Cutsio Blog

DaVinci Resolve Cannot Trim ARRIRAW HDE: What to Do Instead

Why DaVinci Resolve may fail to trim or consolidate HDE-compressed ARRIRAW clips in Media Management, and how to work around the limitation without losing the original camera files.

Why can't DaVinci Resolve trim HDE-compressed ARRIRAW clips?

DaVinci Resolve Media Management should be tested carefully before it is used to trim or consolidate HDE-compressed ARRIRAW files. HDE is a lossless, variable-bit-rate encoding of ARRIRAW applied after capture, and post teams should not assume that every media-management operation will preserve a conform-ready camera original. The safest workflow is to send full camera-original folders to the conform stage, or to use a non-HDE workflow when file-level trimming is required.

The root cause is workflow risk, not image quality. HDE is designed to reduce ARRIRAW storage while remaining lossless, but a trimmed delivery changes the camera-original package that will later be used for conform. If the post pipeline has not explicitly tested trimmed HDE media in the target NLE, the online team can run into relinking, decode, frame-count, or verification surprises late in the schedule.

Treat HDE files as camera originals first. Use trimmed proxies, EDL/XML selects, or full-file conform packages unless the finishing vendor has already verified trimmed HDE media with the exact software versions used on the job.

Working with raw camera footage? Check out How to Build a Searchable Library From ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes Footage.

For more DaVinci Resolve tips, read our guide on DaVinci Resolve AI Tools for Colorists and Editors.

What exactly fails when you trim HDE ARRIRAW in Media Management?

There are three failure modes to test for before approving a trimmed HDE workflow.

| Failure Mode | Symptom | Cause |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Offline clips | Trimmed HDE clips appear as offline in the timeline | The target application cannot decode or relink the managed media |

| Playback or verification errors | Clip plays back inconsistently or fails validation | The managed file no longer matches the expected camera-original package |

| Frame-range mismatch | Media Management reports success but the conform does not match the offline edit | Timecode, frame count, or handle ranges were not preserved as expected |

The most dangerous failure mode is the third one. The system reports success, the clip appears online in the timeline, but the frame range does not match the original clip. This can go unnoticed until conform, when the online editor discovers that the managed file does not match the camera original.

How do you work around the HDE trim limitation?

There are three reliable workarounds. The right choice depends on your production's conform workflow and whether HDE compression is required.

Workaround 1: Send full camera-original folders. Instead of trimming clips in Media Management, send the complete HDE files from the camera card folder structure to the conform stage. The online editor imports the full HDE clips and conforms the timeline using the original, untrimmed files. This is the most reliable approach because it preserves the HDE structure intact. Cutsio can support this workflow by retaining the original HDE files as downloadable attachments — the online editor downloads the complete files, not trimmed subsets.

Workaround 2: Use standard (non-HDE) ARRIRAW for clips that require Media Management trimming. If the conform workflow specifically requires trimmed sub-clips, offload those cards without HDE compression. The standard ARRIRAW files can be trimmed in Media Management without issues because they are uncompressed and have no complex frame indexing. This is practical for productions where only a portion of the footage needs Media Management trimming.

Workaround 3: Transcode to ProRes or DNxHR before Media Management. If the goal is to create trimmed reference clips for an offline edit, transcode the HDE ARRIRAW to ProRes 422 Proxy or DNxHR LB first, then run Media Management on the proxy files. This avoids touching the HDE files entirely. The original HDE files remain untouched for the online conform.

Does Cutsio help avoid the HDE trim problem?

Cutsio's enterprise raw ingestion add-on retains the original HDE-compressed ARRIRAW files as downloadable attachments. The online editor downloads the complete, untrimmed camera files from Cutsio, which preserves the HDE structure integrity. The review and edit workflow happens on the streamable review assets, not on trimmed subsets of the HDE files.

The workflow:

1. DIT offloads cards with HDE compression enabled
2. HDE files are uploaded to Cutsio through the enterprise add-on
3. The editorial team reviews and selects shots using Cutsio's streamable review assets
4. Visual Intelligence indexes the review assets for search and selects
5. When the picture is locked, the online editor downloads the complete HDE files from Cutsio
6. The conform uses the full, untrimmed HDE files — no Media Management trimming required

This approach eliminates the need to trim HDE files entirely. The selects are managed by the review workflow, not by splitting camera files into sub-clips.

When should you use standard ARRIRAW instead of HDE?

If your conform workflow regularly uses Media Management trimming or consolidate operations, consider using standard ARRIRAW instead of HDE for those specific cards or scenes.

| Workflow | Recommended Format | Rationale |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Dailies review + full-file conform | HDE | No trimming required; HDE saves 40% storage |

| Dailies review + trimmed selects conform | Standard ARRIRAW | Lower risk when the finishing vendor requires managed sub-clips |

| Offline edit with proxy files | HDE (originals) + ProRes (proxies) | Trim proxies, not originals |

| VFX plate delivery | Standard ARRIRAW or EXR | HDE adds unnecessary complexity for VFX |

| Long-term archive | HDE | Smaller archive footprint, lossless quality |

For most narrative feature workflows where the conform uses complete camera files, HDE is the better choice. For commercial or episodic workflows where trimmed selects are commonly delivered to the conform stage, standard ARRIRAW may be more practical.

FAQ

Does this issue affect all versions of DaVinci Resolve?

Do not make that assumption. The safe answer is to test the exact Resolve version, operating system, ARRI SDK integration, and HDE sample media before approving a trimmed workflow. If the workflow has not been tested, deliver complete camera originals instead.

Can you trim HDE files in Avid Media Composer or Premiere Pro?

The same caution applies to any NLE or finishing tool. HDE decode support and media-management behavior are not the same thing. Always test trim operations on HDE files before committing to a conform workflow.

Does Cutsio allow trimming or sub-clip extraction from HDE files?

Cutsio does not trim or extract sub-clips from the original camera files. The original HDE files are retained as complete, untrimmed attachments. Sub-clip management happens through the review asset selection workflow, not through file-level trimming.

How do you verify that an HDE file has not been corrupted by Media Management?

Compare the managed file against the expected manifest, then verify it in the finishing application with timecode, duration, frame count, and visual spot checks. A checksum of a trimmed file will not match the source camera original because the file has intentionally changed; use checksums to verify full-file transfers and use conform tests to verify trimmed deliveries.

Should I avoid HDE entirely if my conform workflow uses trimmed selects?

Not necessarily. You can use HDE for the dailies and archive pipeline, then convert the selected takes to standard ARRIRAW or ProRes for the trimmed selects delivery. The storage savings during production may still justify the additional conversion step for the selected clips.