DaVinci Resolve Playback Lagging? Try the Following Fixes!

Author: Carina
Publish date
Updated on July 26, 2024
Fix DaVinci Resolve Video Playback Lagging
  • Does DaVinci Resolve playback lag when editing videos? The possible reasons can be an improper codec, high video resolution, high frame rate, etc. Want to make your video process smoother in DaVinci Resolve?
  • Try WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro to change the video encoding parameters for smoother editing in DaVinci Resolve.
  • GetGet the software here to resolve the playback lagging issue in DaVinci Resolve now.
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Reasons for Video Lagging in DaVinci Resolve
How to Stop DaVinci Resolve from Lagging? [9 Fixes]
1. Improve Your System
2. Change the Video Format and Codecs
3. Downscale Video Resolution
4. Upgrade DaVinci Resolve to Studio
5. Enable Render Cache
6. Render in Place
7. Use Proxy Media Files
8. Use Timeline Proxy Mode
9. Disable Live Save Feature
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Reasons for Video Lagging in DaVinci Resolve

When editing videos in DaVinci Resolve, you may encounter some problems like choppy/lagging/stuttering playback, especially when working with some advanced features like VFX compositing, color grading, and motion tracking. The following are possible reasons.

  • Hardware configuration: If you are running DaVinci Resolve on an old or less-powerful computer, then once you start the software, the CPU and Memory usage may blast up to 90% or higher which will inevitably slow down the processing performance.
  • Video resources: Some 4K videos are encoded by high-compression codecs like H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC which are not friendly for editing. Also, the high frame rate, HDR videos, etc. sometimes can cause DaVinci Resolve playback issues. Even worse, your files are corrupted.
  • Improper DaVinci Resolve Settings: Since DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editing program, you can try to alter some settings in DaVinci Resolve to make it run smoother when editing videos.

Now you know the possible reasons for DaVinci Resolve's lagging playback. And it is time to proceed with the following methods to prevent and stop DaVinci Resolve from lagging.

How to Stop DaVinci Resolve from Lagging? [9 Fixes]

The following are the top 9 solutions for DaVinci Resolve video playback lagging issue. Before starting, you can try to restart your computer and the software, and reinstall DaVinci Resolve on your device first to see if the video stuttering issue is solved.

1. Improve Your System

Programs like DaVinci Resolve need to meet specific system requirements for smooth running. So it is important to make your computer meet the minimum system requirements of DaVinci Resolve. For SD video processing, we need at least 8 GB of RAM. But for HD video processing, you need at least 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM. See the full system requirements for macOS, Windows, and Linux:

  • Mac:
    macOS 11 Big Sur or later / 8 GB of system memory (16 GB for intense graphics work) / M1 Apple Silicon CPU (or Intel core i7 on older Macs) / Integrated GPU or discrete GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM and supports Metal or OpenCL 1.2 / A fast Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)
  • Windows:
    Windows 10 or later / 16 GB of system memory (32 GB for intense graphics work) / Intel core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU / Integrated or discrete GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM and supports OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 11 and the Latest driver Blackmagic Design Desktop Video 10.4.1 or later / A fast Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)
  • Linux:
    CentOS 7.3 / 32 GB of system memory / Intel core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU / Discrete GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM that supports OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 11 as well as the latest driver Blackmagic Design Desktop Video 10.4.1 or later / A fast Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)

2. Change the Video Format and Codec

If your videos are encoded with H.264 or HEVC codecs, you can try to change the video codec since H.264 or HEVC are high-compression codecs that need a longer time to decompress for editing. Then you may encounter the DaVinci Resolve lagging playback issue. Instead, ProRes, DNxHD/HR, and Cineform are codecs that are better for editing.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a professional video converter that supports all video inputs and can convert videos to ProRes effortlessly in batches. Install it on your Windows PC and follow the simple steps to fix video lagging in DaVinci Resolve caused by improper file codecs.

Free download Download for Free
Free download Download for Free

Step 1. Download and launch HD Video Converter Factory Pro on your desktop. Select “Converter” to enter and click “+ Add Files” to import your videos.
Step 2. Click the right-side format image to open the output format list. Go to the “Apple” device section and choose the “ProRes” profile below. (By default, the codec is set to ProRes 422 HQ. If you want a specific ProRes codec, navigate to the “Parameter settings” window and switch to a new ProRes type under the “Encoder” drop-down list.)
Step 3. Specify an output path and press “Run” to start the conversion.
With the support of batch mode, you can convert multiple files simultaneously. Once done, add the converted videos to DaVinci Resolve to see if the video stuttering in DaVinci Resolve goes away.

Change Video Codec
Change Video Codec

3. Downscale Video Resolution

Lowering the video resolution is also an efficient way to prevent lagging playback in DaVinci Resolve since high-resolution videos like 4K or 8K videos usually require more resources to process. Here you can downscale the timeline resolution inside DaVinci Resolve, which will not change the output video resolution.

Lower the Timeline Resolution
Step 1. Launch DaVinci Resolve and add the videos.
Step 2. Move to the top menu bar and select “File” > “Project Settings” to open the “Project Settings” panel.
Step 3. Select the target timeline resolution under the “Time Resolution” panel.

