Studio 21.1.1
Module 01 · Getting started
LESSON 01.02 · 25 MIN PRACTICE

Install Studio and make a safe workspace

Studio is the paid edition of Resolve. Start with the correct installer, a supported system, and a recoverable practice project. A project file stores your edit decisions; it is not a copy of the media.

What you’ll be able to do

Create and restore a project backup and explain the difference between project data and media.

Originals + second copyProject + backupTest restore

Conceptual workflow · read from left to right

ACTUAL RESOLVE INTERFACEView full size ↗
Edit page: Media Pool, viewers, and multitrack timeline
Edit page: Media Pool, viewers, and multitrack timeline Reference example from the DaVinci Resolve 21.1 manual, page 28. Software screenshot © Blackmagic Design. The demonstration media and selected settings may differ from your project.

Work through it

  1. Get the Studio installer from Blackmagic’s support center. Read its release notes for your operating system and GPU. Follow the supplied licensing process; do not assume installing the free edition enables Studio tools.
  2. Create a course folder with Footage, Audio, Graphics, Exports, and Project Backups subfolders. Put a few clips you own in Footage and keep a second copy on a separate device.
  3. In Preferences, review Media Storage and choose a writable drive with free space. Under User preferences, find Project Save and Load and enable project backups. Live Save and scheduled backups solve different problems.
  4. Save the practice project, export a .drp from the Project Manager, then import that .drp with a different name. Confirm that its media is online. This is a recovery rehearsal, not just a backup promise.

A mistake to avoid

A .drp does not normally contain your footage. Neither Live Save nor a backup on the same failing disk replaces an independent copy of originals.

Your turn

Write a two-line recovery plan: where your originals live, and how you would restore a project after a drive failure. Make one test restore.

QUICK KNOWLEDGE CHECK

What does a typical .drp preserve?

Your notes

Write down what worked, what surprised you, and what to try next. Saved on this device.

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Original practical lesson · Open the in-house resource shelf for practice files and definitions. Completion records your self-assessment, not certification.