Blackmagic Design announces DaVinci Resolve 18

Blackmagic Design announced DaVinci Resolve 18, new cloud collaboration update which allows multiple editors, colourists, VFX artists and audio engineers to work simultaneously on the same project, on the same timeline, anywhere in the world.

DaVinci Resolve 18 supports the Blackmagic Cloud for hosting and sharing projects, as well as a new DaVinci proxy workflow. This update also includes new Resolve FX AI tools powered by the DaVinci Neural Engine, as well as time saving tools for editors, Fairlight legacy fixed bus to FlexBus conversion, GPU accelerated paint in Fusion, and more.

DaVinci Resolve 18 public beta is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design web site. 

DaVinci Resolve 18 is a major release featuring cloud based workflows for a new way to collaborate remotely. Customers can host project libraries using Blackmagic Cloud and collaborate on the same timeline, in real time, with multiple users globally. The new Blackmagic Proxy generator automatically creates proxies linked to camera originals, for a faster editing workflow. There are new Resolve FX such as ultra beauty and 3D depth map, improved subtitling for editors, GPU accelerated Fusion paint and real time title template playback, Fairlight fixed to FlexBus conversion and more.  

DaVinci Resolve 18 supports Blackmagic Cloud, so customers can host their project libraries on the DaVinci Resolve Project Server in the cloud. Share projects and work collaboratively with editors, colourists, VFX artists and audio engineers on the same project at the same time, anywhere in the world.  

The new Blackmagic Proxy Generator App automatically creates and manages proxies from camera originals. Create a watch folder and new media is automatically converted into H.264, H.265 or Apple ProRes proxies to accelerate editing workflows. Customers can extract proxies into a separate folder for offline work.  

Customers can switch between camera original footage and proxies in a single click. With Blackmagic Proxy Generated proxies, DaVinci Resolve knows where in the file tree to find them, instantly linking to the camera originals in the media pool. Edit with proxies, then relink to camera originals to grade.  

DaVinci Resolve 18 adds intelligent media location management, so that when customers are collaborating customers can quickly link media to their unique file paths. Now customers don’t need to manually relink or search for assets when customers work remotely. 

The collaboration update also provides major performance enhancements if customers are using a secure private network. Get immediate updates of editorial and colour changes when collaborating on a remotely hosted project library. Now creative decisions can be made in real time based on the latest changes.  

Live stream their DaVinci Resolve Studio viewer and display on a remote computer monitor, or a reference grading monitor, via DeckLink to anywhere in the world. The low latency, high quality 12-bit image is ideal for remote editing or colour grading giving customers instant feedback on changes.  

DaVinci Resolve 18 features incredible new tools for colourists. Located in the magic mask palette, the new object mask is able to recognize and track the movement of thousands of unique objects. The DaVinci Neural Engine intuitively isolates animals, vehicles, people and food, plus countless other elements for advanced secondary grading and effects application.  

The new depth map effect lets customers instantly generate a 3D depth matte of a scene to quickly grade the foreground separately from the background, and vice versa. Customers can bring attention to action in the foreground, help interview subjects stand out, or add atmosphere in the background of a scene.  

Apply graphics to surfaces that warp or change perspective in dramatic ways, like t-shirts, flags, or even the side of a face with the surface tracker. It’s customizable mesh follows the motion of a textured surface. Apply graphics, composite tattoos, or even cover up logos with this powerful tracking tool.  

Ultra beauty gives customers advanced control over a subject when performing corrective beauty work. Developed with professional colorists, the ultra beauty tool helps to address general imperfections by smoothing skin and then recovering detail to produce natural and complimentary results to the subject.  

Subtitle support has been expanded to include TTML and XML timed texts and embedded MXF/IMF subtitles. View and import subtitles from media storage, create regions to support multiple simultaneous captions per track, and set individual presets and text positions when indicating different speakers.  

Transitions in the effects library’s shape, iris and wipe categories now have a checkbox, allowing customers to easily reverse the direction of the transition. This gives customers additional flexibility when using these types of transitions, as well as adding to their creative possibilities.  

A new 5×5 option in the multicam viewer now allows customers to view up to 25 different angles in a single multicam clip at the same time. Ideal for large multicam projects, this makes viewing, cutting and switching between more angles much easier, rather than moving between pages to see different angles.  

In DaVinci Resolve 18, GPU acceleration allows paint brush strokes to be generated and displayed in real time, for a more intuitive approach when performing cover up work or graphic design. Instant visual feedback allows customers to assess their work and make corrections in any stroke style or shape.  

Text, text+ and shape templates have improved speed and playback performance in DaVinci Resolve 18. New memory management and data handling means that Fusion templates are up to 200% faster. Customers can see accelerated results in the viewer and put together motion graphic compositions faster than ever.  

FlexBus is Fairlight’s flexible audio busing and routing system designed for managing high track counts, extensive plug-in processing, perfect synchronization and multiple project deliverables. Now customers can effortlessly convert legacy fixed bus Fairlight projects to FlexBus with a single click. 

The Dolby Atmos deliverable toolset has been expanded to support rendering of a binaural output from a complex Dolby Atmos mix. Now a Dolby 7.1.4 mix can be rendered to playback in a pair of headphones while maintaining the immersive sound experience from just two audio channels.  

New options in the decompose menu enhance collaboration allowing editors to compile their work to a single timeline. Nested timelines can now be decomposed with all track data including FX and automation. Assignments will connect using new busses, existing paths or new tracks can be left unpatched.  

DaVinci Resolve supports the latest industry standard audio formats natively, including immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D, MPEG-H, NHK 22.2, and SMPTE. The space view scope displays a real time view of every object and its relationship to the room and other objects in 3D space.  

“This is a  major release that totally revolutionizes remote project collaboration using cloud based workflows, ” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “With Blackmagic Cloud, customers can collaborate on the same timeline anywhere in the world. Imagine editing in Tokyo, while a colorist is grading in LA on the same timeline, at exactly the same time! The new DaVinci proxy workflow makes working with proxy files or camera originals seamless, relinking in just one click. I think it will be exciting to try out the new cloud collaboration workflow and I can’t wait to see how our customers collaborate with each other around the world.”

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DaVinci Resolve 18 Features 

• Support for Blackmagic Cloud to host and manage cloud based project libraries.
• New Blackmagic Proxy Generator App automatically creates and manages proxies.
• Ability to choose between working with proxies or camera original files.
• Support for intelligent path mapping to relink files automatically.
• Improved project library performance for private server.
• New object mask recognizes and tracks movement of thousands of objects automatically.
• New depth map generates 3D depth map of a scene in DaVinci Resolve Studio.
• New surface tracker for tracking warped surfaces in DaVinci Resolve Studio.
• Refined ultra beauty tool in Resolve FX beauty for advanced corrective work.
• Expanded subtitle support for TTML and XML timed texts, and embedded MXF/IMF.
• Support for reversing shape, iris and wipe transitions in the edit page.
• New 5×5 multicam enables viewing of up to 25 simultaneous different angles.
• Faster GPU accelerated paint tool with smoother strokes.
• Support for live previews when using the Text+ color picker.
• Ability to convert historical fixed bus projects to FlexBus in project settings.
• Improved Dolby Atmos immersive mixing, including Binaural monitoring.
• Decomposition of nested timelines with all track data including FX and automation.
• Innovative space view scope in Fairlight shows position and relationship in 3D space.