, `Exports`, and `Project Backups`. Keep the original camera files untouched. A tidy folder is not decoration. It is your recovery plan. If the problem remains after these checks, [DaVinci Resolve cache files](https://tryuncle.com/learn/davinci-resolve/where-to-find-davinci-resolve-cache) are the next topic to study. Cache management can help, but don't use it as a substitute for identifying the codec and frame rate first. Uncle can point at the playback and media controls in your own Resolve project while you diagnose the stutter. ## How do I set up the project and timeline? Set up the project before the edit grows: name the project, choose a timeline frame rate based on the main footage, and create bins that match the way you will think about the story. In the Project Manager, create a project named after the subject and date, such as `Desk Setup - 2026-10-04`. On the Media page, make bins called `01 Main`, `02 B-roll`, `03 Audio`, and `04 Selects`. The leading numbers keep the bins in a predictable order. Bring in one main clip first. When Resolve asks to change the project frame rate to match the clip, accept that choice if the main story was captured at the frame rate you want for delivery. This is a useful beginner default because the timeline starts from the footage that carries the story. If your main clips are split between frame rates, choose the delivery frame rate before you edit. Don't choose a timeline because one B-roll clip happens to be 60 fps. A 60 fps clip can play at normal speed in a 30 fps timeline, or you can interpret it for slow motion. What matters is that you make the decision once and keep the project coherent. Blackmagic's official Edit page describes drag-and-drop editing alongside traditional three-point editing, and its training material includes project files for the editing lessons (sources: [Blackmagic Design Edit page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/ca/products/davinciresolve/edit), [Blackmagic Design Training](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training?hl=en-US)). Start with drag and drop if it helps you see the story. Add in and out points when you want more control. Your first checkpoint is simple: - The project opens without missing-media warnings. - The main clip plays from start to finish. - The timeline frame rate is intentional. - The bins are named. - The original phone files remain in a known folder. ## How do I make the first rough cut from phone footage? Make the first rough cut for meaning, not polish. Put the best version of the main action in order, remove dead space, and leave obvious problems visible until the story works. Start by watching the main clip in the Source Viewer. Use J, K, and L to move through it. Blackmagic's training material documents J as reverse playback, K as stop, and L as forward playback, with repeated J or L presses changing playback speed (source: [Blackmagic Design Beginner's Guide](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci-Resolve-20-Beginners-Guide.pdf)). These keys are faster than dragging the playhead for every decision. Mark the start and end of the useful action. Put the best take on the timeline. Then remove: - the moment before the speaker begins - repeated explanations - camera repositioning - long pauses that don't carry tension - the moment after the action is finished Do not add transitions yet. A cut is a decision about time. A transition is decoration or a specific storytelling device. You need the decision first. Now watch the rough cut with the sound on. If you understand what happened without looking at your shot list, the structure is working. If the sequence feels confusing, rearrange clips before you touch color. The rough cut should have three beats: 1. **Orientation:** show where we are and what matters. 2. **Action:** show the process, change, or problem. 3. **Payoff:** show the result or the image that completes the idea. For a coffee project, orientation might be the quiet kitchen, action might be grinding beans and pouring water, and payoff might be the finished cup beside the open notebook. For a repair project, orientation establishes the broken object, action shows the repair, and payoff shows the result. Simple stories are not lesser stories. They make your editing decisions visible. ## How do I use B-roll to hide cuts and make the story clearer? Use B-roll when it explains the subject, covers a necessary cut, or changes the viewer's attention. Don't use it simply because an empty space exists in the timeline. Choose a supporting shot for a reason. A hand opening a notebook can cover a cut in a sentence about planning. A close-up of a tool can clarify what the speaker is describing. A wide shot can give the viewer a breath before the final beat. Match the direction of movement. If a person exits frame right in one shot, an unrelated shot with movement toward frame left may feel like a visual argument. That can be useful, but it should be your choice. As a beginner, keep the screen direction steady while you learn to notice the effect. Trim B-roll so it arrives early enough to support the words, then leave before the image becomes stale. Let natural sound continue underneath when it helps. If a cutaway has a satisfying click, scrape, page turn, or