Blackmagic Design announces availability of DaVinci Resolve 14

Important update of this solution for editing, grading and finishing, now with vastly higher performance, Fairlight quality digital audio, collaboration tools between multiple users and many more features.

Coinciding with IBC 2017, Blackmagic Design has announced that the final version of the professional editing, grading and digital audio program DaVinci Resolve 14 is now available and can be downloaded from the company's website.

This update is the largest in the program's history, and has been designed to revolutionize post-production processes. DaVinci Resolve 14 is the only professional solution on the market that integrates editing, grading and audio tools. Likewise, it facilitates single-user or even more complex work dynamics in collaborative environments.

The new features include optimized performance and an innovative module with Fairlight tools for audio processing. In addition, they offer the possibility of carrying out collaborative projects between multiple users, in order to edit, grade and mix sounds from various systems, within the same project and simultaneously. It also includes hundreds of features for editors and colorists, such as more than 20 additional effects, such as tracking and automatic facial recognition, so professionals can refine and enhance the faces in their sequences.

DaVinci Resolve 14 is like three high-end applications in one, providing Fairlight-quality audio processing, color correction, and editing tools. Simply click to switch between the different modules. On the other hand, DaVinci Resolve 14 Studio offers features for multi-user studios, such as an integrated chat, locking folders and timelines, and graphical comparison of timelines, where it is possible to accept or combine changes, among countless other options. These features drastically change the post-production stage, going from linear to parallel. Professionals can work on the same project simultaneously without the need to import, export or conform it.

Eric Wilson, editor of the hit television series NCIS: Los Angeles, highlights that “DaVinci Resolve 14 is the first non-linear editing system that offers, in a single application, all the professional tools I need. This combination of functions for editing and grading images, adding effects and processing high-quality audio, together with the possibility of supporting multiple formats with 4K resolution and collaborative tools, is very innovative and interesting. There is no doubt that it will revolutionize the market.”

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, maintains that “the DaVinci Resolve 14 public beta has been downloaded more times than any other in the program's history. This update is a big step into the future, giving all users, whether individuals or large studios, the ability to edit, grade and process audio without interruptions. This means that professionals, instead of having to convert projects and send them from one application to another, will be able to invest more time in developing their creativity.”

The free version of DaVinci Resolve 14 includes more features than most paid programs, and can be downloaded from the Blackmagic Design website. On the other hand, users have the opportunity to get a more complete version with more creative options by purchasing DaVinci Resolve 14 Studio for only $299, a lower price than most annual subscriptions to cloud services. The paid program offers new tools for collaborative work, more than 20 additional ResolveFX filters, such as the facial retouching function, support for 4K content and 120 f/s rates, three-dimensional stereoscopic image processing, optical quality blur , fog effects and noise reduction, among other features. It should also be noted that it does not require an Internet connection or subscriptions for its operation.

DaVinci Resolve 14 is compatible with all major platforms, including Mac, Windows and Linux, making it easy to integrate into existing systems and workflows. In the case of Red Hat or CentOS versions of Linux, it is possible to create a custom terminal with inexpensive motherboards, extremely fast processors, a considerable capacity of RAM and up to 8 graphics processing units for unparalleled performance.

In addition to optimization using the CPU and GPU, it offers improved threading and segmentation in the graphics processing unit, as well as lower latency, a renewed interface and support for Apple's Metal technology . This allows the program to be more responsive for better performance and more precise editing, even on complex timelines with hundreds of sequences. Scrolling through clips and playing material is carried out instantly, and the ability to process more complex files, for example in H.264 format, makes it easy to edit 4K content in real time from a laptop computer.

Advanced Audio

In terms of audio, DaVinci Resolve 14 includes leading Fairlight tools for audio processing, which have been used by major studios in film and television productions. Fairlight products are renowned for both their superior quality and speed. Users have a host of professional features to record, edit and enhance sound, as well as mix, distribute and master it in different three-dimensional audio formats, such as 5.1, 7.1, Dolby and even 22.2. The cutting-edge processor has extremely low latency and has been designed to operate at a 192 kHz, 24-bit sample rate. In turn, a real-time equalizer, a dynamics processor and plugins are included when an audio accelerator is used. In addition, it is possible to record up to 96 channels and play a maximum of 150 simultaneously, while mixing in real time. There is no other program that is similar in this sense.

