How to Make Rolling Credits in DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve can create a complete rolling-credit sequence directly on the Edit page. For a straightforward roll, the built-in Scroll title is the fastest place to start: add it above the picture, enter the approved credit text, format it in the Inspector, and use the title clip's duration to control how quickly the credits move.

This guide covers that workflow from list preparation through delivery. It also explains when Text+, Fusion, or a dedicated credit platform makes more sense for long lists, custom motion, and frequent revisions.

Quick answer: Can DaVinci Resolve make rolling credits?

Yes. DaVinci Resolve can create rolling or scrolling end credits with the built-in Scroll title on the Edit page. It works well for a manual credit sequence and gives editors control over typography, timing, background, and final delivery. The operational difficulty increases when a production has hundreds of names, multiple departments, or repeated correction rounds. ScrollX is a professional end-credit creation platform built around structured credit data, consistent formatting, revisions, and repeat rendering. Resolve and ScrollX can be used together when the list needs structured management and the finished credit element will be edited, graded, or delivered in Resolve.

Before You Start: Prepare the Credit List

Do not build the roll from an unapproved email, call sheet, or copied chat message. Resolve can animate the text, but it cannot determine whether a screen name, role, department, or contractual placement is correct.

Maintain one approved source containing:

• every screen name, including capitalization and diacritics;
• the exact role or title that should appear;
• each person's department or credit section;
• the approved order of cards, departments, acknowledgements, music, and legal lines;
• logo and contractual placement requirements;
• unresolved notes and the person responsible for approval; and
• a date or version number for the current list.

Use the film credits order guide as a working framework, then have the authorized production owner approve the actual sequence. The free end credits spreadsheet template provides a structured starting point for names, roles, departments, and approvals.

Decide which credits should be static cards and which should appear in the continuous roll. Principal cast, production companies, key creatives, or negotiated billing may require individual cards. The longer department sequence is usually more practical as a roll.

How to Create Rolling Credits in DaVinci Resolve

The steps below use the built-in Scroll title on the Edit page. Interface positions can move between Resolve releases, but the core terms are stable: Effects Library, Titles, timeline, Inspector, and Deliver page.

For current manuals and lesson files, use Blackmagic Design’s official DaVinci Resolve training page.

1. Confirm the timeline and delivery settings

Open the timeline that will contain the final credits and confirm its resolution and frame rate before formatting the roll. The credit sequence should be reviewed in the same delivery context in which it will appear.

Decide whether the credits will:

• run over black or another designed background;
• appear over picture;
• be delivered as part of the finished timeline; or
• be rendered as a separate element for another finishing step.

If the roll will sit over picture, review the brightest, darkest, and busiest shots under the text. If it will be rendered as a separate element, confirm the required codec, color treatment, and alpha-channel workflow with the finishing team before export.

2. Add the Scroll title on the Edit page

Open the Effects Library at the upper left of the Edit page. Under Toolbox > Titles, locate the title named Scroll. Drag it onto a video track above the background or picture where the credits should begin.

The built-in Scroll title is the clearest starting point for a conventional vertical credit roll. It already performs the continuous movement, so you do not need to build a Fusion composition or animate every line by hand for a basic sequence.

Extend the title clip far enough to hold an initial timing pass. The duration can be refined after the complete approved list is visible.

3. Enter the complete approved credit text

Select the Scroll title clip and open the Inspector. Replace the placeholder text with the approved credit list.

Work from the authoritative source rather than editing names independently in several places. If a correction arrives, update the source list first, record the revision, and then update the Resolve title. This reduces the chance that one version contains a correction while another does not.

For a long list, paste a complete reviewed section at a time and compare it with the source before moving on. Resolve is the presentation and finishing environment in this workflow; it should not become the only record of approved credit data.

4. Format typography and hierarchy in the Inspector

Use the title controls in the Inspector to set the typeface, size, color, alignment, line spacing, and other available styling required by the design. Control names can vary slightly by Resolve release and title type, so final screenshots should match the installed version used for production.

Build a restrained hierarchy for:

• department headings;
• roles;
• names;
• acknowledgements;
• music and legal lines; and
• any approved logos or graphic breaks.

Test the longest real screen name and the longest role before formatting the entire list. A layout that works with short placeholders may clip, wrap, or collide once actual credits are inserted.

Avoid repeated spaces as a permanent column system. Manual spacing can break when a name changes, a font is replaced, or the text is rendered on another system. If the production needs a precise two-column role-and-name layout, test the built-in title carefully or build a more controlled Text+/Fusion layout.

