Stop the lag in Davinci Resolve 18 for beginners

Updated - • Make DaVinci Resolve R...
We've all fought lag with video editing. But I'm going to show you the multiple ways I've reduced lag to have a smooth playback when using Davinci Resolve.
Embark on a journey to seamless video editing with DaVinci Resolve as I guide you through the essential settings to enhance your playback experience. Whether you're new to the platform or facing playback issues, this step-by-step tutorial has you covered.
Project Settings:
Begin your editing adventure by clicking on the gear icon in the bottom right corner upon launching DaVinci Resolve. Explore the timeline format, focusing on video monitoring settings. Opt for a lower resolution like 720p and adjust frame rates to ensure smoother playback.
Optimized Media and Render Cache:
Dive into the realm of optimized media and render cache to elevate your editing speed. Learn to create proxies or optimized media for complex formats, enhancing the system's ability to decode videos efficiently. Uncover the secrets of proxy media resolution and format selection, tailoring them to your system's specifications.
Working Folders:
Discover the importance of designated folders for proxy generation, cache files, and gallery stills. Streamline your workflow by understanding where DaVinci Resolve stores essential project elements.
Preferences Configuration:
Navigate to DaVinci Resolve preferences and delve into memory and GPU settings. Uncover the nuances of GPU processing mode, memory configuration, and decode options to optimize hardware acceleration for smoother editing.
User Interface and Playback Settings:
Tweak user interface settings for a personalized editing experience. Enhance playback by hiding UI overlays, minimizing interface updates, and activating performance mode. Learn the art of smart cache handling and timeline proxy resolution adjustments.
Fusion Memory Cache:
Uncover the magic of Fusion memory cache to preload portions of your video, ensuring real-time responsiveness. Master the art of adjusting settings for a more tailored editing experience.
Render Cache in Action:
Witness the power of render caching as I guide you through the process. Understand the visual cues of caching status and leverage it to achieve smoother playback, even with complex edits.
Node Caching in Color Editor:
Unearth advanced techniques by caching individual nodes in the color editor. Gain control over your workflow by selectively caching elements, reducing the need for constant recaching during edits.
Optimizing DaVinci Resolve:
Conclude the tutorial by optimizing DaVinci Resolve for an enhanced editing experience. Explore ways to bypass unnecessary elements, such as color or effects, to focus on specific aspects of your project.
Embark on this journey to optimize DaVinci Resolve, ensuring a fluid and enjoyable video editing experience. Unleash the full potential of your editing prowess with these essential settings and techniques. Happy editing! 🚀🎥

[@cinnamontography94]

Updated Video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaM

[@Mordarim]

For anyone thats going to find this video in the future. Lowering the render cache format to from uncompressed to something else will introduce lag and sound popping into the playback when deleting and editing clips.

[@Maaadz06]

Was struggling to edit efficiently with all the lag. That was until I saw this. Thanks a lot!

[@cinnamontography94]

Glad I could help!

[@itzwolfie6251]

So far using your guide or step by step guide thru. I saw a better difference in my computer including some other videos. I would say yours helped the most

[@cinnamontography94]

That makes me so happy to hear!!

[@GlitchmanVGM]

Fantastic video! I'll be trying all these tips one by one so I can get a better and smoother editing experience! 😃

[@dom_chvala]

U saved my life, 5 days of struggling in DaVinci is over :D Thanks! :D

[@cinnamontography94]

You're welcome!

[@MODERNAGECREATIONS]

Great video. I just learned in another video when you create the proxy media option in reformats the video in very low quality. But some of your tips def helped. keep up the great work

[@cinnamontography94]

Yes, the new proxy option is one that I will be diving into. Glad you found some more help from the video, it means a lot!

[@tonyris4621]

Oh man this saved my ass after the 18.6 update - cheers!!

[@cinnamontography94]

Glad it could help! If you run into any more issues, I made an updated video with more tips - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaM

[@Welshmanshots]

just by dropping the video monitoring down to 720p has helped the timeline not freeze, thanks, man.

[@cinnamontography94]

So glad it did! You're welcome!

[@jdizz760]

Does it affect the actual video quality

[@atorius]

Tried this but it ruined my audio. Had to switch back

[@nobodygnomes]

@@jdizz760it does not

[@gamexgrid]

I’ve tried these and all the other fixes that you can find across KZbin but nothing worked. I finally gave up for a while and jumped back into davinci and…VOILA. Smooth playback and operation. I couldn’t possibly tell you what it was that finally fixed the issues but I’m thrilled. 😂

[@cinnamontography94]

I'm so glad to hear that! This was one of the main issues I had faced in DaVinci, I wish they made it a more clear workflow for everyone new to it lol.

[@jorgef132]

thank you for this video! you are completely underrated!!

[@cinnamontography94]

I really appreciate that! Thank you so much, glad I could help!