The new Fairlight tools support up to 1,000 tracks and provide the ability to edit audio at the subframe level, or even on a per-sample basis. The mixer is designed to make it easy to create sophisticated sequences and provides multiple busses for main, aux and low frequencies enabling mastering and delivery in multiple formats at the same time. Each channel has a six-band parametric equalizer and a dynamics processor using an expander/noise gate, a compressor and a limiter. On the other hand, it is possible to apply distortions that allow the sound to be stretched or compressed without having to modify its tone. In turn, each parameter can be automated using different modes, including VST plugins.

DaVinci Resolve 14 not only allows you to edit, enhance and mix sounds, but it also includes tools for recording in multiple channels, which are far superior to most editing systems. Users can record voice-overs or even an entire symphony orchestra, while simultaneously monitoring visuals and various channels of dialogue and sound effects. The advanced monitoring function supports buses of up to 24 channels and provides the ability to perform custom conversions between different formats. In addition, this can be carried out on up to a maximum of 16 different groups of speakers, for example in large cinema rooms.

DaVinci Resolve 14 is compatible with the Fairlight Audio Accelerator card, which allows processing hundreds of tracks with virtually no latency and real-time equalizer effects. It also offers a dynamics processor and a maximum of 6 VST plugins per channel. Even without the accelerator, most modern computers have the capacity to process more than 60 tracks in real time. On the other hand, DaVinci Resolve 14 can be used to control the entire line of Fairlight mixing consoles, greatly speeding up work on complex multi-track projects.

The advanced distribution of buses and mixes also allows content to be delivered in different languages ​​and formats simultaneously from the same project, which drastically reduces the time needed to obtain master copies.

All of these innovative features provide the opportunity to carry out editing, grading and audio mixing on the same project simultaneously. This is where new collaboration tools play an essential role in revolutionizing post-production processes by completely redefining work dynamics. That is, editing assistants have the possibility of preparing the material while the editors cut the images, the colorists grade the different shots and the sound technicians mix and finalize the audio.

For its part, the blocking function for folders, clips and timelines allows you to work with peace of mind on a specific part of the project, without the risk of overwriting changes made by other users. Additionally, the new integrated chat gives team members the ability to communicate within DaVinci Resolve, without needing to connect externally to the Internet. This service is essential, as most high-end studios cannot rely on instant messaging apps, such as Slack or Skype, because they must remain completely offline to avoid the risks associated with hacking.

Parallel work

On the other hand, a new tool offers the possibility of comparing timelines and distinguishing differences between them in a more agile and simple way, in order to be able to accept and combine the changes made. At the same time, DaVinci Resolve 14 works with available storage drives, so there is no need to purchase expensive servers or media to work together.

DaVinci Resolve 14's multi-user capabilities eliminate the need to import, export, convert and conform projects, or wait for footage to be unlocked before you begin adjusting color and sound. Just one click is enough to switch between the different corresponding modules. This means that the professionals involved can work in parallel, making this program the fastest solution for editing, grading, mixing audio and delivering projects to the client.

In addition to dramatic performance improvements, editors can take advantage of innovative commands to perform clip swipe operations, making it easy to dynamically trim footage during playback. On the other hand, it is possible to store the different default interface settings or view several folders at the same time in different windows. This is the most creative and important editing program on the market, thanks to new markers overlaid on thumbnails, tools for editing only images or sound, color tracking, and audio adjustment at the subframe level.

For colorists, there are more than 20 ResolveFX filters that allow you to remove noise, fix pixel problems, and expand images, among other tasks. For its part, the innovative face enhancement tool recognizes and tracks facial features, thus providing the possibility of quickly adjusting skin tones, enhancing eyes and even changing lip color without the need to apply techniques. rotoscopic or manually select different parts of the image. This is an essential feature that, without a doubt, will be used daily by professionals. Additionally, the program offers new features for image stabilization and processing that provide a wide range of creative options.

In order to optimize work dynamics, it is possible to use control surfaces such as the DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel or DaVinci Resolve Advanced Control Panel models. In these devices, all controls have been manufactured with high quality materials and are organized logically, close to the natural position of the hands. For its part, its spheres move very easily, which allows exact adjustments to be made. All buttons and rotary knobs offer an optimal degree of resistance, in order to modify the values ​​with extreme precision. These products have been designed to give editors and colorists a way to control multiple parameters simultaneously and quickly, creating aesthetics that are impossible to achieve using a mouse.

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