Flags vs Markers DaVinci Resolve: Understanding the Difference Between Flags and Markers in DaVinci Resolve and How Editors Use Them

Use flags for clips. Use markers for moments. That is the cleanest way to think about DaVinci Resolve flags vs markers.

What Are Flags in DaVinci Resolve?

A flag is a colored label attached to a clip.

Think of it like putting a sticky tag on a folder. The tag says something simple. Maybe “approved.” Maybe “problem.” Maybe “funny moment.”

Flags are great when you want to mark the whole clip. Not one frame. Not one word. The entire thing.

You can add flags in different colors. Each color can mean whatever you want. Resolve does not force a meaning on you. That is useful, but also a little annoying. If your team does not agree on color rules, things get messy fast.

Common flag uses include:

• Green: Best take
• Red: Problem clip
• Blue: B roll
• Yellow: Needs review
• Purple: Client favorite

Flags help most in the Media Pool and on the Edit page. You can filter and find clips by flag color. This saves time when a project has hundreds of clips.

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What Are Markers in DaVinci Resolve?

A marker points to a specific time.

It can sit on the timeline. It can also sit on a clip. It says, “Hey. Look right here.”

Markers can hold notes. They can have names. They can use colors. Some can even have a duration, which means they cover a small range instead of one tiny point.

This makes markers perfect for exact comments.

For example:

• “Cut starts too late.”
• “Fix audio pop.”
• “Add lower third here.”
• “Client wants logo bigger.”
• “Great laugh. Use this.”

Markers are your little road signs inside the edit. They help you remember what to do and where to do it.

Honestly, it feels like every editor has lost a great moment at least once because they thought, “I’ll remember where that was.” No, you will not. Add a marker.

The Simple Difference

Here is the easy version.

Tool	Best For	Attached To
Flag	Sorting whole clips	Clip
Marker	Notes at exact times	Timeline or clip timecode

A flag says, “This clip matters.”

A marker says, “This moment matters.”

That is the whole game.

When To Use Flags

Use flags when you are still sorting footage.

This is common after a shoot. You may have 200 clips. Some are gold. Some are blurry chaos. Some are six seconds of someone saying, “Wait, are we rolling?”

Flags make the first pass easier.

Good moments for flags:

• You are picking the best takes.
• You are marking clips with bad audio.
• You are separating A cam and B cam selects.
• You are tagging clips for social edits.
• You are showing a producer which clips to check.

Flags are broad. That is their strength.

They are not great for tiny notes. If a clip is four minutes long and only one sentence is useful, a flag is too vague. You will still have to scrub around. Expect to waste time on that if you use flags alone.

When To Use Markers

Use markers when timing matters.

Markers shine once you start cutting. They help you track fixes, ideas, changes, and comments.

Good moments for markers:

• You find the exact start of a strong quote.
• You hear a click, pop, or hum.
• You need to add music at one spot.
• You want to mark a beat in the song.
• You need to leave a note for another editor.

Markers are also helpful for client notes. If a client says, “At 02:18, remove that awkward pause,” you can drop a marker right there and write the note inside it.

Clip Markers vs Timeline Markers

This part trips people up.

DaVinci Resolve has clip markers and timeline markers.

A clip marker stays with the source clip. If you use that clip in different timelines, the marker can still be useful. This is great for interview sound bites. Mark the best quotes once. Use them later.

A timeline marker belongs to the edit timeline. It marks a spot in your sequence. This is better for edit notes, music cues, graphics, or review comments.

Use clip markers for footage notes.

Use timeline markers for edit notes.

Simple.

A Real Editing Example

Imagine you are editing a wedding film.

You have 350 clips. That is a lot of cake, flowers, dancing, and shaky handheld footage.

First, you review the media. You add flags:

• Green flags for beautiful shots.
• Red flags for clips with bad focus.
• Blue flags for drone footage.

Now you can filter the good stuff fast.

Next, you build the edit. You use markers:

• A marker where the bride laughs.
• A marker when the music beat drops.
• A marker where vows start.
• A marker where audio needs cleanup.

The flags helped you choose clips. The markers helped you shape the story.

Both tools helped. They just did different jobs.

How Editors Use Colors

Colors are only helpful if they mean something.

Pick a simple color system. Write it down. Share it with your team.

Try this setup:

• Green: Use this
• Red: Problem
• Yellow: Maybe
• Blue: Audio note
• Purple: Graphics or titles

Do not make 14 secret meanings. Nobody wants to decode your rainbow at 11:47 p.m.

It drives me crazy when a project has five marker colors and no one knows what they mean. That adds tiny delays all day. Ten seconds here. Twenty seconds there. By the end, you have lost half an hour to color confusion.

Best Workflow: Use Both

The best editors use flags and markers together.

Start wide. Then get specific.

1. Review footage. Add flags to sort clips.
2. Pick selects. Filter by flag color.
3. Build the edit. Add markers for exact moments.
4. Fix problems. Use marker notes for tasks.
5. Review and finish. Clear or update markers as work gets done.

This keeps your project clean. It also keeps your brain from melting.

Common Mistakes

Do not use flags for everything.

A red flag on a clip does not tell you where the problem is. Is the audio bad? Is the focus soft? Is there a weird blink? Who knows. Add a marker note.

Do not use markers for broad sorting either.

If every good clip has three markers, but no flags, your Media Pool still looks like a junk drawer.

Do not skip notes.

A marker with no name can become mysterious later. Add a short note. Even “fix buzz” is enough.

Quick Rule To Remember

If you can describe the issue with the whole clip, use a flag.

If you need to point to one exact place, use a marker.

Flags are for sorting.

Markers are for timing.

Use both, and DaVinci Resolve feels much less like a pile of buttons and much more like a clean editing system.