Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 14 Beta Version 4 Released

DaVinci Resolve has become one of the most popular, if not the most popular, pro grading software and with every big update each year it gets even better and also cheaper with a ridiculously low price of $299 for Resolve 14 Studio. The latest version of Resolve – 14 is still in beta, but Blackmagic Design are following up with improved and more stable beta versions on a regular basis. They just announced that they are releasing Beta 4 of Resolve 14, which now adds support for audio cross fades, 32-bit float WAV files, resizable bin windows, new live previews in the Media and Edit page viewers, improved H.264 encoding on the Mac and hardware acceleration on Window.

The latest Resolve 14 Public Beta 4 features also dozens of other performance improvements and bug fixes. DaVinci Resolve 14 Studio includes all the features of the free version plus dozens of Resolve FX filters including advanced facial recognition and enhancement tools, multi user collaboration, 4K and higher output at frame rates up to 120fps, motion blur effects, temporal and spatial noise reduction, 3D tools and more. This version requires a DaVinci Resolve dongle.

Whether you are using a Blackmagic camera such as the now classic Pocket Cinema or the latest URSA Mini Pro 4.6K camera or even a non-Blackmagic camera such as the popular Panasonic GH5, it is no secret that DaVinci Resolve can make your footage sing and enable you to get the most out of it with as easy as a few simple clicks.

Don’t get me wrong, Resolve 12.5 and 14, as I am sure many of you who are using the software can attest to, can be tailored from as simple as a “slap a 3D LUT” single node workflow, to a much more complex and involving multi-node and deep colour grading workflow depending on the needs of your project and your skill level.

For those (like me who are learning how to get better at Resolve), I would highly recommend the DaVinci Resolve 14 Simplified online course by pro colourist Alex Jordan. If you are totally new to grading, you can also get the FREE DaVinci Resolve Basics course from our store here that gives you the basics and can help you decide of the full course is right for you.

Ethics Disclaimer: We are an affiliate with FilmSimplified, which means that we do earn a small commission from the sales of above course through our links, however this is at NO EXTRA cost to you of course and such income helps us with the running costs associated with maintaining and running the website.

We greatly appreciate all your support, plus both of these courses and all of FilmSimplified’s courses are top notch and speaking from personal experience – the best Resolve learning courses I’ve come across in my opinion – they are definitely worth it. 

What’s new in DaVinci Resolve 14

Collaboration

• All new collaboration workflow which allows multiple users to work on the same project at the same time
• Added ability for collaborating video/audio editors and colorists to work on the same timeline at the same time
• Resolve Collaboration supports any shared storage technology and works with a PostgreSQL shared database server
• Support for live saving all collaborator actions in a collaborative project
• Support for Project Manager indicators to show collaborative projects
• Ability for collaborators to pick a profile on their shared projects
• First come first serve write access for Media Pool Bins with read access for everyone else
• Live Media Pool side bar bin updates including user locks and refresh available indicators
• Timeline indicators to show user locks and refresh available
• Live update of Color Page thumbnail icons to indicate user locks and refresh available
• Live sharing of Color Page still galleries
• New compare timeline tool to simplify merging timelines from multiple collaborative users *
• Live group chat feature on collaborative projects

Improved Performance, Fluidity And Usability

All new image processing engine with numerous performance improvements and optimizations

• New image processing engine which maximizes single and multi-GPU utilization
• Support for GPU processing using Metal on Mac
• New optimized performance mode for improved playback
• New dynamic memory manager for optimized CPU memory usage
• Improved performance on single GPU laptops and workstations
• Improved editing and playhead fluidity on the Edit page timeline
• Dramatically improved latency of JKL playback
• Improved Color Page playback start/stop latency
• Improved Multicam playback performance
• Improved pan and zoom on viewers when using the trackpad with support for an Alt/Option modifier
• Improved performance when scrubbing H.264 and similar codecs
• Support for hardware accelerated H.264 decoding when using NVIDIA GPUs on Linux and Windows
• Support for improved CPU usage

All new database engine for improved management and performance on PostgreSQL and DiskDB

• Support for a new live save option where changes are saved as you work
• Support for incremental fast saves in the new and improved DiskDB
• Ability to save, load, update and delete user UI layout presets

Improved media access and performance

• Improved H.264 encode and decode performance
• Improved performance for file listing in Media Storage
• Improved scrolling performance in Media Storage folders and Media Pool bins with many clips
• Improved speed of importing AAF timelines
• Improve speed of Optimized media generation, transcoding and fusion rendering
• Support for Optimized Media in 3D stereoscopic clips
• Support of high frame rate timelines up to 120 frames per second – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• Support for up to 16Kx16K source images and timeline resolution
• Ability to drag a file or folder from Finder/Explorer to Media Storage in order to navigate there
• Improved performance when loading Gallery stills

