Blackmagic Forum

Resolve has a column in the media list that reports if, or how many times media is used within a project. Is there a way to determine *where* that media is used?

This is a feature I've used extensively in Premiere when someone handed me a horribly disorganized file with unnecessarily duplicated, or poorly named clips. In Premiere when you click on the "Used" column it expands into a hyperlinked list of timeline names that, when clicked, will take you directly to the clip in that timeline. I haven't been able to find anything quite like that in Resolve. Is there a feature like that?

Right-click a clip in the media pool, and you'll see an option for "usage" towards the bottom, if the clip appears in the currently active timeline. That will show the instances, but only in that one active timeline.

There is no project wide reveal, unfortunately. You can also search for any given clip name in the Edit Index, again by active timeline, but that's not what you want.

John Paines wrote:Right-click a clip in the media pool, and you'll see an option for "usage" towards the bottom, if the clip appears in the currently active timeline. That will show the instances, but only in that one active timeline.

As far as I know, Usage does check all timelines in the entire project but only that particular clip bin that's selected. From the 16.2 manual (p. 286):

In List view, the Usage column does not automatically update to show how many times a particular clip has been used. However, you can manually update this metadata by right-clicking within the Media Pool and choosing Update Usage Data from the contextual menu that appears. Afterwards, each clip will display how many times it’s been used in this column. Clips that have not been used yet display an x.

I'm very careful in splitting out media into specific bins, and I double- and triple-check it before I manually delete it. Since all the timelines in my projects share common bins, I see all the Used media in the project and it works pretty well using the method described above. I just go through a bin at a time, delete what I don't need, and that simplifies dealing with however much media is left.

Marc, this is a different "usage". There's the media pool column, which shows the number of uses, to which I think you're referring(?) But if you right-click the actual clip, there's another 'usage' option, which shows the times (in current timeline) for each use, and will navigate to any of them, if you select.

John Paines wrote:Marc, this is a different "usage". There's the media pool column, which shows the number of uses, to which I think you're referring(?) But if you right-click the actual clip, there's another 'usage' option, which shows the times (in current timeline) for each use, and will navigate to any of them, if you select.

I only use the Media Pool usage. To me, that's the whole point: you're trying to de-clutter the project and rid it of any material you don't need. The thread topic does say "Locating Used Media in Project," and that's what this function is for.

Resolve does not duplicate media unless you tell it to do so. For a lot of reasons, when I use Media Management within Resolve, I generally don't trim it partly because I know there are overlaps and there will be cases where the same file might be used 10 times in the project. If I only copy that whole file once, I know it'll be there on the source drive. It also gives us some flexibility in the event shots need to be moved around a bit during final color. I haven't had a project require more than 5-6TB of source files, even when not trimmed, so it works for us and the storage we have. At the very, very end of the project when it's delivered, we'll consider that an "absolute lock" and will archive a trimmed copy with a new XML.

I'm missing something with regard to two different reports of "usage." I am, as you say, trying to locate used media in my project. In list view the usage column does tell me how many times a clip is used, and if I right-click on the clip it tells me every place in the =active timeline where it is used. That's exactly what I want project-wide.

I don't see the other "usage" you mentioned. The option to update usage from the drop-down menu when I right-click isn't there, and the list view shows "0" rather than "x" for unused clips. (I'm running 16.2.3.015 if that makes a difference.) My timelines are all at the "Master" level, but that doesn't seem to make a difference either. I guess this is a feature request.

Those are the two places, Don. The column (1), and the right click (2).

Thanks.

Hello, I am quite new to Resolve and this topic is exactly about what I am looking for.

The problem seems to be solved but I dont understand the solution fully, I am afraid

My aim is find a certain clip on a timeline. I understand how you can display how many times a certain clip is used in the total of timelines (in the media pool or in the list of the Cut page).

But what I need is to know, is how to find out on which one among my many timelines a certain clip would be placed (with the precise timecode). For exemple I ideally imagine your cursor would jum to this place in the timelime (or at least one of those, if the clip is at several places). But a written indication (like Timeline name + timecode in numbers) would also be useful.

