DaVinci Resolve how-to
How to use keyframes in DaVinci Resolve (Inspector, easing)
Short answer
Select the clip, open the Inspector, move the playhead to where the animation should start and click the grey diamond (Keyframe button) next to the parameter, for example Zoom. Move the playhead and change the value: Resolve adds a second keyframe automatically and animates between them. Right-click an orange keyframe button to set Ease In, Ease Out or Linear.
Checked against: DaVinci Resolve 21 (free and Studio), Windows, Mac and Linux, per the Resolve 21 Reference Manual (July 2026).
Step by step: Inspector keyframes
Open the Inspector
Select the clip on the Edit page timeline and open the Inspector (top-right). Almost every parameter there can be keyframed, from Zoom and Position to Opacity and Cropping.
Set the first keyframe
Move the playhead to the start frame and click the grey Keyframe button to the right of the parameter. It turns orange when the playhead is on a keyframe.
Set the second value
Move the playhead and change the parameter in the Inspector or with the on-screen Transform controls. Once a parameter has one keyframe, changes at other frames add keyframes automatically.
Ease the motion
Park on a keyframe, right-click the orange button and choose Ease In, Ease Out or Ease In and Out. Choose Linear for constant speed.
Jump between keyframes
Click the small arrows beside the keyframe button, or use the bracket keys, to move the playhead from keyframe to keyframe.
Deleting and resetting keyframes
| To | Do this |
|---|---|
| Delete one keyframe | Park on it and click the orange Keyframe button |
| Delete all keyframes of one parameter | Click that parameter's reset button |
| Delete all keyframes in a group | Click the reset button on the group's title bar |
| Turn a group off without deleting | Click the toggle on the left of the group's title |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Changing a value moves the whole clip | No keyframe exists yet, so you changed the fixed value. Click the Keyframe button first. |
| A keyframe icon appears on the clip but nothing moves | You only have one keyframe. Add a second one at another frame with a different value. |
| Can't see keyframes in the timeline | Click the Keyframe track button on the clip (it appears only on keyframed clips) or open the Keyframe Editor. |
| Motion starts and stops abruptly | Right-click the keyframes and choose Ease In and Out. |
Questions people ask
How do I zoom in with keyframes in DaVinci Resolve?
Keyframe Zoom in the Inspector: one keyframe at 1.0, then another later at 1.3 or similar. Add Position keyframes to steer the zoom.
How many keyframes do I need?
At least two for an animation: the start value and the end value.
Can I keyframe audio volume?
Yes, with the Inspector's Volume keyframe button or by Alt-clicking (Option-clicking) the volume line on the clip.
More DaVinci Resolve guides
Sources and how we checked
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Keyframing in the Inspector (p. 1290-1291) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Volume overlay, audio keyframes and fade handles (p. 1142-1144) (checked 2026-10-05)
Blackmagic's manual lists Mac shortcuts; on Windows and Linux use Ctrl for Command and Alt for Option.
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with DaVinci Resolve's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.