Audio

• New Fairlight audio processing engine for all audio in Resolve
• New Fairlight page with dedicated audio editing, mixing, finishing and mastering controls
• Support for unlimited audio tracks, 8 main, sub and aux outputs
• Support for Fairlight Audio Accelerator and I/O hardware
• Support for Fairlight free standing and desktop consoles
• Single and dual monitor UI configurations on the Fairlight page
• Fairlight page includes Media Pool, timeline, metering, mixer, effects, video preview, timeline index and inspector

Key Features

• Six band EQ for every track
• Expander/Gate, Compressor and Limiter Dynamics for every track
• 2D and 3D Pan control for sound placement *
• Timeline toolbar includes a pointer and a marquee tool, automation state, snapping, flags, markers and timeline options
• Automation includes trim state, touch, latch or off mode, event selection
• Support for separate enables for fader, mute, pan, EQ, compressor, Gate, Aux, Limiter and Plugins

Monitoring and metering features

• Level meters for all channels, Masters, Subs, Aux and groups
• Monitoring of main outputs available in mono, stereo5.1, Atmos, Auro, DTS, IMAX and multichannel up to 22.2
• Compound metering includes speaker group selection, phase and loudness with integration control
• Video preview available as docked or popup viewer with SDI video output

Timeline features

• Track sidebar includes controls for gain, automation, lock, solo, mute and record
• Track sidebar includes indicators for track number, name, color, linked track andmeters
• Timeline clips include user selectable indicators for clip name, gain, FX, group, EQ, Source, Speed, Linked status, stem/channel bit depth, sample rate and source channel
• Timeline clips include full or rectified audio waveform with waveform border, gain level, fade handles and automation keyframe control
• User selection of timecode display with subframes and samples, feet and frames or only samples
• Five preset and custom user selectable track height with locks
• New timeline index shows tracks and markers

UI dialogs for setup and assignment

• Each mixer track includes input selection, effects, insert, EQ and dynamics graphs, output selection, aux, pan, main and submix selections
• Mixer also includes track name and color, grouping, record, mute and solo selection and gain fader with meters

General audio improvements

• New audio processing engine includes support for 192 KHz 24bit audio
• Support for pitch correction when performing speed changes on all platforms
• Support for pitch correction during FFW and FRW playback on the Edit page timeline

Editing – Key new features

• Support for track colours on the timeline
• Support for dragging just video or audio from the source viewer
• Support for a toggle to switch between single viewer and dual viewer mode
• Support of OFX plugins as filters in Timeline
• Ability to drag and drop a transition from one clip to another
• Redesigned Effects Library for easier navigation and search
• Support for improved “Play Around” functionality with contextual behavior depending on selection
• Support for Blur Dissolve transition
• Support for audio waveforms on Multicam Clips, Compound Clips and Timeline Clips
• Support for alpha rendering from source when using Fusion Connect
• Added support for Live Preview of clip thumbnails in the Media and Edit page source viewers
• Added menu options and shortcuts for marking and clearing split Video and Audio In and Out marks
• Added menu option and shortcut for creating a Subclip

Clip adjustment improvements

• Ability to “Remove Attributes” from one or multiple clips
• New menu option to freeze frame the current frame under the playhead
• Ability to select all keyframes in Keyframe and Curve editor using Ctrl/Command+A
• Ability to linearize/smoothen curves for multiple selected keyframes in the Keyframe and Curve editor

Clip trim improvements

• Ability to Alt/Option+Shift drag to resize a clip’s In or Out point over an adjacent clip toautomatically create a transition
• Ability to Alt/Option+Shift drag a clip from the Media Pool to overlap a clip in the timeline to add a transition
• Support for two new trim commands in the Trim menu
  • Slip Playhead to In
  • Slip Playhead to Out
• Support for slip functionality when performing an Extend Edit
• Ability to duplicate and superimpose dragging selected clips from a track while holding down Alt/Option + Shift
• Support for snapping when dragging and placing text elements in a Title in the Timeline viewer
• Support for improved snapping when performing ripple edits
• Ability to perform playback using JKL in Dynamic Trim Mode when no clip or edit point is selected

Conform improvements

• Support for user selectable conform criteria when performing “Reconform from Bins”
• Ability to “Reconform from Media Storage folders” for a Timeline
• Support for missing on disk indicators and missing in Media Pool indicators in the Timeline
• Support for importing 3D Warp Pitch and Yaw parameters in AAF from Avid Media Composer
• Support for the following Index filtering options
  • Show Clip Color
  • Show Clips with Composite Effects
  • Show Clips with Transform Effects
  • Show Clips with Filters
  • Show Clips with Speed Effects
  • Show Fusion Connect Clips
  • Show Compound Clips and Nested Timelines
  • Show Clip conflicts
  • Show Flags of a particular color
  • Show Markers of a particular color
  • Show Stills and Freeze Frames
• Ability to see conflicts in the Index Match column
• New Position Lock on toolbar to lock ripple on tracks and timelines for Online Editing
• Project setting to enable/disable automatically Conform when adding clips to Media Pool
• Ability to set default number tracks and types in Project Settings > Editing > New Timeline Settings

