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# How to Add Camera Shake in DaVinci Resolve (Free and Studio)
- URL: https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-camera-shake/
- Published: 2026-10-31T07:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-31T07:11:59.000Z
- Description: The Camera Shake effect on the Edit page is a Studio feature, and the Fusion node does the same job in the free version. Here are the settings that change the feel, beat-synced shakes, and copying real handheld motion.
- Author: Jason Miller
- Tags: Fusion, Tutorials, Workflow, #learn, #fusion-cluster

To add camera shake in DaVinci Resolve Studio, search the Effects Library for **Camera Shake**, drag the Resolve FX filter onto your clip and set **Motion Scale** and **Speed Scale** in the Inspector. In the free version, I'd go straight to the Camera Shake node on the Fusion page, because Blackmagic's Reference Manual lists the Resolve FX effect as Studio only, and a free-version render of a Studio feature carries a watermark.

The effect takes seconds to apply and minutes to get right. Three choices decide the look: how far the frame moves, how fast it moves and what fills the edges once the picture slides off center. Shake on a music hit, shake on a Fusion title and real handheld motion copied from another shot each have a better tool, and all of them are below.

[Download](https://streamly.surf/c/2ebmf2MxAg6s?ref=davinciresolveclub.com)

## Which camera shake tool to use

- **Resolve FX Camera Shake (Studio):** the quickest route on the Edit or Cut page, with pan, tilt, rotation, zoom and edge controls in one Inspector panel.
- **Fusion Camera Shake node (free and Studio):** a transform node with deviation, rotation, speed and edge settings, plus an effect mask for shaking only part of the frame.
- **Shake and Perturb modifiers (free and Studio):** randomize a single Fusion parameter, such as a title's position or a 3D camera, even when it already has keyframes.
- **Copied motion from a handheld clip (free and Studio):** the Color page stabilizer can paste the movement of a real handheld shot onto a locked-off one.
- **Camera Shake transition:** a short, jolting cut between two clips with red and cyan color separation, found under Fusion Transitions.

## Add Camera Shake on the Edit page (Studio)

1. **Find the effect.** Open the Effects Library and type camera shake in its [search field](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=765). Guides file it under different Resolve FX categories, so search is faster than browsing.
2. **Drag Camera Shake onto the clip** in the timeline. To shake several shots with one effect, drop it on an [adjustment clip](https://davinciresolveclub.com/adjustment-clips-davinci-resolve/) above them.
3. **Open the Inspector's Effects tab** and start with Motion Scale and Speed Scale. The manual describes them as the overall amplitude and speed of the shake, so they move the whole effect up or down while keeping its balance.
4. **Handle the edges.** Under Blanking Handling, Border Type (Replicate, Reflect or Wrap-Around) fills the gaps the shake exposes, and Zoom to Crop scales the picture in until they disappear.
5. **Play it back at full speed.** Single paused frames hide how the motion reads in playback.

Blackmagic's [Camera Shake section of the Reference Manual](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3554) is headed "Studio Version Only", and the 21.0 manual carries the same label. Older tutorials, including [Edits101's Resolve 18 guide](https://edits101.com/adding-camera-shake-in-davinci-resolve-18/?ref=davinciresolveclub.com), present the filter as free, so expect conflicting advice in search results. If the effect puts a watermark on your free-version render, that's the normal behavior: a Blackmagic staff member [explained on the forum](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=88158&ref=davinciresolveclub.com) that Studio-only features render with a watermark in the free version. The list of [what the free version includes](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-free-version-features/) covers the other paid effects worth knowing before you build a look around one.

![DaVinci Resolve Edit page Inspector with the Camera Shake Resolve FX open on a mountain bike clip, showing Motion Scale, Speed Scale, Pan, Tilt and Rotation Amplitude sliders, Zoom Type set to Inward Only and Border Type set to Reflect](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/shake-inspector.webp)

Motion Scale and Speed Scale set the overall strength; Blanking Handling decides what fills the edges.