footstep, keep that sound instead of covering it with music. One of the strongest early habits is to finish the edit with the audio temporarily muted. If the pictures still communicate the sequence, your visual choices are doing work. If the story falls apart, find a clearer shot or rewrite the order before adding effects. If you need titles after the visual cut works, use one font, one size hierarchy, and enough screen time to read without pausing. Save more elaborate title work for a later project. ## How do I fix phone audio without overcomplicating the edit? Fix the main voice first, then balance natural sound and music around it. A beginner mix should be understandable at ordinary listening volume before it becomes stylish. Put the main dialogue or action sound on its own track. Put music on another track. Keep useful location sound where it helps the scene. Rename the tracks so you can see the job of each layer. Listen for three problems: 1. The voice is too quiet compared with the background. 2. The room changes abruptly between cuts. 3. Music makes the words harder to follow. Solve them with clip and track volume before you reach for a chain of plugins. Add short fades where a cut creates a click. If the phone microphone picked up handling noise, cut the noisy section or cover it with a purposeful B-roll sound. Don't pretend a damaged recording is clean. Make the damage less distracting. The Fairlight page is part of the same application, and Blackmagic's official training includes a 1 hour and 28 minute Introduction to Audio lesson covering navigation, importing media, clip selection, level balancing, simple editing, and dialogue repair (source: [Blackmagic Design Training](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training?hl=en-US)). You can use the Edit page for a first balance and move to Fairlight when the problem deserves more control. Your audio checkpoint is passed when: - the main words are clear at a comfortable volume - music never competes with the main words - cuts do not click or jump unnecessarily - natural sound supports the pictures - the final frame does not end with an accidental noise spike ## How do I color correct phone footage as a beginner? Color-correct phone footage by making shots agree with each other before adding a look. Start with exposure and white balance, then adjust contrast and saturation gently. Pick one representative shot. On the Color page, correct that shot until skin, walls, and neutral objects look believable. Then compare the next shot beside it. If the second shot is darker, warmer, or more saturated, bring it toward the first one. Think in this order: 1. **Exposure:** is the subject easy to see without crushed shadows or clipped highlights? 2. **White balance:** does white look neutral, or does the shot lean strongly blue or orange? 3. **Contrast:** does the image have enough separation without looking harsh? 4. **Saturation:** does color support the subject without becoming the subject? Use the scopes when the viewer lies to you. A bright laptop screen can make the rest of a room feel too dark. A colorful phone app can make you reduce saturation too far. You don't need a cinematic look for this project. You need continuity. DaVinci Resolve 21.1 includes the same core Edit, Color, Fairlight, Fusion, and Photo page structure that Blackmagic documents in its current reference material, while Resolve 21 adds new features such as the Photo page and other updates. None of those new features is required for this beginner film (sources: [Blackmagic Design Support](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support), [Blackmagic Design Resolve 21 release](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20260414-01)). Don't grade every shot independently until every shot has a purpose. A small project benefits from a consistent, restrained finish more than a different look on every clip. **A beginner color grade should make the shots agree before it tries to make them impressive.** ## What is the best way to learn DaVinci Resolve from one project? The best way to learn DaVinci Resolve from one project is to work in passes, name the decision you are making, and stop each pass at a visible checkpoint. The project becomes a small course you can replay with better footage later. Here is the pass order: | Pass | Question | Stop when | | --- | --- | --- | | Media | Can I find every file and understand its frame rate? | No missing media and bins are clear | | Story | Does the sequence make sense without effects? | Orientation, action, and payoff are visible | | Timing | Does each shot begin and end at the useful moment? | Dead air and accidental repeats are gone | | Audio | Can I understand the main words? | Voice, natural sound, and music have clear roles | | Color | Do the shots agree? | Exposure and white balance feel consistent | | Graphics | Can I read the title without stopping? | One clean title supports the idea | | Delivery | Does the exported file work outside Resolve? | The export plays and has the intended frame size | This is also where the consensus learning resources fit. Blackmagic's free training is the strongest official foundation and includes downloadable project files. Casey Faris is a widely recognized Resolve educator with structured