Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 14 Now Available for Download for Free, with New Features

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by Adam PlowdenSeptember 7^th, 2017

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 14 merges three applications into one, with faster video playback for editing, Fairlight audio engine support and new colour grading tools.

First up in this update is the new video playback engine, which promises to deliver up to 10 times better performance and response when scrubbing the timeline and using JKL shortcuts. When working with CPU/GPU-heavy or compressed formats such as H.264, 4K, or multi-camera sequences, the 16-bit float playback will aid in smooth, real-time viewing of video clips in the timeline or in preview windows.

To simplify the round-tripping workflow, Blackmagic Design has included the industry-standard Fairlight Audio engine into DaVinci Resolve 14, giving editors and audio professionals all the tools required to mix and master hundreds of audio tracks inside the software. Equalization, compression and dynamics, automation and mastering tools are all available, from mono up to 22.2 surround sound with 3D panning for a complete immersive audio experience.

For colourists, more than 20 new effects have been added including a new stabiliser. Another new effect is the face refinement filter, which automatically recognises and tracks facial features. This is done without rotoscoping and can be used to adjust uneven skin tones, add natural colour and brighten eyes.

Collaboration features will also allow editors, colourists and mixing engineers to all work on the same project file simultaneously. Collaborators can use clips others are working on, and even use a chat client to discuss progress with others. For large team productions, working simultaneously on a sequence in real time could save a lot of back-and-forth between team members. Once separate changes have been made, sequences can be compared and merged together with ease.

There are many other handy features in the new update, including colour-assigned timeline tracks, undo history list, distortion and de-haze effects to name a few.

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 14 is available to download for free here, but remember that this new update has just been released and there could be bugs or issues that have yet to be addressed. Some of the new features may only be available in the DaVinci Resolve Studio version, which at €259 is considerably cheaper than an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

Will you be checking out the new features in DaVinci Resolve 14? Have you switched from another NLE to Resolve recently? Let us know in the comments.