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# DaVinci Resolve Picture in Picture: Resolve 21 Guide
- URL: https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-picture-in-picture/
- Published: 2026-08-28T06:12:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-04T08:37:31.000Z
- Description: Create picture in picture in DaVinci Resolve 21 with the native Resolve FX, then control framing, position, rounded corners, border and shadow. Includes the manual method for older versions and fixes for missing or black-background results.
- Author: Jason Miller
- Tags: Beginner Guides, Tutorials, Workflow, #learn

**Quick answer:** put the full-screen clip on V1 and the video you want as the smaller window directly above it on V2\. In DaVinci Resolve 21, select the V2 clip, open Effects, find **Resolve FX Transform > Picture in Picture**, and apply it. Use **Content** to reframe what appears inside the inset, **Position** to size and place the window, and **Style** for rounding, border and shadow.

If Picture in Picture is missing, check the version before rebuilding the project. Blackmagic introduced the dedicated effect in the [Resolve 21 New Features Guide](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/SupportNotes/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21%5FNew%5FFeatures%5FGuide.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com). Resolve 20 and earlier can make the same basic layout by scaling and positioning the V2 clip with Inspector Transform controls.

I rechecked the control names and the two-track workflow on August 27, 2026 against the current [DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com). This guide owns the single-window PiP task. The [DaVinci Resolve tutorial hub](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-tutorial/) connects it to the broader editing path without turning this page into another beginner overview.

## Choose the right Picture in Picture method

| Method                           | Best use                                                                 | Tradeoff                                         |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Resolve 21 Picture in Picture FX | One facecam, reaction shot, product close-up or tutorial inset           | Requires Resolve 21                              |
| Inspector Transform              | Basic PiP in Resolve 20 or earlier, or a plain borderless inset          | Framing, border and shadow take more manual work |
| Video Collage                    | Several repeated tiles or a structured grid                              | More setup than one inset needs                  |
| Fusion                           | Custom masks, tracked frames, complex reveals or reusable node templates | Steeper workflow and easier to overbuild         |

Start with the native Resolve 21 FX when the job is one smaller window. Escalate only when the layout itself demands it. Switching camera angles is a different task; use the [multicam editing guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-multicam-editing/) when viewers should see one synchronized angle at a time rather than two pictures simultaneously.

![DaVinci Resolve 21 native Picture in Picture effect compared with the manual Transform method for Resolve 20 and earlier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/pip-resolve21-vs-manual.webp)

Resolve 21 combines the window, border and shadow in one effect. The older manual method still works when all you need is scale and position.

## Create picture in picture in Resolve 21

1. Open the Cut or Edit page and place the background video on V1.
2. Put the clip that should become the smaller window on V2, directly above the matching part of V1.
3. Trim or sync the two clips before styling the window. Moving the PiP clip later will also move its timing.
4. Select the V2 clip. Open **Effects**, search for **Picture in Picture**, and apply the Resolve FX Transform effect to that upper clip.
5. Open the Inspector and select the effect's controls.
6. Choose **Open FX Overlay** below the Viewer if you want to drag and resize the inset on screen.
7. Play through the whole overlap. One representative frame is not enough. The speaker may lean out of a crop or cover text later in the shot.

![DaVinci Resolve 21 Edit page with a background on V1, facecam on V2 and Picture in Picture controls in the Inspector](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/pip-two-track-setup.webp)

Build the timeline from the bottom up: background on V1, smaller source on V2, Picture in Picture on the V2 clip, then Inspector adjustments.

The upper track wins wherever clips overlap. Before the effect is applied, V2 may cover the entire Viewer, which is expected. If V1 disappears from the timeline rather than merely from the Viewer, the clips may have been placed on the same track.

Use the [Resolve Inspector guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-inspector/) for a wider reference to Video, Audio and Effects controls. For this task, stay on the selected clip's Picture in Picture effect so that clip-level Transform and effect-level controls do not get mixed up.

