BEST DaVinci Resolve Export Settings For Instagram In 2024

DaVinci Resolve Instagram Export Settings For High Quality Playback

Unless you're posting memes, the number of pixels and frames of your video can make or break your Instagram video content. The right export settings are pivotal in ensuring that your content retains its quality, clarity, and crispness, even after Instagram's notorious compression. With the surge in popularity of Instagram Reels, Stories, and other video formats, it's crucial to get these settings right. A misstep here could lead to videos that are pixelated, improperly scaled, or just plain unprofessional.

What You'll Learn:

• Tailoring your project setup for Instagram's dimensions.
• Scaling and adjusting footage for the perfect fit.
• Export settings that retain quality while ensuring smooth uploads.
• Final steps to get your video from DaVinci Resolve to Instagram seamlessly.

Instagram Reels & Stories Export Settings

‍

How do I export my DaVinci Resolve project to Instagram?

The following tutorial shows you how to export your video with the most ideal Instagram Reels settings. Remember to tailor each parameter depending on whether you intend to post to Stories, Reels, or as a regular post.

Accessing Project Settings:

1. Open DaVinci Resolve and navigate to the bottom of the screen. Here, click on the "Edit" page icon.
2. On the top left corner of the screen, you'll find the “File” option. Click on it.
3. From the dropdown menu, select “Project Settings…”.
4. A new window will pop up. This is where you adjust your project's parameters.

Adjusting Timeline Resolution:

1. In the Project Settings window, look for the "Timeline Resolution" section.
2. Set the width to 1080 and the height to 1920 pixels. Think of this as setting the canvas size for your artwork. Just as a painter chooses the size of their canvas based on the final display, you're choosing the size of your video frame to fit perfectly on Instagram.

Pro Tip: To make this process easier, Artlist actually offers templates that come pre-set in the Instagram aspect ratio so you don't have to do all the adjusting steps explained above. To find them, go to the 'templates' tab at the top of their website and search for 'Instagram'. This feature can only be found on Artlist which is good because that's one of the things that makes it better than other platforms such as Epidemic Sound.

Importing and Scaling Your Footage

Once your project is set up, the next step is to bring in your video clips. But remember, if your footage wasn't shot vertically, it won't fit the 9:16 aspect ratio perfectly. Imagine trying to fit a rectangular photo into a narrow frame; some parts won't show. Here's how to fix that:

Importing Your Clips:

1. On the bottom left, click on the "Media" page icon.
2. Drag and drop your video files into the media pool.
3. Go back to the "Edit" page and drag your clips onto the timeline.

Scaling and Adjusting Your Clips:

1. With your clip selected on the timeline, navigate to the top right corner and find the "Inspector" tab.
2. Within the Inspector, you'll see options like "Zoom" and "Position". These are your tools to make the clip fit.
3. Increase the zoom until your clip fills the frame vertically. It's like zooming into a picture on your phone to focus on a specific part.
4. Use the "Position" settings to adjust the clip's placement. This ensures the most important parts of your video are centered and visible.

‍

Exporting Your Video

After editing, it's time to export your video. This is where you convert your project into a video file suitable for Instagram.

Accessing Export Settings:

1. Click on the "Deliver" page icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. This opens the export window. Here, you'll find various settings to fine-tune your video's output.

Setting Up the Export:

1. Name your file and choose a location on your computer to save it.
2. For the format, select "Quicktime" and choose the "H.264" codec. Think of this as choosing the type of container and material for packaging a product. Quicktime and H.264 ensure your video remains high quality but is also easily playable.
3. Confirm the resolution is set to 1080 x 1920 and the frame rate matches your project.
4. In the quality section, set the data rate to "Restrict to" and input 3,500 kb/s. This ensures your video remains clear but isn't too large for Instagram to handle.
5. Lastly, set rate control to "Constant Bitrate". This maintains a consistent quality throughout your video.

Once everything is set, click "Add to Render Queue", then "Start Render". After rendering, transfer the video to your mobile device, and it's ready for upload on Instagram.