[@cameronpatrickscott]

Great walkthru bro thankyou

[@user-zg3jt3if6l]

I think the only difference between proxy and optimized media is that you make proxy's if you need to share them. If not then just generate optimized media. But thanks great video, helped me out big time.

[@glenkainamashowreel9119]

the one that explained very detail, thanks for the info, subscribed

[@cinnamontography94]

Awesome, thank you!

[@JAHLife]

@cinnamontography another tip I have found on page 161 of Beginners Guide Lessons - the online DaVinci Resolve tutorials - "TIP You can switch back to the Keyframes Editor and hide the video scopes when the scopes aren’t needed to free up your graphics card’s processor and improve playback performance." Hope this helps someone else as well. Cheers my friends.

[@justmewwwww]

This one really helped . Good Job

[@cinnamontography94]

Thank you!

[@txking4321]

Great job well done.

[@cinnamontography94]

Thank you!

[@MichaelKobrin]

Great video!

[@cinnamontography94]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it Michael!

[@Abshyp1]

Anecdote for future viewers: Under video monitoring, I changed the video format to 720p24, which automatically changed the timeline playback frame rate to 24, even though the source is at 60 fps. The timeline played at about half speed for a few minutes until I figured out the problem; I just had to change the playback frame rate back to 60. Hopefully this helps any fellow noobs

[@DEKOproducties]

At Decode Options I do not have the option to turn on Decode h264/h265 using hardware acceleration. It's just not there. And I really need this because I did use a GoPro HERO11. What to do now? Please help!

[@thepro5926]

That was a perfect video for me,,thanks bro @❤️ from 🇮🇳

[@cinnamontography94]

Glad it helped!!! 🙌

[@thepro5926]

@@cinnamontography94 yup!😋👍

[@noteventanner9033]

my timeline is blue but the audio playback is really choppy, I've added some VST plugins in the Fairlight section.. any tips ? Never had issues with resolve until I started adding audio plugins

[@VedangRaul]

Helpful video! When you export will they eport at full resolution or the low resolution we set in the settings?

[@cinnamontography94]

Thank you! The export is set based on the Output settings you have for the timeline, so the monitor resolution won't be what is used when exporting.

[@Kituh.]

My man u are a goat.

[@cinnamontography94]

Bahhhh, Bahhhh. Thanks! Lol

[@liamriedmuller]

does turning down all of these things make the final exported project lower resolution ?

[@dariusroyer]

Made the first 3 changes and it keeps freezing up the program instead of applying the changes. Any help?

[@joeybailey9628]

my timeline runs smoothly with proxies but the moment i add an adjustment clip with effects on it lags / freezes whole timeline ? any idea how to fix?

[@mem5922]

wish I could have watched this video. Had too give up after a few minutes because the Resolve screens were too small to follow the menus even though I was watching in full screen mode. What resolution did you record this at?? Mine is 2560 x1440 and have no problem watching other YT vids.

[@cinnamontography94]

Thanks for the feedback, I will be zooming in for my next tutorials. I record at my screens native resolution of 2k.

[@taetomontana]

Thank you

[@cinnamontography94]

You're welcome

[@AkirakiraLaSandilla]

thank you very mutch

[@cinnamontography94]

Glad it helped!

[@KANCIAPAGAMINGROOM]

If I'm right at 6:07 you says we should use decode H.264/H.265 but I use free version of DaVinci resolve and I guess because of that I do not have those options avaibile? (Da Vinci Resolve 18)

[@cinnamontography94]

Yes, on the free version you don't have the ability to use GPU acceleration for decoding. I will be making a video on the differences between the free and paid versions.

[@user-zr8lk2kh9q]

I recently downloaded DaVinci resolve and noticed it's been really laggy when editing gameplay videos or any other videos. I did some tweaks to it to try and stop the lag but it still lags all the time, I looked up videos on KZbin and a bunch more and no matter what if I try and edit a Minecraft video it lags a lot, I've got a pretty decent pc so I don't know why it's lagging this bad, pleases help.

[@cinnamontography94]

Making proxies and lowering the resolution of the playback preview window have always been the best solutions for me. Keeping other apps closed while editing will also help with performance. One thing that may be a factor is if you are using the free version, they only let you use 1 GPU if your system has more than 1.

[@KANCIAPAGAMINGROOM]

Could you do a video about export? After I export my video and then watch it in VLC sometimes I see the tearing of image. Also when I watch it the same exported video for example in default windows video player I don't see any image tearing. I wonder if I do something wrong with export or the VLC just working wierdo?

[@cinnamontography94]

I will make one over that. There are a bunch of factors that play in export settings and I will do my best to cover them. VLC could be a problem. The only time I ever experienced image tearing was on a laptop with a gpu that went bad. Hopefully it could just be a update in VLC that would fix it. One possibility could be a different frame rate from the footage than that of your exported video.

