In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to correct lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio. This helps you salvage distorted video footage and make it perfect for use. And it only takes a few clicks.
Picture the scene: you’ve captured video footage out in the field. You’re excited to get to work editing it into an amazing final project. But when you open up your videos in DaVinci Resolve Studio, there’s a problem. Lens distortion has crept in, and the scene doesn’t appear true to life. Can your video be saved? Yes! Let’s learn how to fix lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio.
What is lens distortion? (and why should I remove it?)
Lens distortion is a visual defect that cameras capture. In short, it means that straight lines seem curved. It’s most common with wide-angle photography, and it appears by design when you use a fish-eye lens. Unintended distortion is easy to correct in DaVinci Resolve Studio 19.
Why remove lens distortion? Consider this:
- You’ll make videos seem truer to life. Lens distortion makes scenes appear far different from real life. With a quick correction, you’ll portray scenes the way they really looked.
- You’ll keep key details in focus. Lens distortion tends to hide critical visual details. Fix it to ensure your audiences are seeing scenes just as you envision them.
- Your videos will look more professional. Lens distortion corrections are an element of professional editors’ workflow. Skip this step, and viewers will take notice. Always make sure you’re cleaning up lens distortion as a part of your editing workflow.
The advantages are clear. Now, let’s learn how to correct lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio, step by step.
How to correct lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio step by step
It’s easy to correct lens distortion with DaVinci Resolve Studio. We’ll demonstrate it with this stock video clip. This is fisheye footage where distortion might have been intended, but it’s great for demonstrating the power of correction. Download it from Envato Elements if you’d like to follow along.
1. Add a video clip to the timeline
The first step in correcting lens distortion is to add a clip to your DaVinci Resolve Studio Timeline. The Timeline is the panel covering the lower half of Resolve Studio’s screen. It’s where you arrange and organize all multimedia in your project.
With Resolve Studio open, make sure that you’re working on the Cut tab. You can access it on the toolbar that runs across the very bottom of Resolve Studio.
On the Cut tab, click the Media Pool button in the upper left corner. Imported project videos will show in the Master preview area.
To add a clip to the Timeline, click and drag on its thumbnail. Move it onto the Timeline, and then drop it into place.
2. Open the Inspector panel
The correction tools for lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 are found on the Inspector panel. Think of the Inspector as the one-stop location for editing video properties. With it, you can make a variety of adjustments and tweaks.
To open the Inspector, be sure your clip is selected in the Timeline. Then, look in the upper right corner of Resolve Studio 19. Click on the Inspector button. You’ll see the Inspector sidebar menu open on the right side of your screen. When it opens, be sure to click on the Video tab at the top.
3. Activate the lens correction tools
On the Inspector > Video sidebar, look at the options listed. You’ll see Transform, Cropping, Dynamic Zoom, and more. Down at the bottom, find Lens Correction. This is where you’ll correct lens distortion.
Click on the radio button to activate the Lens Correction tool. You’ll see it turn red, and a dropdown will open. Thanks to AI tools in Resolve Studio 19, the app can correct lens distortion automatically.
To do that, click Analyze, and watch what happens. Resolve will flatten out the video, removing lens distortion! No manual editing is required. Notice that the footage now takes on a more natural look.
4. Optional: Make adjustments for the perfect results
As you saw, Resolve Studio 19 will automatically choose the right settings to fix lens distortion. But you don’t have to use them—you can make adjustments to the chosen settings if you want.
Simply click and pull on the Distortion slider to amplify or reduce the effects. As you work, you’ll see the changes on the video preview in Resolve.
Learn more great tips and tricks for DaVinci Resolve
Correcting lens distortion is a great skill in DaVinci Resolve Studio, but it’s only one of countless things the app is capable of. If you’re ready to upgrade your skills, you’ve come to the right place. Here on Envato Tuts+, we have many helpful tutorials just for you.
Here are some favorites to help you level up your skills quickly:
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How to Use Audio Ducking in DaVinci Resolve 19: Tips and Tricks
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How to Quickly Add Transitions in DaVinci Resolve (+5 Top Templates)
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How to Get Rid of Mouth Clicks in Speech Using Fairlight in DaVinci Resolve
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How to change the resolution in DaVinci Resolve
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How to Stabilize Shaky Video Footage in DaVinci Resolve
Correct lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve today
In this tutorial, you learned how to correct lens distortion in DaVinci Resolve Studio 19. Lens distortion is an unfortunate yet common part of video production. It often finds its way into the footage that you capture.
But luckily, the fix is both quick and easy. Using the powerful Lens Correction tool, you can rapidly remove lens distortion from all of your video clips. It only takes a few clicks.
