Troubleshooting & FAQ

UPDATED

Common issues that come up during online and conform, and how to resolve them. Many of these are easier to prevent than to fix — this page doubles as a pre-flight checklist.

Media Issues

All Clips Show “Media Offline” After Import

Cause: Resolve cannot find the paths referenced in the XML/AAF.

Fix:

  1. Confirm the drive is mounted and the folder structure is intact
  2. In Resolve, right-click the clip → Change Source Folder (or use Relink Selected Clips)
  3. Point to the folder containing the media; Resolve will search subdirectories
  4. If relinking still fails, verify filenames in the XML/AAF match filenames on disk exactly

Cause: Mixed media locations, renamed files, or duplicate filenames across camera cards.

Fix:

  • Check the XML/AAF in a text editor — look at the file paths for the offending clips
  • If filenames are duplicated across cards, rename source files with unique prefixes before re-exporting from the NLE

Cause: Duplicate filenames across cards (e.g. A001_C001.mov exists on two different camera cards).

Fix:

  • Add camera / card prefix to source files: A001-C001_Cam-A.mov, A001-C001_Cam-B.mov
  • Re-export XML from the NLE after rebuilding the bin links

Frame Rate Issues

Clips Appear to Play at the Wrong Speed

Cause: Frame rate mismatch between source media and sequence.

Fix:

  • Check the sequence frame rate against the delivery spec
  • Check each clip’s frame rate in Resolve’s media pool
  • For 24 vs 23.976 mismatches: Resolve has a “Enable Video Field Processing” setting and interpretation options per clip — set these intentionally
  • For fundamentally mismatched material (e.g. 25 fps in a 23.976 sequence), confirm the conversion intent — frame-blend, pull-down, or retime

Audio Drifts Over the Course of the Show

Cause: Audio is at a different sample rate than expected, or frame-rate conversion is wrong.

Fix:

  • Verify audio is at 48 kHz (standard for picture)
  • Verify NLE and Resolve agree on the sequence frame rate
  • If audio was originally recorded at 23.976 but interpreted as 24, drift builds up over the runtime

Mixed Frame Rate Clips Look Wrong in Resolve

Cause: Resolve and the NLE interpret retimes differently.

Fix:

  • Flatten any critical speed-ramp shots in the NLE and deliver as a self-contained clip
  • In Resolve, select the clip → Inspector → Retime → set interpretation (Optical Flow, Frame Blend, Nearest) to match the NLE’s output

Effects & Transitions Issues

Dissolve Appears Hard-Cut in Resolve

Cause: Not enough handle media on one side of the dissolve.

Fix:

  • Re-export XML/AAF with longer handles (48 frames for safety)
  • If source doesn’t have enough handle, build a micro-dissolve in Resolve using whatever handle is available

Complex Effect Missing or Broken

Cause: Custom plugin effect or NLE-specific filter.

Fix:

  • In the source NLE, flatten the section as a self-contained ProRes render
  • Replace the effect section in Resolve with the flattened clip
  • Note with a marker so it’s obvious what was flattened

Keyframed Transforms Aren’t Animating

Cause: XML/AAF lost keyframe data, or keyframe interpolation differs between NLE and Resolve.

Fix:

  • For simple pan/zoom effects, rebuild in Resolve
  • For complex animated effects, flatten and deliver as self-contained

Title & Graphics Issues

Titles Show Wrong Font or Missing Text

Cause: Font not installed on finishing workstation, or NLE-built title didn’t translate.

Fix:

  • Deliver titles as external ProRes 4444 renders with alpha
  • Include a list of fonts used in the project if titles must be rebuilt
  • As a fallback, export burn-ins of all titles as reference images

Lower Thirds Appear Cropped

Cause: Safe area mismatch between edit monitor and delivery spec.

Fix:

  • Verify title positioning within title-safe area (generally 90% of frame)
  • Action-safe is ~95%; titles should always be inside title-safe

Audio Issues

Audio is Out of Sync

Cause: Various — wrong frame rate, wrong sample rate, clip drift.

Fix:

  • Check the tail pop against the head 2-pop — if they don’t line up exactly, sync has drifted
  • Isolate: does sync drift uniformly across the whole sequence, or only in certain clips? Uniform drift = frame rate issue. Localized drift = specific clip issue
  • Compare against the reference QT at matching timecodes

Audio Channels Are Mapped Wrong

Cause: Stereo mix ended up on dialogue track, or vice versa.

Fix:

  • Verify track assignments in Resolve match the delivery spec
  • Re-export from NLE with explicit track mapping if needed

Timeline & Sync Issues

Tail Pop Is Off by a Few Frames

Cause: Frame rate conversion, or a stray black frame somewhere in the sequence.

Fix:

  • Compare total runtime: reference QT vs. conformed timeline
  • If different, a frame rate interpretation differs — check sequence settings
  • If same, search the conformed timeline for duplicated or dropped frames

Conformed Timeline is Longer/Shorter Than Reference QT

Cause: Extra black frames, duplicate frames, or missing frames somewhere in conform.

Fix:

  • Use Resolve’s Timeline Diff (or manual A/B) against the reference QT
  • Check for unintentional thru-edits that didn’t conform correctly
  • Verify leader and tail have same duration on both

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s the difference between Online and Conform?

Conform is the process of rebuilding the edit in the finishing suite using the XML/AAF from the NLE, linking back to master-quality source media.

Online traditionally referred to the process of replacing offline proxies with online (master) media and finishing the picture. Today the terms are often used interchangeably, with “online & conform” together describing the whole pre-color finishing phase.

Q: Do I need to export a flattened backup sequence if I’ve flattened all my effects?

Yes. Even if all your complex effects are flattened in the primary sequence, a full flattened reference is useful for troubleshooting any conform issue. It’s cheap insurance.

Q: I’m on FCP. Can Exline Post conform my project?

Yes. FCP projects conform via FCPXML. Some FCP-specific features (compound clips, certain effects) may need to be broken apart or flattened before export. See Committing Multicam Sequences and Effects, Titles & VFX.

Q: What if I’m still making changes after delivery?

Minor changes after a turnover are normal. Best practice:

  1. Export a new locked sequence with an incremented version number
  2. Export a change log (most NLEs can generate one between two sequence versions)
  3. Deliver only the changed clips, along with the new XML and change log
  4. Include a note describing the changes

Q: Do I need to deliver my source media, or just the XML?

If Exline Post has worked on prior versions of this project, source media is often already on hand. If this is a new project or new material, deliver source media with the turnover. When in doubt, ask.

Q: My project has HDR footage. How should I handle it?

  • Flag HDR status clearly in the slate and communication
  • Specify the color space (Rec.2020 with PQ or HLG, Dolby Vision, etc.)
  • Deliver in the original capture color space whenever possible; let Resolve do the color management
  • The reference QT can be Rec.709 (even for HDR projects) but note this clearly

Q: Can I send changes via an XML-only update?

Yes for small changes (a cut or two moved, a title replaced). No for large changes (restructured act, new footage integrated). When in doubt, err on the side of a full turnover — small XML updates can miss things.

Q: What if I’m using Avid’s MXF media?

MXF media is fine. Resolve reads MXF natively. Include the MXF media in the delivery package under 03_OCM/ as normal.

Q: Who do I contact with questions?

Reach out to Exline Post directly. For ongoing projects, your assigned producer or finishing coordinator is the best first contact. For new or one-off projects, email or call the main line.