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DaVinci Resolve setup for Marker Companion

Marker Companion sends your markers straight into a DaVinci Resolve project, so your timeline is ready the moment you open it. DaVinci Resolve Studio does this fully automatically, the free edition needs one extra click.

Studio or Free?

You can tell them apart in DaVinci Resolve itself. Open the About window: Resolve Studio shows "DaVinci Resolve Studio", the free download just shows "DaVinci Resolve". The installer you downloaded, or the App Store listing, already tells you the same thing.

In the Companion, go to Settings → Advanced → DaVinci Resolve and choose Studio or Free. The app detects your edition on first launch, and you can change it any time.

Resolve Studio: enable external scripting

Open DaVinci Resolve Studio → Preferences (Cmd+, on Mac, Ctrl+, on Windows), go to System → General, and set "External scripting using" to Local. Click Save, then restart Resolve.

Without this setting, the export stops with the error "Cannot connect to DaVinci Resolve".

Resolve Free: the one extra click

The free edition can't be automated directly, so Companion prepares the import and installs a small script into Resolve for you. In Resolve, open Workspace → Scripts → Allow Marker Companion Import to bring your markers in.

Do I need to install Python?

Error messages explained

If the Companion couldn't reach Resolve, it shows one of these error codes. Here's what each one means and how to fix it.

ErrorWhat it means and what to do
python_not_found No Python 3 was found on this computer. On macOS, update the Companion to 1.6.3 or newer (it brings its own Python) or update Resolve to 21.1. On Windows, install Python 3 from python.org with "Add Python to PATH", then restart the app.
python_incompatible A Python was found, but it can't load Resolve's scripting library. Update DaVinci Resolve to 21.1 or newer, or reinstall Resolve. On Windows, installing Python 3 from python.org also fixes this.
resolve_not_installed Resolve's scripting files are missing. Install DaVinci Resolve on this computer, a direct download from Blackmagic or the Mac App Store both work.
scripting_disabled / resolve_not_available The Companion couldn't talk to Resolve. Enable external scripting (see above), make sure Resolve is running, and that you're on Studio. On the free edition, switch the Companion to Free mode.
module_not_found Resolve's scripting module couldn't be loaded, usually a broken install. Reinstall DaVinci Resolve.
python_crash Windows only. The bridge crashed because of a Python runtime clash. Update Resolve to 21.1 or newer, or install Python 3 from python.org, then restart the app.
resolve_start_failed The Companion couldn't launch Resolve. Start Resolve yourself, then export again.
project_create_failed / timeline_failed Resolve refused to create the project or timeline, often because a project with the same name exists in a different database, or the project library is locked. Open Resolve, pick the right project library, close any open dialogs, and try again.
bridge_error Anything else. The app shows the details and writes a log, see the section below.

Still stuck?

In the Companion, open Marker for Creators Companion → About and use "Send Logs to Developer", or attach the Resolve diagnostics report. You can also write to us directly at [email protected], we answer every message ourselves.

The Resolve debug log lives in the app's data folder, and the error dialog offers "Open Log File" where available.