The fastest way to change your timeline's frame rate

Open your project in DaVinci Resolve and go to File > Project Settings. In the window that opens, click the Master Settings tab. Under Timeline Format, you'll see a dropdown labeled Frame Rate. Click it, choose your frame rate (23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, or 60 fps), and click Save. Your timeline will now play and export at that frame rate.

This change affects the entire project — every clip, effect, and transition will conform to the new frame rate. If you've already edited at one frame rate and switch to another, DaVinci Resolve will speed up or slow down your timeline to match. You can undo this change by going back to Project Settings and selecting your original frame rate.

Key Takeaways

  • Frame rate is set in File > Project Settings > Master Settings > Timeline Format > Frame Rate.
  • Changing the timeline frame rate affects your entire project, not individual clips.
  • Common frame rates are 24 fps (film), 29.97 fps (NTSC video), 30 fps (web), and 60 fps (high-speed or smooth motion).
  • If you switch frame rates after editing, DaVinci Resolve will speed up or slow down your timeline to fit the new rate.

When to use 24 fps versus 30 fps versus 60 fps

Choose 24 fps if you're making something that looks like film — documentaries, short films, or cinematic YouTube videos. It's the standard for cinema and gives footage a distinctive look that many viewers associate with professional filmmaking.

29.97 fps (or 30 fps) is the broadcast standard in North America and Japan. Use it if you're delivering to television, streaming platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, or if your source footage was shot at 29.97. Most consumer cameras and phones default to 29.97 or 30 fps.

60 fps is for smooth, fast-moving content — sports, action sequences, or high-frame-rate slow motion. It also works well for web content where smooth scrolling and motion feel important. If your source footage was shot at 60 fps and you want to preserve that smoothness, match your timeline to 60 fps.

The frame rate you choose should match your source footage whenever possible. If your camera shot at 30 fps and you set your timeline to 24 fps, DaVinci Resolve will slow down the footage slightly to fit. If you set it to 60 fps, the footage will speed up. Either way, the audio will stay in sync, but the motion will feel wrong.

What happens when your source footage doesn't match your timeline

DaVinci Resolve handles mismatched frame rates automatically through a process called frame rate conversion. If your timeline is set to 30 fps but you import 60 fps footage, the software will either remove frames (pull down) or repeat frames (pull up) to make the footage fit.

Removing frames (pulling down from 60 to 30) usually looks fine — you're just throwing away every other frame. Repeating frames (pulling up from 24 to 30) can create a subtle stutter in motion, especially in pans or tracking shots. The audio stays perfectly in sync either way.

The best practice is to set your timeline frame rate to match your primary source footage before you start editing. If most of your clips are 30 fps, make your timeline 30 fps. If you have a mix, choose the frame rate of the majority and let DaVinci Resolve convert the rest.

How to check what frame rate your footage is actually shot at

In DaVinci Resolve, import a clip into the Media Pool. Right-click the clip and select Clip Properties. A panel will open on the right side showing the clip's resolution, frame rate, and other technical details. The frame rate appears as a number like "29.97 fps" or "60 fps".

If you're working with footage from multiple cameras or sources, check each one this way before you create your project. Write down the frame rates — this takes two minutes and saves you from discovering a mismatch halfway through editing.

Setting up a new project at the right frame rate from the start

When you first open DaVinci Resolve, you can either create a new project or open an existing one. If you create a new project, you'll be asked to choose a project name and location, but the frame rate defaults to 29.97 fps. You can change this when ready by going to File > Project Settings > Master Settings > Timeline Format before you import any footage.

Changing the frame rate before you start editing is cleaner than changing it later. Your timeline will be built at the correct frame rate from the beginning, and you won't have to worry about DaVinci Resolve converting clips as you work.

Exporting at a different frame rate than your timeline

Your timeline frame rate and your export frame rate don't have to match. You can edit at 30 fps and export at 24 fps, or vice versa. When you export, go to the Deliver page, choose your codec and format, and look for the Frame Rate dropdown in the export settings. Select the frame rate you want the final file to be, and DaVinci Resolve will convert it during export.

This is useful if you're editing at 60 fps for smooth playback but need to deliver a 30 fps file for broadcast, or if you want to create a slow-motion version by exporting at a lower frame rate than your timeline. The conversion happens automatically and doesn't change your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the frame rate of individual clips instead of the whole timeline?

No. The timeline frame rate applies to your entire project. However, you can right-click a clip in the timeline and select Retime Controls to speed it up or slow it down individually, which gives you similar control without changing the project frame rate.

What frame rate should I use if I'm uploading to YouTube?

YouTube accepts 24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 fps. Most creators use 30 fps for standard content and 60 fps for fast-moving or high-quality content. Either works fine — choose based on how your footage was shot and how smooth you want the motion to feel.

Will changing the frame rate mess up my audio?

No. Audio stays in sync when you change the timeline frame rate because DaVinci Resolve adjusts the playback speed of both video and audio together. If you change from 30 fps to 24 fps, both the video and audio will slow down by the same amount.

What if I already edited my whole project at the wrong frame rate?

You can change it in Project Settings, and DaVinci Resolve will adjust your entire timeline. Everything will speed up or slow down proportionally. If the change is small (like 29.97 to 30 fps), you probably won't notice. If it's large (like 24 to 60 fps), your project will feel noticeably different, and you may want to undo and start over.

Does frame rate affect file size or export time?

Higher frame rates create larger files because there are more frames to store. A 60 fps export will be roughly twice the file size of a 30 fps export of the same footage. Export time is usually similar regardless of frame rate — the software just has more frames to process.