Max's Davinci Assist

Why this exists

The first hours of every edit are the same: create bins, sort footage, separate drone shots from interviews, drag audio here, music there, set up timelines. It's assistant work — and most of us don't have an assistant.

Max's Davinci Assist does that first pass for me: it reads the folder, recognizes shoot days, camera prefixes, interview folders, music. It proposes — you decide. When the next shoot day's cards land in the folder, one click sorts the new material into the existing structure. I still mark it as beta: it works on my projects, and I'm keen to hear where it stumbles on yours.

What it does

• Reads your footage folderRecognizes shoot days, cameras (DJI, A-cam, GoPro…), interviews, audio, music and graphics from folder and file names.
• Proposes, never surprisesYou see the full structure — every bin, file counts, examples, planned timelines — before anything is created.
• Takes plain-language changes"Separate drone shots per day. Own bin for interviews. Everything in German." Hit revise — the AI applies it and keeps the rest.
• Builds it allNested bins, every file imported into its place, starter timelines like EDIT v1 and SELECTS. Files matching no rule land visibly in ZZ UNSORTED — nothing is lost.
• Grows with your shootNew cards in the folder? One click sorts only the new files into the existing structure. The tool remembers what's already in.
• Doc Sync NEW in 2.0Builds a "synced dailies" timeline: camera clips laid out by timecode, every wireless/recorder file in FULL length on its own track — the sound keeps running where the camera was off, and purple AUDIO-ONLY markers show you exactly where. Waveform fine-sync (via ffmpeg) works even without any timecode.
• Your choice of brainWorks with any Ollama model — from a 2 GB llama to a 30B heavyweight. The model list updates itself; structure styles (Classic, Documentary, Creator) steer the result.
• Private by designOnly file and folder names go to your local Ollama — never media content, never the internet. Your files are never moved or deleted.

Set up in five minutes

1. Install Ollama (free) and pull a model: ollama pull llama3.2
2. Drop one file into Resolve's scripts folder — the included manual shows exactly where, on Mac and Windows.
3. Restart Resolve, open Workspace → Scripts → Max's Davinci Assist, pick your footage folder, hit Analyze.

Two editions included: the full window wizard for Resolve Studio, and a config-file edition for the free version of Resolve (19.1+).

Questions, answered

Do I need a powerful computer?

Ollama runs on any modern Mac or Windows machine. Small models (llama3.2, ~2 GB) work fine for typical shoots; bigger models give smarter proposals if your RAM allows. You choose.

Does my footage get uploaded anywhere?

No. Only file and folder names are sent to Ollama on your own machine. Nothing touches the internet.

What if the AI gets it wrong?

Nothing is built before you approve. Revise with plain text as often as you like — and anything unmatched lands visibly in ZZ UNSORTED instead of disappearing.

Can I use it mid-project?

Yes — it works in the currently open project, reuses existing bins with the same name, and never touches what's already there.

Which Resolve versions?

Resolve Studio gets the full wizard window; the free version of Resolve (19.1+) uses the included config-file edition. Mac & Windows.