## Content versus Position: the control that prevents bad crops

The most useful Resolve 21 improvement isn't the default corner placement. It is the separation between the source inside the window and the window itself.

- **Content Zoom** enlarges or reduces the source inside the PiP frame.
- **Content Pan** shifts that source horizontally.
- **Content Tilt** shifts it vertically.
- **Position X/Y** moves the whole window across the finished frame.
- **Width and Height** change the outer window dimensions.

![DaVinci Resolve 21 Picture in Picture Content controls compared with Position controls for the inset window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/pip-content-vs-position.webp)

Frame the source first with Zoom, Pan and Tilt. Then place the finished window with Position X/Y, Width and Height.

If the face is too small but the inset already occupies the right amount of screen space, adjust Content Zoom rather than Width and Height. If the framing is good but the inset covers a subtitle or interface button, move Position X/Y. Keeping those jobs separate avoids the repeated resize-and-recrop loop common in older tutorials.

Width and Height can also change the window's shape. Judge the result at the delivery aspect ratio. A corner layout designed at 16:9 can obscure important content after a vertical reframing; the [Resolve aspect-ratio guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/change-aspect-ratio-davinci-resolve/) covers the timeline and output decisions that belong outside this effect.

## Make the inset readable without overdesigning it

Open **Style** after the content and position are correct. Rounding moves from square corners at its minimum toward a circular window at its maximum. Rotation and Opacity affect the whole inset. Border, Fill and Drop Shadow each reveal their own controls when enabled.

![DaVinci Resolve 21 Picture in Picture before and after rounded corners, border and drop shadow](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/08/pip-style-border-shadow.webp)

A thin contrasting border defines the edge; a restrained shadow separates the inset from a busy background. Check the result over the entire shot.

### Create a circular picture in picture

Start with equal Width and Height, reframe the source so the face is centered, then raise Rounding to its maximum. If the result looks oval, the outer window isn't square. Do not compensate by stretching the subject; correct Width and Height first.

### Add a border

Enable Border, then set Border Width, Border Color and Border Opacity. The best width depends on timeline resolution, window size and background contrast, so there's no defensible universal number. Review at 100 percent Viewer scale and on a phone-sized preview before making the line heavier.

### Add a drop shadow

Enable Drop Shadow and adjust Strength, Color, Drop Angle, Drop Distance, Expand and Blur. A shadow should separate similar tones, not look like a second graphic element. Test it over the brightest and darkest frames because one setting may disappear over black and look dirty over white.

### Use Fill only when the source needs it

Fill draws a background behind transparent content inside the window. Fill Matches Border uses the border color. Neither is required for an ordinary full-frame video source, and adding Fill by habit can hide transparency you meant to preserve.

## Manual Picture in Picture in Resolve 20 or earlier

The manual method is still useful for a plain inset and explains the underlying composite:

1. Place the background on V1 and the inset source on V2.
2. Select V2 and open **Inspector > Video > Transform**.
3. Reduce Zoom X and Y together so the source becomes smaller.
4. Change Position X and Y to move it into a corner.
5. Use Cropping only when content outside the desired window must be removed.
6. Check Composite Opacity and track visibility if the result disappears.

This route doesn't provide the Resolve 21 effect's separate Content and Position groups. Zoom changes the whole V2 image rather than zooming inside a fixed PiP boundary. A more complex fixed frame, tracked mask or reusable graphic belongs in the [Fusion beginner workflow](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion-tutorial-for-beginners/), but a basic corner inset doesn't require nodes.

## Animate the inset in and out

The Resolve 21 effect doesn't include a one-click entrance or exit preset. For a simple reveal, animate the V2 clip's Transform and Composite controls:

1. Park the playhead on the frame where the window should be fully visible.
2. Set the final Zoom, Position and Opacity values and add keyframes with the Inspector diamonds.
3. Move earlier for the entrance, or later for the exit.
4. Change Position, Zoom or Opacity to create the hidden state.
5. Open the Keyframe or Curve Editor and ease the move if linear motion feels abrupt.

