Blackmagic Design releases DaVinci Resolve 20.3
Blackmagic Design has updated DaVinci Resolve, its free color grading, editing and post-production software, and DaVinci Resolve Studio, its $295 commercial edition.
DaVinci Resolve 20.3 adds support for importing, editing and exporting video at up to 32K resolution on new M5 Macs, and boosts performance of Resolve FX noise reduction.
Import, edit and export 32K video on Macs with Apple’s new M5 chip
The headline change in DaVinci Resolve 20.3 is support for 32K workflows on Macs with Apple’s M5 chip, available in current MacBook Pros.
According to Blackmagic’s Facebook post, users of DaVinci Resolve 20.3 can import, edit and export video files at up to 32K resolution.
That opens up new workflows for creating VFX and immersive video for very-high-resolution virtual reality experiences and installations, although few cameras are currently capable of capturing 32K footage, Blackmagic Design’s own Ursa Cine 17K 65 being one of the exceptions.
However, for users of the free edition – which otherwise caps export at 3,840 x 2,160 pixels – simply being able to export video at resolutions above Ultra HD will be a huge bonus.
Improved noise reduction with Resolve FX
For CG Channel readers, the other key change in DaVinci Resolve 20.3 will probably be improved performance for noise reduction with Resolve FX, the library of image-enhancement and effects plugins available from the software’s Color page.
The release notes don’t put any figures on the speed boost, but it seems to be significant, if the user comments in this forum thread are representative.
Other workflow and pipeline integration changes
Video editors also get the option to create custom names for timeline backups, making versioning easier, and a number of improvements to editing workflow and handling of metadata.
You can find the full changelog via the links at the foot of this story.
In addition, DaVinci Resolve 20.3 is the final release to support OpenCL for GPU processing on macOS, Apple having deprecated OpenCL in favor of its own Metal API some years ago.
Price, system requirements and release date
DaVinci Resolve 20.3 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 20.3 are compatible with Windows 10+, Rocky Linux 8.6, and macOS 14.0+. The updates are free to existing users.
New perpetual licenses of the base edition are also free.
The Studio edition, which raises the export resolution from 4K to 32K, and adds AI features, stereoscopic 3D tools, and collaboration features, costs $295.
Read a full list of new features in DaVinci Resolve 20.3 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 20.3
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