> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://davinciresolveclub.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # DaVinci Resolve Fusion Tutorial for Beginners - URL: https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion-tutorial-for-beginners/ - Published: 2026-07-07T12:08:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-30T08:42:23.000Z - Description: Learn Fusion through three finished comps: a surface-tracked title, a Delta Keyer green-screen composite and an animated lower third, with exact node inputs, viewer fixes and current Resolve 21 boundaries. - Author: Jason Miller - Tags: Tutorials, Beginner Guides, #learn Fusion becomes predictable once you read every comp as a flow from sources, through tools and Merge nodes, into MediaOut. This beginner path sits inside the [Fusion learning hub](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion/): first learn the workspace and node logic here, then move into the specialist tracking, keying and motion-graphics guides when a shot needs them. Start with one rule: a Merge node's orange input is the background, green is the foreground, and blue is an optional effect mask. The workflows and edition notes were rechecked on August 26, 2026 against Blackmagic Design's [current Fusion overview](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fusion?ref=davinciresolveclub.com), the [DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) and the current [Fusion feature comparison](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/compare?ref=davinciresolveclub.com). The examples use current node names and documented inputs rather than copying menu labels from an older video. ## DaVinci Resolve Fusion Basics: Nodes Instead of Layers A timeline-based Fusion comp normally opens with MediaIn, which brings the timeline clip into the graph, and MediaOut, which returns a chosen result branch to the Edit page. Keep that return path visible while learning. A generator-only title can be built without MediaIn, but the branch you want on the timeline must still reach MediaOut. Everything you build sits between those two. Image data flows left to right along the connection lines, and each node in between does one job: a color correction, a blur, a mask, a title. ![DaVinci Resolve 21 Fusion interface with two viewers, Node Editor, Inspector, MediaOut and annotated Merge inputs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/01-ui-corrected-1.webp) The Fusion page is easier to read as four zones: viewers for source and result, the Node Editor for image flow, and the Inspector for the selected tool. Press 1 or 2 to assign a selected node to the left or right viewer. The switch that trips people up coming from After Effects or Premiere is that screen position in the Node Editor does not create a layer stack. Connections define the image flow. A Merge combines two images: orange is background, green is foreground and blue is an optional effect mask. Connect a shape to blue and it limits the Merge result. The [full guide to Fusion and Color nodes](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-nodes-explained/) explains the two node systems without pretending they're interchangeable. Node position on the canvas doesn't matter. You can drag nodes anywhere and the comp behaves the same. Connection order does matter. Swap what's plugged into a Merge node's background and foreground inputs, and your foreground becomes your background. ## Fusion Nodes: Quick Map You'll use these eight nodes in almost every beginner comp. Skim this once before you start building, then come back to it when you forget what something does. - **MediaIn:** brings the timeline clip or imported media into the comp. - **MediaOut:** sends the selected result branch back to the Edit page timeline. The branch you want rendered must reach it. - **Merge:** combines a foreground and background image. This is the node to understand first. - **Text+:** creates editable text and title graphics. - **Planar Tracker:** tracks a flat surface and can drive a corner pin or match move composite. - **Delta Keyer:** removes a green or blue screen background. - **Background:** generates a solid color or gradient. Fills the entire frame unless you mask it. - **Rectangle mask:** draws a rectangular shape you can connect to another node's mask input to limit its area. ## Fusion Comp 1: A Tracked Title That Sticks to a Surface Use a planar track when the title needs to follow a wall, sign, laptop lid or another flat surface with perspective change. The tracker analyzes the surface; a Planar Transform transfers that motion to the title. Keeping the original clip on the Merge background branch makes the composite easier to read and repair. 1. Select the clip on the Edit page and open the Fusion page. Confirm that MediaIn is connected to MediaOut before changing the graph. 2. Add a Planar Tracker after MediaIn. In the Inspector, keep Operation Mode set to Track. 3. Move to a sharp reference frame, draw a tracking region around textured detail on the same plane as the title, then click Set. 4. Track from the reference frame to the start, return to the reference frame, and track to the end. Switch to Steady to inspect whether the plane slips, then return to Track. 5. Click Create Planar Transform. This creates a separate Planar Transform node carrying the solved motion. 6. Add Text+, place and style it on the reference frame, then connect Text+ into the Planar Transform. 