Set-up

Let's walk through the first part of the creation process: setting up your project in DaVinci Resolve and importing your core files. We will assemble the three main parts of your video: the bumper, the title card, and your personal talking head recording.

Before You Begin:

Please make sure you have two files ready and saved to your computer:

The official University Video Bumper (download it here).
Your Talking Head Video (the one you recorded of yourself).

Assembling Your Video

Follow these steps to build the foundation of your video project.

Create a New Project in DaVinci Resolve

First, we need to create a project to hold all our work.

Open the DaVinci Resolve application on your university-issued laptop.
When the application loads, you will see the Project Manager window.
Click the "New Project" button, located at the bottom right of the window.
A dialog box will appear. Name your project. We recommend using your course code and video topic (e.g., PSY 456 - Welcome Video).
Click "Create".

Import and Place the Video Bumper

Next, let's bring in the official university intro.

Inside your new project, find the Media Pool. This is the area (usually on the left) where all your files will be stored.
Right-click anywhere inside the empty space of the Media Pool and select "Import Media...".
Find and select the University Video Bumper file you downloaded earlier. Click "Open".
CRITICAL STEP: DaVinci Resolve will likely show a pop-up that asks, "Change project frame rate?" You must select "Change". This ensures your project settings perfectly match the official video file.
Once imported, click and drag the video bumper from the Media Pool down into your Timeline (the long horizontal area at the bottom of the screen). Place it at the very beginning (all the way to the left) on the V1 (Video 1) tract.

Add and Customize Your Title Card

Now we'll add the 5-6 second title that identifies your video.

In the top-left corner of the screen, make sure the "Effects" library is open.
In the "Effects" window, find the "Titles" category. You will see many presets. (We recommend using a "Basic Title" or "Text" preset. Fusion Titles are more complex and not necessary).
Click and drag your chosen Title preset from the "Effects" window into your timeline. Place it on the V1 track immediately after the video bumper clip.
To set the duration, click on the title clip in your timeline. You can click and drag the right edge of the clip to make it shorter or longer. Aim for 5 to 6 seconds.
To edit the text, click on the title clip in the timeline to select it, then open the "Inspector" panel (located in the top-right corner).
In the Inspector, you can:
- Change the Text to your course prefix and description (e.g., ABC 123: Module 1 Introduction).
- Adjust the Font, Color, and Size as needed.

Import Your Talking Head Video

Finally, let's add your personal recording.

Just as you did in with the Video Bumper, right-click in the Media Pool and select "Import Media...".
Find and select your talking head video file (the one you recorded of yourself).
Click "Open".
Click and drag this video clip from the Media Pool down into your V1 timeline. Place it immediately after the title card.

At this point, your timeline should have three clips sitting next to each other in this order: [Bumper] - [Title] - [Talking Head Video]

Next Steps

Great work! You have successfully set up your project and added your main clips.

In the next lesson, we will learn how to add the required crossfade transitions between your clips and how to create a fade to black effect at the end of your video.

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