Lower the Timeline Resolution
Lower the Timeline Resolution

However, if the video is encoded with H.265, this may not make much difference. You may still need to change the video codec in WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro.

Tips. Sometimes, the higher frame rate of videos can also hinder DaVinci Resolve from smoothly processing and playing your videos. So, if your videos are shot at 60 FPS or higher, try to lower the frame rate to 24, 25, or 30 fps with HD Video Converter Factory Pro in the “Parameter settings” window.

4. Upgrade DaVinci Resolve to Studio

DaVinci Resolve has two versions, a free version and a paid version. The paid (DaVinci Resolve Studio) version supports hardware acceleration for decoding and encoding formats like H.264, H.265, etc. If you are using the free version and find the MP4 video editing in DaVinci Resolve gets laggy and stutter, then upgrade DaVinci Resolve Free to DaVinci Resolve Studio is a quick solution to fix the H.264/H.265 video editing choppy issue.

Upgrade DaVinci Resolve
Upgrade DaVinci Resolve

The following methods are fixing the DaVinci Resolve playback lagging issue by modifying the settings inside DaVinci Resolve.

5. Enable Render Cache

Multiple video effects can put a heavy strain on real-time preview, then then cause playback lagging and choppy issues. So you can enable the render cache to produce a render cache file for storing the rendered frames when rendering a clip. The rendered cache file can make the video editing with better quality and smaller size, thus improving the playback performance. To enable render cache, you need to:

1. Press “Playback” on the top bar and then select “Render Cache”.
2. Select the option between “Smart” and “User”.

Enable Render Cache
Enable Render Cache

Difference between “Smart” and “User”:
Smart: DaVinci Resolve can automatically render clips that are beyond your GPU’s capability to play in real-time. And users can also choose a certain clip to render.
User: The user can render the section by right-clicking and selecting Render Cache Fusion Output. If the corresponding choices are chosen under Master Settings, it also renders the transition, composite, and Fusion effects.

6. Render in Place

Although enabling render cache can greatly prevent video lagging issue and improve the playback performance for the entire timeline, sometimes there are still certain files that cannot play smoothly since intensive effects are applied. In such cases, using the “Render in Place” can be helpful. It can render the selected effect-heavy clips and replace them in the timeline to free up resources and improve the playback performance.

How to enable the “Render in Place” feature in DaVinci Resolve:
1. In the edit tab, right-click to select your clip and then choose “Render in Place”.
2. Now choose the “Format”, “Codec”, and “Type” of the proxy version of your clip.
3. If you want to keep some editing flexibility, just select the “Include Handles” box.
4. Press the “Render” button and the clip will be replaced in the timeline.

Render in Place
Render in Place

7. Use Proxy Media Files

Another way to fix the lagging playback issue in DaVinci Resolve is to use proxy media while editing. Some users may think that using proxies will require more processing time. However, a proxy file is a smaller copy of the original with a lower resolution that can be easier for computers to process and greatly improve the editing workflow. By using proxy media files during the editing process, you can achieve smooth playback and editing. To get a proxy file in DaVinci Resolve, you can:

1. Go to your “Media Pool” and find & right-click on the video you want to create a proxy file for.
2. Select “Generate Proxy Media”.

Then it will take some time to make the video friendlier for editing.

Use Proxy Media Files
Use Proxy Media Files

8. Use Timeline Proxy Mode

If you encounter the DaVinci Resolve timeline playback choppy issue when editing, you can also use the “Timeline Proxy Mode”. It only downscales the playback resolution to half or a quarter of the original timeline resolution instead of generating a new proxy media file. By choosing a lower timeline resolution and enabling the timeline proxy mode, you can then enjoy a smoother video playback experience. The following are the steps for you to enable the timeline proxy mode to improve DaVinci Resolve performance.

1. Go to the top menu bar and select the “Playback” option.
2. Hover over the “Timeline Proxy Mode” and then select either “Half Resolution” or “Quarter Resolution”.

But note that this method cannot help fix the issue with H.265 encoded videos.

Use Timeline Proxy Mode
Use Timeline Proxy Mode

9. Disable Live Save Feature

Live Save” is a feature in DaVinci Resolve that can help save every change you make when editing videos. However, it will slow down the playback and editing performance if your database is on a remote drive. So you can try to disable the “Live Save” feature to fix the DaVinci Resolve video lagging issue if you always remember to save the project once in a while during editing.

How to disable the “Live Save” feature in DaVinci Resolve:
1. Click “DaVinci Resolve” in the upper-left corner and then select “Preferences”.
2. Under the “User” tab, select “Project and Load”.
3. Uncheck the “Live Save” option under the “Save Settings” section.

Disable Live Save Feature
Disable Live Save Feature

At Last

That’s all about the 9 fixes for solving the DaVinci Resolve playback lagging issue. DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editing program, but some problems may occur during the editing process. If you encounter the DaVinci Resolve playback lagging issue, just try the methods provided in this post to fix it. If all the solutions in this article cannot work with your problem, you can contact with Blackmagicdesign’s support center for help.
Nevertheless, we hope you can find this article helpful. Thanks for reading till the end! Have a nice day!


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