### Settings that change the feel

Under Shake Levels, Pan, Tilt and Rotation Amplitude set how far the frame moves in each direction, and PTR Speed sets how fast those three move. Zoom Amplitude and Zoom Speed add breathing in and out. Zoom Type matters more than it looks: the manual says that with Inward Only, the zoom won't add blanking around the edges of the frame.

Under Shake Quality, Motion Method picks the motion pattern from SINE, Rectified SINE, Rectified SINE (Invert) and Square Wave, which the manual calls "good for popping or flickering motion". Randomness Speed moves from smoothly erratic at low values to jagged at high values, which is the slider to lower when the shake looks like a vibrating phone. Random Seed changes the random pattern itself, and identical seeds produce identical motion.

For a subtle handheld starting point, Edits101 publishes Motion Scale 0.200, Speed Scale 0.250, Pan Amplitude 0.240, Tilt Amplitude 0.300, Rotation Amplitude 0.280, PTR Speed 0.500, Zoom Amplitude 0.150, Zoom Speed 0.050 with Outward and Inward zoom, Randomness Speed 0.250 and Zoom to Crop 0.085, and switches Border Type to Reflect for heavier shake. My default is to copy a starting point like that and then move only Motion Scale and Speed Scale, because they scale the whole effect and keep the published balance between pan, tilt and rotation.

## Shake on a beat or an impact

A shake that runs through the whole clip reads as handheld footage. A shake that hits on a kick drum or a punch needs keyframes.

1. **Mark the hits.** Play the clip and press M on each beat or impact. The guide to [markers and flags](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-markers-vs-flags/) explains why markers suit this, and [beat detection](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-beat-detection/) can place them for you on a music track.
2. **Keyframe Motion Scale.** A few frames before the first marker, set Motion Scale to 0 and add a keyframe. On the marker, raise it to the strength you want. A few frames after, return it to 0.
3. **Pick a sharper Motion Method** if the hit feels soft. Square Wave gives the popping motion the manual describes, and the [Beginners Approach shake tutorial](https://beginnersapproach.com/davinci-resolve-shake-effect/?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) pairs music markers with Rectified Sine and Replicate edges.
4. **Copy the keyframes** to the other markers, or shape the attack and fall-off in the [keyframe curve editor](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-keyframes-curve-editor/).

Keyframing Motion Scale alone keeps one curve per hit, which is easy to slide when the edit changes. Keyframed Speed Scale and amplitudes multiply that work.

![DaVinci Resolve Edit page timeline with blue markers on the music hits above a dance clip, and a Motion Scale keyframe curve under the clip that peaks at each marker and drops back to zero between hits](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/shake-beat.webp)

Motion Scale rises on each marker and returns to zero between hits.

## Free version: the Fusion Camera Shake node

The Fusion page has its own Camera Shake node, separate from the Resolve FX filter, and it works in the free version. Blackmagic's manual describes it as a node that connects directly after the MediaIn.

1. **Open the clip on the Fusion page.** Park the playhead over it on the Edit page and click the Fusion page button.
2. **Add the node.** Select MediaIn1, press Shift-Spacebar to open the [Select Tool dialog](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1386), type camera shake and press Return. Check that it sits between MediaIn1 and MediaOut1.
3. **Set the motion.** Deviation X and Deviation Y run from 0 to 1, and at 1.0 the image can move anywhere within the frame. Rotation Deviation adds roll, Randomness adds irregularity, Speed sets the pace and Overall Strength scales everything at once.
4. **Choose the Frequency Method.** Sine and Rectified Sine move smoothly; Square Wave is more mechanical.
5. **Fill the edges.** The [Edges menu](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=2862) offers Canvas, which leaves transparent or black borders, plus Wrap, Duplicate and Mirror. The manual notes that Duplicate can smear the edge slightly.
6. **Add motion blur** on the node's Settings tab: turn on Motion Blur and adjust Quality and Shutter Angle. The [manual notes](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=2885) that higher values lengthen render times.

