Quick answer: use a Smart Bin when you want Resolve to keep finding clips that match metadata rules inside a project. Use a Power Bin when you want to place reusable assets manually and reach them from other projects in the current Project Library. Use a regular Bin when the material belongs to one project and you want to file it yourself.
That distinction matters because the three bin types solve different problems. A Smart Bin is a saved query, not a folder full of copied clips. A Power Bin is a shared Media Pool area, not a search rule and not a backup of the files on disk.
Blackmagic's Media page overview makes the same distinction. The steps here cover the desktop version of Resolve 21; the iPad interface is different.
New to the Media Pool? Start with the importing steps in the Resolve beginner guide. Otherwise, choose the bin type below and build one small, useful example before organizing the whole project.
Smart Bins vs Power Bins vs regular Bins
| Bin type | How clips get there | Scope | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Bin | You drag or import items manually | Current project | Camera days, interviews, audio, timelines and project-specific graphics |
| Smart Bin | Resolve evaluates metadata rules dynamically | Current project's matching media; the rule can be shown in all projects | Good takes, one codec, one frame rate, interview keywords, offline clips or timelines |
| Power Bin | You add reusable items manually | Projects in the current Project Library, with user limits in multi-user installations | Logos, slates, music beds, sound effects, title generators and recurring graphics |
The useful test is simple. If the membership should change when metadata changes, choose Smart. If the same asset should be available when you open a different project, choose Power. If neither is true, a regular Bin is usually clearer.
Show Smart Bins and Power Bins in Resolve 21
- Open the Media Pool on the Media or Edit page.
- Open the Media Pool options menu, the three-dot control in the panel.
- Enable Show Smart Bins and Show Power Bins.
- Expand the new sections in the Bin list.
The Resolve 21 Reference Manual places these switches in the Media Pool options menu. Older tutorials use the top-level View menu; don't keep hunting there if your version has the panel menu instead.
On the Cut page in Resolve 21, open the Media Bin dropdown at the upper left of the Media Pool to view Smart Bins. Its plus button creates a new one. The Media or Edit page is a simpler starting point when you want to see regular Bins, Power Bins and Smart Bins together.
Create a Smart Bin that proves the rules work
A good first test uses a property you can verify on one clip. Frame rate, codec and resolution come from the media. Good Take is different: it is a checkbox, not an automatic quality judgment. Select a clip in the Media Pool, open Inspector > File and enable Good Take before building the example below.
- Show the Smart Bins section.
- Right-click its background and choose Add Smart Bin.
- Name the rule by its result, such as Good Takes.
- Choose Media Pool Properties > Good Take > is true.
- Click Create Smart Bin.
Confirm that the clip you marked appears. To test resolution instead, choose Resolution and enter the width and height of a known source clip—not the timeline resolution. The reference below uses 1920 × 1080 as an example, not a required project setting.
Match All, Match Any and nested criteria
Match All narrows the result because every enabled row must be true. For example, Keywords contains interview plus Good Take is true returns only selected interviews. Match Any widens the result because one matching row is enough. It can collect Keywords contains drone or Keywords contains aerial.
The plus button adds a criterion. Option-click on macOS or Alt-click on Windows to add a nested match group. Use that when you need all of one group and any of another; otherwise, two simple Smart Bins are easier to troubleshoot.
Automatic Smart Categories are different
Resolve can create automatic categories for Timelines, Photo Albums, Keywords, Collections, People, Shot, Scene and Offline Clips. The controls live under Preferences > User > Editing > Automatic Smart Bins.
Keyword, Shot and Scene categories have a useful shortcut: drag selected clips onto an existing automatic Smart Bin to assign that bin's property to the clips. The current manual explicitly limits this behavior to those three categories. Dropping clips onto an arbitrary custom Smart Bin doesn't file them or rewrite their metadata.
If you need to add scene and take labels first, the Slate ID and Slate Finder guide covers that separate workflow. Check the labels before relying on a Smart Bin to select your footage.
What “Show in all projects” actually shares
The checkbox makes the Smart Bin definition persistent. Resolve places that rule in the User Smart Bins folder inside every project in the current Project Library. It doesn't merge the projects' Media Pools or make one project's clips visible inside another.
For example, a persistent Good Takes rule can appear in two projects but return different clips. An empty result in the second project is correct when none of its clips has Good Take enabled.
