Can Claude edit in DaVinci Resolve?

How Claude connects to Resolve

Resolve Studio 21.1 came out on 8 September 2026 with a built-in connection for AI assistants. It's an MCP server, which is a standard plug that lets an AI app work another app.

• In Resolve, go to File > Setup AI Assistants.
• Resolve finds the assistants on your computer, like Claude Desktop, Claude Code and ChatGPT Codex, and connects them.
• You type in Claude's own chat window, and the changes show up in Resolve.
• It's in Resolve Studio only, not the free version.

Before 21.1, people wired Claude to Resolve with community projects on GitHub. Those still exist, but they take more setup.

What it's good at

Blackmagic's own examples are clear instructions: render this timeline in three formats, rename the clips on track one, add markers and export them, put a LUT on every clip, reframe to 9:16, cut a long clip down to a three-minute highlight.

If you know exactly what you want, it's a fast way to get it done. One warning from Blackmagic: scripts the assistant writes get the same access to your files and network as the assistant itself.

Where OttoEdit is different

• Nothing to set up. Open Otto next to Resolve and talk to it.
• It watches your footage. Every clip, with its sound, so it knows which shot has the jump in it. It hears your song too: the beat, the drums, the vocal.
• It brings ideas, not just steps. Say "make a reel of my bike clips to this song" and it plans the cut, shows you the plan, then lays it.
• Your timeline stays yours. Otto builds on its own timeline in your project, never on top of yours, and "undo" takes you back.
• The AI is included. With Resolve's connection you pay for your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Otto is free right now, no card.

Under the hood, Otto uses a vision model that watches your clips, a reasoning model that plans the edit, and speech-to-text that runs on your own computer.

Which one should you use?

Use Resolve's connection if you're on a Mac, or if you want exact commands like batch renders, renaming and project clean-up. Use OttoEdit if you want the edit made for you from a pile of clips: talking heads, music videos, reels, captions and speed ramps. You can have both.

Questions

Does Claude work with the free version of DaVinci Resolve?

Not through Blackmagic's built-in connection. That needs Resolve Studio 21.1 or newer.

Can Claude see my footage through Resolve's connection?

Blackmagic's notes don't say it can. Their examples are about clips, settings, markers and renders. Otto watches every clip, with its sound, before it cuts.

Do I need to pay for Claude to use it with Resolve?

You use your own Claude account, so its plan and limits apply. OttoEdit includes the AI and is free right now.

What AI does OttoEdit use?

A vision model that watches your clips with their sound, and a reasoning model that plans the edit. The AI is included, so you don't need your own account. Your original files never leave your computer. It sends frames and short bits of clips so it can see them.

Does OttoEdit work on a Mac?

Not yet. Otto needs DaVinci Resolve Studio on Windows 10 or 11.