Menu
DaVinci Resolve Tutorials / Tutorials / Video Editing

How To Add Slow Motion to Your Videos in DaVinci Resolve

Adding slow motion in davinci resolve
Published 13 January 2023

Have you ever wanted to add slow motion to your videos in DaVinci Resolve? Adding slow motion is surprisingly easy, and countless film and video professionals use the popular effect.

To add slow motion to your video in DaVinci Resolve, drag the video into the timeline and right-click on it. Next, click “Retime controls” and reduce the speed. Fine-tune the video by navigating to the “Inspector tab” > “Retime and Scaling” > “Retime Process” > select “Optical Flow”.

This guide will cover how to add slow motion to your video using DaVinci Resolve. Let’s get started! 

How to add slow motion to your videos in DaVinci Resolve: Step-by-step guide

1. Open DaVinci Resolve and create a project 

The first step is to open up DaVinci Resolve and create a project for your video. That will allow you to start making changes and edits to your video.

Here are the steps to launch a new project:

  1. Open DaVinci Resolve on your computer by clicking on the program icon.
  2. Go to the “File menu” and select “New Projects“.
  3. Select a name for your project and click “Create“.
Creating a new project in davinci resolve

2. Import your video into the project 

Once you’ve created your project, importing your video into the project is next. Here’s how:

  1. Click on the “File menu” and select “Import“.
  2. Click “Import Media“.
  3. Browse your computer to find the video you want to slow down, select it, and click “Import“.
  4. Once it has been imported, click on the video you want to slow down to select it.
  5. Click the video’s preview just above the timeline, hold it, and drag and drop it into the timeline.
Importing media in davinci resolve

3. Adjust the video speed in the timeline 

Once your video is imported into DaVinci Resolve, you’ll need to adjust the speed of your video to apply slow motion.

Here’s how:

  1. In the timeline, move your cursor over the video and right-click.
  2. Select “Retime controls“.
  3. A speed change menu will pop up. Click the down arrow next to 100% and select the speed you want for your video (say 25%).
Retime controls setting in davinci resolve

4. Fine-tune the speed in the Inspector tab 

Once you’ve adjusted the video speed, the next step is to fine-tune your speed using the Inspector tab.

Here’s how:

  1. Click on the clip in the timeline and navigate to the “Inspector tab“.
  2. Find the “Retime and Scaling” settings and click “Retime Process“.
  3. Select “Optical Flow“. That tells DaVinci Resolve to create fake frames to smooth out the video.
  4. Play the video and watch for ghost frames that move too fast or for artifacts.
  5. Return to the speed settings and adjust downward if your slowed video has ghost framers or other artifacts.
Optical flow setting under retime process to introduce ghost frames in a video clip. This helps the slow motion clip appear smoother if the frame rate is too low.

5. Preview your changes

Now that you’ve set how much slower or faster you want your clip playback speed relative to normal speed (1x), it’s time to preview what this looks like before saving any changes.

  1. In the Inspector tab, click on the video preview and play it. Your slow motion may look smoother or choppier, depending on your chosen speed setting.
  2. Make minor adjustments to the video speed if needed.
  3. Ensure you save your project after you’ve made your changes.

6. Render your video

Your final step is to render your video so you can use it.

Here’s how:

  1. Go to the File menu and select “Export Clip“.
  2. Select a folder where you want your exported file and click “Export“.

DaVinci Resolve will export your slow-motion video and save it in the designated location, where you can access it for playback or posting to social media or other sites.

Pro Tip: For the best results, ensure your original videos are shot at high resolutions and frame rates so that you can slow them down without too much loss in quality.

That said, here’s a quick video tutorial that shows how to add slow motion to your video using DaVinci Resolve:

Conclusion

Adding slow-motion effects can significantly impact your project if used correctly, and with Davinci Resolve’s easy-to-use platform, anyone can learn how to do just that!

Follow the steps above to learn how to slow down your video clips and create stunning effects in no time. Good luck!

If you want to learn more about using DaVinci Resolve, feel free to check out our other DaVinci Resolve tutorials.

About Author

An unwavering enthusiasm for games, films, literature, and comics has always been a profound element of my life. I possess skills in SEO, mastery in using Adobe Software, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and a keen understanding of SQL Database operations.