The Ultimate Guide to DaVinci Resolve 18.6: Adding Black Bars & Animation

Welcome to this comprehensive DaVinci Resolve 18.6 tutorial! In this step-by-step guide, we'll delve into the world of cinematic magic, specifically focusing on adding easy black bars (letterboxing) to your videos. Whether you're a beginner or just looking to enhance your video editing skills, you're in the right place. As a bonus I also show you how to ajust your audio to your videos to achieve even more cinematic feelings. Davinci Resolve is available in a FREE version AND you can download it from here: www.blackmagicdesign.com/prod... - There is also a chargable Studio Version available, but for our tutorial the free version is completly sufficient.
🔻 Download the Black Bars PNGs for 4k and 1080p here: www.christianeggbauer.com/ce-...
🎧 All music and sound effects I used in this video are from epidemicsound. Get your free trail periode right here with my referral link (*): share.epidemicsound.com/0cn9fy
📷 My main camera & accessories I use for this video (Amazon affiliate links (*)):
Sony A7IV with Kit Lense: amzn.to/3PQsLze
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🎥 What You'll Learn:
How to effortlessly add black bars to your videos using DaVinci Resolve 18.6.
Three essential methods explained in detail for beginners, ensuring a seamless learning experience.
Bonus: An additional method to take your video editing to the next level.
📏 Understanding Aspect Ratios:
Discover the significance of aspect ratios and why they play a crucial role in filmmaking. I'll briefly walk you through the basics, empowering you to make informed decisions about the visual presentation of your videos.
🤔 Why Letterboxing Matters:
Ever wondered why filmmakers use black bars? I'll unravel the mystery for you. Learn why letterboxing is an essential cinematic technique, providing a captivating viewing experience and preserving the director's creative vision.
🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Videos? Subscribe and Let's Get Started!
If you're excited to add a cinematic touch to your videos, hit that subscribe button and join our community of video enthusiasts. Let's explore the art of letterboxing and take your video editing skills to new heights with DaVinci Resolve 18.6!
[Time Stamps]
0:00 - Introduction & Outlook!
1:45 - Importance of Aspect Ratios
4:45 - Start of the tutorial
5:58 - Ajusting your Audio to the Video files (Bonus)
8:15 - Method 1: Add black bars via the timeline to your whole video
11:39 - Method 2: Add black bars via cropping & adding effects to them
20:29 - Method 3: Use a PNG file for adding black bars
22:22 - Special Method: Use a different out of the box aspect ratio
24:02 - Conclusion and Subscribe! 🚀
Thank you for joining this tutorial - let's make your videos truly cinematic!
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[@TimBelchamber]

I'm going to be a pain and advise against baking black bars like this video recommends. When you bake black bars into your video like this, phone screens, wide monitors, etc, cannot scale the video correctly because it thinks it has a taller aspect ratio and you end up getting a video floating in the middle of the screen. The method you mention at the end and don't recommend is actually best. I can't find any examples of scaling issues with wide aspect ratios from tech/screens built in the last decade +. It's certainly not a problem for videos viewed on streaming platforms like KZbin which handle the scaling information. Whilst baking permanent black bars definitely causes scaling issues on all mobile phones and wide screens. For wide aspect ratios: Set your timeline to the correct wide aspect ratio (Via resolution). Render at that same resolution. Done. Your video is now actually a wide aspect ratio and can be scaled correctly on all devices. The only exception is if you want to change aspect ratios during the video, then temporarily baking bars in is the only way. If you want a visual on this, I made a recent video called: The editing mistake everyone is making.

[@christianeggbauer]

Thank you for your opinion. I just explained what I would do and when you want to add effects what I did with almost all methods the last one is the only one where it is not possible. And yes I had issues that some tv sets stretched it unnaturally by using the last version, but it is also possible and personal taste. Thanks for your input, you explained it very well and I will watch also your video you recommend. All the best 🫶

[@TimBelchamber]

@@christianeggbauer I agree, good to know, it’s personal preference and there’s always a trade off somewhere - but in the vast majority of cases, permanently baked black bars cause more scaling problems than they fix.

[@christianeggbauer]

Thank you for tuning in to my Davinci Resolve 18.6 tutorial ❤‍🔥on creating those cinematic black bars for your video 🎥. Letterboxing is an awesome way to captivate the audience. In this video, I'll show you 3 + 1 ways to quickly incorporate these black bars into your masterpieces. Additionally, as promised, you can download your 2 *.pngs for 4k and 1080p here www.christianeggbauer.com/ce-yt/BlackBarsTemplate-CE.zip. Enjoy the tutorial, and I hope it helps take your videos to the next level! And one more thing: I also explain in this video as a bonus how to align your audio to an awesome droneshot 😁. Happy editing and Happy holidays 🎆