Studio 21.1.1
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EXPORT & DELIVERY

How to export a vertical video for social media

DaVinci Resolve Studio 21.1 · Original practical guide

A portrait export should come from a reviewed portrait composition. The important work is keeping the subject and captions useful in the narrow frame.

Before you begin

Save the project, choose the intended timeline, and note the delivery specification.

ACTUAL RESOLVE INTERFACEView full size ↗
Cut page resolution menu with a portrait format option
Cut page resolution menu with a portrait format option Reference example from the DaVinci Resolve 21.1 manual, page 637. Software screenshot © Blackmagic Design. The demonstration media and selected settings may differ from your project.

Step by step

  1. Open the vertical timeline and confirm its portrait dimensions, for example 1080 × 1920, in Timeline Settings.
  2. Review every shot and caption for placement. Check likely platform overlays without assuming one permanent safe-area measurement fits every service.
  3. On Deliver, select matching portrait dimensions, the intended frame rate, and a supported video and audio format.
  4. Render a short test and inspect it on a phone. Verify orientation metadata, edge cropping, subtitle size, and sound before rendering the final version.

Check your result

The file displays upright in portrait and its composition works without relying on the player to rotate it.

If it doesn’t work as expected

A landscape movie with black side areas is not equivalent to a full portrait composition. Fix the timeline shape and reframing before changing compression settings.

BUILD THE UNDERLYING SKILL

Deliver with confidence

Go deeper with the course’s explanations, exercises, and knowledge checks.

Open module 15 →
← PREVIOUS GUIDEExport a video for YouTubeNEXT GUIDE →Export only part of a timeline

Technical reference: DaVinci Resolve 21.1 Reference Manual, Blackmagic Design, September 2026. Screenshot page numbers refer to that manual. Independently written guidance; specific controls may vary by platform and build. Authorship & image credits.