Blackmagic Design adds native cloud collaboration and a ton of new features to DaVinci Resolve 18

Blackmagic Design had one of their live presentation events yesterday. And as usually happens during such events from Blackmagic, the announcements were pretty interesting. Dubbed the “DaVinci Resolve Cloud Update”, Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty talks about a lot more than just DaVinci Resolve, including a few new hardware products. But the main event is the announcement of DaVinci Resolve 18 Public Beta and its new cloud collaboration features.

Along with Blackmagic Cloud support, DaVinci Resolve 18 sees new features for the Color, Edit, Fusion and Fairlight tabs, to add some crazy new AI features, tracking for deforming surfaces, new video effects, automatic proxy generation, major Fusion performance improvements and better audio processing. The DaVinci Resolve 18 public beta is available to download in both free and paid Studio flavours.

The presentation is heavily focused on the cloud features, both in DaVinci Resolve and in new hardware Blackmagic has announced in order to support it for higher-end demands. And this is higher-end hardware – unless you think spending $30K on what is essentially 80TB NAS (even if it is a really, really good one that’s specifically geared towards simultaneous multi-user video editing) is reasonable for hobbyists.

But for the specific list of new features available in DaVinci Resolve 18, which is now in Public Beta, you’ll want to scrub ahead to about an hour and two minutes in, where several short presentation videos are shown walking you through the new features of each of Resolve’s different sections. To fully understand how Blackmagic Cloud works, though, you’ll probably want to watch the whole thing as there’s bits of information darted about the new hardware announcements that also tie into it.

The short version is that Blackmagic Cloud allows users to sync their work together, from anywhere throughout the world, for working on collaborative projects. Once a project is created on the cloud, it maintains links to footage and other assets, including all the changes, and new users can be invited to join in to work on it with you. You also get to see what they’re working on as it’s happening, allowing you to both edit the project simultaneously (as demonstrated in the presentation above).

Blackmagic has said that the Cloud interface is going to change between now and the final release, with a number of promising new features. But here is the complete list of what’s new in DaVinci Resolve 18, beginning with a warning that you’ll very much want to pay attention to.

Upgrading to Resolve 18 will require you to update your project database. This is irreversible and you will not be able to downgrade to Resolve 17 or earlier without a backup.

Please check out this wiki page for information on how to properly and safely update or upgrade Resolve.

• Important information regarding project library management
  • DaVinci Resolve 18 requires a project library upgrade from all previous versions. We strongly recommend that you back up your existing database (both DiskDB and PostgreSQL) and then restore that database for the upgrade before upgrading to this release.
  • Once you upgrade your project library to 18, you can not use that library in previous versions of DaVinci Resolve.
• Documentation
  • Please review the readme in the installer for specific OS and hardware requirements. The readme also has further information on some key features.
  • This installer also includes an update to the DaVinci Resolve manual in preparation for the public beta. Please report any errata that you notice in the manual.
• New applications with the DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Studio installers
  • The DaVinci Resolve installer now includes a new standalone application, Blackmagic Proxy Generator Lite.
  • The DaVinci Resolve Studio installer includes the new Blackmagic Proxy Generator and the new DaVinci Resolve Monitoring app.
  • In addition to these, a new version of the DaVinci Resolve Project Server can be downloaded for Mac OS and Windows from the Blackmagic Design Support page.

What’s new in DaVinci Resolve 18

Features marked with * are in progress and may change before the final release.

Key Features

• Blackmagic Cloud to host and manage cloud-based project libraries.
• Collaborate securely over the internet using Blackmagic ID.
• Upload and review on Presentations with synced markers and comments.*
• Support for intelligent path mapping to relink files automatically.
• Vastly improved project library performance for network workflows.
• Improved project performance, especially when working with large projects.
• New Proxy Generator app for auto-creating proxies within watch folders.
• Ability to choose between prioritizing proxies or camera originals.
• Proxy files in subfolders are automatically assigned in the media pool.

Media & Edit

• Support for reversing shape, iris and wipe transitions in the edit page.
• New subtitle improvements including:
  • Support for timed text TTML, XML and embedded MXF/IMF subtitles.
  • Ability to view and import subtitles from media storage.
  • Support for relinking subtitle clips from the media pool.
  • Subtitle region support with multiple simultaneous captions per track.
  • Set individual presets, text positions and intuitively edit between regions.
  • Add, rename and manage regions from the timeline context menu.
  • Ability to import, export and embed multiple subtitle tracks as TTML.
• Support for showing up to 25 simultaneous multicam angles on the viewer.
• Edit Index now shows clip duration.
• Ability to navigate keyframes outside trimmed clip extents.
• Ability to navigate retime keyframes using hotkeys.
• Smart bin filter for disabled timelines.
• Render in place and open in Fusion actions can be assigned shortcuts.
• Reset Fusion composition now works on multiple clip selections.

