DaVinci Resolve 18 Beta 4 Continues to Expand Features

During its ongoing BETA program, Blackmagic continues to listen to user requests for new DaVinci Resolve 18 features and bug fixes. To that end, Resolve 18 is getting some new tools, including a surface tracker for the Fusion FX page, automatic addition and matching of track formats in the Fairlight page, and export of subtitles from the edit page.

Furthermore, Windows and Linux users with supported NVidia and AMD GPUs, are now able to view 10-bit color files with 10-bit precision enabled. Apple users aren’t to be left out, however, as Resolve now enjoys Neural Engine support for DaVinci Neural Engine on M1 and M1 Pro.

Image Credit – Blackmagic Design

Resolve has also worked out support to relink files automatically through intelligent path remapping. Users also now have the ability to choose between prioritizing proxies or camera originals, and proxies are automatically assigned in the media pool from subfolders. The new Proxy Generator is also available within watch folders for auto-creating proxies.

And that’s just the beginning. All told, just about every major page receives new features or performance enhancements in this massive update. Check out the list below:

Media & Edit Page:

• Support for reversing shape, iris, and wipe transitions on the edit page.
• New subtitle improvements include: 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, and 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 Grading Page:

• 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 is enabled by default in ACES 1.3.

Resolve FX Page:

• 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 Audio Page:

• 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 Page:

• Multi-button mode selection in the 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.

There are also improvements to online chat for group collaboration, secure connections through Blackmagic ID, and more. To download and try the DaVinci Resolve 18 Beta, visit the Blackmagic Support Page.

Windows Users seeking to work on legacy Fairlight 2 projects will also need to install a special utility for importing. It’s available here. After installing the utility, you should see an option to “Import Fairlight Project” in the Fairlight menu in DaVinci Resolve.

[source: Blackmagic Design]

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