John said: "if you right-click the actual clip, there's another 'usage' option, which shows the times (in current timeline) for each use, and will navigate to any of them, if you select."

Unfortunately, I don't see such an option in the menu. I don't understand what is meant in Jim's answer with "The column (1) and the right click (2)."

I tried to right-click on the clip's name, and on the according number in the usage's column too. I think I get the same menu and I don't find this option. I also tried to doble-clic on the numer of usages, but that did not work neither.

I use the French version of Resolve, sometimes the translation is a bit strange and it is not evident to match with the original english word, but I think that is not the problem here, probably I am at the wrong place or I use a wrong method…

Please could someone explain again in other words how to proceed?
Sorry this is not clear to me!

And thanks a lot in advance for any help.
Noukita

Noukita wrote:Unfortunately, I don't see such an option in the menu. I don't understand what is meant in Jim's answer with "The column (1) and the right click (2)."

Hi!

You are probably using dr17, right? It seems that function (2) is removed.

And I would like to know how to find where a clip is used project wide now too:)

Csaba Kopias wrote:It seems that function (2) is removed.

I still see a Usage option when I right click on a clip that is actually used in the active timeline.

Studio 17.2.2 for Windows.

Are you looking at a clip that isn't used?

Jim Simon wrote:

Csaba Kopias wrote:It seems that function (2) is removed.

I still see a Usage option when I right click on a clip that is actually used in the active timeline.

Studio 17.2.2 for Windows.

Are you looking at a clip that isn't used?

17.4.1 here, and yeah. Usage column says 2, it's an mp4 file, right click in media tab, and no usage submenu.

But when I do that with a wav, I see that menu.

Oh wait, I've found out something just now. The usage column only shows usage in the currently opened timeline.

I'm working on a course with 40+ timelines, imagine the incremental decrease in usefulness if it is only working on the currently opened timeline:) I think it is a regression, iirc it wasnt like this back in dr16.

Exactly.

It's several times I've used a part of a clip (only video) from media pool and after I want to add the audio of the exact clip. There is no way to do it in Resolve. With right click on the clip of timeline you go to "find in media pool" but it doesn't show you the exact used part in preview screen, so you can use the same again.

Is there a way to do it? In fcpx there is and I was really happy about that when I was using it. I would be more happy if Resolve add this feature.

From the timeline, put the playhead over the clip and hit F. That will load it into the Source Viewer with In/Out points set. From there you can drag down the audio portion matching the video.

Jim Simon wrote:From the timeline, put the playhead over the clip and hit F. That will load it into the Source Viewer with In/Out points set. From there you can drag down the audio portion matching the video.

This works! thank you very much!!

Back to the original subject of this thread though, released version of Resolve 18 still shows only usage of a media pool clip in the currently open timeline. There's no way to find which timelines use a clip in the media pool! This may not be a bug, but it's a feature of Premiere that's sorely missed in Resolve.

dcolacino wrote:Back to the original subject of this thread though, released version of Resolve 18 still shows only usage of a media pool clip in the currently open timeline. There's no way to find which timelines use a clip in the media pool! This may not be a bug, but it's a feature of Premiere that's sorely missed in Resolve.

+1 for requesting this feature.

The right-click menu option "Usage" seems to also find usages in sub-timelines.

So if you have a master timeline that contains all of the other timelines (even nested inside a sub-sub-timeline), open it and you can find all the usages of all media clips.

+1 for a project wide usage feature, this is super helpful if you have a large project and we shouldn't have to place all timelines into a timeline to be able to find out where a music track has been placed in timelines across a project for example.

I also wanted to give me +1 for this feature to be implemented. You still can only reveal clips in the current active timeline (using Version 18.6.4 Build 6).

Like TChamp mentioned above, the workaround with putting all timelines in one "Master Timeline" is a workaround that works (the "right-click usage" then shows all timelines / sub-timelines that this file is used in and you can navigate to it directly.)
But it's still not the most convenient way to do it and a solution without having to do that would be awesome.

It's a feature I really often use in Premiere and would love to have in Davinci.

Here's the best place to vote for improvement.

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=173753