Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 16 – First Feature Demo

by Jeff LochApril 9^th, 2019

Blackmagic has announced DaVinci Resolve 16 with hundreds of new features and bug fixes. This new version features a new Cut page, a massive Fusion improvement, some new color tools, and a more capable than ever Fairlight audio editor.

DaVinci Resolve 16 Cut Page

Every year, Blackmagic Design is implementing more and more editing features into DaVinci Resolve. This new version is no different – and the most significant part of this DaVinci Resolve 16 update is the new Cut page.

This Cut page does not replace the Edit page. The Cut page is designed for projects and editors that need to get the job done fast. You can see the influence of Final Cut Pro’s magnetic timeline on this new Cut page.

Part of this new mode features are:

• A dual timeline to navigate quickly within the entire edit, move shots, trim and edit without the need to zoom in/out in the timeline. If you are familiar with the Color page, you will quickly understand the concept.
• A new trim interface in the viewer. This lets you see your previous/next shot and precisely trim each shot frame by frame.
• Source tape is probably my favorite feature. If you press the source tape button, all clips in your selected bin appear as if they were a single take. So it’s easy to go through all of your footage and choose/add shots to the timeline without having to search for the takes in the bin.
• Quick export lets you export and upload to Vimeo or YouTube without the need to go to the Render page.
• You can apply effects, color matching and some color functions directly in the Cut page.

The new Cut page can be the perfect tool to quickly make a first version of your edit, before moving to the Edit page.

DaVinci Resolve 16 Edit Page

The Resolve Edit page was already full of editing tools and features. For the Edit page, Blackmagic learned a lot from Adobe Premiere Pro. Part of DaVinci Resolve 16’s useful additions are:

• You can now create timelines with different frame rates, resolutions, monitoring and output settings within the same project. I was waiting for this feature for ages, and they finally did it “Premiere Pro-style.”
• Adjustment clips let you apply blend modes, transformations, ResolveFX, color grades and more on top of a stack of clips in the timeline.
• A built-in image stabilization feature analyzes shots and applies stabilization with full camera lock, zoom, smooth and strength controls, right on the Edit page.
• Addition of a tape-style audio scrubbing, so you can listen at the audio while scrubbing through the timeline.
• Frame.io is now integrated into DaVinci Resolve. If you are not familiar with Frame.io, you can take a look at our review here.
• The keyframe curve editor allows you to keyframe ResolveFX and OpenFX directly in the timeline, quickly.
• A new mode allows you to stack timelines on top of each other, so you can copy/paste/edit between different versions.

Finally, facial recognition can automatically sort shots based on people into bins. I’m not sure if it will work perfectly, but it is an excellent introduction to DaVinci Neural Engine. This new Neural Engine is a mix of GPU processing and AI to help you work more quickly. It should provide faster processing of up-scaling footage, improve optical flow results, and other processors/GPU intensive tasks.

DaVinci Resolve 16 Fusion Page

The compelling Fusion page also got some updates. These include:

• Improved GPU performance for all 3D operations. A lot of effects like dissolves, time effects, stereo, pinning, color effects and more also benefit from the GPU improvement.
• Improved performance and accuracy for camera trackers.
• Better caching, faster and more reliable playback when using smart cache and user cache.
• Memory management has been improved, so working with big compositions will be faster.

DaVinci Resolve 16 Fairlight Page

Fairlight is the audio part of DaVinci Resolve, with a fully featured mixer, EQ and dynamics processing, audio editing tools, and much more. Among the new audio implementations in DaVinci Resolve 16 are:

• A new foley sound library with 500 royalty free foley sounds.
• Immersive 3D audio if you need to mix and master your project in 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, Auro 3‑D, and SMPTE ST 2098.
• An elastic wave tool – like in ProTools – to stretch audio to align the waveforms of one clip with another for ADR or retiming to picture effects, without modifying pitch.
• Support for loudness monitoring standards such as ATSC, 1770 and R128.
• Addition of FairlightFX plugins, such as frequency analyzer, limiter, phase meter, dialog processor and a new foley sampler.

DaVinci Resolve 16 Color Page

Last but not least, the Color page, though there is no revolution here. The Color page is already one of the most dominant color correction and color grading software available. DaVinci Resolve 16 adds the following to the color page:

• The ability to keyframe ResolveFX and OpenFX tracks/plugins.
• GPU accelerated scopes with more details, faster performance, and plenty of new viewing options for signal monitoring.
• Custom curves and HSL curves can now display a histogram inside the curve tool.
• The auto color balance and auto shot match tools now use the DaVinci Neural Engine to process images.
• Copy the color grade, windows, tracking and plug-in effects from one node, and paste only the attributes you want onto another node.
• Small detail, but you can now gang the Color page viewer with the SDI or HDMI video output. When you zoom into your footage, zoomed images appear on both, the user interface and your video output display.
• It’s now easier to independently view R, G, or B channels directly in the viewer, instead of doing three nodes.

DaVinci Resolve Keyboard

To go with DaVinci Resolve 16, Blackmagic has launched the DaVinci Resolve keyboard. It is designed to make you work faster, with a couple of dozen shortcuts, directly built into the console. Also, on the right side of the keyboard, there is an integrated jog wheel. This means, you can use both hands to work: your right hand scrolling through the footage or the edit, while your left hand can mark in/out points, apply a transition, or drag the footage into the timeline. There are also transition selection buttons that let you change between a cut, dissolve and smooth cut.

The keyboard is all metal, including the integrated search dial and should be robust, as it’s a premium keyboard solution. The keys have a tiered profile – sorry, Apple flat keys’ lovers. Each key is certified for over a million operations. The key caps, hand rest and key switches are all available as spare parts, in case you ever need to repair the keyboard.

Pricing and Availability

DaVinci Resolve 16 is still in beta – the standard version is free, and the studio version is US$299. They are available now on Blackmagic Design’s website.

The DaVinci Resolve Keyboard is US$1,025 (yes, $1,025 – not a spelling mistake) and is available now.

What do you think of the new DaVinci Resolve 16 features? If it isn’t already, do you consider making it your primary editing software? Let us know in the comments down below!