How to Save and Reuse Your Own Effects in DaVinci Resolve 21

Would you rather spend 1 hour today, or 5 minutes on every video you edit for the rest of your life?

You've built something in Fusion you're actually proud of. Right now it's trapped in one comp, in one project, and the next time you want it you'll build the whole thing again. Let's fix that permanently.

P.s. You'll need DaVinci Resolve 21. The Macro Editor used here is new in 21.1.

Macro, template, .setting - what you actually need to know

Fusion comp → .setting (macro) → .drfx (Edit page template)

A macro is your effect packaged as a single node you can drop into any comp.

Before we start, do 2 things

1. Save some common folders.
2. Download the practice project.

1 - Save these folders

You’ll be saving stuff to two folders, I recommend saving these folders to shortcuts, so you can easily come back to things you make.

Save both of these folders to your shortcuts:

~/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Fusion/Macros

~/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Fusion/Templates

%APPDATA%\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Macros

%APPDATA%\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Templates

2 - Grab the practice effect

👇 Download the practice project so you can follow along step by step

Practice Project - Make Your Own Template · Orsonlord

This is a .DRA file that will allow you to follow along and practice making your own drag and drop preset.

www.creem.io

Here's an example slide in and out template you can practice along with.

The stages, start to finish

Stage 01: Fusion comp → Stage 02: .Setting File → Stage 03: Edit Page Template

Fusion comp → .setting (a macro, lives in Fusion) → .drfx (an Edit page template, lives in the Effects library)

Stage 01 - Cut your effect loose from the clip it was built on

Right now your effect only works inside fusion where you made it. Let's set it free.

‣

Important NOTE! Move your keyframes back to frame 0

If you’re following along with your own templates, read this warning!

This is the single most common way people ruin a whole batch of templates. Do it first, every time.

Before you package anything, drag your keyframes to the start of the comp.

When you save a template, Resolve resets its first frame to 0 - but it keeps your animation sitting on the absolute frame you built it on. If your first keyframe is on frame 67, you'll ship an effect that stays perfectly still for 67 frames and then does the thing. It looks broken, and nothing in the interface tells you why.

Step 01 - Select all the nodes, except the “media in” and “media out”

• By not selecting the MediaIn, we're telling Resolve "this effect starts here”, so whenever I drag it onto a clip later, it knows to connect the new clip where the old media in was.

• Right click the Merge1 node
• Macro → Create New Macro

This will open the Macro Editor, which brings us to Step 02

New to this window? Here's a full breakdown of the Resolve 21 Macro Editor.

Step 02 - Expose only the controls you want to see

Quick tip - I like making a quick sticky note node in fusion, and listing what controls I want my template to have, and a little mention which node the control lives on.

And I know some of you will suggest “Oh, why don’t I link all my controls to a master control node using expressions. DON’T!!!!! Every expression recalculates on every single frame, and a master node will chew through your CPU for no benefit at all. Nests do the same organising job for free.

In the practice template, I've left a sticky note on the controls we'll be exposing to the Edit page.

Add the transform controls

• Find Merge1 and check the box for:
• Center
• Size
• Angle

Notice it adds the controls to the Controls Editor window on the right.

Now let's organise them into a nest

• Click Add Nest
• Rename it "Transform Controls"

Drag the controls into the nest

Add a new nest and call it "Shake Controls"

Locate the CameraShake node in the tool/input selector window and:

• add the strength control
• Add the speed control

Stage 02 - Save it where Fusion can find it

Get this one wrong and the whole build disappears the moment you close the project.

Rename this template to "In And Out Shake"

Make sure the "Save to" setting is set to File.

Click the meatball icon (the three dots at the top right of the Macro Editor) and choose "Save"

Then click save.

Safety Check - Prove it works before you rely on it

Let’s quickly test it works!

1. Click inside the Fusion node tree, on blank space
2. Press Shift + Space
3. Search for your new tool
4. Add it

You’ll see you’ve added the new template you’ve just created

Hook the MediaIn up to your new template and it should look exactly the same.

Stage 03 - Edit your macro without starting again

You will want to change it. With a .setting file you pick up exactly where you left off instead of rebuilding from nothing.

• Right click any empty space in the node tree graph
• Choose, Edit Macro → Click on the template name we’ve just created

Change the Macro setting to Group setting.

Click Save As

and overwrite the file.

Now add the template back in (Shift + Space)

You’ll see the change we just made.

Our template is now an exposed group, so we can double click it to open it up!

Stage 05 - Get it onto the Edit page, where you actually work fast

Your effect only exists in Fusion right now. That's no use to you at all when you're cutting at speed on the Edit page.

Open the tool back up in the Macro Editor by right clicking empty space in the node tree:

And in the dropdown, change it to Effect Template

Then in the meatball icon, click Save.

and click Save again.

What just happened: that wrote a .drfx into your Templates folder. That single file is the Edit page template - a zip with the destination path baked inside it, so it knows where it belongs. It's also the one file you'd send someone if you wanted to share this template.

Once Resolve is open:

1. Open the Effects tab
2. Search for your effect by name
3. Drag it onto a clip
4. and 🎉

Stage 06 - Apply it in one drag, and pat yourself on the back for saving time.

This is the part you did all the work for.

Inside Fusion

1. Press Shift + Space, type the name, hit enter

On the Edit page

1. Open the Effects library and find your effect
2. Drag it onto a clip
3. To do a whole selection at once: copy the clip you're happy with, select the rest, then right click → Paste Attributes and tick the Fusion effect

One more thing almost nobody mentions: because it's an Edit page effect now, you can retime its keyframes right there on the Edit page. Trim the clip, stretch the animation, no trip back into Fusion.

That's the return on the hour you just spent. Every project from here starts with your own effects already in it.

Congrats! You've just made your own template in DaVinci Resolve!

FAQ

What is a DaVinci Resolve macro?

A macro is a group of Fusion nodes saved as one reusable tool. It shows up in the Fusion Add Tool menu and drops into any comp, in any project, as a single node.

What is a .drfx file?

A .drfx is your Edit page template as a single file. Underneath it's a zip archive with the template's destination path stored inside it, so InandOutShake.drfx holds Edit/Effects/InandOutShake.setting. Saving as an Effect Template in Stage 05 is what creates one. Because the path travels inside the file, a .drfx installs itself, and it's the one file you hand someone else if you want to share your template.

Why does my template sit still for the first few seconds?

Your keyframes weren't at frame 0 when you saved it. Resolve resets a template's first frame to 0 but keeps the animation on the absolute frame you built it on, so the template waits out the gap before it starts. Move the keyframes to the start of the comp and save again.

Why doesn't my macro show up in the Effects library?

You almost certainly need to restart Resolve. New Edit page templates are only picked up at launch, and Resolve gives you no warning that this is the reason it's missing.

Can I do this in DaVinci Resolve 20 or earlier?

Not this way. The Macro Editor shown here is new in Resolve 21.1. Older versions can still make macros, but the window is different, with no nesting and no one-click Edit page publishing.