Blackmagic Design has announced the full release of Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 21 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 21. The timing caught many off guard. The company only launched the first beta in April, and historically it has taken four to five months of beta testing before a new version ships.
Resolve vs Resolve Studio
Blackmagic Design has always offered two tiers: a free version of DaVinci Resolve and the paid DaVinci Resolve Studio. The Studio version runs on a one-time fee with a lifetime license — no subscription required. You also receive a free Studio license when you purchase any of Blackmagic Design’s cinema cameras.
The free version has some limitations around certain features, export resolution and 10-bit video support. That said, it remains a capable editing program for most users.
AI tools
DaVinci Resolve Studio 21 ships with an extensive new suite of AI tools, none of which are available in the free version. AI CineFocus lets you refocus footage with realistic bokeh and lens effects. AI UltraSharpen handles high-fidelity sharpening of moving images, while AI Motion Deblur clears up common motion blur artifacts.
On the more creative side, AI Face Age Transformer can age or de-age a face. AI Face Reshaper goes further, allowing you to resize and reshape facial features. Rounding out the suite, AI SlateFinder and AI SlateID automatically detect and read slates to populate clip metadata.
Photo page
The new Photo page appears in both versions of Resolve. It’s built around the idea of applying the program’s color grading toolset to still images, not just video. Native RAW support covers most major camera formats, and there’s a full image library with tagging, favorites, ratings and album collections. Looks, LUTs, ResolveFX and OpenFX all work with stills.
Studio users get a couple of extras: direct image capture via Sony or Canon tethered cameras and access to the AI tools described above.
Cut and Edit page
Both versions receive new and improved keyframing tools, a font browser for text and subtitles, and spell checking across all text elements. Multi-cam editing and replays also see improvements. New Resolve FX Picture in Picture and Video Collage effects round out the Cut and Edit upgrades.
Other new features
The Fusion page now supports Krokodove motion graphics effects, adding more than 100 new tools to the lineup. The Color page gets updates to nodes, Adobe RGB support and widescreen safe area aspect ratios. For a full breakdown, check out Blackmagic Design’s support page.
What we think
Blackmagic Design moved DaVinci Resolve 21 out of beta at a pace that’s hard to believe given the scope of what shipped. The new Photo page alone could bring in a wave of users who work across video and still photography. But this update isn’t just one big feature. Improvements landed across virtually every page of the program, making it feel like one of the most substantial releases in years. It’s also worth noting that Blackmagic continues to offer a comprehensive free version alongside free Studio updates for all existing license holders.
Pricing and availability
DaVinci Resolve 21 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 21 are available now on the Blackmagic Design website. A Studio license costs $295. If you already own a previous version of DaVinci Resolve Studio, the upgrade is free.
