Export Video Feedback as Markers to DaVinci, Premiere & Final Cut
How to get client feedback onto your timeline as markers in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and CapCut: which file each editor imports, the import steps, and the frame-rate traps.
By Sami Ullah, founder of Prelap and of the video editing agency Vidify. Written from running real client revision rounds, not from a feature list.
A revision checklist is most useful when it lives on your timeline, not in another tab. If the feedback is already timestamped, you can export it as markers and import them into your editor, so each note sits on the frame it refers to. Each editor wants a different file, and two of the popular ones do not take what most people assume. Here is which file to use, how to import it, and how to keep the markers on the right frame.
Which file each editor imports
| Editor | File to import | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| DaVinci Resolve | EDL in Resolve's marker format (.edl) | Coloured timeline markers with each note as the marker name; notes that cover a range keep their length |
| Final Cut Pro | FCPXML (.fcpxml) | A project with each note as a marker: open notes as unticked to-dos, finished ones ticked |
| Premiere Pro | FCP7-style XML (.xml) | A new sequence carrying every note as a sequence marker |
| CapCut desktop | SRT captions (.srt) | Each note as a timed caption, because CapCut has no marker import |
| Other EDL-based editors | CMX3600 EDL with locators (.edl) | A locator comment at each timecode, for editors that read EDL locator lines |
| Spreadsheet or tracker | CSV (.csv) | Every note with timecode, status and category, for people rather than editors |
The two surprises are Resolve and CapCut. Resolve can export a marker list as CSV, so people assume it imports one; it does not, and timeline markers come in from an EDL instead. CapCut has no marker import at all, so captions are the workaround.
How to import markers into DaVinci Resolve
- 1Export the notes as a Resolve marker EDL, at the same frame rate as your timeline.
- 2On the Edit page, find your timeline in the Media Pool.
- 3Right-click it and choose Timelines, Import, Timeline Markers from EDL, then pick the file.
- 4The markers appear on the timeline ruler in their category colours, with the note as each marker's name. Double-click one to read it in full.
How to import markers into Final Cut Pro
- 1Export the notes as FCPXML at your project's frame rate.
- 2In Final Cut Pro, choose File, Import, XML, and select the file.
- 3Final Cut creates a project with each note as a to-do marker. Open notes arrive unticked and finished ones ticked, so you can work down the list inside Final Cut.
- 4Open the Timeline Index and switch to Tags to see every note as a list you can click through.
How to import markers into Premiere Pro
- 1Export the notes as Premiere XML (the FCP7 XMEML format).
- 2In Premiere Pro, choose File, Import, and pick the .xml file.
- 3Premiere adds a new sequence that carries every note as a sequence marker.
- 4Open the Markers panel to read and jump between notes, and keep the sequence beside your edit, or paste your edit into it so the markers sit over your cut.
CapCut and everything else
In CapCut desktop, import the SRT as captions. Each note shows up as a caption block at its timestamp, which is enough to work through the list; delete the caption track before you export. For other editors, use the generic CMX3600 EDL: each note becomes a locator comment at its timecode. Whether it shows up as a marker depends on how your editor reads EDL locators, so test it on a short timeline first.
Match the frame rate, or markers drift
Markers are stored as timecode or frame counts, so they only land on the right frame if the export uses your timeline's exact frame rate. A file built at 25 fps and imported into a 23.976 project puts notes on the wrong frames. Drop-frame timecode at 29.97 and 59.94 fps adds a second trap: it skips frame numbers to stay in step with the clock, so a drop-frame export on a non-drop timeline drifts further every minute, about 3.6 seconds over an hour. Set the export to the project's rate and timecode type before you download.
Why marker colours help
Good exports map a note's category to a marker colour: audio, visual, pacing, text. At a glance you can see that the first third of your timeline is all audio fixes and the end is all text corrections, and batch your work instead of jumping back and forth across the cut. Resolve keeps the colours. Final Cut shows open and done instead, as unticked and ticked to-do markers.
Keep the scope-creep flag
When you export, carry the 'new request' flag into the marker comment. That way, even inside your NLE, you can see which markers are contracted fixes and which are new asks you may need to bill for.
The one-click version
In Prelap, the checklist your client's feedback generates is already timestamped and categorised, so exporting to Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut or CapCut is one click from the Export Markers menu, at the frame rate Prelap detected (or you set) when you uploaded the cut, with no timecodes to retype. You can limit the export to items still to do. See the export docs for every format, or try it on your next project.
Frequently asked questions
Can DaVinci Resolve import markers from a CSV file?+
Not as timeline markers. Resolve can export a marker list, but it imports timeline markers from an EDL, using its own locator format. Choose the Resolve EDL export, then in the Media Pool right-click your timeline and use Timelines, Import, Timeline Markers from EDL.
How do I import markers into Premiere Pro?+
Import an FCP7-style XML with File, Import. Premiere opens it as a new sequence that carries every note as a sequence marker at its timecode. Keep that sequence next to your edit, or paste your edit into it so the markers sit over your cut.
Does CapCut support marker import?+
No. CapCut desktop has no marker import, so the practical route is an SRT file: each note becomes a timed caption at its timestamp. You can read them on the timeline while you work and delete the caption track before you export.
Why are my imported markers a few frames off?+
Because the file was exported at a different frame rate or timecode type from your timeline. A 25 fps file on a 23.976 timeline puts notes on the wrong frames, and a drop-frame file on a non-drop timeline drifts further the longer the cut runs, about 3.6 seconds over an hour. Re-export at the project's exact rate and timecode type.