How To Cut in DaVinci Resolve (3 Ways)

Welcome back to another DaVinci Resolve article! One of the most important parts of editing is being able to cut a clip. Fortunately, there are a ton of different ways to do that. Some of them will save you time; some won’t. But it comes down to your comfort at the end of the day. Today, I’ll show you how to cut in DaVinci Resolve.

How To Cut In DaVinci Resolve (3 Ways)

There are a few things to note before we jump in:

1. Make sure DaVinci Resolve is up to date
2. I will be using the terms blading, blade, cut, and cutting interchangeably, as well as blade and razor.
3. All of these methods will be used within the “Edit” page.

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut: B

1. To access the razor tool hit the B key. Your razor tool will now turn red (You can also think of B standing for “blade” to help you remember)

2. Drag your playhead to where you want to cut your clip
3. Left-click on your timeline where you want to cut your clip
4. Drag your playhead to your next cut point and left click
5. Grab the selection tool (keyboard shortcut: A)
6. Left-click on your clip and hit delete

Pro Tip #1:

This will automatically cut the audio file associated with your clip as well. This is indicated by the link on you both your video and audio clip. If you only want to cut your video clip and not your audio, simply unlink your clips by using the keyboard shortcut Opt + Cmd + L (for pc Alt + Windows + L)

Pro Tip #2:

To delete the space in between these two clips, select the area in between and hit delete. You will know you are selecting the right thing because the space will turn light grey.

Method 2: Using The Playhead As Your Blade

If you don’t want to use the steps above and have to worry about using the razor and selection tool at all, this method is a little faster. You use your playhead as your blade instead. Here’s how:

1. Move your playhead to where you want to cut (or just play for film and cut as you go)
2. Hit Cmd + B (for pc Ctrl + B)

Pro Tip #3:

Even if these clips aren’t linked like the example above, using this method will still blade your video clip and your audio clip. To get around this, select which one you want to cut. 

Method 3: Ripple Cut

This one is a little bit more in-depth but still effective!

1. Move your playhead to where you want to cut
2. Then hit Cmd + Shift + [ (to remove anything before where your playhead is) or hit Cmd + Shift + ] (to remove anything after your playhead)

The beauty of this method is that you don’t have to worry about deleting that empty space. Your timeline will automatically jump to your cut.

Pro Tip #4:

Do not make a cut and then use this method because it won’t work. You are using the playhead as your blade, so once you have found where you want to cut, use the keyboard shortcut. DaVinci will automatically remove anything before your cut and will stop at the previous cut. 

Pro Tip #5:

If any of these short keys don’t work for you, there is a very easy way to customize your keyboard shortcuts! Just keep in mind, if you are watching a tutorial and they refer to DaVinci’s short keys, you have to remember what you changed them to.

1. Select DaVinci Resolve in the top left and “keyboard customizations”

Keyboard shortcut: Opt + Cmd+ K (I love that there is a shortcut for the shortcuts)

1. Select “All Commands” and type in the command you want to change
2. You will have to delete the command you are changing and then re-add it. You can’t technically “edit” a command.
3. Click the x next to the command and then the + sign to re-assign it.

Pro Tip #6:

The blade works on a frame-by-frame basis. So if you try to blade within less than a frame, it won’t let you do it. It will automatically blade wherever the closest frame is. 

Why Learn To Cut A Clip?

Reason #1: It’s a Necessary Skill

Knowing how to blade a clip is super important, no doubt about it. Imagine trying to edit in DaVinci Resolve without blading. You’d have to keep selecting and dragging parts from the project window into your timeline, which not only eats up your precious time but also lacks the precision of a frame-by-frame edit. Sure, there are times when it can come in handy, like when you just need a quick snippet to work with without bringing the whole project in. But let’s be real, those situations are pretty rare, right?

Reason #2: Creativity With Edits

Have you checked out those HBO Max trailers for their latest season of shows? They are some of the most mind-blowing edits I’ve seen. Now, when it comes to cramming loads of footage into a short edit, knowing how to blade is a game-changer. It lets you swiftly cut and rearrange clips to create a dynamic and engaging edit. Of course, there are situations where you might want a more seamless project with fewer cuts, but trust me; it’s still essential to have those blading skills up your sleeve.

A Brief History Of Editing

We can only know where we are going by learning where we came from, right? Before editing, films were shot with celluloid film stock using camera techniques that required minimal editing. Once editing was on the scene in the early 20th century, or film splicing as it was called back then, editors would physically cut film strips and reattach them using adhesives.

Finally, Iwan Serrurier invented the Moviola editing machine, which led to flatbed editing systems in the 1940s. This sped up the process significantly, thank goodness.

My first attempt at editing was taking a VHS tape out of the camera, rewinding in the VCR to where we thought we wanted to edit, and then taping over the previous take. Our home movies were..interesting, to say the least. However, I am incredibly thankful for all of these pioneers that brought editing to our computers!

FAQ:

Conclusion

I hope you found this to be useful to you. DaVinci gives us a lot of different ways of accomplishing things depending on our needs. That’s why it’s important to know the different methods so you can expedite your editing process. Let us know in the comments which method you use the most! As always, happy filmmaking!