Color

• New object mask capability in Magic Mask.*
• Adjustment clips and Fusion generators can bypass color management.
• Support for syncing clip groups in remote grading sessions.
• Ability to trigger bidirectional tracking from advanced and mini panels.
• Support for matte finesse and 3D qualifier in advanced and mini panels.
• Dolby Vision highlight clipping support in advanced panels.
• Support for bypassing color outputs from advanced panels.
• Add key mixers with auto-connected key outs from advanced panels.
• ACES support for Blackmagic Gen 5 camera formats.
• Support for the HDR Vivid standard.
• Reference gamut compression enabled by default in ACES 1.3.

Resolve FX

• New Resolve FX Depth Map to generate 3D depth based keys in Studio.
• New Resolve FX Fast Noise.
• New Resolve FX Despill.
• New Resolve FX Surface Tracker for tracking warped surfaces in Studio.
• Improved Resolve FX Beauty with new ultra mode.
• Improved edge strength and filter controls in Resolve FX Edge Detection.
• Option to composite from a second input in Resolve FX Transform.
• New bokeh preset for Resolve FX Lens Reflections.
• Green-purple control for Resolve FX Chromatic Aberration.
• Sizing awareness option in Resolve FX lens flare and radial & zoom blurs.

Fairlight

• Ability to convert fixed bus projects to FlexBus in project settings.
• Ability to freely order tracks and buses in the mixer via the track index.
• Ability to nudge custom millisecond or sub-frame intervals in the timeline.
• Improved quality for time stretched audio.
• Improved Dolby Atmos immersive mixing, including Binaural monitoring.*
• Native support for Dolby Atmos production for Linux and Apple silicon.*
• Independent controls to enable automation and expose parameters.
• Improved behavior of automated tracks under VCA control.
• Improved meters with configurable decay, peak hold and display modes.
• Ability to ctrl-alt click to remove gain and elastic wave keyframes.
• Ability to double click a clip in the timeline to rename.
• Ability to set record clip name prefix at a per-track level.
• Support for renaming underlying tracks when renaming a linked group.
• Equalizers with improved Q controls and mouse wheel inputs.
• Dynamics with enhanced metering, gain display and enable controls.
• Dynamics with improved dry mix, soft knee and metering in FlexBus.
• Improved plugin management with replace and copy settings in the mixer.
• New built in presets for equalizers and dynamics.
• Hold shift and double click clips to extend the edit selection range.
• Support for applying audio gain on range selection.
• Improved waveform display accuracy under crossfades.
• Origination time metadata is now persisted when bouncing mix to track.
• Option to trim from unity on the Fairlight Desktop Console.
• Support for VCA and bus spill on the Fairlight Desktop Console.
• Support for using the Fairlight Desktop Console on Linux systems.
• Studio monitoring support for FlexBus on consoles.
• Fairlight console option to mute speakers on timeline load.
• Support for chasing timecode via Fairlight audio interfaces.
• Support for user views in the Fairlight Desktop Console.
• Improved mapping for audio effects on the Audio Editor panel.
• Ability to use alt + solo to invoke solo safe in the Audio Editor panel.
• Support for a new clear mutes action in the timeline menu.
• Enabling track mixer controls brings window to focus if already open.
• Grid and list modes are persisted for patch, bus and VCA assign.

Fusion

• Multi-button mode selection in inspector for multiple tools.
• Support for all modern and future Python 3 versions for scripting.
• Support for live previews when using the Text+ color picker.
• Multiple new composition blend modes.
• New expression animated Custom Poly modifier for masks and strokes.
• Faster GPU accelerated paint tool with smoother strokes.
• Faster duplicate tool with additional blur, glow and size controls.
• Improved fade-on and text ripple title performance.
• Improved performance for night vision, glitch, TV and other effects.

Codecs

• Support for video uploads to internet accounts using custom presets.
• Support for encoding mono and stereo MP3 audio.
• New HyperDeck export preset in the Quick Export and deliver page.
• Ability to render individual clips with timeline effects.
• Ability to embed Blackmagic RAW metadata in QuickTime renders.
• Custom quality and profile media management options where available.
• Support for rendering Dolby Vision compatible H.265 clips.*
• Support for decoding CMYK format TIFF files.
• Support for record date and time metadata for JPEG stills.
• Alpha channel support in the IO Encode Plugin SDK.
• Support for RED SDK 8.2.2.
• New 1440p YouTube preset.
• Render option to override ACES gamut compression for round trips.
• Main10 is now the default H.265 encoding profile on Mac.

