5 Simple Steps to Cut Out Empty Timeline in DaVinci Resolve 18

Are you tired of dealing with empty timelines in DaVinci Resolve 18 that clutter up your workflow? If so, you’re in luck! We’ll show you a quick and easy way to delete these empty timelines and streamline your editing process. Follow these simple steps to make timeline management a breeze.

First, let’s identify the empty timelines that need to be removed. In the Project Manager, locate the timeline tab. Here, you’ll see a list of all the timelines in your project. Empty timelines will typically have no clips or tracks associated with them. To select an empty timeline, simply click on it. Once selected, you’ll notice that the timeline viewer is blank.

Now, it’s time to delete the empty timeline. Right-click on the selected timeline and choose “Delete” from the menu. Alternatively, you can press the “Delete” key on your keyboard. A confirmation dialog box will appear, asking you to verify the deletion. Click “OK” to proceed. The empty timeline will be permanently removed from your project, leaving you with a cleaner and more organized workspace.

Trimming the Timelines

When editing videos in DaVinci Resolve 18, it’s essential to know how to trim timelines to remove unnecessary footage and improve the flow of your project.

Dragging the Timeline Edges

The simplest way to trim a timeline is to drag the edges of the timeline itself. Click on the timeline’s left or right edge and drag it inward to remove footage.

Using Trim In and Trim Out Points

For more precise trimming, use the trim in and trim out points. To set the trim in point, move the playhead to the desired starting point and click the “I” key. For the trim out point, click the “O” key. Drag the trim points to adjust the start and end points of the clip.

Using the Timeline Zoom

To trim more precisely, zoom in on the timeline using the scroll wheel or the zoom controls at the bottom of the viewer. This allows you to see the individual frames and make fine adjustments.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

To speed up trimming, use the following keyboard shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
J	Trim in point 10 frames to the left
K	Trim out point 10 frames to the right
L	Extend trim in point 10 frames to the left
;	Extend trim out point 10 frames to the right

Using the Razor Tool

The Razor tool is a precise way to cut a clip into multiple parts. Select the Razor tool from the toolbar, then click on the timeline at the desired cut point. This will split the clip into two separate clips, which you can then trim or adjust as needed.

Using the Cut Tool

The Cut tool is another option for removing unwanted sections of your timeline. To use it:

Step 1: Select the Range to Cut

Use the arrow keys or the blade tool to select the start and end points of the range you want to remove. The selected range will be highlighted in red.

Step 2: Cut the Range

Press the “Cut” button in the Timeline toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+X” (Windows) or “Cmd+X” (Mac). The selected range will be removed from the timeline.

Step 3: Lift Selected Clips to Top

To avoid gaps in your sequence when cutting, you can lift the selected clips to the top of the timeline before cutting. This ensures that the remaining clips will fill the resulting empty space.

Step 4: Trim Tail to Fill Gap

If there is a gap left after cutting, you can trim the tail of the clip above the gap to fill it. Click on the clip above the gap and drag its end point inward to adjust its length.

Step 5: Delete the Gap

Once you have filled the gap, select the empty space and press the “Delete” key. This will remove the unnecessary space from the timeline.

Step 6: Alternative Methods to Remove Gaps

There are alternative methods to remove gaps from your timeline besides trimming the tail. You can drag and drop clips to fill the gap, use the “Fill Gap” function in the Timeline menu, or apply the “ripple delete” or “ripple cut” commands. The table below summarizes these methods:

Method	Description
Drag and Drop	Drag a clip from the Media Pool or another timeline to fill the gap.
Fill Gap	Select the empty space and choose “Timeline > Fill Gap” to automatically fill the gap with surrounding clips.
Ripple Delete	Select the empty space and press “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” (Windows) or “Cmd+Option+Delete” (Mac). The clips after the gap will be moved forward to fill the space.
Ripple Cut	Select the empty space and press “Ctrl+Shift+Delete” (Windows) or “Cmd+Shift+Delete” (Mac). The clips before the gap will be moved backward to fill the space.

Ripple Deleting Empty Timelines

In Davinci Resolve 18, you can easily delete empty timelines to declutter your workspace and improve performance. This is especially useful when you have multiple timelines open and want to remove the ones you’re not currently using.

To ripple delete empty timelines, follow these steps:

Select the timeline you want to delete.
Choose Edit > Timeline > Ripple Delete Empty Timelines.
Confirm your selection.

Davinci Resolve will now automatically delete all empty timelines in the project. This process is irreversible, so make sure you have saved any timelines you want to keep before performing this action.

Additional Notes

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Option + Command + Backspace (Mac) or Alt + Control + Delete (Windows) to ripple delete empty timelines.
If you want to delete only certain empty timelines, you can hold down the Shift key while selecting them.
Davinci Resolve will not delete timelines that contain any clips, markers, or other data.

Platform	Keyboard Shortcut
Mac	Option + Command + Backspace
Windows	Alt + Control + Delete

Automatically Detecting and Removing Empty Timelines

In DaVinci Resolve 18, you can automatically detect and remove empty timelines to declutter your workspace and improve efficiency. Here’s how:

Open the Timeline section.
Click on the “Timeline” menu.
Select “Detect Empty Timelines”.
DaVinci Resolve will scan all timelines for empty sections.
Click on “Remove Empty Timelines” to delete the detected empty sections.

Advanced Options

The “Detect Empty Timelines” feature offers several advanced options to customize the detection process:

Minimum duration: Set a threshold duration for empty sections to be considered for removal.
Ignore transitions: Exclude transitions from the detection process to avoid accidentally deleting them.
Remove audio only: Delete empty audio tracks while preserving video tracks.
Remove video only: Delete empty video tracks while preserving audio tracks.
Remove empty effects: Remove empty effect stacks from the timeline.
Remove empty markers: Delete empty markers from the timeline.
Remove empty keyframes: Delete unused keyframes from the timeline.
Remove empty titles: Delete empty title layers from the timeline.

By customizing these advanced options, you can tailor the detection process to meet your specific needs.

Organizing Your Timeline with Timeline Groups

One of the most powerful features of DaVinci Resolve 18 is the ability to organize your timeline with timeline groups. This can help you keep your timeline organized and make it easier to find the clips you need.

To create a timeline group, simply click on the “Add Group” button in the timeline panel. You can then name the group and drag and drop clips into it.

Once you have created a timeline group, you can use it to organize your clips in a number of ways. For example, you can use timeline groups to:

Group clips by type (e.g., video, audio, effects)
Group clips by scene
Group clips by camera angle

You can also use timeline groups to create nested groups. This can be helpful for organizing complex timelines with multiple levels of organization.

In addition to organizing your clips, timeline groups can also be used to control the visibility of clips. By default, all clips in a timeline group are visible. However, you can hide clips by clicking on the “Eye” icon in the timeline group header.

Timeline groups are a powerful tool that can help you keep your timeline organized and make it easier to find the clips you need.


Benefit	Description
Easier clip organization	Group clips by type, scene, camera angle, or other criteria
Improved workflow efficiency	Quickly find and access specific clips
Enhanced visual clarity	Reduce timeline clutter and improve visibility
Nested group support	Create multiple levels of organization for complex timelines
Clip visibility control	Hide or show clips within timeline groups

How To Cut Empty Timeline In Davinci Resolve 18

To cut an empty timeline in DaVinci Resolve 18, follow these steps:

On the timeline, move the playhead to the point where you want to cut.
Right-click and select “Cut”.
The timeline will be cut at the playhead position.