Blog · Hand off to your editor
How to import an AI rough cut into DaVinci Resolve
By Eran Strassburg · Updated 2026-10-10
The short answer
DaVinci Resolve imports a rough cut as a timeline file. Export the cut from the tool that made it, import the file as a timeline in Resolve, and point it at the folder that holds your media. FirstCut exports FCPXML, FCP7-XML, EDL and OTIO, all of which Resolve reads, and each clip keeps its source timecodes so the grade and the mix start from your camera originals.
Which format to choose for Resolve
| Format | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| FCPXML | First choice. It carries media references and per-clip resolution and frame rate |
| FCP7-XML | The FCPXML import gives trouble on your version |
| OTIO | You are on Resolve 18 or later and use OpenTimelineIO elsewhere |
| CMX3600 EDL | Nothing else works. One track, relinked by clip name |
The differences between the four are in EDL, FCP7-XML, FCPXML and OTIO.
Export from FirstCut
- Open the sequence and choose Export. Exporting needs a signed-in account.
- Pick FCPXML and download the file.
- Put the file in the same folder as your footage. The file relinks by filename, so keeping them together makes the next step shorter.
The export follows the revision and the pace level you had open, and saves any unsaved edits first.
Import the timeline
- Open a project and add your footage to the Media Pool. With an EDL this is required, and with the other formats it makes relinking automatic.
- Choose File > Import > Timeline and select the file.
- In the import dialog, confirm the timeline name and frame rate.
- The cut opens as a new timeline on the Edit page.
Menu names are from recent versions of Resolve and can differ in yours.
Relinking to camera originals
The timeline file names each source file without a full path, because a browser is not told where files live on disk. If the footage is already in the Media Pool, Resolve matches the clips by name. If clips come in offline, select them in the Media Pool and relink them to the folder that holds the originals.
What arrives and what does not
| Arrives | Does not arrive |
|---|---|
| The clips, in story order | Effects, transitions and color |
| Source in and out points for every clip | Captions, titles and graphics |
| The pacing you chose, as separate shorter clips where words or gaps were cut | B-roll or extra camera angles |
| A reference to each source file by name | The media itself |
FirstCut makes none of the things in the right-hand column. They are the work you do in the editor.
Troubleshooting
- Clips are offline: the footage is not in the Media Pool, or a file was renamed after it was imported into FirstCut.
- The timeline frame rate is wrong: set it in the import dialog. A project's frame rate cannot be changed once it has media in it, so a new project is sometimes the quickest fix.
- The cut drifts against the picture: FirstCut's timecodes come from the audio timeline, and a few files offset audio from picture. Slip the affected clips.
Questions
Does it work with the free version of Resolve?
FirstCut's export page lists the free DaVinci Resolve as reading its formats. Check the import on your own version.
Can I round-trip back to FirstCut?
No. The handoff is one way.
Does Resolve get my color or audio settings from FirstCut?
FirstCut has none. It sends the cut, and grading and mixing start in Resolve.
Related guides
- EDL, FCP7-XML, FCPXML and OTIO: which timeline format to use
- From a transcript edit to a Premiere Pro sequence
- How to export a transcript-based edit to Final Cut Pro (FCPXML)
- Try the export on sample footage
Try it on your own footage
FirstCut is free to try with no install and no credit card. Start a rough cut → · Or open the live demo, which needs no account.