I'd start Deviation X and Y near the bottom of their range, because the [Camera Shake node reference](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=2859) defines 1.0 as movement anywhere within the image, far more than handheld footage needs. The node also has a blue Effect Mask input that limits the shake to pixels inside a mask, handy for a shaking screen or sign inside a steady frame. Its Invert Transform checkbox removes exactly the motion produced by an upstream Camera Shake, which helps when one element of a composite has to stay still. If Fusion is new to you, the [Fusion tutorial for beginners](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion-tutorial-for-beginners/) covers the node editor, and the guide to [motion blur in Resolve](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-motion-blur/) goes deeper on shutter angle.

![DaVinci Resolve Fusion page with a stormy lighthouse shot, MediaIn1 connected through a CameraShake1 node to MediaOut1, and the Inspector showing low Deviation X and Y, Rotation Deviation, Speed, Frequency Method and Edges set to Mirror](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/shake-fusion.webp)

MediaIn1 to Camera Shake to MediaOut1, with Edges set to Mirror so no black border shows.

## Shake a title or a 3D camera

For one parameter, such as the position of a Text+ title, the Shake modifier is more precise than shaking the whole frame. Right-click the parameter in the Inspector, for example Center, and choose **Modify With > Shake**. The [Shake modifier reference](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3026) lists Random Seed, Smoothness (0 is completely random), Lock X/Y and Minimum and Maximum values that limit where the parameter can land. Its worked example shakes a title's center with Smoothness 5.0 and Minimum 0.1 / Maximum 0.9, then keyframes those to 0.45 and 0.55 at frame 90 so the text settles toward the center.

When the parameter is already animated, such as a camera move on a path, use Perturb. Right-click the crosshair in the viewer, choose **Insert > Perturb** and lower its Strength. The [Perturb modifier](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3020) adds Perlin-noise jitter on top of the existing animation, but it can only add jitter and never smooths a move.

In a 3D scene, placing Camera Shake after the Renderer3D moves the finished flat image, so near and far layers shake together. In [a forum thread about a 3D comp that looked too smooth](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=183414&ref=davinciresolveclub.com), the suggested fix was to animate the camera's X, Y and Z position with the Shake modifier. That's the version I'd build, because a moving Camera3D gives foreground and background layers different amounts of movement, the way a real handheld camera does.

## Copy real handheld shake from another clip

Random motion never quite matches the handheld shots around it. If the same scene has a genuinely shaky shot, you can borrow its motion. Blackmagic's manual describes this as a [match move with the Color page stabilizer](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3510), and [a forum reply from 2022](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=173299&ref=davinciresolveclub.com) suggests the same trick for adding real shake to a static clip.

1. **Analyze the handheld clip.** On the Color page, select it, open the Tracker palette, choose Stabilizer mode and click Analyze Forward.
2. **Copy the track.** In the Tracker palette's Option menu, choose Copy Track Data.
3. **Paste it on the static clip.** Select the locked-off clip, open the same Option menu and choose Paste Track Data.
4. **Invert it.** Set Strong to -100 and click Stabilize. The negative value inverts the copied data, so the static clip now moves with the handheld camera.
5. **Cover the edges.** Zoom in slightly with the Zoom control in the Edit page Inspector, as described in the guide on [how to zoom in DaVinci Resolve](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-zoom-in-davinci-resolve/).

This is the method I'd pick when a static insert has to cut against real handheld coverage, because its motion comes from an actual camera operator instead of a random generator. On the Fusion page, the Tracker node offers the same idea through its Unsteady Position output, covered in the [Fusion tracking guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/fusion-tracking-davinci-resolve/).

![Handheld night market clip next to a static cafe window shot, above the DaVinci Resolve Color page Tracker in Stabilizer mode with the option menu open on Paste Track Data and Strong set to -100 beside Stabilize](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/shake-track.webp)

Paste the handheld track, set Strong to -100 and click Stabilize to apply the motion.

