DaVinci Resolve 20.2 brings powerful updates for editors, colorists, and immersive content creators. Discover enhanced timeline controls, new AI cinematic effects, and expanded support for cutting-edge workflows, making post-production more intuitive and efficient.
Blackmagic Design has just rolled out DaVinci Resolve 20.2, a significant update that promises to streamline workflows and unlock new creative possibilities for professionals across the post-production spectrum. This release focuses on optimizing editor efficiency, expanding cinematic effects, and bolstering support for immersive content, including groundbreaking advancements for Apple Vision Pro spatial video. The company continues its tradition of delivering high-end tools accessible to a broad user base, solidifying Resolve’s position as an industry-leading suite.
To get a comprehensive overview of all the new features, check out Blackmagic Design’s official video:
Precision Editing at Your Fingertips
For editors, version 20.2 introduces a suite of refinements that make timeline operations more intuitive and robust. The track destination controls on the edit page are now clearly separated into blue source track and red destination auto-selector columns, simplifying the patching of media. A new sync lock icon specifically controls rippling actions, allowing you to protect elements like titles or voiceovers during other timeline manipulations. This granular control means you can maintain perfect sync while making swift edits.
Ripple trimming has seen a significant redesign to prevent accidental overwrites and better preserve sync, automatically rippling clips with the same trim positions. Dynamic trim mode now automatically brings up the dual-screen trim editor, which can be expanded for better visibility. Detaching synced audio from video on the timeline is now possible while maintaining link and sync, a crucial feature for sound turnover. Furthermore, a quick ‘C’ key press snaps the playhead to your mouse, and holding ‘C’ enables skimming across the timeline and viewers, dramatically speeding up navigation. A standout feature for voiceover artists and podcasters is the new “Ripple Delete Silence” option, which intelligently removes unwanted pauses from audio recordings across all tracks.
Unleashing Creativity with New Effects and Tools
The update also brings powerful new tools to both the Fusion and Color pages. The MultiText tool has been enhanced with character and paragraph level styling, and the ability to import CSV files, making complex text animations and data-driven graphics much easier. Viewers in the cut and edit pages now feature ruler guides, allowing for precise placement of titles and graphics – a small but mighty addition for graphic designers.
On the Color page, Blackmagic Design introduces three new AI-powered cinematic effects. The AI cinematic haze effect creates instant atmospheric ambience based on depth, scattering light and growing stronger with distance, offering parameters to fine-tune the look. The color tone diffuser effect emulates glass diffusion filters for a soft, dreamy aesthetic. Finally, the standalone split tone effect applies two opposing hues to highlights and shadows, perfect for achieving stylized cinematic looks. These effects provide colorists with powerful new ways to achieve sophisticated visuals with ease.
Advanced Workflows and Immersive Experiences
Across most pages, DaVinci Resolve 20.2 introduces custom fields to the metadata panel, empowering users to define their own field names, data types, and scope. This is a game-changer for organizing large projects and ensuring consistent metadata application. Custom burn-ins and render file names can now include the current time and date using percentage-sign metadata variables, ensuring accurate logging and version control.
File format and codec support have been extended to include ProRes RAW on Mac, Windows, and Linux, as well as Sony ARW stills, broadening the software’s compatibility. Perhaps one of the most exciting developments is the expanded immersive workflow support for Apple Vision Pro spatial and immersive video. This includes direct monitoring of Blackmagic Ursa Cinei camera content in the edit, Fusion, and Color pages, providing a seamless pipeline for next-generation content creation. Support for immersive EXR workflows has also been extended, retaining vital metadata during proxies and VFX turnovers.
Overall, DaVinci Resolve 20.2 is a testament to Blackmagic Design’s commitment to innovation and user-centric development. Whether you’re a seasoned editor, a meticulous colorist, or venturing into immersive content, this update provides a robust set of tools designed to enhance your creative journey and streamline your post-production pipeline.
Source:
Blackmagic Design – What,’s New in DaVinci Resolve 20.2