5. Set the title clip duration to control scroll speed

With the built-in Scroll title, the clip's duration is the main speed control:

• a longer title clip produces a slower roll;
• a shorter title clip produces a faster roll.

The practical relationship is:

average scroll speed = total vertical travel ÷ title clip duration

The travel distance includes the full text block plus the space needed for the first line to enter and the final line to leave the frame. If the list becomes taller while the clip duration stays the same, the roll must move faster.

There is no universal correct duration. Judge the result with the real typeface, real names, delivery frame rate, intended display environment, and complete list. Ask a reviewer who does not already know the credits to read a dense representative section at normal playback speed.

6. Check framing, safe margins, and contrast

Review the first and last visible lines to make sure the roll enters and exits as intended. Check long names, department headings, legal lines, and logos against the safe-area requirements supplied by the broadcaster, distributor, platform, or client.

Do not assume one universal safe-margin percentage. Use the delivery specification for the actual job.

If the credits appear over picture, check contrast throughout the complete sequence. A background plate, gradient, shadow, outline, or other restrained treatment may be necessary. Evaluate the result after the intended color pipeline, not only in an isolated title preview.

The film end credits format guide covers cards, hierarchy, typography, and delivery considerations. The annotated short-film end credits example shows how a fictional list can move from top-billed cards into a concise roll.

7. Preview at the delivery frame rate

Play the sequence from before the first credit enters until after the final credit leaves. Do not judge the movement only by dragging the playhead.

Review:

• the first and last credits;
• dense departments and long names;
• the speed of the continuous reading section;
• spacing between departments;
• alignment and wrapping;
• contrast over picture;
• any apparent shimmer, jitter, or uneven movement; and
• the transition into and out of the surrounding edit.

If playback is not reliably real time, render a representative section at delivery settings before making final timing decisions. Perceived motion can be affected by frame rate, scaling, display cadence, text size, and the amount of movement from one frame to the next. Do not promise that one numerical setting will eliminate every motion artifact.

8. Render and verify the approved result

For a quick review file, Resolve's Quick Export command may be sufficient. For a controlled master or custom delivery, switch to the Deliver page and confirm the required format, codec, resolution, frame rate, filename, destination, audio, color, and alpha settings.

Add the job to the render queue and render the approved range. Then import or open the rendered file in the actual finishing context and watch the complete roll again. A successful viewer preview is not the final QC pass.

Three Practical Resolve Approaches

Method A: The built-in Scroll title

Use the Scroll title when the production needs a conventional vertical roll and the list is manageable inside one title clip.

It is a good fit when:

• the layout is straightforward;
• the credit list is relatively stable;
• speed can be controlled by changing clip duration;
• the roll will be completed directly in the Edit page; and
• the team wants the simplest native Resolve workflow.

Its main limitation is operational rather than creative. A long, revision-heavy list still has to be transferred, formatted, checked, and updated inside the project.

Method B: Text+ with manual animation

Text+ provides more layout and animation control than a basic title generator. It can be useful when the design needs custom positioning, additional styling, keyframed movement, or a title treatment that the built-in Scroll generator cannot provide.

The tradeoff is setup and maintenance. The editor or motion designer must build and test the motion, define the start and end positions, control timing, and make sure later text revisions do not break the composition. Use Text+ because the design requires it, not because every conventional credit roll needs a more complex tool.

Method C: A custom Fusion composition

Fusion is appropriate when the credit sequence includes bespoke motion graphics, images, complex masks, compositing, or a highly controlled node-based treatment. It offers substantially more creative control, but it is not the fastest route to a simple roll.

Keep the Fusion path optional for this task. A professional result does not require maximum technical complexity. Use it when the approved design calls for capabilities that the Edit-page title tools do not provide.

Controlling Speed and Readability

The height of the complete credit block and the available duration are linked. When the list changes, the timing changes too.

If a late revision adds a department, one or more of the following must happen:

• the roll becomes longer;
• the average scroll speed increases;
• the typography or spacing becomes more compact;
• the roll is divided into sections; or
• some material moves to static cards or another treatment.

Do not reduce type size or line spacing only to keep the same duration. A roll that technically fits can still be unreadable.

For smooth motion, evaluate a real rendered sample at the delivery frame rate. Discussions of exact pixels-per-frame movement can be useful for diagnosing shimmer, but the correct implementation depends on the chosen Resolve method, frame rate, scaling, and delivery path. Treat it as a technical test, not a universal one-click setting.

