Production workflow · DaVinci Resolve workflow
DaVinci Resolve: files missing after import
Where are the originals after an import into DaVinci Resolve?
Short answer
Usually still at their original location, because adding clips to the DaVinci Resolve Media Pool copies nothing. Only a Clone job on the Media page or an external offload tool creates new copies. Check the clone destination and its log, the system trash and the source card, and treat a read-only card scan as the final step.
The situation
The import looked successful, but some or all originals later disappeared in DaVinci Resolve.
Adding footage to a Resolve project registers it; it does not move a single byte. The copy that people believe the import made usually exists only if someone ran a clone or an offload tool, and that is the first thing to establish.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
The Clone Tool on the Media page copies whole cards and writes a verification log, while dragging clips into the Media Pool leaves them exactly where they are. When the card is wiped after a session that only used the Media Pool, the material is gone from the only place it lived. A clone that ran out of space stops partway and still looks finished in the folder view.
Copy, move, rename and catalog steps can complete at different times. For DaVinci Resolve, this matters because DaVinci Resolve can keep references or helper media without containing a complete independent original
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Put the camera cards aside straight away and keep them out of the cameras, whatever the project window appears to show about the clips.
- 2
Find out whether a clone or offload ran, then open its destination and its log and compare the file count against the clip list in the project.
- 3
Check the system trash and any second copy on the editing drive before scanning, because a restore keeps the file intact and costs nothing.
- 4
If the clips exist nowhere, scan the card read-only, export them to a drive with enough free space and rebuild the Media Pool links.
Do not start a new clone from the card onto a drive you are about to scan, and do not reformat a card because the project seemed complete. Writing to either side reduces what a read-only scan can still find.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
A card that was formatted and filled again during the next shoot holds little to recover. File Recovery Hero scans exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 cards read-only, exports after a one-time 50 EUR licence, and does not read APFS or ext4 volumes.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The material is safe when every clip resolves to a file outside the camera card, the clone log or a size comparison confirms the counts, and one clip from each card opens and plays to its final frame without dropouts.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can DaVinci Resolve workflow be recovered in this situation?+
Adding footage to a Resolve project registers it; it does not move a single byte. The copy that people believe the import made usually exists only if someone ran a clone or an offload tool, and that is the first thing to establish. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not start a new clone from the card onto a drive you are about to scan, and do not reformat a card because the project seemed complete.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.