Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

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dennis9880

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Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 3:56 pm

Hey everyone,
I created a timeline in DaVinci Resolve with a resolution of 3840 x2160,. I have an image that is 936x 503 resolution. When I insert this image into the timeline, it automatically fills the frame almost completely. I don’t understand why that happens.

I checked the Inspector and under Video, I have the scaling set to Project Settings. I didn’t change anything else. I also went to the Project Settings panel, under the Image Scaling tab, and in Input Scaling I set Mismatched Resolution Files to Center crop with no resizing. Even with that setting, the image still fills the whole timeline as if it was scaled up automatically.

What I want is simple. I want the image to stay at its original resolution when added to the timeline. If the image is smaller than the timeline, I want it to remain small with empty space around it. I don’t want Resolve to automatically resize or fit anything.

Is there a way to make Resolve respect the actual size of the image and not scale it by default
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Mads Johansen

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Re: Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 4:09 pm

No, Resolve does exactly what the settings tell it to do.

Example:


In a 2160p timeline with a 500x500 jpeg, the Project Settings change how the image is scaled
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visualfeast

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Re: Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 4:24 pm

Check the viewer zoom amount.
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Sean Nelson

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Re: Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 6:41 pm

dennis9880 wrote:Is there a way to make Resolve respect the actual size of the image and not scale it by default

To change the behaviour for one particular image, click on the image in the timeline to select it, then go to the Inspector Panel on the right and scroll down to the "Retime and Scaling" section. Set the "Scaling" parameter to "Crop". This will keep the image at it's original size (i.e., it's original horizontal and vertical numbers of pixels). If the pixel size of the image is less than that of the timeline, it will appear as a small image centered within the border of the frame. If the pixel size of the image is more than that of the timeline, then it will be cropped.

If you want this behaviour for everything in the project, then go to the menu bar at the top of the Edit window and select "File" --> "Project Settings...", click on the "Image Scaling" tab on the left side of the dialogue box, go to the "Image Scaling" section and change the "Mismatched resolution files" parameter to "Center crop with no resizing".
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Marc Wielage

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Re: Why does Resolve scale up my image in timeline

PostThu Apr 17, 2025 11:34 pm

Sean Nelson wrote:
dennis9880 wrote:Is there a way to make Resolve respect the actual size of the image and not scale it by default

To change the behaviour for one particular image, click on the image in the timeline to select it, then go to the Inspector Panel on the right and scroll down to the "Retime and Scaling" section. Set the "Scaling" parameter to "Crop". This will keep the image at it's original size (i.e., it's original horizontal and vertical numbers of pixels). If the pixel size of the image is less than that of the timeline, it will appear as a small image centered within the border of the frame. If the pixel size of the image is more than that of the timeline, then it will be cropped.

If you want this behaviour for everything in the project, then go to the menu bar at the top of the Edit window and select "File" --> "Project Settings...", click on the "Image Scaling" tab on the left side of the dialogue box, go to the "Image Scaling" section and change the "Mismatched resolution files" parameter to "Center crop with no resizing".

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