Share media between DaVinci Resolve editors and colorists

Share the media while coordinating the project

Suite lets editors and colorists access a shared media library through a mounted drive. DaVinci Resolve’s Project Library determines how the project itself is coordinated. Keeping these responsibilities separate helps a team gain file-streaming access without confusing shared footage with simultaneous project editing.

Suite’s Resolve workflow guide describes Cloud, Local and Network Project Libraries. It explicitly documents using a Blackmagic Cloud Project Library with media on Suite. Blackmagic’s service coordinates that collaboration; Suite supplies the shared media access.

Choose the collaboration route

Use the documented Cloud Project Library workflow when the team needs that collaboration model. If using a Local Project Library on Suite for sequential handoffs, follow Suite’s warning that it has no native locking mechanism. Agree on who has it open, close it at handoff and wait for uploads to finish before the next person begins.

Existing Network Project Library users should review the relevant section of Suite’s guide and their project-server setup. Do not choose a library model solely because the source media happens to be on a shared drive.

Align paths across workstations

Suite can mount at different paths on macOS, Windows and Linux. Resolve’s Path Mapping can reduce repeated relinking when collaborators use different operating systems. Record each workstation’s intended path and verify that the same source clip resolves correctly at both ends.

Include more than the easiest shot in this check. Test a linked audio asset, an image sequence if the project uses one, and a clip with finishing dependencies. LUTs, fonts and plugins need their own availability checks.

Put generated workspace where it belongs

Suite recommends a local SSD as the first Media Storage location, with Suite volumes added afterward. Its guide places Resolve cache files and gallery stills on a local SSD and asks users to choose the proxy generation location explicitly.

These settings concern Resolve’s generated workspace, not a requirement to pre-cache cloud media. Editors and colorists can stream source files directly from Suite. Pre-caching is an optional optimization for a session that benefits from it, such as repeated work with demanding clips; evaluate it against the direct-streaming baseline.

Make the finishing handoff specific

Agree on the timeline version, original-media references, color-management expectations and intended output. The editor should identify whether proxies were used; the colorist should verify the intended originals before judging or exporting the finish.

Distinguish Render Cache from Render in Place. Suite’s guide explains that Render in Place creates a shareable media file, while Render Cache supports local playback. If handing off a rendered replacement, identify it clearly and retain the agreed route back to the original clip.

Verify the return trip

Run a short editorial-to-color-to-editor loop before the full project. Confirm the intended timeline change, source-media identity and output on the receiving workstation. Where Suite uploads are involved, verify completion before announcing the handoff.

The value is a connected source library and a repeatable collaboration routine, with less manual repackaging between locations. Begin with the multi-location workflow, then choose Managed or an eligible S3 Native deployment for the storage requirements.