Keep the motion short enough that it supports the spoken point. Animating every cut forces the viewer to watch the frame instead of the content. The dedicated keyframe guide is still in editorial draft, so this article doesn't link to an unpublished URL that would produce a 404.

## Why Picture in Picture is missing or looks wrong

### The effect is not in search

Confirm the installed version under **DaVinci Resolve > About DaVinci Resolve**. The dedicated Picture in Picture Resolve FX arrived in version 21\. On Resolve 20 or earlier, use the manual Transform method instead of assuming the installation is damaged.

### The background is not visible

Check track order. The background belongs on V1 and the smaller source on V2\. Then confirm V1 is enabled and spans the same timeline range. A full-size V2 image before the effect is applied is normal.

### The Viewer handles move the wrong thing

Select the V2 clip, open its effect in the Inspector and switch the Viewer to **Open FX Overlay**. Ordinary Transform controls edit the whole clip; the Open FX overlay edits the PiP window.

### The source moves but the window does not

You're changing Content Pan or Tilt. Use Position X/Y to move the outer window. Use Width and Height to change its boundary.

### The Color-page version has a black background

Blackmagic spells out an additional transparency step for the Color-page route. Right-click the node graph, choose **Add Alpha Output**, and connect the Picture in Picture node's blue alpha output to that timeline alpha output. Beginners should use the Cut/Edit route unless the effect must live in the Color node tree.

### The inset covers titles or phone UI

Scrub the entire overlap and check the actual delivery frame. Move or resize the window, shorten its duration, or cut back to full screen when the background detail becomes more important. Safe placement is an editorial decision, not a permanent lower-right preset.

## Does Picture in Picture work in Resolve Free?

Blackmagic's Resolve 21 guide documents Picture in Picture without a Studio-only marker, and current Free-user reports show the native effect in use. Treat that as support for Resolve 21 Free and Studio, while still checking the exact installed build if the effect is absent. This isn't an AI tool, and a missing effect on Resolve 20 is a version issue rather than proof of a Studio paywall.

PiP does not require special export settings. It becomes part of the composed timeline image. Use the normal [DaVinci Resolve export workflow](https://davinciresolveclub.com/export-video-davinci-resolve/), then review the rendered file to confirm the inset position, border and shadow survived at delivery resolution.

## DaVinci Resolve Picture in Picture FAQ

### How do I make picture in picture in DaVinci Resolve 21?

Put the background on V1 and the smaller source on V2\. Apply Resolve FX Transform > Picture in Picture to V2, then adjust Content, Position and Style in the Inspector.

### Why can I not find Picture in Picture in DaVinci Resolve?

The dedicated effect was added in Resolve 21\. Confirm the installed version. In Resolve 20 or earlier, scale and position the V2 clip with Inspector Transform controls.

### How do I make a circular picture in picture?

Set equal Width and Height, center the source with Content Pan and Tilt, then raise Rounding to its maximum. Unequal window dimensions produce an oval.

### Can I add a border and shadow without Fusion?

Yes in Resolve 21\. The native Picture in Picture Style controls include Border and Drop Shadow with their own width, color, opacity, distance and blur settings.

### How do I zoom inside the PiP without resizing its frame?

Use Content Zoom, Pan and Tilt. Those controls reframe the source inside the window. Width, Height and Position X/Y change the outer window.

### How do I animate picture in picture?

Use clip Transform or Composite Opacity keyframes to create the entrance and exit, then ease the points in the Curve Editor. The native effect has no one-click entrance preset.

### Is Picture in Picture available in DaVinci Resolve Free?

The Resolve 21 documentation doesn't mark the effect Studio-only, and current Free-user reports show it working. If it's missing, verify that the installed version is Resolve 21 or later.