How to Properly Work with Dropbox and DaVinci Resolve

April 11, 2016

If you're using Dropbox and DaVinci Resolve as a server for your disk databases, that's not a good idea! Learn why...


ALERT: How Dropbox and DaVinci Resolve Can Be A Dangerous Combination

(and why you should NEVER use Dropbox as a Server for DaVinci Resolve)

A Mixing Light member recently emailed me because his DaVinci Resolve disk database become corrupted. He had two different database become completely inaccessible and lost all the work he had done. After reaching out to Blackmagic he discovered the culprit: Using Dropbox as the location for his Disk Database!

In the past, I’ve advocated for using Dropbox as a location for you Disk Databases

So I was quite alarmed—I’d never had this happen to me, and here was a knowledgeable member to whom it happened on two databases in a short period of time. What is going on?

After exchanging a few emails with our Member, I then set up a call with Blackmagic to discuss the situation. A few things became instantly clear:

  • DaVinci Resolve is not designed with Dropbox in mind: It’s a solution that Blackmagic does not recommend for Disk Databases, since Dropbox adds metadata to files stored on its service
  • Over the years, Blackmagic has had problems with end users improperly using Dropbox: The big problem? People using Dropbox as a pseudo-server, using it to give multiple workstations simultaneous access to multiple Disk Databases. In other words – they’re using Dropbox like a ‘poor man’s PostGres database’. This is a BIG No-No.
  • I needed to dig into my own Disk Databases to diagnose what might be happening
This Insight will cover how to properly use Dropbox and Davinci Resolve (in an officially unsupported manner).

You’ll dig into the nethers of the Dropbox service and explore some of the reasons why Dropbox might modify our Disk Databases – to the point where those Databases are unrecognizable to DaVinci Resolve. You’ll also learn how to fix one particular problem and get those Databases working again.

And you’ll learn what solution Blackmagic does support and how I’ve been using that service for years, as a layer of protection should a Disk Database become truly corrupted on me.

Enjoy!

P.S.

-pi


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