6 Steps to Create Reels from Your Podcast in DaVinci Resolve ⏤ Native Space

So, you’ve edited your podcast or long-form video - next up, it’s time to get more out of that content by creating short-form clips like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikToks, or even LinkedIn posts. These are a great way to promote the full episode and keep your content working harder for you.

1. Duplicate Your Main Video

Head to the DaVinci Resolve dashboard.

Right-click on your finished video and choose Copy, then Paste it back into your dashboard.

Screenshot of DaVinci Resolve project window showing a right-click menu with the ‘Copy’ option selected on a podcast project

Rename the new file to something like:

Reels from Podcast Ep 1

By right clicking on the project and selecting Rename

Renaming a duplicated project in DaVinci Resolve to “Reels from Pod Ep1” using the project name dialog box

This way, you can make changes without affecting the original edit.

2. Edit the Timeline Resolution & Video Positioning

Use the settings icon in the bottom right corner of your project and edit the timeline resolution.

For 4k recording, this will want to be set to 2160 × 3840 Ultra HD
Your timeline is now in the correct format for short from content

Editing timeline resolution on Davinci Resolve

Now you’ll need to ensure your videos are placed at a suitable position within the frame. To do this:

In the edit tab, select the first track, making sure you have selected all clips.
They should all be highlighted with a red border
It’s best to do this one track at a time as you’ll need to adjust the tracks differently, depending on the angle they were shot at.
In the inspector box, in the top right corner, you’ll see the video tab and within here, you’ll be able to adjust your video’s positioning.
Use the dials under ‘Transform’ to zoom and adjust your clips left to right - aiming for the face or key area to be central.
Repeat this for all tracks
If you have a wide angle shot, it’s best to leave this for now and adjust this depending on the reel you are creating.

Editing video positioning on Davinci Resolve

2. Add Markers to Identify Reel Moments

Play through your edited timeline and use markers to point out moments that could me turned into Reels.

When you reach a moment that could work well as a Reel:

Press Spacebar to pause
Then press M to add a marker
Play on until the end of that clip (aim for under 60 seconds), pause again, and press M

Timeline in DaVinci Resolve showing a marker added on a podcast clip at a specific timestamp

💡 Tip: Double-click on markers to rename or recolour them.

I like to use different colours for each clip - for example, pink for Reel 1, blue for Reel 2 - to keep things clear.

Marker editing window in DaVinci Resolve with options to name, add notes, and change the marker colour

While it’s a good rule of thumb to aim for the final reel to be around 60 seconds, you may choose to take a longer section of the podcast and trim it down to have the start, end, and key moments in between.

Continue working through our video, marking out any parts that you’d like to turn into short form content. Your timeline should start to look something like this, with colour coded (should you wish) sections marked throughout.

2. Create Reel Timelines

Once you have marked out the parts you would like to turn into short from content, you’re going to create a new timeline for each reel. Do this by:

Right clicking in the media pool and selecting ‘Create New Timeline’
You’ll be given the option to rename this. It’s a good idea to rename this something relevant to the reel you will be editing, so it’s easy to locate amongst other timelines.

Creating a new timeline within a project on Davinci Resolve

When in the edit tab, you can move between timelines by using the drop down menu right above the video preview.
Head back to your main timeline and copy the clips, from all tracks, within the first set of markers and paste them into your new timeline

Timeline view with in and out points selected between markers in DaVinci Resolve, preparing a clip for export

3. Make Reel-Specific Edits

Since you’re working on a duplicate file, you can freely cut or adjust clips to make each reel snappier and more impactful.

If you have used a wide angle shot, it is now that you can adjust this, per clip, for an alternate angle for whoever is speaking.

4. Repeat for all Reels

Repeat these steps for all marked areas to create a bank of reels from your podcast, adding each one to a new timeline each time.

5. Export Reels

In each timeline, head to the Deliver tab (the little rocket icon 🚀).

Before adding to the render queue, rename it in the render settings so it’s easy to identify later.

Click Add to Render Queue. Your selected clip will appear in the top-right render panel.

adding reels to the render queue on davinci resolve

5. Stay Organised

📁 Before you start rendering, create a folder on your computer called something like:

Reels from Pod Ep 1

6. Render All Clips

Once you’ve added all your reels to the render queue and chosen your destination folder, hit Render All - and that’s it!

Final render queue in DaVinci Resolve showing multiple short-form clips queued for export with ‘Render All’ button highlighted

Your short-form content is ready to upload!