Editing & Post-Production.

DaVinci Resolve: The Free Powerhouse

DaVinci Resolve (free edition) is the industry-standard tool for AI cinema post-production. It provides professional editing, color grading, audio mixing (Fairlight), and compositing (Fusion) in a single application. Project setup for AI cinema: ``` Project Settings: Timeline resolution: 1920x1080 (or 3840x2160 if upscaling) Timeline frame rate: 24fps (cinematic standard) Color science: DaVinci YRGB Color Managed Working color space: DaVinci Wide Gamut Timeline color space: Rec.709 (for web delivery) Media import: Create bins for: Raw Generations / Approved Takes / Audio / Storyboards / Character References / VFX Elements Import all generated clips into Raw Generations Rate clips (1-5 stars) based on quality evaluation Move 4-5 star clips to Approved Takes ``` Organize your timeline with these track layers: ``` V4: Titles and text overlays V3: VFX and compositing layers V2: B-roll, cutaways, inserts V1: Primary narrative footage A1: Dialogue / Voice-over A2: Music score A3: Ambience / room tone A4: Sound effects / foley ```

Editing Rhythms for AI Cinema

AI-generated clips have a natural cadence problem: they tend to start strong and degrade over time. The first 2-3 seconds are usually the highest quality, with artifacts accumulating toward the end of longer clips. This shapes your editing strategy: **The 3-Second Rule:** Default to 2-4 second shots. This keeps you in the high-quality window of most generated clips. Longer shots should be reserved for establishing shots and moments of stillness where motion artifacts are minimal. **Cut patterns that hide artifacts:** ``` 1. Cut on motion: Trim to the moment before artifacts appear. If a character's hand starts morphing at 4.2 seconds, cut at 4.0 seconds to a different angle. 2. Match cuts: Cut between similar compositions to create continuity. A close-up of hands in one shot cuts to a close-up of hands in the next -- different generations but same visual rhythm. 3. L-cuts and J-cuts: Let audio from the next scene begin before the visual cut (J-cut) or let audio from the current scene continue into the next visual (L-cut). This smooths transitions and distracts from visual inconsistencies. 4. Reaction cuts: Instead of showing continuous action, cut to a "reaction" -- rain, a reflection, an object. Then return to the character. The interruption resets the viewer's consistency expectations. ``` **Pacing guide by genre:** ``` Atmospheric / contemplative: 4-8 second average shot length Drama / dialogue: 3-5 seconds Thriller / tension: 2-4 seconds Action / montage: 1-3 seconds ```