Sort Media Pool vs Roll Bin Creator vs Manual Bins: Best Way to Organize DaVinci Resolve Media in 2026

If you cut multi-camera footage in DaVinci Resolve, the fastest way to organize your Media Pool in 2026 is an auto-sort script like Sort Media Pool, which reads each clip's metadata and files it into the correct camera, audio, or timeline bin in one click. Roll Bin Creator is the next best free option if you are still on the free version of Resolve, but it only builds empty roll bins, you still drag clips in yourself. Manual sorting works for a 10-clip project and falls apart past 100.

In this article

• Why does the DaVinci Resolve Media Pool get messy so fast?
• How does Sort Media Pool auto-sort your footage?
• How is Roll Bin Creator different?
• What does manual sorting actually cost you?
• Sort Media Pool vs Roll Bin Creator vs manual: side by side
• Which one should you use?
• How do I install and run Sort Media Pool?
• FAQ

Why does the DaVinci Resolve Media Pool get messy so fast?

Any project with more than one camera, a separate audio recorder, or a few interview setups turns into a dumping ground within the first import. Canon clips sit next to Sony clips, scratch audio mixes in with B-roll, and by the time you reach the edit you are spending the first 30 to 60 minutes of every session just figuring out what is what.

That time adds up fast across a season of weekly uploads or a multi-day shoot, and it is the single most avoidable form of friction in a DaVinci Resolve workflow.

How does Sort Media Pool auto-sort your footage?

Sort Media Pool is a free DaVinci Resolve Studio script that reads the metadata on every clip in your Media Pool, identifies the camera that shot it, and files everything into the right bin automatically, in one click.

It supports Canon, Sony, Blackmagic, ARRI, RED, GoPro, and 13+ camera brands, plus BRAW files, audio recordings, timelines, and compound clips. There is no manual dragging, no naming convention to remember, and no setup per project. You run it once a fresh import lands in the pool and it sorts that import.

The tradeoff: it requires DaVinci Resolve Studio (the paid version), since the scripting API it relies on is not exposed in the free edition.

How is Roll Bin Creator different?

Roll Bin Creator is a free Python script from EditingTools.io that builds camera-roll style bin structures (A001, A002, A003) inside the Media Pool through a simple dialog box. It is popular with DITs and assistant editors prepping dailies on set, because it works on both the free and Studio versions of Resolve.

The catch is that it only creates the empty bin structure. It does not read clip metadata and move footage for you, so once the bins exist you are still dragging and dropping every clip into the right one by hand. It solves the naming problem, not the sorting problem.

What does manual sorting actually cost you?

Manually creating bins and dragging clips in works fine for a short interview or a single-camera vlog. Once you are dealing with multiple cameras, separate audio, B-roll, and a few timelines per project, that same process commonly eats 30 to 60 minutes per project, time you are not spending editing.

It is also where mistakes creep in: a clip filed into the wrong camera bin, a duplicate import nobody notices until color grading.

Sort Media Pool vs Roll Bin Creator vs manual: side by side

Method	Cost	Auto-detects camera	Works on free Resolve	Time per import
Sort Media Pool	Free	Yes	No, Studio only	Under 1 minute
Roll Bin Creator	Free	No, manual	Yes	5 to 10 minutes
Manual sorting	Free	No	Yes	30 to 60 minutes

Which one should you use?

If you already run DaVinci Resolve Studio and shoot with more than one camera, Sort Media Pool is the clear choice. It removes the sorting step entirely instead of just making it faster, and the one-click setup pays for itself on the very first project.

If you are on the free version of Resolve and mainly need consistent roll-numbered bins for a DIT or dailies workflow, Roll Bin Creator is the better fit, it just will not sort the clips into those bins for you.

If you are cutting a single short, simple project once in a while, manual sorting is fine. It only becomes a real cost once volume goes up.

Once your media is organized, the next bottleneck is usually the rough cut itself. RoughCut by DrRave picks up right where Sort Media Pool leaves off.

How do I install and run Sort Media Pool?

Setup takes a few minutes and only needs to be done once:

1. Download Sort Media Pool from the product page and unzip it.
2. Copy the script file into Resolve's Edit scripts folder (Workspace > Scripts > Edit Folder on most installs).
3. Restart DaVinci Resolve so it picks up the new script.
4. Import your footage into the Media Pool as you normally would.
5. Run the script from Workspace > Scripts, and let it detect cameras and sort everything into bins.

From there it is a repeatable step in your import routine, not a one-off favor. Pairing it with a faster keyboard layout compounds the time saved even further.

Frequently asked questions

Does Sort Media Pool work with DaVinci Resolve's free version?

No. Sort Media Pool relies on Resolve's scripting API, which is only available in DaVinci Resolve Studio. If you are on the free version, Roll Bin Creator or manual sorting are your options until you upgrade.

Will Sort Media Pool sort footage that is already in the Media Pool?

Yes. Run it any time after importing, it scans whatever is currently in the Media Pool and sorts it, so it works whether you run it immediately after import or later in the project.

What cameras does Sort Media Pool support?

Canon, Sony, Blackmagic, ARRI, RED, GoPro, and 13+ other camera brands, along with BRAW files, audio, timelines, and compound clips.

Is Roll Bin Creator a real alternative to Sort Media Pool?

It solves a different part of the problem. Roll Bin Creator builds the bin structure, you still move the clips yourself, while Sort Media Pool detects the camera and files the clip automatically. Pick Roll Bin Creator if you specifically need camera-roll style bin naming on the free version of Resolve.

How much time does auto-sorting actually save?

For a typical multi-camera project, manual sorting commonly takes 30 to 60 minutes. Sort Media Pool reduces that same task to under a minute, since it is one click instead of manual dragging.