How to Desqueeze Anamorphic Footage in DaVinci Resolve

Anamorphic lenses capture a beautifully wide image, but the footage lands in your timeline looking tall, narrow, and distorted. That vertical stretch means you need to desqueeze the footage before you can make any meaningful editing or grading decisions. DaVinci Resolve gives you two reliable ways to do this, and this guide walks through both so you can get a proper widescreen image in your viewer quickly.

What Does Desqueezing Mean in Anamorphic Workflows?

Anamorphic lenses optically compress the horizontal field of view onto a standard sensor, which means the recorded image is literally squeezed. Desqueezing reverses that compression in post-production, restoring the correct widescreen aspect ratio. DaVinci Resolve does not auto-detect a squeeze factor from clip metadata, so you have to set it manually based on your specific lens.

Find Your Squeeze Factor First

Before you touch any setting in DaVinci Resolve, identify your lens’s squeeze factor. Applying the wrong value will leave the image either too wide or still too narrow. Check the lens barrel, the manufacturer’s spec sheet, or the product listing if you are not sure.

If your lens is not listed here, check the manufacturer’s spec sheet or look for markings printed directly on the lens barrel before proceeding.

Method 1 — Desqueeze All Clips at the Project Level (Recommended for Single-Ratio Timelines)

If every clip in your project was shot with the same anamorphic lens or adapter, the project-level desqueeze is the fastest and cleanest approach. It applies the correction globally to every clip in the timeline without requiring per-clip adjustments.

1. Open File > Project Settings, or press Shift + 9 to open the panel directly.

2. In the left sidebar, navigate to Master Settings, then scroll down to Image Scaling.

3. Find the “Anamorphic Squeeze Factor” dropdown and set it to match your lens — 1.33x, 1.5x, or 2x.

4. Click Save. Your timeline viewer should immediately display the corrected widescreen image.

5. Confirm your timeline resolution is set to match the desqueezed output dimensions (covered in the next section).

Note: This is a non-destructive display setting. DaVinci Resolve is applying a scaling instruction to the viewer and output pipeline only. Your original camera files are never modified. NOT WORKING

Method 2 — Desqueeze Individual Clips via Clip Attributes (Best for Mixed-Ratio Timelines)

When your timeline contains footage from multiple lenses, a mix of anamorphic and spherical clips, or any situation where squeeze factors differ between shots, clip-level control is essential. Clip Attributes let you assign the correct factor to each clip independently.

1. In the Media Pool or directly in the Edit page timeline, right-click the clip you want to adjust.

2. Select “Clip Attributes” from the context menu.

3. Click the Video tab inside the Clip Attributes window.

4. Locate the “Anamorphic Squeeze Factor” field and set the correct value for that clip.

5. Click OK to apply.

6. Repeat the process for each clip that requires a different squeeze factor.

Keep in mind that Clip Attributes override the project-level setting for any clip where they are applied. This means you can use a project-level default and only override individual clips that differ from it.

Pro Tip: If you have a large batch of clips from the same lens, select all of them in the Media Pool at once, right-click, and open Clip Attributes. The change will apply to every selected clip simultaneously, saving significant time.

Set the Correct Timeline Resolution for Your Desqueezed Output

Applying the squeeze factor corrects how the image looks in the viewer, but the timeline resolution controls what actually gets delivered. A mismatch here is one of the most common reasons editors see black bars or an unexpectedly cropped frame after desqueezing.

Here is what you need to know:

• A 4K (3840×2160) source shot with a 1.33x lens produces a desqueezed image of approximately 5120×2160. Most workflows crop this to a standard widescreen frame rather than outputting a non-standard width.

• The most common output targets for anamorphic work are 4096×1716 (DCI 4K at 2.39:1) or 3840×1602 (UHD 2.39:1).

• To set this, go to Project Settings > Master Settings > Timeline Resolution and either select a preset from the dropdown or enter a custom width and height.

• If you are using the free version of DaVinci Resolve, custom resolution options may be limited depending on your build version. Updating to the latest release of the free version often resolves this restriction.

Troubleshooting — Why the Desqueeze Isn’t Working

If the image still does not look right after applying your settings, one of these common issues is likely the cause:

• Footage still looks squeezed: The squeeze factor you selected does not match your actual lens. Double-check the lens specs before trying a different value.

• Image is cropped or black bars appear: The timeline resolution does not match the desqueezed output dimensions. Revisit your Project Settings and adjust the timeline resolution as described above.

• The anamorphic setting is grayed out: Certain builds of the free version of DaVinci Resolve restrict some scaling controls. Make sure you are running the latest available version.

• Only some clips are corrected: You likely have a mixed-ratio timeline. Clips set individually via Clip Attributes will override the project setting, while others follow the global default. Switch to Method 2 and apply the correct factor to each clip that is still wrong.

FAQ

Q: Can I desqueeze anamorphic footage in DaVinci Resolve Free, or do I need the Studio version?

A: The core desqueeze functions, including the Project Settings squeeze factor and Clip Attributes, are available in the free version of DaVinci Resolve. You do not need a Studio license to use either method described in this article. If a specific option appears grayed out, updating to the latest free release usually resolves it.

Q: Does desqueezing in DaVinci Resolve affect the original files?

A: No. Desqueezing is a scaling and display instruction that lives inside your DaVinci Resolve project. The original camera files on your drive are never touched or re-encoded. You can change or remove the setting at any time without any impact on your source media.

Q: What squeeze factor should I use if I don’t know my lens specs?

A: Start with 1.33x, which is the most common factor for consumer and prosumer anamorphic adapters. If the result still looks too wide or not wide enough, test 1.5x or 2x. The most reliable way to confirm the correct value is to check your lens’s product page or read the markings on the lens barrel itself.

Next Steps

With your squeeze factor applied and timeline resolution confirmed, your footage is ready for the rest of your post-production workflow. If all clips share one lens, the project-level setting keeps things efficient. If your timeline is mixed, Clip Attributes gives you the per-clip control you need. From here, a natural next step is setting up an anamorphic lens flare LUT or beginning your color grade on the correctly framed image.