7. Add a Merge. Connect MediaIn directly to the orange background input, the Planar Transform output to the green foreground input, and the Merge output to MediaOut. ![DaVinci Resolve Fusion tracked-title node flow with Text Plus through Planar Transform into a Merge over MediaIn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/tracked-title.webp) Track the surface first, create a Planar Transform from that track, then apply the transform to Text+ before merging it over the untouched clip. Scrub the complete shot, not only the middle. If the title drifts, repair the track or choose a better reference region before adjusting the text. A tracker can't recover detail that's fully blurred, occluded or outside the frame. For a rectangular screen or sign replacement, the Planar Tracker's built-in Corner Pin route can be faster than creating a separate transform. That is a different output choice, not a second step after Match Move. The [Fusion tracking guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/fusion-tracking-davinci-resolve/) covers point, planar and camera tracking, reference frames and drift repair. ## Fusion Comp 2: A Basic Green Screen Key A useful beginner key has two separate jobs: create a clean alpha channel, then control green or blue spill on the foreground. Delta Keyer provides dedicated Key, Pre-Matte, Matte and Fringe controls for those jobs. Don't push one global control until hair and motion blur disappear. 1. Add Delta Keyer after the green-screen MediaIn. Open the Key tab and sample a clean part of the screen with the eyedropper. 2. Inspect the matte instead of judging only the color image. The subject should remain opaque, the screen transparent, and fine edges should retain useful softness. 3. Use the Pre-Matte and Matte controls to repair holes in the subject or leftover screen pixels. Make small changes and recheck hair, fabric, motion blur and shadows. 4. Open the Fringe tab for spill suppression. Compare the result against the original so skin, hair and wardrobe don't become unnaturally neutral. 5. Add the replacement plate as another MediaIn or Loader, then add a Merge. 6. Connect the replacement plate to the Merge's orange background input, the Delta Keyer output to the green foreground input, and the Merge output to MediaOut. ![DaVinci Resolve Fusion green-screen workflow using Delta Keyer, Fringe controls, and a Merge over a replacement background](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/green-screen-key.webp) Refine transparency inside Delta Keyer, use its Fringe tab for spill, and add MatteControl only when a separate garbage or solid matte needs to be combined. MatteControl is optional. Add it when you intentionally need to combine or insert a separate garbage matte or solid matte. It isn't the default fix for green fringe; spill controls live in Delta Keyer's Fringe tab. Uneven screens, translucent edges, reflections and smoke need more than one color sample. The [complete Delta Keyer guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-delta-keyer/) covers clean plates, matte diagnosis, edge repair and the point where reshooting is safer than stronger keying. ## Fusion Comp 3: An Animated Lower Third From Scratch This is the comp with the most moving pieces, and it's the one that teaches keyframing inside Fusion's spline editor, which behaves differently from the Edit page's keyframe row. - Add a Background node (Shift+Spacebar, search "Background") and set its color in the Inspector. - Add a Rectangle mask node and connect it to the Background node's blue mask input. Without this step the Background node fills the entire frame instead of forming a strip. Adjust the Rectangle mask's Width, Height, and Center in the Inspector until the bar sits where you want it, usually along the lower third of frame. - Add a Text+ node for the name, and a second Text+ node for the title or subtitle line if you want two lines with separate timing. - Merge the first Text+ over the masked Background using a Merge node: foreground into green, background into orange. - Merge that result over MediaIn using a second Merge node, so the lower third sits over your footage instead of replacing it. - Select the final Merge node that places the complete lower-third branch over MediaIn. In the Inspector, right-click Center and choose Animate. This adds the first keyframe for the whole graphic, not just the text or bar. - Move the playhead, drag the Center value so the lower third slides into frame from off-screen, and Fusion adds a second keyframe automatically. - Open the Spline Editor (the icon next to the node graph toggle) to smooth the motion curve. A linear slide looks robotic. An eased curve looks intentional. ![DaVinci Resolve Fusion lower-third node flow with masked Background, Text Plus, Merge animation, and macro controls](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/lower-third.webp) Build the bar and text as one branch, merge that branch over the clip, then animate the final Merge so every lower-third element travels together. Once the animation works, save the composition with the project for one-off reuse. For a reusable Edit or Cut page effect, select the intended nodes, right-click and choose Macro > Create Macro, expose only the controls another editor should change, and save the resulting setting in the appropriate Fusion Templates category. Resolve 21 can use Fusion templates on the Edit and Cut pages; test the saved template on a new clip before treating it as finished. ## Why Nothing Shows Up in Fusion These five problems account for most of the "my comp does nothing" moments beginners run into. - **MediaOut is disconnected.