DaVinci Resolve review

Blackmagic Design’ DaVinci Resolve available on Windows, Mac, and Linux offers an excellent suite of video editing features for all budding filmmakers, from the hobbyist amateur all the way up to Hollywood director. The latest update to the series, DaVinci Resolve 16 builds on the success that came before it and continues to offer something for everybody, both with a free version and a premium Studio offering that will cost you $299. Let’s take a look in greater detail then at what DaVinci Resolve can offer you.

An excellent video editing program

Editing video is a complex task. There are many elements to consider and, accordingly, video editing suites have many different features and tools that perform all these different tasks. Normally, when you get a free video editor there are core features missing, but that is not the case with the free version of DaVinci Resolve.

Things missing include the 4K and 8K editing features that ship with the Studio version, a few premium templates and effects, and some headline grabbing features like HDR grading and a Neural Engine. This leaves a lot for free though, with DaVinci Resolve giving you a stable and powerful set of tools to help you build your movies. Furthermore, you won’t need to include any annoying watermarks in your work neither. This means you can actually use your projects for promotional activities or simply to showcase your work in a professional manner.

At number 16 in the series, DaVinci Resolve has a lot of advanced features even for free users. One of the best, however, remains the intuitive interface that makes it easy to pick up. The app works with a basic timeline and offers sound libraries, audio mixer, and a media pool. Impressively, DaVinci Resolve doesn’t slap you with any limitations as it gives you the chance to work an unlimited amount of audio and video tracks. This makes everything possible in an easy to understand way.

Integrated special effects

DaVinci Resolve also puts impressive special effects at your fingertips. Features including compositing, particle effects, rotoscoping, text animations, and painting have all been brought directly into DaVinci Resolve since version 15 when the stand-alone app Fusion was integrated with the main program.

It isn’t just video effects. DaVinci Resolve also offers impressive audio features and effects including concert hall simulation, echo, and delay. You can also distort audio, reduce noise, add reverb, adjust pitch, and adjust vocal harmonies. This is an impressive list of features for a free piece of software.

Support and training

Another key factor to consider with both the free and premium versions of DaVinci Resolve is the extensive beginners manual and training guides you can access for free on the Blackmagic Design webpage. Although DaVinci Resolve has an easy to work with interface, video editing programs can still be daunting to new users. The extensive support on offer means even brand-new beginners will be able to bring themselves up to speed, if they’re prepared to put the time in.

Something for everybody

All in all, the latest version of DaVinci Resolve has something to offer every level of video editor. It builds on the success of older versions well without becoming too complicated.