DaVinci Resolve 21 Release Notes

DaVinci Resolve 21 expands its ecosystem by integrating professional still photography tools and a wide array of AI-driven automation for video restoration and editing. The most significant addition is the new Photo page, which allows photographers to utilize Hollywood-grade color grading tools on still images within the same environment as their video projects.

Professional Still Photography with the New Photo Page

The Photo page brings DaVinci Resolve's node-based color grading and management tools to still photography, effectively integrating a Lightroom-style workflow into the video editor.

  • Node-Based Grading: Photographers can use primary color correction, curves, qualifiers, and power windows on still images. The node editor allows for non-destructive, complex grades that can be applied across entire albums via shared nodes.
  • Library Management: The LightBox view provides a real-time overview of an entire album, allowing for live grading and filtering by star rating, flag, or clip color.
  • Tethered Capture: Direct image capture is now supported for Sony and Canon cameras, allowing users to adjust ISO, exposure, and white balance live from within Resolve.
  • Non-Destructive Editing: Cropping and reframing are performed at the original source resolution and aspect ratio to preserve full image quality.

AI-Powered Production Tools

DaVinci Resolve 21 leverages the DaVinci AI Neural Engine to automate tedious manual tasks and provide high-end visual effects that were previously reserved for specialized software.

Media Management and Sync

  • AI IntelliSearch: Users can search for specific people, objects, or keywords in dialog using plain language. The tool can even identify individual faces to organize clips in the Media Pool.
  • AI Slate ID: This tool automatically extracts metadata from slate clapperboards, even in out-of-focus or dark clips, to accelerate the syncing process.

Visual Restoration and Manipulation

  • AI CineFocus: Allows users to define a focal point and adjust aperture and focal range to change the depth of field after the shot has been taken.
  • AI Face Age Transformer & Reshaper: These tools can add or remove age-related features (wrinkles, facial fullness) or adjust the shape and position of facial features on moving subjects.
  • AI Blemish Removal: Reduces superficial skin imperfections while retaining natural skin texture.
  • AI UltraSharpen & Motion Deblur: UltraSharpen improves low-resolution or slightly out-of-focus footage, while Motion Deblur removes streaks and softness from dynamic images.

Audio Generation

  • AI Speech Generator: Creates voiceovers from text using Blackmagic's voice models or a custom voice created from a 10-second sample, with adjustable pitch and inflection.

Enhancements to Edit, Color, and Fusion Pages

Beyond AI, version 21 introduces structural improvements to the core editing and compositing workflows.

Edit and Cut Pages

  • Graphics Support: Native support for .json and .lottie files allows Lottie animations to be dragged directly into the media pool with alpha channel recognition.
  • Keyframing: New ease animations (loop, pingpong, relative) and four-point Bezier easing provide more complex retiming and motion control.
  • Text Tools: Improved Text+ tools now include multi-language spell check, a dedicated font browser, and character-level styling.

Color Page

  • MultiMaster Trim Manager: Enables the generation of multiple HDR and SDR trim deliverables from a single timeline.
  • Layer List View: The node editor can now be toggled to a layers view, listing nodes in rows to reduce interface clutter.
  • Magic Mask Render in Place: Tracked masks can now be cached as traveling matte nodes to reduce processing overhead during grading.

Fusion and Fairlight

  • Krokodove VFX Library: Fusion now integrates the Krokodove library, adding over 70 new graphics and compositing tools.
  • Audio-Driven Animation: The Fairlight Animator modifier allows audio levels to drive Fusion parameters, enabling automatic animation of elements like lips or eyes.
  • Fairlight Folders: Audio tracks can now be assigned to folders and collapsed into a composite view to optimize timeline space.
  • 6-Band Clip EQ: Clip EQ now matches the track EQ in the mixer with six bands for more precise tonal control.

Immersive and Next-Gen Technology

DaVinci Resolve 21 increases support for VR and high-end hardware acceleration.

  • Immersive Workflows: Comprehensive support for VR180 and VR360 formats for delivery to platforms like Meta Quest and YouTube VR, including spherical Panomap rotation for intuitive orientation.
  • Foveated Rendering: Support for Apple Immersive foveated rendering prioritizes high-resolution rendering where the user is looking to reduce GPU load.
  • Encoding: New MainConcept render options for H.265 and MV-HEVC (4:2:0 and 4:2:2) provide accelerated, higher-quality 2D and 3D renders.

Community Insights and Technical Feedback

User discussions highlight a divide between the appreciation for the software's generous licensing and its perceived technical instability.

  • Value Proposition: Many users praise the free version of the software, with one user noting, "I still can't believe this software is free."
  • AI Utility: While some users are fatigued by "AI" branding, others argue that these tools are lifesavers for professional workflows:

"people complaining about AI features have clearly never wasted hours editing video or lost time and money discovering a technical flaw in a rush shot three days ago."

  • Technical Criticisms: Some users report stability issues on Linux and specific bugs regarding the undo/redo system and GUI freezes during launch.
  • Learning Curve: The software is noted for having a steep learning curve, described by one user as "as steep and tall as the granite walls of El Capitan."

Sources