Marker improvements

• Ability to display Marker names and notes as viewer overlays
• Ability to list clip markers in Media Pool list view
• Ability to convert an In and Out point selection into a duration marker
• Ability to navigate between markers from the option menu in the viewers
• Ability to search and filter in the Index using Marker Name and Marker Notes fields
• Ability to multi select timeline markers using a marquee

Media Pool improvements

• Support multiple Media Pool windows either as a 2-up/4-up docked view or as new pop-up windows
• Ability to hover over Media Pool thumbnails to mark in and out
• Ability to “Rediscover Optimized Media” in the Media Pool
• Ability to “Unlink Selected Clips” in the Media Pool
• Support for missing on disk indicators in the Media Pool for both the thumbnail and list view
• Support for Smart Bin and Smart Filtering based on Display Name
• Ability to Create Bin With Selected Clips
• Ability to create Smart Bin filters using Marker Name and Marker Notes
• Ability to search in the Media Pool using Marker Name and Marker Notes fields
• Ability to perform comma separated text matches in Media Pool search, Smart Bins and Smart Filters
• Ability to add/remove items from current selection with keyboard modifiers (Ctrl/Command, Shift and Alt/Option)
• Ability to Alt/Option drag clips in the Media Pool to duplicate them and put them in another bin

General improvements

• Previous/Next clip now ignores selection when the selected clip is not visible
• Support for a “Playback post-roll” option in the Timeline menu
• Ability to drag video only or audio only from the timeline to the Media Pool
• Support for retaining playhead position and in and out positions when swapping timelines
• Ability to drag a OpenFX/ResolveFX filter onto one or multiple selected clips
• Support for selecting resize algorithm per clip in the Inspector
• Support for a progress bar when applying Lens Correction
• Support for 100% levels in EBU Color Bar generator
• Ability to search “All Fields” when applying a search filter in the Index
• Support for toggling “Show Reference Wipe” is now available on the Edit page
• Ability to Alt/Option click only the audio or video to override a linked clip selection
• Added support for new Four Color Gradient generator

Color – ResolveFX improvements

• ResolveFX plugins are now sorted into logical groups of effects
• Support for starred favorites for OpenFX is now available on the Color page
• Ability to paste tracking data between the FX tracker and the Power Window tracker
• Improved ResolveFX Lens Flare
• Support for Gamut Mapping in the ResolveFX Color Space Transform plugin
• Support for Tone Mapping in the ResolveFX Color Space Transform plugin

New ResolveFX Plugins

• ResolveFX Face Refinement – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Warper – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Match Move – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Color Stabilizer – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Timelapse Deflicker – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Contrast Pop – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• ResolveFX Color Compressor
• ResolveFX Abstraction
• ResolveFX Watercolor
• ResolveFX Lens Distortion
• ResolveFX Gamut Mapping
• ResolveFX Dead Pixel Fixer
• ResolveFX Alpha Matte Shrink and Grow
• ResolveFX Color Palette
• ResolveFX Dehaze
• ResolveFX Sharpen
• ResolveFX Sharpen Edges
• ResolveFX Soft Sharpen Skin
• ResolveFX Camera Shake
• ResolveFX Deband
• ResolveFX Grid

