Blackmagic Design recently announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 11, available for free download for existing DaVinci Resolve customers. With more than 100 new editing and colour grading features, DaVinci Resolve 11 is a major upgrade to it’s predecessor. The update includes professional nonlinear video editing with context sensitive trimming tools, onset file cloning, a new ColorMatch feature, photographer style colour grading tools and a new collaborative workflow that allows numerous users to work simultaneously on the same timeline.
With DaVinci Resolve 11, users now have more than 70 new editing features based on feedback from professional editors, new features include: dual monitor support and familiar professional tools like dynamic JKL trimming, audio cross-fades and fully customizable keyboard shortcuts for faster editing. Trimming tools are context sensitive, which means DaVinci Resolve automatically knows whether editors want to ripple, roll, slip, slide, extend or shorten edits, based on the position of the mouse.
DaVinci Resolve 11 features a new spline curve key-frame editor integrated into the edit timeline that positions key-frames directly under each clip and in context with the clip. Editors can now also add and animate Open FX plugins directly in the timeline as well as use plug-ins for transitions.
The new collaborative workflow tools in DaVinci Resolve 11 allows an editor and multiple colourists to work on different workstations, sharing the same timeline and working in tandem as they complete shots.
A noteworthy feature of the DaVinci Resolve 11 is the significantly better round trip collaboration with Final Cut Pro X.
DaVinci Resolve 11 also includes support for ProRes 4444 XQ, the highest-quality version of ProRes that is designed to maintain the detail of high-dynamic-range video through rigorous post-production.
Colour correction features have also been upgraded in DaVinci Resolve 11, including all new RAW image and colour grading controls that are designed for photographers who are moving into cinematography. The new camera RAW palette features highlight and shadow recovery, mid tone detail, colour boost, saturation, lift, gain and contrast. DaVinci Resolve 11 solves the single frame limitations of photo enhancement systems and gives photographers advanced control over RAW images so they can pull the maximum detail from high dynamic range footage in real time.
DaVinci Resolve 11 can now securely back up and save digital camera files. The new DaVinci Resolve Clone tool copies media drives, memory cards and camera packs to multiple destinations simultaneously. All copies are checksum verified, which means users get exact bit for bit digital copies of their source media. The new Clone tool is included in the free DaVinci Resolve Lite and can be installed on a laptop for on-set use.
DaVinci Resolve 11 also features Color Match, an automatic colour chart colour balancing tool that works on all types of footage including video, RAW and even film. The new Color Match tool automatically gives a primary base grade by analysing shots containing standard colour chip charts even if they were shot in different lighting conditions with different exposure and colour temperatures.
DaVinci Resolve 11 also adds optimizations to OpenCL image processing which allows improved rendering speeds on the new Apple MacPro systems. The MacPro features dual GPU’s making it a worthy off the shelf system for customers looking for a high performance solution that can handle the extreme image size and wide dynamic colour range of Ultra HD 4K video at the deepest YRGB 32 bit floating point processing quality.
