How to Create a Night Sky Time-Lapse in DaVinci Resolve (Free Software)

In this Night Sky Time-Lapse Tutorial you’ll learn how to turn your RAW photos into a smooth, cinematic Milky Way time-lapse in stunning 4K video — using 100% free DaVinci Resolve software. If you’ve ever come home from a night under the stars with a folder full of images and wondered “How do I turn this into an actual time-lapse video?”, this tutorial is for you. In this step-by-step guide, Tony Puerzer walks you through the complete workflow for creating a professional-quality night sky time lapse in DaVinci Resolve, from importing RAW images to exporting a finished 4K video ready for YouTube. This video is a hands-on companion to Tony’s article “Bringing the Night Sky to Life” published in the February 2026 issue of Sky & Telescope. While the article covers planning, camera settings, and image capture, this tutorial dives deep into the final — and often most confusing — step: building the video itself. What you’ll learn in this video: Why DaVinci Resolve is the best free choice for time-lapse editing (Mac & Windows) How to calculate frame rates, clip duration, and final video length Proper project settings for horizontal or vertical 4K video Importing and organizing RAW image sequences Fixing aspect ratio and framing issues Editing RAW photos directly inside Resolve Adding smooth transitions for cinematic motion Previewing performance-heavy timelines Finding royalty-free cinematic music that’s safe for YouTube Exporting high-quality video optimized for YouTube Whether you’re new to astrophotography or looking to refine your workflow, this tutorial shows you how to compress hours of real sky motion into seconds of stunning video. Additional Resources My Time-lapse Videos https://brightideaphotography.com/tim... Sky & Telescope Magazine, February 2026 — “Bringing the Night Sky to Life” https://skyandtelescope.org/sky-and-t... YouTube Audio Library (royalty-free music) https://studio.youtube.com DaVinci Resolve (Free Version by Blackmagic Design) https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/prod... Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Night Sky Time Lapses 00:26 About Tony Puerzer & Sky & Telescope Article 00:57 Software Recommendation: DaVinci Resolve 01:12 Camera Settings & Image Sequence Details 01:43 Installing DaVinci Resolve02:06 Navigating the Interface (Edit & Color Pages) 02:30 Calculating Video Length & Frame Rates03:21 Configuring Project Settings & Resolution 04:06 Setting Image & Transition Durations 05:02 Importing & Organizing Media05:52 Adding Images to the Timeline 06:32 Fixing Aspect Ratio & Framing 07:19 Editing RAW Files in the Color Page 08:52 Adding Transitions for Smooth Motion 09:53 Previewing the Final Sequence 10:20 Sourcing & Syncing Cinematic Music 11:27 Final Export for YouTube 11:42 Closing Thoughts & Resources If you found this tutorial helpful, please like, subscribe, and share it with a fellow night-sky shooter. Have questions — or want to see a deeper dive on a specific step? Leave a comment below. Clear skies, Tony