Choose the timeline frame rate from the delivery requirement, not from the largest number on a camera card. A 25 fps program can use 50 fps footage for half-speed shots; a 29.97 timeline can use 59.94 material the same way. The first decision is how the finished program must run. The second is what each source clip should do inside that timebase.
Resolve exposes several frame-rate controls because they solve different problems. Project Timeline frame rate sets the primary time grid. An individual timeline can use custom settings. Clip Attributes reinterprets source video and changes its duration. Retime Process decides how frames are mapped when rates or speeds differ. Deliver frame rate describes the rendered file. Treating all five as one generic FPS setting is how clean footage turns into judder or lost sync.
Choose the outcome before the setting
| What you want | Setting to use | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| A 25 fps broadcast or web master | 25 fps timeline before editing | The program time grid and normal delivery cadence |
| 50 fps footage at normal speed in a 25 fps timeline | Leave clip interpretation at 50; edit normally | Resolve conforms frames while duration stays real time |
| 50 fps footage as half-speed motion in 25 fps | Interpret at 25 fps or retime to 50% | All recorded frames play over twice the duration |
| Replace a 60 fps timeline with 30 fps | Create a new custom 30 fps timeline and test-copy the edit | A new time grid that requires full review |
| Fix a phone recording with irregular cadence | Inspect VFR and create a CFR intermediate when needed | The source file, not the timeline's intended cadence |
Set the project frame rate before adding media
- Create the project and open Project Settings > Master Settings.
- Set Timeline frame rate to the exact delivery timebase, including 23.976 versus 24.000 or 29.97 versus 30.
- Set Playback frame rate and monitoring for the actual display path. This doesn't replace the project timebase.
- Save a project preset if the same delivery specification repeats.
- Add representative media only after the rate is confirmed. The project Timeline frame rate locks once one or more files enter the Media Pool.
When the first imported media disagrees with the empty project, Resolve can offer Change Project Frame Rate. Choose Change only when that detected source rate is genuinely the required project rate. Choose Don't Change when the project was deliberately set for another delivery cadence, such as a 25 fps program receiving a 50 fps slow-motion source. This choice is about the project timebase, not whether Resolve can use the clip.
Pick the delivery cadence, not the “cinematic” label
Start with the client, broadcaster, camera system or live pipeline requirement. Film workflows commonly distinguish 23.976 from 24.000. PAL-derived television and many European workflows use 25 or 50; NTSC-derived work commonly uses 29.97 or 59.94. Those labels aren't interchangeable, and a delivery specification beats a generic web recommendation.
YouTube's current encoding guidance recommends uploading at the same frame rate in which the content was recorded and lists common rates including 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60. Don't convert 25 to 24 merely because a tutorial calls 24 cinematic. Conversion changes cadence and may require dropped, repeated, blended or synthesized frames.
Keep high-frame-rate clips real time when that is the intent
With mixed-frame-rate conforming enabled, placing a 50 fps source in a 25 fps timeline keeps its real-world duration unless you deliberately reinterpret or retime it. A one-second action remains one second; Resolve maps the available source frames onto the timeline grid.
That behavior is appropriate for sports, screen recordings or camera footage captured at a higher cadence but intended to play in real time. The timeline can display only its own number of frames each second, so the selected Retime Process determines how the mismatch is represented.
| Retime process | Method | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest | Selects existing frames | Fast and sharp, but cadence can judder with awkward ratios |
| Frame Blend | Blends neighboring frames | Smoother cadence can introduce ghosting |
| Optical Flow | Estimates motion between frames | Can look smoother but costs more processing and can warp edges |
Nearest uses the nearest source frame, dropping or repeating frames where necessary. Frame Blend dissolves adjacent frames. Optical Flow estimates motion and creates intermediate frames, which costs more processing and can break around crossing limbs, occlusion, water, particles, flashes or unpredictable camera movement. Test the motion-heavy section at full size; Optical Flow isn't automatically the best result.
Interpret high-frame-rate footage for slow motion
If a camera recorded 50 progressive frames during one real second and you interpret that video at 25 fps, those 50 recorded frames occupy two timeline seconds. The picture becomes half speed without synthesizing intermediate frames. This is source interpretation, not normal mixed-rate playback.
- In the Media Pool, right-click the original source and choose Clip Attributes.
- On the Video tab, set Video Frame Rate to the intended interpretation rate.
- Add the interpreted clip to a short test timeline and confirm the new duration.
- Check picture timing and synchronization. Clip Attributes changes video, but it doesn't change the associated audio.
- Don't reinterpret a source used elsewhere at normal speed unless every use should inherit that change.
Interpreting 60 fps at 24 fps produces 40% speed because 24 divided by 60 is 0.4. Interpreting 59.94 at 29.97 produces 50%. For a speed ramp or one selected slow section, use the clip-speed and retime workflow instead of changing the source interpretation for every use.
Be careful with audio when interpreting clips
Some high-frame-rate camera modes record no usable production audio. More importantly, Resolve 21 states that changing Clip Attributes > Video Frame Rate affects video while audio is unaffected. The picture duration changes but the audio duration doesn't, so a synchronized clip can immediately fall out of step. That's a consequence to plan for, not a fault in the audio engine.
For dialogue or double-system sound, leave normal-speed sources at their intended interpretation and retime only with an explicit audio plan. Never reinterpret a synced multicamera angle after synchronization without rebuilding or checking the group from beginning to end. The multicam editing guide covers the synchronization stage separately.