## Apply the same shake to several clips

- **Adjustment clip:** put Camera Shake on an adjustment clip from Effects > Toolbox > Effects and stretch it over the shots. One set of keyframes then drives every clip underneath.
- **Paste Attributes:** copy the shaken clip, select the others, press Option-V (Alt-V on Windows) and tick Plugins under Video Attributes before clicking Apply, as the [Paste Attributes section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3727) describes.
- **Inspector preset:** in the Inspector's 3-dot menu, choose Create Preset to save the Effects tab. The [Inspector presets section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=939) says saved presets appear under Effects > User Presets.
- **Fusion node settings:** right-click the Camera Shake node and choose Settings > Save As to write a .setting file, then use Settings > Load on the next clip.

For a run of short shots, the adjustment clip is the simplest choice, because changing one effect updates the whole sequence. When pasted copies all shake in lockstep, give each clip a different Random Seed. Fusion users who reuse a look often can also turn it into a template with the guide to [Fusion macros and templates](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion-macros-templates/).

## The Camera Shake transition and its red and cyan fringe

The Camera Shake transition sits with the Fusion Transitions in the Effects Library. Blackmagic's [transition reference](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1170) describes it as shaking frames with color channel separation, controlled by Shake Speed, Shake Strength, Contrast, Brightness and Saturation. Drop it on a cut like any other transition from the guide to [DaVinci Resolve transitions](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-transitions/).

The Inspector has no control for the colored fringe. In [a 2024 forum thread](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=204812&ref=davinciresolveclub.com), a user explained that the transition uses a Displace node on the red channel, and posted a workaround that makes the displacement affect all channels:

1. Select the transition and click the wand icon in the Inspector to open it on the Fusion page.
2. Copy the CameraShake node and paste it into a plain text editor.
3. Replace MacroOperator with GroupOperator, copy all the text and paste it back into the Fusion node editor.
4. Delete the original node and connect the new group in its place.
5. Double-click the group, select the Displace node and, on its Settings tab, turn on the green and blue channels.

The same thread notes that the separation color itself can't be chosen.

## Fix common camera shake problems

- **Black edges appear:** set Border Type to Reflect or Replicate, raise Zoom to Crop, or switch Zoom Type to Inward Only. In Fusion, set Edges to Mirror or Wrap.
- **A watermark covers the free-version render:** the Resolve FX filter is Studio only. Rebuild the shake with the Fusion node, or compare the editions in [DaVinci Resolve vs Studio](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-vs-studio/).
- **The shake looks like vibration:** lower Randomness Speed and PTR Speed, then add Motion Blur.
- **Every pasted clip shakes identically:** change Random Seed on each copy.
- **A 3D scene shakes like a flat picture:** shake the Camera3D position with the Shake modifier instead of the rendered image.
- **Playback stutters once motion blur is on:** cache the clip with the [render cache](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-render-cache/) before judging the motion.
- **You need to remove shake instead:** see the guide to [stabilizing video in DaVinci Resolve](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-stabilize-video/).

## Plugins and templates

Paid and free alternatives exist. Boris FX sells [Sapphire S\_Shake](https://borisfx.com/blog/how-to-add-shake-effect-in-davinci-resolve-guide/?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) for Resolve, Carvinci's [Shakes plugin page](https://carvinci.com/products/shakes-plugin?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) lists Resolve 21 or later and both the free and Studio versions, and Uppbeat lists a [camera shake motion template](https://uppbeat.io/motion-graphics/asset/camera-shake-motion-3397?ref=davinciresolveclub.com). Before paying for one, I'd try the Fusion node, because it already covers position, rotation, speed, motion blur and edge handling. The roundups of [free DaVinci Resolve plugins](https://davinciresolveclub.com/free-davinci-resolve-plugins/) and [free templates](https://davinciresolveclub.com/free-davinci-resolve-templates/) list other options.