To import client notes as markers in DaVinci Resolve, you need an EDL file containing timestamped feedback. A video review tool like SceneNote lets clients leave notes on exact moments, which you can export using Markers → DaVinci Resolve (.edl). In Resolve's Media Pool, right-click your timeline and choose Timelines → Import → Timeline Markers from EDL. Each note appears at the correct frame, with the reviewer's name.
The short version
- Open the project in SceneNote and choose the version the notes are on.
- Click Markers and choose DaVinci Resolve (.edl).
- Pick your timeline's start time: 01:00:00:00 (Resolve's default) or 00:00:00:00.
- Click Export .edl.
- In Resolve's Media Pool, right-click the timeline that matches the SceneNote version the notes were left on.
- Choose Timelines, Import, Timeline Markers from EDL, and pick the file.
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When do client notes as Resolve markers help?
Client notes as Resolve markers help when you'd rather work through feedback on the timeline than in the browser. Most of the time the review room is all you need, but on some jobs markers save real time.
- Long cuts with a lot of notes. Work through them in timeline order, jumping from marker to marker.
- Grading. A colourist can take grade notes onto the Color page, where yellow markers are still to do and green ones are done.
- Handing over. An assistant editor can import the agreed notes into their own timeline and know exactly what to change.
- Keeping the history. Each round's notes can live with the edit, so anyone can look back at what was asked and when.
Step 1: How do you export Resolve markers from SceneNote?
To export Resolve markers from SceneNote, use the Markers button below the notes and choose DaVinci Resolve.
- Open the project and choose the version. The export covers the version on screen.
- Click Markers, then DaVinci Resolve (.edl).
- Pick the timeline start. 01:00:00:00 is Resolve's default and is selected for you. If your timeline starts at 00:00:00:00, choose that instead. SceneNote remembers your choice next time.
- For a link project, type in the frame rate. YouTube, Vimeo, Drive and Dropbox videos don't share it, so SceneNote asks. Decimals work, such as 23.976 or 29.97. Uploaded videos already know theirs.
- Click Export .edl. A short how-to pops up with the import steps.
Step 2: How do you import the markers into Resolve?
To import the markers into DaVinci Resolve, use Resolve's own Timeline Markers from EDL import.
- Open your project in Resolve and find the timeline that matches the SceneNote version the notes were left on.
- In the Media Pool, right-click the timeline.
- Choose Timelines, Import, Timeline Markers from EDL, and pick the file SceneNote saved.
- The markers appear on the timeline, each on its exact frame. Hover over or open a marker to read the note.
![A DaVinci Resolve timeline with SceneNote notes imported as markers, one open showing “[Cleo] This shot is a little soft”](/guides/img/client-notes-as-markers-in-davinci-resolve-scenenote.jpg)
What does each marker show?
Every SceneNote note becomes a Resolve marker with the reviewer's name in brackets, then the note, like “[Cleo] This shot is a little soft”.
| The note in SceneNote | The marker in Resolve |
|---|---|
| A note on one moment | A yellow marker on that exact frame |
| A range note | A marker that spans the whole range |
| A general note | A marker on the first frame, tagged [General] |
| A poll | A marker tagged [Poll], with the results |
| A resolved note | A green marker, tagged [Resolved] |
| Two notes on the same frame | One marker carrying both, since Resolve keeps one marker per frame |
| A voice note | Its transcript, or “Voice note” if there were no words |
| A very long note | Cut at 250 characters; the full note stays in SceneNote |
What does this look like on a real project?
When I hand a round of changes to an assistant editor, the marker file is all I send. They import it onto the matching timeline in Resolve, and every note is already sitting on its frame. They can step from marker to marker as they work.
How to handle common problems
No markers appear
Your timeline almost certainly starts at a different hour from the one you exported for. Check your timeline's start timecode in Resolve, choose the matching start in SceneNote (01:00:00:00 or 00:00:00:00), and export again.
The markers are a little off
On a link project, check the frame rate you typed in matches your Resolve timeline, including decimals such as 23.976. Uploaded videos use their own frame rate automatically.
The notes are from the wrong version
The export covers the version on screen. Choose the right version above the player in SceneNote, then export again.
A long note is cut short
Resolve markers hold up to 250 characters of each note. The full note is always in SceneNote, and in the CSV.
What about Frame.io notes in Resolve?
If you used to get review notes into Resolve through Frame.io, the EDL route above works without it. How to bring review notes into Resolve without Frame.io explains what's changed and how the two compare.
FAQ
Do the markers update when the client adds new notes?
No. Each export is a snapshot. When new notes come in, export again and import the new file.
Do resolved notes come in too?
Yes. Resolved notes arrive as green markers tagged [Resolved], so you can see at a glance what's done.
Can I bring in notes from several versions at once?
Each export covers one version. Export each version you need and import them one at a time.
Are the markers frame accurate?
Yes. SceneNote places each note at the video's true frame rate, including 23.976 and 29.97.
What's the simplest way to get client notes into DaVinci Resolve?
In SceneNote, click Markers, choose DaVinci Resolve (.edl) and pick your timeline start. In Resolve, right-click the timeline in the Media Pool and choose Timelines, Import, Timeline Markers from EDL.
Feedback straight onto your Resolve timeline.
Built with convenience in mind.
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Kiril Dobrev
Filmmaker · part of the team behind SceneNote
Kiril Dobrev is a filmmaker with 15 years of experience and a passion for documentary and travel. He’s spent a lot of that time in the editing room, obsessing over how to make his workflow better, and the feedback loop has always been a big part of that. Post-production still hasn’t had a good enough answer to it. SceneNote was born from that, with one simple idea: make feedback better.
More guides by Kiril →