Couldn’t import Phantom 4 Pro HEVC (H.265) 4K footage into DaVinci Resolve correctly? You may probably run a version older than DaVinci Resolve 14, or you are running a free version. Fortunately, there are workarounds to go through this. We explain how in the guide below.
How do you import Phantom 4 Pro H.265 4K into DaVinci Resolve?
“I’m using a non-Studio version of DaVinci Resolve 14.0.1 on Mac OS X High Sierra and I can’t seem to import 4K H.265 videos shot with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, I’ve tried both .MOV and .MP4 containers. The 4K H.265 files play fine using Quicktime. Has anyone had any success importing P4P H.265 into DaVinci Resolve? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.”
Problem editing P4P 4K H.265 files in DaVinci Resolve
“Hello guys, I used my Phantom 4 Pro for the first time today. I’m impressed with its 4k video quality. But I found DaVinci Resolve doesn’t like the 4K H.265 MOV files. Resolve loads the video fine but it plays it back very jerky. What should I do to resolve this issue? Help please! Thanks in advance.”
Remember that HEVC H.265 is only working in the paid version of DaVinci Resolve, not the free version. Also, DaVinci Resolve works well with H.265 packed in MP4, but not in MOV container. If for whatever reason you are unable to use HEVC footage in Resolve Studio smoothly, transcoding the HEVC H.265 footage to an intermediate format like Apple ProRes or DNxHD would be a workable solution. Check a quick guide on how to convert HEVC H.265 files for importing to DaVinci Resolve.
How to convert Phantom 4 Pro H.265 4K footage to DNxHD/ProRes for DaVinci Resolve?
Software requirement
HD Video Converter (simply download the proper version depending on your computer’s OS)
The steps:
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a P4P H.265 Converter for DaVinci Resolve. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Step 2: Choose output format for DaVinci Resolve
If you are running a Windows PC, we would recommend converting P4P HEVC H.265 files to DNxHD for DaVinci Resolve, you can from ‘Profile’ bar, select ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
If you are running a Mac machine, we would recommend encoding P4P H.265 HEVC files to ProRes 422 for DaVinci Resolve. You can choose ‘Final Cut Pro’ > ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as target format.
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.
Note that this converter program can only output Apple ProRes and DNxHD video up to 1080p, if you want to preserve 4K quality of your source files, you need to select “4K Video” > “4K H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Video (*.mp4)” as target format. To export 4K files, please make sure your computer has enough power to process 4K. If not, simply select Apple ProRes or DNxHD as output format depending on your OS.
Step 3: Custom video and audio settings
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.
Step 4: Start P4P HEVC H.265 files to DNxHD/ProRes MOV Conversion
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the exported DNxHD/ProRes MOV files for use in DaVinci Resolve with optimum performance.
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