Run this check before you commit to a long render. Enter the settings you intend to use, confirm the manual checks you have actually completed in DaVinci Resolve, and read the result as a preflight report. The checker never opens your project, inspects Resolve or uploads a media file. It validates only the values and confirmations you provide.
Check before Start Render
DaVinci Resolve export preflight
Load a platform reference or keep your own delivery specification, then clear every manual check.
Waiting for your checks
Enter the planned settings and confirm the manual items.
The report will separate blockers from platform review notes and passed checks.
This checker runs in your browser. It doesn't request a project or media file and it doesn't send your settings to the site. A copied share link stores the visible field values and checkboxes in its URL.
What the export preflight catches
A preset can fill several fields, but it can't decide whether your render range, filename, captions, output bus or source media are correct for this delivery. The preflight follows the job from the timeline through Render Settings and the queue, then ends with the rendered file. That last step matters: checking the timeline inside Resolve isn't the same as playing the output that another person will receive.
Inspect the Render Queue before Start Render
DaVinci Resolve's Deliver page lets you queue more than one job, so check the job you are about to start, not just the controls you edited a minute earlier. Confirm the output name and location, intended range and clip mode. Resolve can queue audio-only, video-only and combined outputs, which is useful but also makes the queue a place where a wrong job can look plausible. If you need the surrounding controls, follow the complete Deliver-page export walkthrough.
Audio needs its own preflight
Turning on Export Audio is only the first check. The selected output track or bus must carry the signal you monitored, and the requested channel layout must match the delivery. For a finished stereo mix, that's often the Stereo Main bus; stems and handoffs need a different plan. The separate DaVinci Resolve audio export guide covers finished mixes, buses, stems and timeline tracks without pretending they are interchangeable.
How the YouTube and Vimeo reference profiles work
The platform profiles are review references, not magic quality presets. YouTube's current upload guidance recommends an MP4 container, H.264 video, progressive scan, the same frame rate as the source, variable bitrate and 48 kHz audio. Its SDR reference table lists 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fps, with higher values for 1440p and 2160p. Stereo audio is listed at 384 kbps. The checker compares your values with the official YouTube encoding settings and reports mismatches as review notes, not as claims that another file can't upload.
Vimeo's current compression guidance accepts several codecs, recommends a constant native frame rate, progressive scan and variable bitrate where possible, and publishes broader target ranges. Its 1080p range is 10 to 20 Mbps and its 4K range is 30 to 60 Mbps; AAC-LC audio is listed at 320 kb/s and 48 kHz. Vimeo also says that MP4 and MOV are preferred containers even though many formats are accepted. The checker uses the Vimeo compression table together with its file-preparation guidance.
For a full platform workflow rather than a preflight, use the DaVinci Resolve YouTube export settings guide.
The delivery specification wins
A broadcaster, client, festival, archive or VFX handoff may require MOV, MXF, ProRes, DNxHR, PCM audio, a particular channel layout or exact naming rules. In that case, choose Custom or client specification. The checker stops applying YouTube or Vimeo preferences and limits itself to missing values plus the manual confirmations. Don't change a written delivery requirement merely to make a generic platform profile look cleaner.
Some controls also vary with operating system, codec, encoder and hardware. The current Resolve product page notes that Quick Export offers destination presets and common master, H.264, H.265 and audio-only options, while the Deliver page exposes the Render Queue for batch output. It doesn't make one setting universal for every codec. Check the official Blackmagic Media page when a version-sensitive control differs from a screenshot.
After the render, check the file that will leave your machine
Open the rendered file outside Resolve. Watch the first and last frames, then sample a few cuts, transitions, graphics and sections with heavy motion. Listen for sync, missing channels, clipping or unexpected silence. Confirm captions in the form you promised. If the picture changes in another player, use the washed-out export diagnostic. If the job stops or fails, match the actual message against the render-failed troubleshooting guide instead of changing random settings.
For an offline handoff, print the existing two-page DaVinci Resolve 21 export checklist. The interactive checker adds entered settings, platform comparisons and a shareable report; the PDF remains the compact desk-side version. The DaVinci Resolve export hub is the broader route to formats, platform settings and problem-specific guides.
DaVinci Resolve export preflight FAQ
Does the checker inspect my DaVinci Resolve project?
No. It validates the values you enter and the checks you confirm. It can't read your timeline, Render Settings, queue, media state or final file.
Does the checker upload my project or media?
No. It doesn't ask for a file and the comparison runs in your browser. A share link contains only the visible settings and checkbox state in its URL.
Does a YouTube or Vimeo warning mean my file will fail to upload?
No. The warning means a value differs from the platform's current published recommendation. It's a prompt to review the choice, not a universal compatibility verdict.
Should I use Single Clip or Individual Clips?
Use Single Clip for one finished program. Use Individual Clips when the delivery requires separate source clips or a handoff. Confirm the choice against the actual job specification.
Why is final file playback a required check?
The rendered output can reveal a wrong range, missing audio, sync problem, caption issue or player-dependent color shift that isn't obvious while reviewing the timeline inside Resolve.
What should I do when a client specification differs from a platform profile?
Choose the custom profile and follow the written delivery specification. The YouTube and Vimeo values are references for those destinations, not rules for every export.
