Hi folks! I’m super excited to share everything I know about slow motion in DaVinci Resolve, like from basic settings and simple math to advanced techniques for achieving ultra-smooth results. I’ve also done some tests to show render times for different settings and included side-by-side comparison videos at the end to help you better understand the topic.
Slow motion is one of the most popular video effects these days. People love creating slow-motion clips of everyday moments or even of themselves for short videos, reels, or cinematic edits.
The good news is that DaVinci Resolve (both the Free and Studio versions) offers powerful tools to create smooth slow motion, from standard to super-smooth, ultra slow motion. And the best part is, it includes an AI-powered feature that generates extra frames, making even ultra slow motion look buttery smooth.
How smooth your slow-motion looks depends on these two key things:
- The frame rate at which you recorded your video clip.
- The method you use inside DaVinci Resolve, especially if your footage doesn’t have enough frames for the slowdown you want.
Before we move further into the software tools, let’s quickly cover the technical basics with some easy math.
Natural Slow Motion (No Editing Tricks Needed)
The smoothest slow motion always comes from shooting in high FPS (frames per second). Here’s the proof with some easy maths and technical basics:
- Suppose your project timeline is X FPS. That means your video needs X frames for every second.
- If you want to slow the footage down by 50% (half speed), you should record at 2X FPS.
- When you bring that footage into your X FPS project and slow it down, it plays smoothly with no extra work.
- If you want 20% speed (1/5 of normal), you must record at 5X FPS.
- After slowing down to 1/5 speed, it still perfectly matches your project’s frame rate.
Important to note here is, higher FPS recording = naturally smooth slow motion. And this way, there will be no interpolation, no tricks, just clean, cinematic slow motion straight from the camera.
DaVinci Resolve: Retime and Scaling
DaVinci Resolve provides several ways to slow down (or speed up) your footage:
- Retime Controls: Quickly adjust the overall playback speed or create speed ramps.
- Retime Curve: Fine-tune speed transitions with smooth curves for professional results.
- Retime and Scaling (Retime Process): Choose how DaVinci Resolve generates the missing frames. It comes with three options
- Nearest
- Frame Blend
- Optical Flow: This one uses advanced frame interpolation (AI-generated frames) to achieve ultra-smooth slow motion, even at very low speeds. And this one comes with 6 options which are explained below.
Retime Process Options Explained
When you slow down a clip, DaVinci Resolve needs to decide how to handle the missing frames. There are three main methods you can choose from:
- Nearest
- Frame Blend
- Optical Flow
Retime Process: Nearest
This method simply repeats the closest existing frame (when slowing down) or skips frames (when speeding up).
Outcome:
- Very basic.
- Motion looks choppy or stuttery at slow speeds.
- No blending or smoothing applied.
Best used for:
- Small speed changes.
- Intentional stutter, glitch, or stop-motion effects.
- Lightweight option (fastest for your computer to process).
Retime Process: Frame Blend
This method blends two consecutive frames together (like a crossfade), creating in-between frames by dissolving them.
Outcome:
- Smoother than Nearest.
- Can cause ghosting or double-exposure effects.
- Moving objects often look blurry.
Best used for:
- Mild slow motion.
- Footage with little motion.
- When you need faster processing than Optical Flow.
Retime Process: Optical Flow
If you want super-smooth, ultra slow motion, Optical Flow is the tool you need. Unlike Nearest or Frame Blend, Optical Flow analyzes motion in the video and creates new fake frames by estimating where objects should move.
Outcome
- Produces very smooth slow motion.
- May create artifacts (warping, stretching, distortion) in complex motion (e.g., hair, water).
Motion Estimation Modes
DaVinci Resolve gives you 6 different motion estimation modes, ranging from simple to AI-powered.
| Modes | How it Works | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Faster | Simple motion analysis | Low CPU/GPU use, okay for mild slow motion |
| Standard Better | More precise than Faster | Smoother, but slower render |
| Enhanced Faster | Advanced motion analysis, optimized speed | Fewer artifacts, smooth results |
| Enhanced Better | High-quality, thorough analysis | Very smooth |
| AI Speed Warp Faster | AI-based motion estimation | Extremely smooth, minimal artifacts |
| AI Speed Warp Better | Most precise AI analysis | Ultimate smoothness, cinematic quality |
Note: It is important to note that the last two modes (AI Speed Warp Faster and AI Speed Warp Better) are exclusive to studio users.
My Practical Test
To really see the difference, I tested all 6 modes in DaVinci Resolve with the same clip. But before showing you what I got, it is important to show you my test video setup first:
- Original Clip Duration: 4 seconds
- Clip FPS: 30
- Project FPS: 30
- Footage: A boy walking continuously, vehicles passing in the background (continuous motion test).
- System: MacBook Air M1 (2020)
- Environment: Room temperature ~28°C, no AC, only DaVinci Resolve running.
I tested at 2x slow down (50% speed) and 8x slow down (12.5% speed). Render times (in seconds) were measured with a stopwatch.
| Mode | 2x Slow | 8x Slow |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Faster | 8 | 45 |
| Standard Better | 10 | 61 |
| Enhanced Faster | 10 | 52 |
| Enhanced Better | 17.8 | 110 |
| AI Speed Warp Faster | 33.6 | 222 |
| AI Speed Warp Better | 169 | 1243 |
Side-by-Side Comparison - 2x and 8x Slow Motion
I recorded a test video in 30 FPS and imported it into a 30 FPS project. Then, I slowed it down to 2x (50% of its normal speed) and 8x (12.5% of its normal speed) to create side-by-side comparisons of Normal, Nearest, Frame Blend, and Optical Flow settings.
Both videos are divided into three parts, with four comparisons in each part.
Pro Tip: Always plan slow motion while shooting. If you know you’ll need slow-mo, record at the highest FPS your camera supports. Editing tools can help, but nothing beats natural high-FPS footage.