For those who don’t know the tool: Resolve Collect sits in media management between edit, conform, grade, and archive. It works with DaVinci Resolve exports and Adobe Premiere Pro XML, and runs as a standalone app on macOS.
The collect button you actually wanted
Media collection sounds boring until the day it saves your schedule. Resolve Collect pulls the source files used in a Resolve or Premiere project into a single destination, while keeping the original folder structure so you can still tell where everything came from. The app scans the project file, lists Media Pool contents and timelines, and checks if it can locate each source before it copies anything.
That preview step matters in the real world where half the media lives on whatever drive is currently in somebody’s backpack or connected somewhere on a network. The interface shows a status per item, so missing paths show up early instead of becoming a surprise at render time. It also calculates the total destination size before you start, which helps when the only spare drive in the room looks like it came free with a toaster.
Resolve Collect runs as a standalone app, and the workflow expects you to export a project file from your NLE first. For Resolve 15 to 17, it loads DRP, DRT, and DRB exports. For Resolve 18 and later, it uses an RCP file generated by a bundled export script. For Premiere, it ingests an XML sequence. The app needs to run on the same machine where the DRP or RCP file was created, so file paths match.
File formats, but with the annoying bits included
Once Resolve Collect knows what the project references, it copies movie files and image sequences into one destination. Supported examples include QuickTime, AVI, and MP4 for movies, plus DPX, EXR, TIFF, and DNG for image sequences. It also supports spanned R3D files and subclips, plus Canon MXF including spanned clips.
On the image sequence side, the tool can trim sequences when you collect a timeline. Instead of copying an entire folder of frames because one cut uses five seconds, it can copy only the frames actually used, with optional handles. That can turn a storage panic into a storage plan, especially for long EXR or DPX runs.
Resolve Collect also offers options to split the collected result into separate subdirectories for Video, Audio, Matte, and Offline. If you prefer repeatable runs, it can check whether files already exist at the destination and skip what is already there. That makes it useful for iterative turnover where the timeline changes, but you do not want to recopy everything for every export.
If you want to sanity-check the sources mid-job, you can right-click items in the list and reveal them in Finder. You can reveal multiple items at once, which is handy when you need to confirm you grabbed the right version before you commit to a long copy.
In other words, EditingTools.io aims Resolve Collect at real post rooms where media lives in too many places, filenames repeat, and you cannot afford an afternoon of manual detective work.
Resolve 18 and later: the RCP script path, spelled out
Resolve 18 changed the project format, so Resolve Collect ships with a Lua export script to generate an RCP file from inside Resolve. The documented menu path is Workspace → Scripts → ResolveCollect → Export Project, and Resolve can show script feedback in Workspace → Console.
The installer also documents the macOS install path for the script inside the Resolve directory structure, under the Fusion scripts utility location. That matters if you manage multiple systems and want the script installed consistently across machines.
If you come from Premiere, the workflow sticks to the familiar: export an XML of your timeline, then load that into Resolve Collect. The app then gathers the required files into the chosen destination.
The demo version processes the whole Media Pool but only copies the first five sources per timeline. That limitation makes the free trial more of a functional test than a free backup strategy, but it does let you validate the project scan, the path matching, and the copy options before you pay.
Symbolic links, tape workflows, and other grown-up problems
Resolve Collect can create symbolic links instead of physically copying files. That targets tape-based backup workflows where you want a virtual collection without duplicating data on disk/tape. If your pipeline relies on a collected folder structure as the index for a later stage, links can be the difference between a quick handoff and another round of drive shopping.
The tool also works offline and does not share any project data online. That is relevant for productions that treat media paths and filenames as sensitive, or for facilities where the machine doing data wrangling does not get to touch the internet. Not even for a single cute cat picture.
The app reports metadata info and an approximate copy time, and it can play a sound notification when the copy finishes. That last one sounds trivial until you remember how many collects run while you do something else, like trying to fix a porject while your producer asks why the render queue looks like it does. Or has another artsy hissy fit about something being wrong by 3 pixels in an 8K frame.
Resolve Collect does list some gaps. It does not support multicam clips, compound clips, FCPX XML, or trimming of video files. That last point is important if you expected a consolidated media set with shortened ProRes clips. The trimming feature applies to image sequences, not to movie files.
Licensing and pricing, as far as the facts go
Resolve Collect offers three license types: single-user for 60€, team for 215€ (3+ Users), and enterprise. The single-user license targets one or two computers and ties to a single account. The team license is bound to the company and requires a minimum of three licenses, with the number chosen at purchase. An enterprise option exists via the sales team. The licensing is perpetual, and the FAQ states that updates can be downloaded for free when available.
The purchase flow redirects to Paddle checkout, with Paddle acting as the merchant of record. The checkout may support reverse-charge VAT in some countries if you provide a VAT ID.
Production reality check
Collect-and-copy tools sit on the fault line between editorial convenience and pipeline disaster. A clean collect can save conform time and stop missing media errors from creeping into grade or delivery. A bad collect can quietly bake in wrong versions, missing handles, or mismatched paths that only show up when it hurts most.
Resolve Collect covers a lot of the practical workflow: scan first, report missing items, estimate size, copy in the background, and optionally trim sequences by timeline usage. That is a solid checklist for everyday media management and for building a repeatable project archive workflow on macOS.
Still, treat any new tool like a new fault line: test it on a duplicate job, validate the collected result, and confirm relinks before you trust it for a deadline. Even the most polished collector can collect the wrong thing if the project references the wrong thing.
https://editingtools.io/software/resolvecollect/
