Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on macOS

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Joe Shapiro

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Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on macOS

PostFri May 16, 2025 6:52 pm

v20.0B buld 23 aka beta3

I'm on macOS and have installed Python3 via the fairly standard "brew install python3"
Resolve can't find it so scripting inside Resolve via Python doesn't work.
In particular, pressing the Py3 button on the Console says Python not installed.

ChatGPT thinks I don't have studio installed even though the splash screen says studio because...

Code: Select all
joe@joelap16 ~ % mdls -name kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier /Applications/DaVinci\ Resolve/DaVinci\ Resolve.app

kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier = "com.blackmagic-design.DaVinciResolve"
joe@joelap16 ~ %

Thanks for confirming — based on both the screenshot and this key output:

kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier = "com.blackmagic-design.DaVinciResolve"
—you are running the free version of DaVinci Resolve, not DaVinci Resolve Studio, despite the "Studio 20" branding in the splash screen.

The Studio edition has this bundle ID:

com.blackmagic-design.DaVinciResolveStudio
Only that version supports Python scripting.
Director, Editor, Problem Solver. Been cutting indie features for 24 years. FCP editor from version 2 to 7.
Resolve 20.0.3B
MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max 64GB RAM, macOS 14.7.2
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donvawter

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Re: Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on ma

PostMon Jun 09, 2025 5:03 am

I have this same problem. I can run scripts externally and they work fine but the console can't find python3 even though /usr/bin has it as does homebrew (newer versions) /usr/bin only has 3.9
Have you found the solution.
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Joe Shapiro

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Re: Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on ma

PostMon Jun 09, 2025 9:13 pm

Nope! Must admit I haven’t been looking…
Noticed this when taking BMD’s scripting class. The instructors didn’t know the answer and suggested I post.
Director, Editor, Problem Solver. Been cutting indie features for 24 years. FCP editor from version 2 to 7.
Resolve 20.0.3B
MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max 64GB RAM, macOS 14.7.2
MacBook Air 13 M1 8GB RAM, macOS 14.6.1
BMPCC4K 8.6 beta
BMCC6K 8.7 beta
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donvawter

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Re: Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on ma

PostMon Jun 09, 2025 10:29 pm

I have another machine and everything works fine there. On this machine I changed the path so it used an official python download instead of a homebrew version and the problem went away.
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Andrew Hazelden

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Re: Resolve Studio not finding my Python3 installation on ma

PostMon Jun 09, 2025 11:12 pm

Joe Shapiro wrote:The instructors didn’t know the answer and suggested I post.


If you want Python 3.x to work easily on macOS today, just go with a Python dot org based install for macOS.

Yes, there are a bunch of older BMD forum posts on how to do the extra steps needed to make brew installs of Python work but that is a lot more effort to do and is something only a poweruser is comfortable doing.


Note: I suspect an Apple App Store install of Resolve is not going to function with Python at all due to the App Store sandboxing requirements. So make sure you are running a Resolve/Resolve Studio release from the BMD Support Center page.
Reactor.lua:933: attempt to index global 'ui' (a nil value)

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