The Deliver page is where projects succeed or quietly fail. The settings are not complicated, but they interact: codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate and audio format each have one right answer for a given destination, and the defaults are not always it. This hub collects the export knowledge on the site: the settings that matter, the platform presets worth trusting, and the fixes for the classic export failures.
The ceiling: what Free exports, what needs Studio
The free version finishes up to Ultra HD 3840x2160 at 60fps, which covers YouTube, client work and almost everything below cinema delivery. DaVinci Resolve Studio is required for output above Ultra HD, frame rates above 60fps up to 120fps, 32K project formats, multi-GPU rendering, advanced HDR delivery like Dolby Vision, and certain hardware-accelerated codec paths that vary by platform. Resolution ceiling and codec availability are two separate questions: check both for your exact format before promising a delivery.
Quick Export vs the Deliver page
Quick Export, the button in the top right corner, uses fixed presets: fast, safe and fine for a draft or a straight YouTube upload. The Deliver page gives you the full render settings plus a render queue, and it is the only place you control bitrate, codec profile, audio format and in and out points. Rule of thumb: Quick Export for drafts, Deliver page for anything a client or an audience will see.
The five settings that matter
Format MP4 with codec H.264 is the compatibility default that plays everywhere. H.265 halves file size at the same quality and carries HDR, at the cost of slower encoding and pickier playback on old machines. Resolution and frame rate should match your timeline, not the other way around. For bitrate on H.264 uploads, around 35 to 45 Mbps for 4K and 8 to 12 Mbps for 1080p tracks what YouTube recommends. Audio: AAC at 320 kbps unless a spec sheet says otherwise.
Vertical video for Shorts and Reels
Export at 1080x1920, and confirm the timeline itself is vertical before rendering rather than cropping after. If your timeline is horizontal, duplicate it and change the timeline resolution, then reframe. Fixing framing before render always beats letting a platform auto-crop.
When the export goes wrong
Export looks washed out. Almost always the macOS gamma tagging question, not your grade. Test the file in VLC and on a phone first, then look at output color space tags, not your nodes.
Export has no audio. Check three things in order: a muted or soloed track on the timeline, the audio tab of the render settings showing a codec and channel count, and whether the file actually lacks audio or your player picked the wrong track.
Render fails partway. The usual suspects are a full disk, GPU memory pressure and a codec mismatch on the exact clip where it stops. The slow playback guide covers the GPU and cache side, and the same diagnostics apply to rendering.
Guides in this cluster
- DaVinci Resolve Render Failed: 7 Causes and Fixes: what to do when the render job errors out or stalls instead of finishing.
- DaVinci Resolve YouTube Export Settings: codec, bitrate, GOP and color space for uploads, pulled from YouTube's own encoding guide.
- How to Export Video in DaVinci Resolve: the full Deliver page walkthrough, setting by setting.
- How to Transcribe Audio in Resolve 21: generate transcripts before delivery for captions and review.
Everything export lives under the export topic.
Frequently asked questions
Can the free version export 4K?
Yes, up to Ultra HD 3840x2160 at 60fps. Output above Ultra HD, above 60fps, and some codec and HDR paths require Studio.
H.264 or H.265?
H.264 for compatibility and fast encodes, H.265 for smaller files at the same quality and for HDR. When in doubt, H.264.
Which settings for YouTube?
MP4, H.264, resolution and frame rate matching your timeline, around 35 to 45 Mbps for 4K, audio AAC 320 kbps. YouTube re-encodes everything, so feed it a high-bitrate master.