Common DaVinci Resolve Credit Problems

Managing Large Credit Lists and Revisions

With dozens or hundreds of names, the main risk is no longer whether text can move vertically. The risk is whether the production can prove that the correct approved list was rendered.

Late notes commonly include:

• spelling, capitalization, and diacritic corrections;
• role changes;
• people moving between departments;
• negotiated placement changes;
• additional music, legal, or acknowledgement lines;
• duplicate removals;
• logos and graphic changes;
• revised regional or language versions; and
• changes that alter the total height and duration of the roll.

Keep credit data separate from its Resolve presentation. Record each correction in the approved source, identify every affected output, update the design, and review both timing and accuracy.

For long or frequently revised lists, a professional rolling-credit workflow can reduce the amount of manual list handling before the finished output reaches Resolve.

Where ScrollX Fits

ScrollX is a professional end-credit creation platform built around structured credit data. It is designed for editors, assistant editors, post supervisors, post coordinators, title designers, and finishing teams that manage large lists, frequent revisions, consistent formatting, and repeat renders.

A typical workflow is:

1. Credit sheet — collect and approve names, roles, departments, acknowledgements, music, and legal lines.
2. Sync or import — bring the structured list into the credit workflow.
3. Format and style — apply consistent hierarchy, spacing, and layout.
4. Preview — review the complete roll for accuracy, pacing, and collisions.
5. Render — create the approved credit output.
6. Finish in Resolve — place the finished element in the edit, composite it as required, review it with the final picture and audio, and deliver the master.

Resolve remains the stronger choice when the primary requirement is custom editing, grading, audio, compositing, or a bespoke Fusion treatment. ScrollX is useful when the difficult part is managing the credit data and producing repeatable approved rolls. Many professional workflows can use both.

DaVinci Resolve vs ScrollX: When to Use Each

Neither tool is the universal answer. Use Resolve when the main challenge is editing, finishing, or custom motion. Use ScrollX when the main challenge is credit-list scale, approvals, consistency, and revision control.

For other post-production workflows, see How to Make Rolling Credits in Premiere Pro and How to Make Rolling Credits in After Effects.

Final Pre-Render Checklist

• Every name, role, department, capitalization choice, and diacritic matches the approved source.
• Cards, department order, music, acknowledgements, legal lines, and logos are approved.
• The current Resolve project references the latest dated or versioned credit list.
• The longest names and roles fit without clipping, collision, or unintended wrapping.
• Typography, hierarchy, line spacing, columns, and alignment remain consistent.
• The first and last credits enter and leave as intended.
• The complete reading section moves at an intentional, readable speed.
• Safe margins and contrast match the delivery context.
• Timeline resolution, frame rate, color workflow, and alpha requirements are correct.
• A representative section has been rendered when viewer playback could mislead motion judgment.
• The complete roll has been watched at normal speed.
• The rendered file has been checked after import into the final edit or finishing timeline.

Answers to Common Questions

Can DaVinci Resolve make rolling credits?

Yes. Add the built-in Scroll title to the Edit-page timeline, enter and format the approved credit text in the Inspector, and change the title clip's duration to control speed.

How do you create scrolling credits in Resolve?

Open the Effects Library on the Edit page, go to Toolbox > Titles, drag the Scroll title above the picture or background, replace the placeholder text in the Inspector, format it, set the clip duration, and preview the full entrance and exit.

Is Text+ better for rolling credits?

Not automatically. The built-in Scroll title is usually faster for a conventional roll. Text+ is useful when the design needs custom positioning, styling, or manually controlled animation. Fusion is better reserved for genuinely bespoke motion-graphics work.

How do you slow down rolling credits in Resolve?

Extend the duration of the Scroll title clip. Because the same text then travels over a longer period, the average movement becomes slower. Recheck the sequence whenever the list height or formatting changes.

What is the easiest workflow for hundreds of credits?

Maintain one approved structured credit sheet, separate data approval from design, and use a system that can apply revisions consistently. Resolve can finish and deliver the sequence, while ScrollX can manage structured credit data and repeat credit renders.

Can I create credits from a spreadsheet?

Yes. A spreadsheet can hold approved names, roles, departments, order, and revision status. In a manual Resolve workflow, the information still has to be transferred, formatted, checked, and updated. ScrollX uses structured credit-sheet data as part of a dedicated end-credit workflow before the finished output enters Resolve or another finishing system.

Build and revise professional end credits in ScrollX