** Connect the final branch you want returned to the timeline to MediaOut. If the wrong branch is connected, the Edit page receives the wrong result or no intended result. - **Merge inputs are swapped.** Background goes into the orange input, foreground into green. Swap them and your foreground vanishes behind the background. - **A Background node is covering the whole frame.** If you wanted a lower-third strip and got a full-screen color instead, you skipped the Rectangle mask step. - **Text is connected but invisible.** Check that your Text+ node is merged over your footage, not accidentally replacing the MediaIn-to-MediaOut connection entirely. - **The tracker drifts partway through the clip.** Retrack using a sharper, higher-contrast area of the frame, and avoid regions with motion blur. ## Fusion vs the Edit Page: When to Actually Use It Skip Fusion for a title that just needs to sit centered on screen for 4 seconds. The Edit page's Text+ tool handles that with fewer clicks and no node graph. Fusion earns its place when text needs to track a surface, when you're keying footage, or when an animation needs more control than the Inspector's basic keyframe row gives you. If you're unsure which text tool fits your shot, the site's [guide to Text, Text+ and titles](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-add-text-in-davinci-resolve/) breaks down exactly where the Edit page stops being enough. ## What Changed for Fusion in Resolve 21 Two version-21 additions are worth naming precisely. The Macro Editor gained a direct Save to Edit Template command, and the Fairlight Animator modifier can drive Fusion animation from Fairlight audio analysis. Blackmagic walks through both in the [Resolve 21 New Features Guide](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/SupportNotes/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21%5FNew%5FFeatures%5FGuide.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com). Node View Bookmarks and audio waveforms are useful in the current Fusion workflow too, but this article does not label them new without version evidence. None of these tools changes the MediaIn, Merge and MediaOut fundamentals used below. ## Fusion Performance: Why Comps Crawl on Some Machines Fusion evaluates the graph frame by frame, so 4K media, keys, blurs and tracking can make interactive playback slow. Use the viewer's half- or quarter-resolution proxy while building, then return to full resolution for edge and quality checks. For Edit-page playback, use the clip's Render Cache Fusion Output > On command with the appropriate cache mode. Inside Fusion, Cache to Disk is the node-level alternative. The [slow playback troubleshooting guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-slow-playback/) separates Fusion caching from proxy, optimized-media and general timeline problems. ## Fusion FAQ ### Is Fusion included in the free version of DaVinci Resolve? Yes. Resolve Free includes the Fusion page and the core nodes used here, including Merge, Text+, masks, Delta Keyer, point tracking, Planar Tracker and Camera Tracker. IntelliTrack is a Studio feature, and some Neural Engine tools and effects also require Studio. Check the current tool on your own installation rather than treating an old comparison table as universal. ### Do I need to learn Nuke or After Effects first? No. Fusion's node logic is closer to Nuke's than to After Effects' layer stack, but nothing here assumes prior compositing software. The Merge node's color-coded inputs, orange background, green foreground and blue mask, are the one thing worth memorizing first. ### What does the Merge node do in DaVinci Resolve Fusion? The Merge node combines a foreground image with a background image. The orange input is background, the green input is foreground, and the blue input is an optional effect mask. ### Why does my tracker fail on a shot with motion blur? Planar and point trackers need stable image detail. Heavy motion blur, occlusion or a low-contrast surface can remove that detail. Choose a sharper region, use a better reference frame and inspect the complete track; difficult frames may need repair or manual help. ### Can I reuse a Fusion comp on other clips? Yes. Keep the comp in the project for one-off reuse, or create a Macro and save it in the appropriate Fusion Templates category when it should appear on the Edit or Cut page. Expose only the controls that need to change, then test it on a different clip and duration. ### Why isn't my Fusion comp showing on the Edit page? Check that the final branch you want rendered is connected to MediaOut and that you are viewing the intended node. MediaOut returns the selected Fusion result to the Edit page timeline. ### Is Fusion better than the Edit page for titles? Use Fusion when a title needs tracking, complex animation, masking or reuse as a template. For a static title with a simple fade, the Edit page is faster and easier to maintain. ## Related guides - [Fusion in DaVinci Resolve: the hub](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion/): the map of the Fusion cluster and what to build first. - [DaVinci Resolve Nodes Explained](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-nodes-explained/): how Fusion nodes differ from Color page nodes. - [How to Add Text in DaVinci Resolve](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-add-text-in-davinci-resolve/): when a plain Text+ on the Edit page is all you need.