General

• Support for 10-bit viewers on Windows and Linux in Studio.
• Stream video output to remote monitoring in Windows and Linux in Studio.
• Apple Neural Engine support for DaVinci Neural Engine on M1 and M1 Pro.
• Support for Korean localizations in DaVinci Resolve.
• PostgreSQL 13 is now bundled with Project Server.
• Support for desktop notifications for collaboration chat.
• User preference to import Finder tags as clip keywords on Mac.
• Support for importing and exporting Final Cut Pro v1.10 XMLs.
• Ability to unlink Dropbox comment and marker sync for timelines.
• Playback and render now prevents Mac systems from sleeping.
• Support for per-system project working paths in collaboration and cloud.
• Support for per-system render cache mode in collaboration and cloud.
• Support for setting current project settings as default.
• Scripting API support for creating Fusion compositions.
• Scripting API support for exporting project archives.
• Scripting API support to get and set timeline start timecode.
• Scripting API support to detect stale media bins and refresh them.
• Scripting API support for updating camera raw sidecar files.
• General performance and stability improvements.

Further Information

Intelligent path mapping to relink files automatically

• DaVinci Resolve 18 has the ability to automatically map and manage paths between users and machines using cloud based project libraries. This ability is enabled by default in the project settings.
• Once the first user adds media to a project, every additional user or machine only needs to perform a relink to their shared copy of the media. DaVinci Resolve will automatically map these paths so that the media does not go offline for other users.
• Users can also manually manage shared locations between users and machines. In order to do this, the first user adds a shared media location to the project settings. This could be a shared cloud folder using a service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Every additional user can then either just relink their footage, or open project settings and set their local path to that media location.

New Proxy Generator app to auto-create proxies in watch folders

• DaVinci Resolve 18 includes a new Proxy Generator app.
• You can assign one or multiple watch folders to the Proxy Generator. The Proxy Generator app will scan and automatically generate QuickTime proxies with the selected codec in a Proxy subfolder.
• When importing media into DaVinci Resolve, any proxies found in these subfolders are automatically linked and assigned as proxies in the media pool. This happens even if the proxies are generated after importing the media to the media pool.

Improved Proxy Handling

• DaVinci Resolve 18 allows the user ability to prefer proxies or prefer camera originals. Depending on the setting chosen in the Playback menu, the selected clip type will be prioritized if both proxies and originals are available.

Resolve FX Depth Map for depth keying and grading

• Resolve FX Depth Map generates a depth alpha channel using the DaVinci Neural Engine, allowing you to separate backgrounds, isolate objects at specific depths and create fog, portrait mode and other distance effects.
• From the effects library in color page, you can apply Depth Map to a node, enable Depth Map Preview to view results, adjust limits, isolate specific depths and finesse results.
• You can also disable preview, enable OFX alpha and use the alpha output in subsequent nodes.

Resolve FX Surface Tracker for tracking warped surfaces

• The new Resolve FX Surface Tracker in DaVinci Resolve Studio applies textures or effects to flexible and deformable moving surfaces. If the texture you would like to apply has transparency, you should drag the plugin as an FX node rather than apply it on a corrector node.
  • The bounds tab allows you to select/create a region where you would like to apply the texture. Additional bounds and holes can be added to define complex surfaces.
  • The mesh tab allows you to establish a mesh over the surface you would like to track. This acts as the starting point for the tracking.
  • The track tab is where the analysis is performed. You can adjust the motion range for fast-moving objects and the rigidity of the mesh.
  • The result tab allows you to control how you would like to use the warped surface for warping or compositing content.

Improved Resolve FX Beauty with new ultra beauty mode.

• The ultra beauty mode, now the default setting for Resolve FX Beauty allows for stronger filtering and more natural results. This more powerful effect can even help with smoothing object surfaces, and even some compression artifacts.

Convert fixed bus projects to FlexBus

• Older fixed bus projects can be converted to FlexBus projects by unchecking the use fixed bus mapping control in project settings under Fairlight.
• This action permanently converts the project’s timelines to FlexBus and cannot be undone.

Ordering tracks and buses from the track index

• You can now drag and drop tracks and buses to freely change order in the track index. This order will be reflected in the meters, mixers and the fader panels.
• You can choose between a single scrollable view or a split view with a fixed section, indicated by an adjustable split point.

Configuring meters decay, peak hold and display modes.

