DRT Export Best Practices: Color-Accurate Remote Colorist Review in DaVinci Resolve
Learn the best practices for exporting DaVinci Resolve Timeline (DRT) files to ensure color-accurate handoffs between remote colorists and finishing editors.
What is the best practice for exporting a DRT file in DaVinci Resolve for a remote colorist?
To export a DRT correctly, go to File > Export > Timeline, choose the .drt format, and ensure the remote colorist has an identical replica of the raw media structure and all third-party LUTs/plugins installed on their machine.
A DaVinci Resolve Timeline (.drt) file is the most powerful way to share an edit. Unlike an XML, a DRT preserves everything: Fusion compositions, complex Power Windows, tracking data, and keyframed color grades. However, a DRT is purely a metadata file; it contains zero actual video. The biggest mistake editors make is exporting a DRT without realizing the remote colorist lacks the original media or the specific FilmConvert LUT used on node 4. Before exporting the DRT, the lead editor must ensure the remote colorist possesses a cloned hard drive with the exact same file path structure, guaranteeing an instant, offline-free relink.
How do you fix "Media Offline" errors when importing a DRT file?
To fix Media Offline errors from a DRT, select all the red offline clips in the Media Pool, click the "Relink Media" icon (link chain), and point DaVinci Resolve to the master folder containing the cloned raw footage.
When a remote colorist imports a DRT, DaVinci Resolve looks for the media at the exact hard drive path used by the original editor (e.g., D:/Projects/Film/Raw). If the colorist is on a Mac, their path will be /Volumes/Projects/Film/Raw. Resolve will instantly flag the media as offline. Because the DRT perfectly preserves timecode and reel names, the fix is trivial. By highlighting the offline media and using the Relink tool, Resolve will scan the colorist's local drive, instantly reconnecting the high-resolution files to the complex color nodes on the timeline.
How should remote colorists present the final graded DRT to the director?
Instead of sending a DRT back to the director, the colorist should render a high-bitrate master file and upload it to Cutsio, ensuring the director reviews the color accuracy in a branded, frictionless environment.
Sending a DRT back to a director is a terrible idea; they likely do not have DaVinci Resolve installed, nor do they have calibrated monitors to render the timeline correctly. The colorist must control the presentation. By exporting the final grade and uploading it to Cutsio, the colorist provides a premium, white-labeled viewing experience. Cutsio guarantees high-fidelity playback without aggressive compression, allowing the director to review the color accurately. Once approved via Cutsio’s gates, the colorist can deliver the final DRT to the finishing editor.
FAQ
What is the difference between a DRP and a DRT file?
A DRP (DaVinci Resolve Project) contains the entire project database, including all timelines, bins, and settings. A DRT (DaVinci Resolve Timeline) only contains the metadata for one specific timeline sequence.
Do Fusion nodes transfer in a DRT export?
Yes, unlike FCPXMLs or EDLs, a DRT file perfectly preserves all DaVinci Resolve specific data, including complex Fusion node trees, Fairlight audio mixes, and Color page power windows.
Can I open a DaVinci Resolve 19 DRT in DaVinci Resolve 18?
No, DaVinci Resolve project files and timelines are not backwards compatible. The remote colorist must be on the same version (or newer) as the editor who exported the DRT.