Recover when timeline frame rate is locked
The project Timeline frame rate locks as soon as one or more files are added to the Media Pool. If the project-level control is greyed out, don't edit databases or preference files. A new custom timeline can use another timebase, but it doesn't change the locked project setting:
- In the Media Pool, create a new timeline.
- Disable Use Project Settings before confirming the new timeline.
- Set the required Timeline Frame Rate in the custom Format settings.
- Duplicate the original timeline before moving any edit content.
- Copy the edit into the new timeline, then inspect timing, transitions, keyframes, speed effects, captions and audio sync.
A different cadence changes the time grid. Copying clips is only the start of recovery. Frame-based keyframes, retimes, transitions, compound clips, captions and externally synced audio can land differently. Compare the first frame, last frame and several timing landmarks before replacing the original timeline.
Handle mixed 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 sources
Mixed frame rates are normal in documentary and creator projects. Choose one master timeline from delivery, keep mixed-frame-rate conforming enabled for normal-speed sources, and inspect clips whose cadence doesn't divide cleanly into the timeline. A mathematically valid conversion can still look uneven on a pan or scrolling screen.
Check pans, scrolling interfaces, LED walls, stage lighting, motion blur and shutter cadence. Converting 24 to 25 presents a different pattern from 60 to 30. If exact running time and sync matter, don't reinterpret a clip just to make its metadata match the timeline.
Do not change timeline FPS to fix slow playback
If the viewer manages only 18 frames per second on a 25 fps timeline, changing the timeline to 18 isn't a performance fix. The timeline defines the finished program; real-time playback depends on decoding, effects, storage, GPU work and the current render cache.
Test the same range with effects bypassed. If the source codec is expensive to decode, use proxies or optimized media. If Fusion, noise reduction, retiming or scaling causes the miss, cache that operation or lower preview load. Work through the slow-playback checklist without changing the approved cadence.
Check exchange timelines and external audio at exact rates
An XML, AAF, DRT or imported timeline can carry a timebase that differs from the receiving project. Read the import dialog. Then compare the first and last frame, clip durations, transitions, speed changes and markers against the source edit instead of assuming a successful import means a timing match.
Audio has no video frame rate, but clips, timecode and synchronization live on a timeline grid. Confusing 23.976 with 24.000 can create cumulative timing or timecode disagreement in a long program. Verify the exact rate at ingest, interchange and delivery rather than fixing the end by eye.
For multicamera material, lock the program rate before synchronization and inspect a point near the end of a long take. If sync progressively drifts, investigate source timestamps, recorder clock, variable frame rate and interpretation. Repeatedly nudging later clips hides the cause and makes the next conform harder.
Convert variable-frame-rate media before blaming FPS
Phones, screen recorders, meeting tools and browsers can produce variable-frame-rate media. A file may report a nominal 30 fps while the time between encoded frames varies. Such media can be associated with uneven seeking, drift or inconsistent frame-accurate edits, but VFR isn't proof of the cause by itself.
Use MediaInfo or another reliable inspector to check Frame rate mode and timestamps. If a controlled test implicates VFR, preserve the original and transcode a separate constant-frame-rate copy at the intended cadence. Recheck start-to-end sync before relinking. Changing only the Resolve timeline rate doesn't normalize source timestamps.
Match export to the approved timeline
The Deliver page defaults to the Timeline Frame Rate. Keep the approved cadence unless the specification requires a different master and you have reviewed the conversion. A higher output number doesn't recover motion samples the camera never recorded. Some Individual Source Clips renders can retain source rates, while a Single Clip render is conformed to the timeline.
Use the export task map for codec, container, bitrate, audio and platform decisions, or follow the full Deliver-page walkthrough. Render a short motion-heavy section first and inspect it in an external player before committing to the full job.
Check frame rate before the real edit
- Confirm the exact delivery timebase, including fractional rates.
- Inspect representative camera, phone, screen, and archive sources.
- Decide which high-rate clips are real time and which are slow motion.
- Set the timeline before bulk import.
- Test motion, audio sync, titles, subtitles, and export.
- Document the project rate for every editor and camera operator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What frame rate should I use in DaVinci Resolve?
Use the exact delivery timebase required by the client, broadcaster or production. For self-published work, normally preserve the planned capture cadence instead of converting it for a style label. Set the project rate before adding media.
Why is timeline frame rate greyed out?
The project Timeline frame rate locks after one or more files are added to the Media Pool. You can create a new timeline with Use Project Settings disabled and choose a different timeline rate, but that doesn't unlock the project setting. Copy the edit only after duplicating it, then inspect every timing-dependent element.
Should a 60 fps clip go on a 24 fps timeline?
Yes, when 24 fps is the required program rate. Keep mixed-frame-rate conforming for normal-speed playback, or reinterpret or retime the clip deliberately for slow motion. A 60 fps source doesn't require a 60 fps timeline.
Does changing Clip Attributes change video speed?
Yes. Changing Clip Attributes > Video Frame Rate changes the video duration and playback speed. Resolve doesn't change the clip audio with that setting, so synchronized audio can fall out of step with the reinterpreted picture.
Is 23.976 the same as 24 fps?
No. They're close but distinct timebases. Use the exact rate required by capture, production and delivery, especially for long-form audio sync, timecode, interchange and broadcast specifications.
Related guides
Return to the Resolve tutorial hub for the full learning path. Use the clip-speed guide for ramps and partial retimes, and the export task map for the approved master.