• Fairlight meters now have a Digital VU mode with combined VU and Peak levels in FlexBus projects.
• From the Project Settings, under Fairlight, you can select IEC 60268-18, Digital VU, or define your own custom levels, scale and decay.

Improved plugin management in the mixer

• You can now copy settings for pan, EQ, dynamics and third party plugins between tracks and buses in the mixer.
• This can be invoked in multiple ways:
  • Context menus in the plugin dialog or in the mixer graphs of pan, EQ and dynamics.
  • Hotkeys Shift+Control+C & Shift+Control+V (Shift+Command in Mac OS).
  • Mixer strip header context menus for full channel settings.

Improved Python 3 Support

• The automatic detection of installed Python versions for scripting has been updated to check for default installations for Python 3.3 to 3.10 (and future versions).
• If set, the PYTHONHOME environment variable (or the explicit PYTHON3HOME and PYTHON2HOME if you have both installed) will be considered. To explicitly override the version used by DaVinci Resolve and Fusion Studio, you can set FUSION_Python3_Home (formerly FUSION_Python36_Home) to point to the base folder.

Expression animated Custom Poly modifiers

• You can now quickly create and animate Fusion masks and strokes using custom poly modifiers.
• In addition to common expressions, the Custom Poly supports these functions and variables:
  • (px,py) for the current point on the source poly.
  • disp for the point’s displacement on the poly.
  • index and num for the current point’s index (zero-based) and total number of points.
  • getx(disp), gety(disp) to access polyline values from specific displacements.
  • getx_at(disp,time), gety_at(disp,time) for displacements and times.
  • Use get2, get3 variations for additional inputs.
  • get[rgba][bdwm](x,y) to access image channels with optional black/duplicate/wrapped/mirrored results.

Support for 10-bit viewers on Windows and Linux in Studio.

• In Preferences, under General, DaVinci Resolve Studio now allows enabling 10-bit precision in viewers in Windows and Linux. You will need a capable Nvidia or AMD graphics card, up to date drivers and a 10-bit capable display.

Stream video output to remote monitoring in Windows and Linux in Studio.

• DaVinci Resolve Studio now supports the ability to stream your video monitoring output to a remote Blackmagic Design video monitoring device. This requires:
  • A Windows and Linux Studio system with an Nvidia graphics card.
  • Remote Studio clients with a Blackmagic design monitoring device.
  • Windows and Linux clients need an Nvidia graphics card.
• On the streaming server, you can allow remote streaming connections in Davinci Resolve Preferences under General. By default, TCP port 16410 is used for streaming connections.
• On the client, go to the Applications folder on Mac or the Windows start menu to the DaVinci Resolve folder, and run the DaVinci Remote Monitoring application. Set the IP address of the server machine. Configure your DeckLink or UltraStudio card on the client machine and press start.
• The streaming server can now accept the incoming connection prompt and start streaming its monitoring output to remote clients.
• Currently, remote streaming reflects the cut, edit, color and deliver viewers. It streams stereo audio and does not show overlays or scopes on the client side. Mac OS clients are limited to 8-bit 4:2:0 video formats.

Reminders

Bug Reports need to be submitted to Blackmagic Design. You can post them on the official forum, or if you have Studio, you can reach out to support via email.

Feature Requests need to be submitted to Blackmagic Design. You can post them on the official Feature Request Subforum or in the download form for Resolve.

Bug Reports and Feature Requests posted on Reddit and in this thread will not be addressed or seen by Blackmagic Design.

While DaVinci Resolve 18 is new and shiny, remember that it is a Public Beta version. As such, it will have bugs. Features will be missing, not working properly or subject to change. Making the upgrade from an earlier version of DaVinci Resolve to DaVinci Resolve 18 is also irreversible because it needs to modify the database. So, if you rely on it for client work, don’t upgrade yet!

But if you’ve got a spare machine to play around with it on and see what the new features are like, or you’re just a hobbyist and the only person you’re going to mess up is yourself if everything dies – and you’re willing to take that chance – then go for it. Download, install and have a play.

The new DaVinci Resolve 18 Beta is available to download in both free and paid Studio versions. If you want to find out more or download the newest DaVinci Resolve 18 Public Beta, head on over to the Blackmagic Design website. If you’re not read to go to the new 18 Beta yet, don’t worry, you can still download the final and stable releases of DaVinci Resolve 17 at the same link.

Update: DIYP reached out to Blackmagic Design to ask if installing Resolve Studio 18 Beta used one of your license “seats” and they confirmed that it did. So, if you already have DaVinci Resolve Studio 17 installed on two computers, say your desktop and your laptop, you’ll need to deactivate one of them to activate the Resolve Studio 18 Beta on a third computer.