Blackmagic has released Resolve 15, a massive update that fully integrates visual effects and motion graphics, making it the first solution to combine professional offline and online editing, color correction, audio post production, multi-user collaboration and visual effects together in one software tool. Resolve 15 adds an entirely new Fusion page with over 250 tools for compositing, paint, particles, animated titles and more. In addition, the solution includes a major update to Fairlight audio, along with over 100 new features and improvements that professional editors and colorists have asked for.

DaVinci Resolve 15 combines four high-end applications into different pages in one single piece of software. The edit page has all the tools professional editors need for both offline and online editing, the color page features advanced color correction tools, the Fairlight audio page is designed specifically for audio post production and the new Fusion page gives visual effects and motion graphics artists everything they need to create feature film-quality effects and animations. A single click moves the user instantly between editing, color, effects and audio, giving individual users creative flexibility to learn and explore different toolsets. The workflow also enables collaboration, which speeds up post by eliminating the need to import, export or translate projects between different software applications or to conform when changes are made. Everything is in the same software application.

The free version of Resolve 15 can be used for professional work and has more features than most paid applications. Resolve 15 Studio, which adds multi-user collaboration, 3D, VR, additional filters and effects, unlimited network rendering and other advanced features such as temporal and spatial noise reduction, is available to own for $299. There are no annual subscription fees or ongoing licensing costs. Resolve 15 Studio costs less than other cloud-based software subscriptions and does not require an internet connection once the software has been activated. That means users won’t lose work in the middle of a job if there is no internet connection.

“DaVinci Resolve 15 is a huge and exciting leap forward for post production because it’s the world’s first solution to combine editing, color, audio and now visual effects into a single software application,” says Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. “We’ve listened to the incredible feedback we get from customers and have worked really hard to innovate as quickly as possible. DaVinci Resolve 15 gives customers unlimited creative power to do things they’ve never been able to do before. It’s finally possible to bring teams of editors, colorists, sound engineers and VFX artists together so they can collaborate on the same project at the same time, all in the same software application!”

Resolve 15 Overview

Resolve 15 features an entirely new Fusion page for feature-film-quality visual effects and motion graphics animation. Fusion was previously only available as a standalone application, but it is now built into Resolve 15. The new Fusion page gives customers a true 3D workspace with over 250 tools for compositing, vector paint, particles, keying, rotoscoping, text animation, tracking, stabilization and more. The addition of Fusion to Resolve will be completed over the next 12-18 months, but users can get started using Fusion now to complete nearly all of their visual effects and motion graphics work. The standalone version of Fusion is still available for those who need it.

In addition to bringing Fusion into Resolve 15, Blackmagic has also added support for Apple Metal, multiple GPUs and CUDA acceleration, making Fusion in Resolve faster than ever. To add visual effects or motion graphics, users simply select a clip in the timeline on the Edit page and then click on the Fusion page where they can use Fusion’s dedicated node-based interface, which is optimized for visual effects and motion graphics. Compositions created in the standalone version of Fusion can also be copied and pasted into Resolve 15 projects.

Resolve 15 also features a huge update to the Fairlight audio page. The Fairlight page now has a complete ADR toolset, static and variable audio retiming with pitch correction, audio normalization, 3D panners, audio and video scrollers, a fixed playhead with scrolling timeline, shared sound libraries, support for legacy Fairlight projects and built-in cross platform plugins such as reverb, hum removal, vocal channel and de-esser. With Resolve 15, FairlightFX plugins run natively on Mac, Windows and Linux, so users no longer have to worry about audio plugins when moving between the platforms.

Professional editors will find new features in Resolve 15 specifically designed to make cutting, trimming, organizing and working with large projects even better. Load times have been improved so that large projects with hundreds of timelines and thousands of clips now open instantly. New stacked timelines and timeline tabs let editors see multiple timelines at once, so they can quickly cut, paste, copy and compare scenes between timelines. There are also new markers with on-screen annotations, subtitle and closed captioning tools, auto save with versioning, improved keyboard customization tools, new 2D and 3D Fusion title templates, image stabilization on the Edit page, a floating timecode window, improved organization and metadata tools, Netflix render presets with IMF support and much more.

Colorists get an entirely new LUT browser for quickly previewing and applying LUTs, along with new shared nodes that are linked so when one is changed they all change. Multiple playheads allow users to quickly reference different shots in a program. Expanded HDR support includes GPU accelerated Dolby Vision metadata analysis and native HDR 10+ grading controls. The new ResolveFX lets users quickly patch blemishes or remove unwanted elements in a shot using smart fill technology, and allows for dust and scratch removal, lens and aperture diffraction effects and more.

For the ultimate high-speed workflow, users can add a Resolve Micro Panel, Resolve Mini Panel or a Resolve Advanced Panel. All controls are placed near natural hand positions. Smooth, high-resolution weighted trackballs and precision engineered knobs and dials provide the right amount of resistance to accurately adjust settings. The Resolve control panels give colorists and editors fluid, hands-on control over multiple parameters at the same time, allowing them to create looks that are simply impossible with a standard mouse.

In addition, Blackmagic also introduced new Fairlight audio consoles for audio post production that will be available later this year. The new Fairlight consoles will be available in two-, three- and five- bay configurations.

Availability and Price

The public beta of Resolve 15 is available today as a free download from the Blackmagic website for all current Resolve and Resolve Studio customers. Resolve Studio is available for $299 from Blackmagic resellers.

The Fairlight consoles will be available later this year and with prices starting at $21,995 for the Fairlight 2 Bay console. The Fairlight consoles will be available from Blackmagic resellers.