NAB 2019: Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 16 is our pick for Best Editing Software

April 10, 2019

Blackmagic Design has announced the 16th installment of DaVinci Resolve. Image courtesy Blackmagic Design.

Congratulations to Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 16 has earned our award for Best Editing Software of NAB 2019! The new version of Resolves offers some impressive updates, the standout being a new easier and faster cut page for editors.

New cut page

The cut page is designed “specifically for editors working on high end fast turn around on work,” says Blackmagic. It’s an alternative edit page with a streamlined interface and new tools that should make working in DaVinci Resolve 16 faster. The cut page will allow you to import, edit, trim, add transitions, titles, automatically match color, and mix audio. “Whether you’re delivering for broadcast or for YouTube, the cut page has everything customers need to get the job done, all in one place,” says Blackmagic.

Combining the new with the old

While the cut page brings in many new tools, it also brings in familiar concepts like tape mode and an A/B trim tool.

“The cut page isn’t about simplification, it’s about removing the things customers don’t need and building powerful, professional tools that help customers work more quickly. And, sometimes, it means borrowing the things that were great about the past and bringing them into the future,” Blackmagic says.

Dual timeline

Zooming in and out of scrolling timelines can be both time consuming and tedious. However, those days of scrolling through timelines in DaVinci Resolve seem to be over. The cut page has a dual timeline that Blackmagic says allow you to “never have to zoom in or out again.”

The upper timeline shows you the entire cut while the lower timeline shows you the current work area. Each one is functional and allows you to move and trim clips from both timelines.

The new cut page give you two timelines to work from. Image courtesy Blackmagic Design.

Additional features

The DaVinci Neural Engine uses “state of the art” deep neural networks and learning with AI to provide features like speed warp motion estimation for retiming, super scale for up-scaling footage, auto color and color matching, and facial recognition.

DaVinci Resolve 16 also has new adjustment clips, which can be used to apply effects and grades to clips on the timeline below. Additionally, the software adds quick export that can be used to upload projects to YouTube and Vimeo.

There are also new improvements to existing ResolveFX. New ResolveFX plugins can be used for adding vignettes, drop shadows, removing objects, adding analog noise and damage, chromatic aberration, stylizing video and more.