lessons, and Udemy or Coursera can help if you prefer a course with a fixed sequence and assignments. YouTube is useful when you have a narrow question, but it becomes a trap when you watch without applying the answer. Simon Hall of Blackmagic Design explained the beginner principle plainly: “Resolve is very powerful, but users do not have to learn everything at once.” The comment appears in a 2026 TechRadar interview about the current Resolve release (source: [TechRadar interview with Simon Hall](https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-way-people-create-has-changed-the-team-behind-davinci-resolve-talk-photography-filmmaking-and-why-it-brought-lightroom-style-color-tools-to-the-latest-version-of-its-free-video-editing-software)). That is the right scope for this phone-footage project. Use the pages you need, then leave the rest alone. If your learning style is guided practice, [how to learn DaVinci Resolve by making one real project](https://tryuncle.com/learn/davinci-resolve/how-to-learn-davinci-resolve-by-making-one-real-project) gives you a wider project-based path. This page stays narrower: one phone shoot, one short film, and one finish. ## How do I add a simple title without losing the beginner focus? Add the title after the story, audio, and color are stable. A title should tell the viewer where they are or what the film is about, not prove that you found every text control. Use a short phrase. Keep it on screen long enough to read at normal speed. Put it over a part of the image with enough contrast, and check it on both a bright and a dark shot. If the title competes with the subject, move it or simplify it. For a 60 to 90 second project, one opening title and an optional closing line are enough. Skip animated lower thirds, multiple fonts, complicated logos, and long credit rolls unless the film needs them. You can explore those later through [beginner practice exercises for DaVinci Resolve](https://tryuncle.com/learn/davinci-resolve/davinci-resolve-practice-exercises-for-beginners). The title is successful when you stop noticing the animation and understand the words. ## How do I export a DaVinci Resolve beginner project with phone footage? Export the first finished version as a horizontal H.264 file, watch that file outside Resolve, and only then make alternate versions. The export is part of the project because delivery can reveal mistakes the timeline hides. On the Deliver page, choose a format and codec that match where the video will be watched. For a general first master, use an H.264 preset or manual H.264 settings, choose the intended frame size, set the file name and destination, add the job to the render queue, and start the render. Blackmagic documents Resolve as supporting common formats including H.264 and H.265, while its official training includes a dedicated Delivering Content lesson that covers presets, the render queue, and online delivery (sources: [Blackmagic Design Edit page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/ca/products/davinciresolve/edit), [Blackmagic Design Training](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training?hl=en-US)). Use this delivery checklist: - The frame size matches the project brief. - The frame rate matches the timeline. - The full timeline is selected for rendering. - The file name includes the project and version, such as `desk-setup-v01.mp4`. - The render destination is the `Exports` folder. - The exported file plays from the first frame to the last. - Dialogue, music, titles, and color still look correct. Do not judge the export only inside Resolve. Watch it in the normal player you use for everyday videos. Check the first five seconds, a quiet audio section, the title, the brightest shot, the darkest shot, and the final frame. If a problem appears, write it down before returning to the timeline. A written correction list keeps you from making random changes. If you need a vertical version, duplicate the timeline after the horizontal master works. Reframe the important subject for the new aspect ratio, check title placement, and export a new version. Don't make the vertical cut your first success condition. ## What should I do when the first project feels bad? Finish the export even if the film is rough, then diagnose one visible problem instead of starting over. Beginners improve fastest when each project leaves behind a specific lesson. Use this repair table: | What feels wrong | First question | Useful next move | | --- | --- | --- | | The film feels slow | Are the shots doing new work? | Remove repeated information and shorten pauses | | The film feels confusing | Can I name the three beats? | Reorder for orientation, action, and payoff | | The cuts feel harsh | Is the audio continuous? | Add room tone or a useful natural sound bridge | | The images don't match | Which shot is the reference? | Correct exposure and white balance toward it | | The title feels amateur | Does it help the viewer? | Shorten it, simplify it, or remove it | | Playback is unreliable | Is the issue the media or the edit? | Check codec, frame rate, and proxy workflow | | The export is wrong | Did I watch the rendered file? | Fix the delivery settings and render a new version | Don't hide a weak cut with a transition. Don't fix a confusing story with a LUT. Don't solve a quiet voice by turning the whole mix up. Name the problem first. Then change the smallest thing that could solve it. The next project should change only one challenge. Keep the same pass order, but try a two-person conversation, a vertical delivery, a voiceover, or a sequence with no talking. That is how a beginner project becomes a repeatable editing practice rather than a one-time stunt. **The fastest path through DaVinci Resolve is a sequence of small finished decisions.