Bog Standard newcomer question on timeline settings

Hi

When I say new, I mean I have been using it for a few years and the editing I am okay with but think I may have discovered something only now I have found disappointing.

If I film something in 4k 30fps do I need to make sure the timeline settings are 4k 30fps.

Think the answer is yes (obviously) but crucially does not doing this affect the delivery? I have found plenty of my videos after exporting from Da Vinci not look as they were out the camera and then uploaded to Youtube.

My project settings are -

3840x2160 Ultra HD, 30fps, 30fps

Video Monitoring
HD 1080P 30 - dual link - Data Levels - Video bit depth 10bit - Monitor Scaling Bilinear

Optimised Media and Render

Proxy resolution - choose auto
proxy media format H.265
Optimised media reso - choose automatic
optimised media format - DNxHR HQ
render cache format - DNxHR SQ

I have an M1 MacBook and a Mac Mini, which will be the new M4 chip from Saturday

I shoot mostly on DJI products and sd cards capable of capturing it all correctly.


Is there anything I need to do/missing/change to export what my videos come off the card looking like to what I export then upload?

Thank you for any direction someone can offer.

If your project timeline settings are set to UHD, all timelines inherit this setting automatically.

You do not have to set your timeline to UHD, but if you set it to anything else, your images will be scaled according to the image scaling settings in the project settings / timeline settings.
The same applies to the frame rate and frame interpolation settings.
In the Inspector, you can set these things on a per-clip basis.

If you want to maintain the quality and resolution, the settings of your timeline should correspond to those of your recorded files. But also think about how your clips will be viewed - if they are only played on a small monitor, it doesn't matter if your timeline is UHD or HD.
The codec and settings with which you render your files also have a major influence on the quality.