Supercharge your DaVinci Resolve workflow with Paletro for Mac OS

by Steven B. Combs, Ph.D.

DaVinci Resolve is my goto video editing software but I’m often frustrated with the complex and expansive command set. There’s no denying, the cost is excellent (free or $300 for a lifetime licensed version) and there’s a huge base of users who share tips and tricks to make learning the software easier, like one of my favorites, MrAlexTech. But despite Alex’s fine presentation of tips and tricks, I always find myself asking, now where is that freeze frame command (or insert any other command)? But I’ve found my solution!

It’s time for me to share another tool I use to create my retro-computing content.

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Support the Blog and Channel
• Companion YouTube Video
• Video Errata
• Links Mentioned in this Episode
• The Command Palette
• Paletro
• Paletro with DaVinci Resolve
• Additional Paletro Information
• Conclusion
• Join the Fun

Support the Blog and Channel

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Companion YouTube Video

Title: Supercharge DaVinci Resolve with Paletro for Mac OS

Video Errata

Throughout the entire video I call Paletro, Paletor. Why? I have no idea and I didn’t have the wherewithal to rerecord. Please accept my apologies for being lazy but I trust it won’t distract from the value of this video.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

I use affiliate links. Thanks for your support of the blog and the YouTube channel when you use these links.

1. Paletro
2. MrAlexTech
3. DaVinci Resolve
4. Mac Power User’s podcast
5. SetApp
6. iA Writer

The Command Palette

Obsidian, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio Code users power their way through these apps using a command palette. In both programs, the command palette activates when you hit a shortcut similar to ⇧ + ⌘ + p. When the palette displays, the user types the first few letters of a command the command reveals available software options. The command palette is unique to specific software; unless you are a Mac user.

Paletro

While listening to the Mac Power User’s podcast, the guys mentioned the software Paletro, a $7 Mac OS X application and available on SetApp). Paletro provides command palette access to every Mac application, they promised.

I was intrigued, researched the app, and said, “this would be awesome with DaVinci Resolve.” Why DaVinci Resolve? Because that software is inundated with commands in the pull-down menus and I can NEVER remember where things are located or their keyboard shortcuts.

Paletro with DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve does not include a command palette. It does include a help function that searches available commands, but you need to mouse up to the menu select it and then type the name of the command. With Paletro, I activate the app, type a few letters, and BOOM!

Let me show you you how it works with these ten examples that supercharge my workflow:

1. Freeze Frame - freeze
2. Dual Display Views - dual
3. Create a new Timeline - new tim
4. Media Page - media
5. Deliver Page - del
6. Edit Page - edit
7. Fairlight Page - fair
8. New Timeline - timel
9. Inspector On/Off - in
10. Split Clip - spl
11. Effects - eff

This is a small sampling of the power of pull-down menu access using Paletro. Prior to Paletro, I would use the mouse. Sure DaVinci Resolve includes keyboard shortcuts, but Paletro simplifies and reveals commands.

Here’s one last use case example. Let’s say you know there’s a command in the Edit menu but you can’t remember the name. Paletro can reveal it:

1. Activate Paletro with ⇧ + ⌘ + p.
2. Type edit and an arrow will appear next to the word.
3. Hit ↹ or → and Paletro will display the commands in that menu.
4. Type a few letters to limit the options further.

Additional Paletro Information

Paletro works with DaVinci Resolve but it is important to note that this software works with any Mac OS software. If a title includes its own command palette, Paletro has a preference option to deactivate.

Speaking of preferences, here are a few others:

1. Start on Login
2. Show current app icon on left
3. Show options on right
4. Set the number of items to display
5. Change the theme (install themes coming soon)
6. Change the hotkey (but why?)
7. Exclude apps
8. Exclude menu or menu items
9. Install extensions (haven’t seen any yet)

Paletro is valuable for content creator on a Mac beyond video editing. For instance, I do all my writing in iA Writer, which does not include a command palette, and I have several keyboard shortcuts in my muscle memory but for the commands that I don’t have memorized, Paletro discovers them to make learning the app faster and using the app easier.

Conclusion

If you find Paletro useful for your workflow, post a comment below. If you are interested in another video tool I use, check out my Use a USB Webcam with an ATEM Mini and the RBGLink TAO 1tiny video. If you need more of my retro-computing content, check out Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 2022 video.

Join the Fun

Don’t miss the retro-computing fun. SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and check out my other posts.

Help make this content better! Leave your comments, corrections, additions, and thoughts in the comments below. You can email me at retrocombs@icloud.com. Thanks for reading and if you are inclined, please let others know about the blog using the hashtag #retroCombs.

🕹️ retroCombs, OUT!