DNxHR proxies in DaVinci Resolve for Windows
Resolve almost always makes them. This is when it doesn't.
Updated: October 2026 · 6 min read
To edit light in Resolve, don't convert anything by hand: use Optimized Media or Generate Proxy Media in DNxHR LB or SQ, and Resolve renders with the originals. Convert with AppGrabbit only when the original is the problem (phone HEVC, footage from a link) or when you're going to deliver in DNxHR HQ anyway.
Three tiers, three DNxHR levels
| What for | Level | Who generates it | ≈ Mbps at 1080p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit light and throw away | DNxHR LB | Resolve (Optimized or Proxy Media) | 36 to 45 |
| Edit while seeing color and focus properly | DNxHR SQ | Resolve | 115 to 145 |
| Deliver or replace an original that gets in the way | DNxHR HQ (10-bit HQX) | Resolve in Deliver, or AppGrabbit for loose files and links | 175 to 220 |
| Level | Bits · sampling | ≈ Mbps at 1080p 29.97 | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNxHR LB | 8-bit · 4:2:2 | 36 to 45 | Proxies: edit light and relink to the original |
| DNxHR SQ | 8-bit · 4:2:2 | 115 to 145 | Standard editing, manageable files |
| DNxHR HQ | 8-bit · 4:2:2 | 175 to 220 | Master and delivery. The one AppGrabbit outputs |
| DNxHR HQX | 12-bit · 4:2:2 | 175 to 220 | Color grading and HDR in 4:2:2 |
| DNxHR 444 | 12-bit · 4:4:4 | 350 to 440 | Graphics, VFX and the most color |
Sources: Avid · Supported Video Formats Reference · Wikipedia · DNxHR. Read in October 2026.
Step by step
- 1Optimized media (Resolve's automatic proxy). Project Settings › Master Settings › Optimized Media: format DNxHR LB to edit light, or DNxHR SQ if you want to see better. Then, in the Media Pool, right-click › Generate Optimized Media. Resolve edits with those and renders with the originals.
- 2Proxies with control (Resolve 17 and later). Right-click the clips › Generate Proxy Media. You pick the format in Master Settings › Proxy Media: DNxHR LB or SQ, at reduced resolution. You can store them on another drive and move them with the project.
- 3When to convert by hand. Only when the original file is the problem in itself (phone HEVC that chokes even the proxy, footage from a link, formats Resolve opens badly). Convert it to DNxHR HQ with AppGrabbit and use that as the original.
- 4Footage that is in a link. Paste it in Download in AppGrabbit, drag it to Convert with the DNxHR HQ shortcut, and import it into Resolve like any other clip.
- 5Deliver. Deliver › QuickTime › DNxHR HQ (or 10-bit HQX). If you're asked for ProRes, export that master and convert it: there is a guide just for that.
Exactly what AppGrabbit outputs
- ProRes 422 HQ in .mov: 10-bit 4:2:2 video (prores_ks profile 3, with the vendor tag Final Cut recognizes) and 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- DNxHR HQ in .mov: 8-bit 4:2:2 video and the same 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- WAV for editing: the audio uncompressed, for Audition, Audacity or the mix.
- What it does not output: the other variants (Proxy, LT, 4444, HQX, 444). If your delivery calls for them, use the FFmpeg command or Shutter Encoder; both are below.
- Where it runs: on your PC, with the FFmpeg that ships inside the installer. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
When the original is the problem
Some footage doesn't get along even with proxies: 10-bit HEVC at variable frame rates, screen recordings with odd rates, clips that come from a link with a broken container. There it pays to convert it to DNxHR HQ once and use that file as the original: Resolve opens it instantly, the proxies come out clean and the delivery holds no surprises.
What goes into Resolve, in DNxHR HQ
Windows 10 and 11 · 109 MB · 1 credit per file, 5 free a month
Frequently asked questions
DNxHR LB to edit on laptops and slow drives (36 to 45 Mbps at 1080p); DNxHR SQ if you want to judge focus and color while you edit. Never HQ for proxies: it weighs almost as much as the master.
Optimized Media is automatic and lives in the project cache; Proxy Media is generated on purpose, can be stored separately and moved. For a long or shared project, Proxy Media.
No, unless you ask it to: on delivery it uses the originals. That is why you can edit in LB and deliver at full quality.
You can, and it is what anyone delivering in DNxHR anyway does. It costs disk: 1.5 GB per minute at 1080p. Proxies cost ten times less and are thrown away at the end.
Resolve on Windows doesn't export it. Deliver the DNxHR HQ master and convert it to ProRes 422 HQ separately: step-by-step guide.
1 credit per converted file, 5 free a month. Pro, USD 8.99 a month, no cap and no yearly plan; 7-day pass for USD 3.99.