Build a Power Bin for reusable assets
- Show the Power Bins section from the Media Pool options menu.
- Right-click inside the section and choose Add Bin.
- Create a small structure such as Brand, Audio and Titles.
- Import or drag only assets you genuinely reuse.
- Open another project in the same Project Library and verify the Power Bin there.
Keep this small: an approved logo, a slate, a title generator, useful sound effects and music licensed for your work. Put camera cards and one-off project footage in regular Bins so the shared collection stays easy to scan.
The boundary is the current Project Library, not your entire account. A different library can have different Power Bins. In a multi-user installation, the manual also limits visibility to the particular user's projects.
Power Bins do not replace source storage
Power Bins reference source files; they do not copy them into a protected media archive. Keep those files in a stable, backed-up folder. If a disk is disconnected or a file moves, follow the Media Offline relink steps.
Need to carry an editable sequence between projects? Use a timeline transfer, rather than treating Power Bins as a universal container for timelines, compound clips or multicam edits. If an item will not drop into a Power Bin, identify its clip type first. A Fusion Composition and a Fusion Clip are not interchangeable names; a .drfx file is a template package, not an ordinary Media Pool clip.
Export and back up Power Bins without false security
To export a Power Bin, select it, right-click and choose Export Bin, then save the .drb file. In the destination Project Library, show Power Bins, select the destination area, right-click and choose Import Bin, then select that file. Check the imported bin and relink any offline assets before depending on it.
The .drb file stores the bin information, not the linked logos, music or video on disk. Back up those source files separately. For whole-project backups and transfers, use the Resolve save and archive guide. The project location guide explains why the library, project export and media folders are separate.
Fix Smart Bins or Power Bins that look missing or broken
The section is not visible
On the Media or Edit page, make sure the Media Pool is open, then enable the missing section in its three-dot menu. Expand the Bin list and the section itself. If space is tight, widen the Media Pool; do not assume the saved bins have been deleted just because the sidebar is hidden.
A Smart Bin is empty
Double-click the Smart Bin to edit it. Disable criteria one at a time and inspect the same field on a known clip. Match All excludes that clip if even one enabled row is false. Keywords, Scene and Description may be blank; Good Take may simply be unchecked. Save the corrected rule with OK.
The rule appears in another project but the clips do not
That's expected when Show in all projects is enabled. The saved rule travels; clip contents don't. Add or tag media in the second project and let the rule evaluate that project's Media Pool.
Power Bins disappeared after switching projects
Confirm that the new project belongs to the same Project Library and user context, then re-enable Show Power Bins in the Media Pool options. If you moved to another library or computer, import the exported .drb and restore the source-media paths as needed.
A Power Bin item is offline
Find the actual source file before reorganizing bins. Relink or replace that file reference. Recreating the Power Bin doesn't restore deleted media.
Smart Bins and Power Bins FAQ
What is the difference between Smart Bins and Power Bins?
Smart Bins dynamically show clips that match metadata rules in the current project. Power Bins are manually populated reusable assets available across projects in the current Project Library.
Why can’t I see Smart Bins or Power Bins?
On the Media or Edit page, open the Media Pool options menu and enable Show Smart Bins or Show Power Bins. Expand the Bin list and the section; widen the Media Pool if space is tight.
Do Smart Bins and Power Bins work in DaVinci Resolve Free?
Yes, basic Smart Bins and Power Bins are desktop organization features available in Free as well as Studio. That does not make every AI tool used to create metadata free. This guide does not describe the iPad interface.
Does “Show in all projects” share Smart Bin clips?
No. It shares the Smart Bin rule through the User Smart Bins folder. Each project shows only its own media that matches that rule.
Can I back up Power Bins?
You can export and import Power Bins as .drb files. Back up the referenced source media separately because the bin file isn't a copy of the logos, audio, titles or clips on disk.
Why is my Smart Bin empty?
Check for empty metadata, an unchecked Good Take field, the wrong value or a Match All rule that excludes the clip. Test one known property, then add criteria one at a time.
Does deleting a Smart Bin delete my clips?
No. The current Resolve manual states that deleting a Smart Bin removes the saved filter, not the gathered media associated with it.
Keep regular Bins for the current project, Smart Bins for searches you repeat, and Power Bins for assets you reuse. For the next job—syncing, proxies or smoother playback—choose a guide in the Resolve workflow hub.