[@KANCIAPAGAMINGROOM]

@@cinnamontography94 I use a free version of DaVinci so I can not export in the other framerate that the original video. Also my PC i pretty good i5 9600k and RTX 3060 Zotac 12 GB plus 16GB DDR4 2666. I know maybe that's not a top machine but imo it's still good enought to editing/gaming/streamin.

[@OllieTudor]

I don't have the option to generate proxy media, only to generate optimised media - is this because i am using the free version ?

[@thewayofoneness]

you need to be in edit mode and not cut mode

[@txking4321]

What happens to the generated optimized media after you finalize it?

[@cinnamontography94]

They are stored in the location that you have set for your cache files in the project settings.

[@Eyzinc]

Hey i dont see the decode H.264/H.265 using hardware accelaration option in the decode seetings and I got a rtx 4080

[@DEKOproducties]

Me neither. I think It's only for the paid version. Which sucks! Why don't they tell us this in the beginning?!

[@cinnamontography94]

Trust me, I've tried looking for a side by side of what you get and don't get with the free and paid version, but there is no list for every single feature. Only way I could find out is have 2 separate computers with one version installed on each to test.

[@ShahggTF2]

How much RAM is recommended? I have 16 GB and even if I try to limit DaVinci Resolve's usage it still automatically uses all of my ram from just starting, I cannot even playback the video or it crashes. I tried everything in this video and restarted the program and all changes took effect. I have 16 GB of DDR4, Ryzen 5 3600 and a AMD 5700 XT, is my system too weak to use this program? I used to use DaVinci 17 and that worked fine but 18 seems to not want to function. EDIT: I found the solution to my issue! If you're using AMD make sure you're not on 23.4.2 or similar driver versions, these versions cause DaVinci to leak all of your VRAM for some reason, downgrading to 23.4.1 or updating to in my case 23.5.2 should fix the issue. Hope this helps anyone if they have a similar issue.

[@cinnamontography94]

It should be able to handle it. that is very weird that you're getting that bad of playback. This isn't your exact specs, but I found a benchmark for DaVinci 18.5 from a computer similar to yours here - benchmarks.pugetsystems.com/benchmarks/view.php?id=140948 Mine benchmarks about double at 2720. But I'm running a 12900kf, 128gb DDR5 and an RTX 3090. From the looks of hardware recommendations (Puget makes custom PCs and I am not sponsored) anything over 8gb of ram should be enough. So I'm thinking it could be your gpu. Here is more info for their hardware recommendations for DaVinci - www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/davinci-resolve/hardware-recommendations/ I really hope this helps!

[@ShahggTF2]

@@cinnamontography94 After trying it again today, I noticed that DaVinci for some reason literally uses none of my GPU whatsoever, so as you mentioned this is likely a GPU issue considering all of the other issues I have with this card. I appreciate you trying to help and responding to my comment!

[@ryanasksaround]

HOLD UP! 4:57 - Do you have 127GB of memory? Why do you need to make your playback smoother if you have that much memory?

[@cinnamontography94]

A lot of the VFX and coloring effects like depth map, magic mask, etc are GPU intensive. Even with my RTX 3090 I still get choppy playback when using fusion and coloring effects.

[@akhileshbhoi8369]

I have rtx 4060 + i7 12th Gen laptop still lagging with quarter playback, lol I think i'm the only one who is facing such a problem.

[@cinnamontography94]

I've made an updated video, hopefully some of the new tips will help you out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaMsi=b0f2MZZbr7pORrRL

[@akhileshbhoi8369]

@@cinnamontography94 okay Bro

[@amado1199]

Thanks! It didn’t work but thank you!

[@ItsBuzzer]

tried everything still laggy

[@cinnamontography94]

I've made an updated version, hopefully some of the new tips should help you! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaMsi=b0f2MZZbr7pORrRL

[@dellroy301]

This made everything slower and now i cant export

[@naomip000]

I did something wrong. The lag got 10x worst. No resetting fixed it T^T welp.

[@alienman7866]

none of this worked. my 4k video footage specifically chokes the playback.

[@cinnamontography94]

I've made an updated video for this with new tips. Hopefully one of them may help! 🤞 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaM

[@alienman7866]

@cinnamontography94 I went through all that as well. My specs are confusing the people whom built my pc specifically for resolve and the cust. Service at resolve don't have any more answers either

[@MrDougfunny7]

first couple things made it worse for me lol. way she goes

[@Zachasm]

YOU ARE THE GOAT U GOT MY SUB KEEP UPLOADING

[@cinnamontography94]

Thanks for the sub! I appreciate you!!!

[@ashlee7096]

Oh boy i'm lagging more now🥲

[@cinnamontography94]

I made an updated version with more optimization tips, hopefully they can help! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKK1Y6munpKclaM