Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 review -

In the world of professional video editing software, there are three main players: Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro and Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio. All three programs are used to edit Hollywood movies and television series, so none are lacking in features. But despite offering industry-leading color correction tools, a powerful built-in audio studio, and a graphics suite for creating visual effects, DaVinci Resolve Studio is the cheapest option at $295/£306/AU$479 for a perpetual license with lifetime updates.

You can even take advantage of a free copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio when you purchase a Blackmagic Design camera or one of the DaVinci Resolve editing keyboards. The DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor is a specialized video editing keyboard with a jog wheel and Bluetooth connectivity in addition to an internal battery.

These keyboards ultimately make editing faster and easier, and for $395/£335/AU$645 with a copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 included, you get the software for a lot less. There is also a free version of the software, which has fewer features but is still impressive with powerful color correction tools and ideal for less demanding users.

DaVinci Resolve Studio is a typical NLE (non-linear editor) with drag-and-drop functionality that is fairly intuitive to learn. Using the software at a basic level isn’t particularly difficult, but because it’s such a comprehensive program, it’s much harder to master. DaVinci Resolve Studio provides all the tools you need to create professional videos, rather than needing several programs to cover them all, so the editing workflow is incredibly streamlined.

Most important features

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The Davinci Resolve 18 workflow is spread over a series of pages. This is the Media page. Credit: James Abbott

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As you can already understand, DaVinci Resolve Studio offers all the features you could ever need and a lot more. So instead of focusing on the general features on offer, let’s take a closer look at some of the new headline features available in Studio 18. The first new feature focuses on a professional teamwork flow, allowing team members in different locations around the world to collaborate on projects.

The Blackmagic Cloud allows you to host project libraries on the DaVinci Reserve Project Server, allowing up to 10 people to collaborate as long as they have a local copy of the media. The cost is only $5 per month per project while it is stored on the cloud server. There’s also a new Black Magic Proxy Generator app that makes it easier than ever to create, manage, and work with proxy files, which will come in handy for some collaborative work, as well as speed up editing performance, especially on less powerful machines.

Another important new feature is that support for Multicam has been increased from nine to 25 cameras, but the most impressive features of this release relate to tools that use DaVinci Resolve’s Neural Engine for AI power tools to select, adjust and edit footage. to manipulate. These include the object mask which can track the movement of individual objects and people so that effects can be added on, around or behind the object, in addition to the ability to color or adjust/optimize the object or person.

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The Depth Map feature is new, splitting the scene into foreground, center, and background for separate treatment. Credit: James Abbott

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The depth map can achieve similar results, but this maps the depth of the footage into foreground, center ground and background, with the ability to adjust which part of the scene is highlighted to apply effects. Fast noise allows users to add noise-based effects, such as adding smoke, and it is dynamic and changes depending on the highlights and lighting in the video.

Then there’s the Surface Tracker, where a mesh guide lets you select a contoured subject or part of a subject where effects or pixel-based elements fit seamlessly into the contours as the subject moves. All of these tools will save users hours if not days of hard manual work, but they do come with a steep learning curve as they are advanced features.

Resolve FX Beauty has also been updated with the ultra beauty tool. This allows you to soften or harden the skin and use it to restore details. And while this name focuses on skin and beauty, the tool can also be used for other elements, including objects and backgrounds. Using this and the other new features is truly amazing because the effects of the tool are incredibly accurate.

Interface and usability

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The Edit page is where you apply transitions and effects, and it’s where most people feel at home in editing tasks. Credit: James Abbott

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The Color page lets you use DaVinci Resolve’s powerful color correction tools and node-based editing system for complex composite effects. Credit: James Abbott

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DaVinci Resolve Studio’s interface is unique compared to competitors because the software is split into ‘pages’, which are areas for performing different tasks. These are intuitively arranged in the order users are likely to need them for a logical workflow, although you can of course jump back and forth as you wish. At its most basic level, purely for video editing, Resolve Studio is no more or less difficult to use than its competitors, but taking advantage of all its features is much more complicated and involves a steep learning curve.

Resolve Studio pages contain the Media page where you can organize video clips, audio clips and images etc. Designed for quick editing, the Cut page offers multi-camera editing, while Edit is a basic editing space with access to transitions and effects, and is where most people will feel at home for editing tasks.

Fusion is similar to Adobe After Effects and is where you can create cinematic visual effects and motion graphics, while Color is for video optimization, color correction, and applying other effects. Fairlight is for powerful audio post production suite where you can record, edit, mix, master soundtracks and much more. And finally, Deliver is the page for exporting completed projects.

Quality of the results

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DaVinci Resolve’s Magic Mask can be used to select and track specific objects. Credit: James Abbott

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DaVinci Resolve 18 is notable because it includes not only the powerful Fusion effects module, but also the Fairlight audio editing mode. Credit: James Abbott

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All video editing software requires a high specification computer to run properly, and DaVinci Resolve Studio is no exception. While the free version of the software has a few performance and output limitations, such as being limited to images up to 4K (3840 x 2160) at up to 60 fps, the Studio version can handle up to 32K footage at up to 120 fps. Basically, you can enjoy support for AVCHD, AVC-Intra and H.264 using ALL-I intraframe encoding, as well as 10-bit encoding. Then there’s advanced HDR delivery in Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats.

This level of processing requires a hefty amount of computing power, and where the free version is limited to hardware acceleration using a single GPU (graphics card), the Studio version can use multiple GPUs for additional processing power. Since it is software for professional use where multiple large raw video files are in use, this is an essential feature of the software.

Hardware acceleration also brings more powerful effects and features not available in the free version, including many power-hungry Resolve FX. The fact that the software is used professionally for film and television is a testament to the quality of the effects, sound and editing control that can be achieved with the software.

verdict

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DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 is the most comprehensive video editing software available, offering everything you could ever need and more in a single program. There’s very little you can’t do with the software, and new features like the collaboration tools, Object Mask, Depth Map, and the Surface Tracker to name a few are stunningly powerful. These make selecting, adjusting and manipulating objects in video incredibly easy and can save a lot of time overall.

There is much more to this software than video editing and color correction, but as with any software you can use or leave the features and functionality on offer to focus only on what you need. But if you feel like rolling up your sleeves and learning how to use all the features, and the Blackmagic Design website has lots of video tutorials with downloadable resources, then you can take full advantage of the most versatile video editing software available. And with a price tag of $295/£306/AU$479 for a perpetual license with lifetime updates, it’s an absolute steal.

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 review

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