Blackmagic Design has unveiled DaVinci Resolve 20, the latest version of its free and paid editing software, which is a popular alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro. The update offers more than 100 new features, many powered by artificial intelligence, as well as improved cloud support and significant page quality updates for cutting, editing, color grading, and merging.
One of the key new features is AI IntelliScript, which can automatically generate a timeline based on the original project script. “AI IntelliScript matches the transcribed audio in the media clips to the script and builds a timeline from the best selected takes, with any alternate takes placed on additional tracks for editors to review,” Blackmagic writes. This new feature can greatly speed up the workflow for editors (like me) who frequently use stand-up clips or voiceovers.
Another key feature is AI Set Extender, which can create scene extensions to fill the entire frame based on a text prompt. For example, if you want to change the frame or remove something, you can simply tell DaVinci Resolve what you want and it will fill in the gaps. “Customers can even create new backgrounds behind objects in the foreground,” the company writes.
Other new AI features include animated subtitles, AI Mulltcam SmartSwitch (which can assemble a timeline based on who is speaking), and AI Audio Assistant. The latter can create a “professional audio mix” with a single click, according to Blackmagic Design. Finally, the AI Detect Music Beats feature does just that, analyzing music and automatically placing beat markers on the timeline.
Along with the AI features, DaVinci Resolve has a number of page quality improvements for cutting, editing, color correction, and merging. Davinci Resolve Studio 20 (paid version) now supports Apple Immersive Video on Apple Vision Pro, allowing creators to edit, color correct, mix audio, and deliver Apple Immersive video to the company’s recently released URSA Cine Immersive camera.
Other updates include improved Blackmagic Cloud support with enhanced collaboration tools, easier vertical video editing, new voiceover palettes, a dedicated keyframe editor for cutting and editing, a new Text+ tool, direct voiceover recording, and more. The color page now has a new color warping feature that allows you to adjust color and saturation in one motion. And the Fairlight audio page has a new feature that allows you to adjust the sound of the target clip to match the reference clip, a dynamic EQ to equalize the tone across the clip, and a Level Matcher to ensure consistent levels across a given timeline.
A full list of features can be found on the DaVinci Resolve 20 product page from Blackmagic Design. It is currently available for download in public beta and, as always, DaVinci Resolve 20 is free to download, while DaVinci Resolve 20 Studio costs $295 with no subscription required.