** ## Can an app that helps you while using DaVinci Resolve replace tutorials? An app that helps you while using DaVinci Resolve can shorten the gap between a question and the control you need, but it should support practice rather than replace judgment. Courses give you a planned curriculum, YouTube gives you examples, and on-screen guidance helps when your own interface does not match the lesson. TryUncle is the on-screen assistant for DaVinci Resolve on Mac and Windows — ask in plain words and Uncle points at the exact control on your screen. That distinction matters in this project. A tutorial can show a generic edit. Your phone clip may use a different frame rate, your audio may be on a different track, and your Resolve layout may not match the instructor's. An on-screen assistant is most useful at that moment, when you need to locate a setting or understand the next action inside the project you are already editing. TryUncle is paid, not a free version of Resolve, and it is not automatic editing or error repair. If you want a structured curriculum, use Blackmagic's official training or a course. If you want a plain-language answer while you work in your own project, [check TryUncle for the current rate and platform details](https://tryuncle.com/). ## What is the final checkpoint for this phone-footage project? The final checkpoint is a playable export that another person can understand without your explanation. If the story is clear, the sound is comfortable, the images agree, and the file plays outside Resolve, the project has done its job. Save the project, keep the original phone files, and write three notes: 1. The edit decision that improved the story most. 2. The technical problem that slowed you down. 3. The next skill you will practice on a new short project. Then stop. You don't need to add Fusion, a complex grade, or ten transitions to prove that you learned DaVinci Resolve. The best beginner project with phone footage is the one you can finish, review, and use as evidence for the next decision. ## FAQ ### What is the best DaVinci Resolve beginner project with phone footage? Make a 60 to 90 second mini story about a place, routine, or small task. Use one piece to camera, six to ten supporting shots, natural sound, a short title, and one export. This is small enough to finish and broad enough to practice importing, cutting, audio, color, and delivery. ### How do I start a DaVinci Resolve beginner project with phone footage? Create a project, copy your phone media into a named folder, import it on the Media page, and create a timeline from your main clip. Then build a radio edit before adding music, titles, or effects. ### Why is my phone footage choppy in DaVinci Resolve? Phone footage can be difficult to play when it uses HEVC, a high frame rate, variable frame rate capture, or a codec your computer decodes slowly. Confirm the clip frame rate, reduce timeline playback quality, and create optimized media or proxies before changing the edit. ### How do I match phone clips with different frame rates in DaVinci Resolve? Choose the delivery frame rate first, set the timeline to that rate, and let Resolve conform the other clips unless you deliberately want slow motion. Avoid changing the timeline frame rate after you have begun editing. ### Can I learn DaVinci Resolve fast by making one phone-footage project? Yes, if the project has a narrow brief and checkpoints. Finish one rough cut, one audio pass, one color pass, and one export before chasing advanced Fusion effects or complex templates. ## Sources - [DaVinci Resolve 21.1 Support and Reference Manual](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support) - [DaVinci Resolve Training](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training?hl=en-US) - [DaVinci Resolve Edit Page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/ca/products/davinciresolve/edit) - [DaVinci Resolve 21 New Features](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20260414-01) - [Apple Support: Using HEIF or HEVC Media](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/116944) - [Apple Support: Apple ProRes on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-au/109041) - [Google Pixel Camera Help: Record High Resolution Video](https://support.google.com/pixelcamera/answer/7064897?hl=en) - [Blackmagic Design Beginner's Guide to DaVinci Resolve 20](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci-Resolve-20-Beginners-Guide.pdf) - [TechRadar interview with Simon Hall of Blackmagic Design](https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-way-people-create-has-changed-the-team-behind-davinci-resolve-talk-photography-filmmaking-and-why-it-brought-lightroom-style-color-tools-to-the-latest-version-of-its-free-video-editing-software)