DaVinci Resolve is an NLE (non-linear editing), color correction, visual effects and audio post production software tool available free for macOS and Windows. Originally developed by da Vinci Systems and now owned by Blackmagic Design.
Resolve is a professional software application with advanced features commonly seen elsewhere. This article will introduce Resolve and introduce its most essential tools.
Color Correction
DaVinci Resolve is widely recognized for its color correction and grading tools. It has been utilized in the production of more high-end feature films than any other software system available today, while remaining accessible enough that even beginners can achieve fantastic results with it. Not only is DaVinci Resolve one of the most advanced color correctors out there; it has an incredibly user-friendly interface which makes achieving great results easy even for new users.
Establish your project parameters by opening the project settings from the menu and choosing color management tab. Here, you can choose your color science along with input, timeline, and output color spaces; as well as tone mapping and LUT application parameters.
Once you are set up, it’s time to review your footage and assign grades. This process can be time consuming when dealing with large volumes of footage; luckily Resolve has several features designed to speed this process along. One such feature is Auto Color which analyzes clips and attempts to match them up; though not always successful, this feature provides a good starting point or quick solution if time is short.
Resolve’s mask tools offer another efficient means of speeding up the grading process. By creating a mask around any object in your shot, you can isolate specific areas for adjustments; this technique is especially helpful for altering sky or background elements of a shot.
Resolve isn’t limited to masking tools – it also boasts a host of other tools designed to streamline and expedite your workflow, such as Resolve FX, elastic wave audio retiming and stereoscopic 3D grading tools. Plus, its latest release boasts some advanced features, like DaVinci Neural Engine support and GPU acceleration for even faster performance!
For an even more powerful and flexible color correction and grading system, upgrade to DaVinci Resolve Studio which boasts advanced tools such as video effects libraries, DaVinci Resolve Studio’s advanced transcoding/decoding acceleration features, as well as support for multi-GPU computing.
Color Wheels
No matter who you are – student, online creator or professional Hollywood colorist – the DaVinci Resolve Color Page contains tools that enable users to creatively and artistically manipulate color in ways that dramatically alter a scene and set an atmosphere for filmmaking or story telling. This makes it an incredibly powerful resource for anyone wanting to craft unique looks or tell compelling tales using footage clips.
Understanding how color correction works is one of the key components to mastering Resolve, since this will dictate its final look and feel in your video project. Color sets the mood for every scene while impacting emotion from viewers who watch your video; therefore using appropriate tools ensures your footage looks its best while staying true to your vision.
Once you understand the basics of color correcting, it’s time to move onto more advanced techniques. One such advanced method is using color wheels. These curve-like tools can be found in Resolve’s “Color” page; lift and gamma wheels serve to modify shadows and midtones while gain wheels target highlights – simply by dragging one or both grey dots along these wheels you can shift colors accordingly.
Resolve’s scopes provide real-time visual feedback of how changes to your footage affect it, showing exactly whether overexposure or underexposure occurs, along with showing which colors contain more saturation than others in your image. When making adjustments to color in Resolve clips, using scopes is also recommended as they give real-time feedback as you make edits to it.
Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is one of the most powerful and flexible film and video editing software applications on the market, providing professional-grade post production tools at a reasonable cost, plus offering a node-based interface to customize every aspect to your workflow. In addition, they sell hardware that helps manage Resolve for an ergonomic work experience.
Text & Titles
Text and titles are among the most powerful tools in video editing, helping to add subtitles for your video, create text overlays, and even animate them! In DaVinci Resolve, text and title options can be found throughout its various pages; most commonly on the cut page and edit page but you can also access them via effects library in the top left of your program. There, two types of title options will appear: Text (basic and simple to use) and Text+ (more advanced), with Text+ providing greater animation possibilities than their counterpart.
First step to adding text is selecting an appropriate font for your project. DaVinci Resolve offers many fun font options; select one that speaks to your brand and audience for best results. Utilizing one font throughout will create an even more professional appearance and increase viewership of the video.
Once you’ve selected your font, it’s time to add text to your timeline. To do this, click the Title button in the edit page and choose the “Text” tool from the Toolbox. Drag-and-drop or move around using your mouse until it lands exactly where desired on your timeline; double-click to access Inspector and adjust text style/color parameters if needed.
Change font size and style using the menu at the top right of your screen, which may make text easier for viewers to read or make it appear more professional.
Note that adding multiple text layers may create problems for the overall look and feel of your video, such as having drastic stylistic differences between layers that could distract viewers and cause confusion among them. To prevent this from happening, it is wise to have a plan in mind before beginning editing your video.
Transitions
DaVinci Resolve offers an array of transition effects. To add them to your video easily, simply drag-and-drop them from the effects library onto the timeline, adjust the settings according to your taste, and enjoy total control over how it looks!
DaVinci Resolve also makes saving transitions as simple as saving text or audio presets, making it simple to reuse an effect in multiple projects without needing to readjust settings every time. Simply right-click an effect in the timeline and create a Transition Preset; after giving it a name it will be added to the library of user-created transitions in DaVinci Resolve.
No matter if it is for corporate videos, music videos, or simply adding some flair to family videos, having the necessary tools is paramount to creating an eye-catching final product. That is why many professional editors opt for custom DaVinci Resolve transition packs created by talented designers in order to get an elegant final product.
DaVinci Resolve includes some standard transitions such as dissolves and dip to black/white; however, if you want something special there are various additional transition packs and animations that offer unique transition effects – such as Glitch transition pack for adding stylish glitch aesthetic to videos; camera capture animation is another popular choice suitable for photography-themed videos or slideshows.
If the built-in library doesn’t meet your needs, Content Creator Templates offers subscription based services that provide unlimited downloads of digital templates and assets for video editing software such as DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Final Cut Pro. Their packs typically contain custom transitions, video overlays, lower thirds, best title templates and much more!
Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve post-production software is an extensive and capable suite designed for professionals working on high-end projects. The software’s pages – Edit, Color Correction, Fusion and Fairlight – cover different aspects of post production such as editing, color correction and motion graphics effects while audio resides on Fairlight page respectively.