General improvements

• Support for a new advanced Stabilizer in the Tracker palette
• Ability to add and control favorite ResolveFX and OpenFX plugins under Modes from the DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel *
• Support for improved jog and shuttle control on DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel
• Ability to toggle LightBox SDI output from the DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel using Shift Down + CONFORM
• Ability to toggle full screen LightBox from the DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel using Shift Up + CONFORM
• Ability to press and hold Reset on the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels to reset the node graph
• Ability to press and hold Previous/Next Frame on the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels to jump to the beginning/end of the clip
• Ability to press play/reverse repeatedly on the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels to increase playback speed
• Ability to set the LCD brightness of the DaVinci Resolve Mini panel using LCD brightness in Control Panel settings
• Ability to set the key backlighting of the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels in Control Panel settings
• Ability to remember Bars vs. Wheels when switching to Primary from a Control Panel
• Improved various knob and parameter sensitivities on the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels
• Support for Gamut Mapping from Timeline to Output Color Space in Resolve Color Management
• Support for Tone Mapping from Timeline to Output Color Space in Resolve Color Management
• Support for the Common LUT Format (CLF) with examples – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• Support for scopes as an overlay on the Cinema viewer
• Support for new commands and shortcuts to move selected keyframes
• Selection of multiple keyframes no longer needs a modifier key
• Support for track color on Color page timeline
• Support for plugin name on FX nodes
• Support for full height OpenFX inspector in full screen mode
• Ability to set default number of neighboring clips for Split Screen in Project Settings >Color
• Support for Clip Color indicators in the Color page Timeline
• Support for adding any Media Pool clip as a matte to the current clip on the Color page
• Improved support for ACES v1.0.3
• Support for ACEScc, ACEScct and ACEScg color spaces in Resolve Color Management
• Support for ACEScc, ACEScct and ACEScg color spaces in the ResolveFX Color Space Transform plugin
• Support for ACEScc, ACEScct and ACEScg IDTs and ODTs when using ACES
• Support for clip output render caching from pre and post group node graph
• Support for showing picker RGB values in 8 bit or 10 bit available in the View menu
• Ability to to toggle the viewer overlay mode on/off using Shift + `
• Support for Ctrl/Command and Ctrl/Command+Shift for half and quarter increments in Printer Lights Hotkeys
• Added support for selecting all clips in the Color page using Command/Ctrl+A

Media

• Support for user selectable checksum methods in Clone Tool option menu
• Ability to unmount drives from Media Storage on Mac and Windows
• Ability to set custom whole number frame rates from 1 to 120 fps in Clip Attributes
• Support for option to import ARRIRAW clips at the Open Gate resolution in Project Settings > CameraRAW > ARRI
• Support for automatically cropping ARRI Quicktime clips to show only the active area of the sensor
• Support for decoding clips from the Canon C200 camera
• Support for latest EasyDCP library
• Support for decoding Nikon RAW files
• Support for MultiPart OpenEXR
• Support for Constant and Variable bitrate in Quicktime ProRes and DNxHR codecs
• Support for H.264 multi-pass encoding on Mac
• Support for decoding H.264 Intra 422 10bit – DaVinci Resolve Studio only
• Support for encoding to the MP4 format
• Support for decoding High 10 Profile H.264 files on DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Support for encoding VP9 profiles with higher bit-depth
• Support for Network Optimization option in Quicktime renders
• Support for 10b and 12b encoding options for DNxHR HQX and DNxHR 444
• Support for Rec.2100 metadata in QuickTime renders
• Support for decoding and encoding 32-bit float WAV files
• Support for QuickTime reference movies on Linux and Windows
• Support for drop frame timecode when performing a 3:2 pull down

General

• Support for an improved Project Manager with an integrated Database manager
• Ability to copy and paste one or multiple projects between databases
• Ability to sort list of databases in Database manager
• Support for a new Bicubic resizing filter option
• User settings such as layout preferences are now saved locally on the machine
• Ability to drag a bin into another bin in the Media Pool right hand side view
• Support for a smaller page switcher on smaller screens
• Ability to type in Project Manager and browse dialogs to automatically navigate to and highlight matches
• Support for searching for shortcuts by command name or shortcut in Project Settings> Keyboard Mapping
• Support for displaying conflicts when assigning shortcuts in Project Settings> Keyboard Mapping
• Tags now support non-text parameters such as Timecode, Dates, Numbers and Resolutions
• Support for undo/redo history available in the Edit menu
• Support for an option to stop playback when frames are dropped on the SDI output
• Support for remembering the last open page across multiple sessions
• Added JKL playback support when in Cinema mode

For those who have not yet updated to the latest version for Resolve, which is still in beta, and prefer to stay in Resolve 12.5, Blackmagic also released a new update to DaVinci Resolve 12.5.6. See all the details of what’s new below.

DaVinci Resolve 12.5.6 Studio Update

This software update is for all DaVinci Resolve 12.5 customers. It includes new firmware for the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels which allows you to adjust button and LCD brightness. In addition it adds support for multi-part EXR decoding, color boost in 3D LUT generation, optimized media for stereoscopic 3D clips, and additional panel control for fast forwarding and rewinding through on the panels.
What’s new in DaVinci Resolve 12.5.6

• Added support for decoding multi-part EXR files
• Added support for remembering bars vs. wheels when pressing Primaries on the panel
• Added support for Optimized Media for Stereoscopic 3D clips
• Added support for Fast Forward and Rewind by repeatedly pressing forward or reverse playback on the panel DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels
• Added ability to adjust LCD brightness for the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels
• Added ability to adjust button brightness for the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini panels
• Added support for Color Boost in 3D LUT generation
• Addressed an issue where mattes would not be media managed correctly
• Addressed an issue on Linux where the DaVinci Resolve Advanced panel would sometimes fail to connect
• General performance and stability improvements

[via Blackmagic Design]