There are a few electronic devices that shoot in AVI file format.
It is necessary to have a basic knowledge of how DaVinci Resolve handles Avi.
Especially importing, exporting, editing, transcoding avi, etc.
Without wasting time…
Let’s get started!
Does DaVinci Resolve Support Avi?
DaVinci Resolve (version 18) supports Avi files. It can import, read and successfully export avi files. Avi is a container that can hold different codecs. The free version of Resolve can decode and encode codecs like GoPro Cineform, Grass Valley, and uncompressed. Here is a table showing different codecs and their support by Resolve.
All you have to do is look at your video’s codec and see the table below to know if DaVinci Resolve can support it. (If you don’t know how to check your video’s codec, no worries. I will let you know in a bit!).
Windows
| Format (Codec) | Can Resolve Decode (Read)? | Can Resolve Encode (Export)? |
|---|---|---|
| GoPro Cineform | Yes. Can decode Native, YUV 10-bit, RGB 16-bit. | Yes. Can encode YUV 10-bit |
| Grass Valley | Yes. HQ, HQX, Lossless. | Yes. HQ, HQX |
| Uncompressed | Yes. Uncompressed (BGRA 8-bit, RGB 10-bit, YUV 422 8/10-bit). | Yes. Uncompressed (RGB 10-bit, YUV 422 8/10-bit) |
The above and below table data have been taken from the support page of Blackmagic Design which contains the supported codecs pdf, found in the “Latest Support Notes” section.
Mac OS
| Format (Codec) | Can Resolve Decode (Read)? | Can Resolve Encode (Export)? |
|---|---|---|
| GoPro Cineform | Yes. Can decode Native, YUV 10-bit, RGB 16-bit. | Yes. Can encode in YUV 10-bit |
| Grass Valley | Yes. HQ, HQX, Lossless. | Yes. HQ, HQX |
| Uncompressed | Yes. Uncompressed (BGRA 8-bit, RGB 10-bit, YUV 422 8/10-bit) | Yes. Uncompressed (RGB 10-bit, YUV 422 8/10-bit) |
How to Quickly Import Avi Files into DaVinci Resolve
- Launch DaVinci Resolve and create a new project (if not already).
- Click on the “Edit” page.
- Click on the “Media Pool” tab from the upper left hand corner.
- Press “Ctrl + i” (or “Cmd + i”) shortcut to import the avi media.
- Locate your avi files in your system, select them and click on “Open” button.
- The avi files are now imported.
- You can drag and drop the files into your timeline and start editing.
What to Do If DaVinci Resolve Doesn’t Import Avi files?
If DaVinci Resolve doesn’t import your avi files, then the codec is probably not supported by Resolve. Keep in mind that “Avi” is a container or file extension. It can hold various codecs. So codec support by Resolve is what matters here.
(Have a look at the “Decode” column in the above table against your codec to see if it’s supported.)
With the latest versions (like version 18), DaVinci Resolve can successfully import avi files with various codecs (unless the files are corrupted).
If you are still not able to import your avi files inside Resolve, then follow what I do – which is usually transcoding (or converting) your avi file to another format containing a different codec as recognized by Resolve like H.264, DNxHd, Prores, etc.
- To convert your existing footage to H.264 codec footage, I use “Handbrake“. Click and go to the section titled “How to convert mkv to mp4 in Handbrake“. (You can follow the same steps to convert your avi footage to mp4 with H.264 codec.)
- To convert your existing footage to editor friendly codecs like DNxHD or Prores, you can do so with the help of an utility called FFMPEG.
(Keep in mind that any format with H.264/H.265 codec is not editor-friendly and puts tremendous pressure on your computer resources.)
To show how FFMPEG is used to convert files, read the below article – which will show you steps to convert a wav file into mp3.
How to Check the Codec of your Video File?
- Open your video with “VLC” media player.
- Go to “Tools” > “Codec Information” (or press the shortcut “Ctrl + j“).
- You can check your video’s codec information.
Possible Issues After Importing Avi Files Inside Resolve
Avi Clips Showing Media Offline in DaVinci Resolve
Sometimes your imported avi clips could display a “Media Offline” error in Resolve.
This could be due to unsupported codecs in an avi container. The best way is to convert your footage to recognizable codecs by Resolve (read the previous section for more details).
Imported Avi Clips Show Only Audio in Resolve
When you import your Avi clips into Resolve and drag and drop them into the timeline, in some of the cases, you might see only the audio part in the timeline with no video.
It could be due to variable frame rate files.
Screen recorders might record your video (for example, high-speed gaming videos) in variable frame rates instead of constant frame rates.
Certain smartphones also record video in variable frame rates.
DaVinci Resolve doesn’t support variable frame rate files.
If this is the case, then you might need to convert your variable frame rate footage into a constant frame rate one.
Click on the below for a detailed step by step guide (go to the section “How to check your video for variable or constant frame rate”):
After you have sorted your issues, the next natural step is editing, color grading, sound designing, etc., your files. Once your timeline is done, the next step is to export your files for final delivery.
How to Export to Avi File in DaVinci Resolve?
- Go to the “Delivery” page.
- Choose a “File Name” and “Location“.
- Under “Export Video“, select “AVI” from the “Format” dropdown.
- Select any codec, let’s say, “GoPro Cineform” from the “Codec” dropdown.
- The “Type” dropdown will default to “YUV 10-bit”.
- Check and update the “Resolution” and “Frame Rate” (if required).
- Click on “Add to Render Queue“.
- Then from the “Render Queue“, click on the button “Render All“.
- After the rendering process, your project file will be exported to a .avi file.
- That’s all!
How to Convert Avi to Mp4 in DaVinci Resolve?
- Go to the “Delivery” page.
- Choose a “File Name” and “Location“.
- Under “Export Video“, select “Mp4” from the “Format” dropdown.
- Select “H.264” from the “Codec” dropdown.
- Check and update the “Resolution” and “Frame Rate” if needed.
- Click on “Add to Render Queue“.
- Then from the “Render Queue“, click on the button “Render All“.
- After the rendering process, your project file will be converted to a .mp4 file.
- Done!
How to Convert AVI to Mov File in DaVinci Resolve?
- After finishing all the editing and color correction work, go to the “Delivery” page.
- Choose a “File Name” and “Location“.
- Under “Export Video“, select “QuickTime” from “Format” dropdown. (There is no direct “mov” option here. Selecting “QuickTime” should do the job.)
- Select “H.264” from the “Codec” dropdown.
- Check and update the “Resolution” and “Frame Rate” if needed.
- Click on “Add to Render Queue“.
- Then from the “Render Queue“, click on the button “Render All“.
- After the rendering process, your project file will be exported to a .mov file.
- That’s all!
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