How Do I Merge or Join Clips in DaVinci Resolve?

In DaVinci Resolve, merging or joining clips primarily refers to placing individual video or audio clips sequentially on your timeline or combining them into a single, editable unit like a Compound Clip. The reference video, "How to Join (Merge) Clips in DaVinci Resolve 18?", specifically addresses merging or joining two clips within the timeline, implying the process of arranging them or grouping them together.

While DaVinci Resolve doesn't have a direct "merge tracks" function in the sense of combining multiple video or audio layers into one new layer, the term "merging" when discussing clips on a timeline usually means either:

1. Placing clips end-to-end: Ensuring there are no gaps between adjacent clips on the same track.
2. Creating a Compound Clip: Grouping multiple clips (which can span different tracks) into a single clip item on the timeline.

Here's how you can achieve this:

Joining Clips on the Timeline (End-to-End)

This is the most basic way to "join" clips, making them play one after the other seamlessly.

• Process:
  • Import your clips into the Media Pool.
  • Drag and drop the first clip onto the timeline in the Edit Page.
  • Drag and drop the second clip next to the first clip on the same track.
  • Ensure there is no gap between the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second clip. You can usually snap them together automatically by enabling timeline snapping (the magnet icon).
  • If there is a gap, you can select the gap and press the Delete key (or use the Ripple Delete function) to automatically close it and join the clips.

This method creates a continuous sequence from separate clips on a single track, which is often what users mean by "joining".

Merging Clips Using Compound Clips

Creating a Compound Clip is a powerful way to "merge" multiple clips, segments, or even clips across different tracks into a single, manageable item on your timeline. This is particularly useful for organizing complex sequences or applying effects to a group of clips simultaneously.

• Steps to Create a Compound Clip:

  1. Go to the Edit Page.
  2. Select the clips you want to merge into a single compound clip on your timeline. You can do this by dragging a selection box around them or holding Shift or Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and clicking each clip.
  3. Right-click on any of the selected clips.
  4. From the context menu, select "New Compound Clip...".
  5. A dialog box will appear. Give your new compound clip a descriptive name.
  6. Click "Create".

• Result: The selected clips on your timeline will be replaced by a single item representing the Compound Clip. You can now edit this single item as if it were one clip.

• Editing the Compound Clip: You can double-click on the Compound Clip in the timeline or the Media Pool to open it in its own timeline tab, where you can go back and edit the original individual clips within it.

Creating a Compound Clip effectively merges the selected clips into a single representation on your main timeline, simplifying complex edits.

Both placing clips end-to-end and creating compound clips are valid interpretations of "joining" or "merging" clips in DaVinci Resolve, each serving a different purpose in the editing workflow.