Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 18.5 Beta 3

Blackmagic Design has just announced DaVinci Resolve 18.5 Beta 3, which adds additional improvements to the DaVinci public beta including padding for subtitles, Fusion multimerge tools, and expanded language detection. Blackmagic RAW SDK 3.1 and transcription now also work in 14 languages.

In case you missed what was in the big 18.5 release, you can see all of the new additions and features below.

Key Features

Cut

New edit actions

Media

Edit

Fusion

Color

Resolve FX

Fairlight

General

Codec Support

Support for Blackmagic RAW SDK 3.0. Support for rendering JPEG and PNG image sequences. Support for rendering animated GIF clips. Support for decoding AC3 audio in Linux. Ability to decode LogC3 ARRI clips as LogC4. Support for raw controls for Sony XAVC clips. Ability to import MKV chapters as media markers. Ability to export timeline markers as MKV chapters. Hardware accelerated VP9 decodes in Resolve for supported Nvidia cards. Up to 50% faster encode speeds for Sony XAVC 420 8-bit clips. Support for decoding AV1 from MKV and WEBM clips. Support for encoding and decoding FFV1 formats. Encode support for ProRes, AV1, H.264, H.265, MP3, AAC in MKV clips.* Custom compression levels when rendering ZIP formatted EXRs. Hardware accelerated encode support for AV1 in AMD systems. Ability to use multiple hardware encoders in supported AMD systems. Up to 30% faster Apple ProRes hardware accelerated encode. Better disk usage estimates when rendering ProRes clips on Apple silicon. Quick export renders now include active subtitle and data burn in.

Pre-Installation NotesFor DaVinci Resolve 18.5, Blackmagic Design has taken efforts to keep the project libraries compatible with DaVinci Resolve 18.1.4. While this allows you to access the project library with 18.1.4, individual projects created or opened in 18.5 will no longer be accessible in 18.1.4.

They recommend a full project library backup as well as individual project backups for projects before opening projects in 18.5.

Support for DaVinci Neural Engine based audio classification for media pool clips in Studio. Right-click on clips in the media pool to access the “Audio Classification” submenu to automatically assign audio classification categories (dialogue, effects, music), and effect sub categories in the Audio metadata pane.

Classification makes editing choices a lot faster when reviewing unfamiliar materials as you don’t need to audition source files to identify them. New “Collections” bins are provided for analyzed dialogue, music and effects, allowing quick access to categorized sounds.

Support for fast per-timeline backupsModified timelines can now automatically be backed up locally for both collaborative and non-collaborative projects on Local, Network and Cloud project libraries. Users can enable per-timeline backups similar to project backups. Timeline backups can be enabled from User Preferences under Project Save and Load. When enabled, timeline backups will be created at the specified intervals and exported to the selected location. Users can view and restore backed up states from the timeline’s context menu in the media pool.

New 2x Enhanced Super Scale algorithmThe DaVinci Neural Engine powered super scale has a new 2x Enhanced mode with extremely high quality 2x output. The new mode also has sliders to adjust the noise reduction and the sharpness. Users can select the “2x Enhanced” mode from the clip attributes or the inspector.

Ability to set Super Scale settings for media from the video inspectorIn addition to clip attributes, super scale settings for media can be accessed from the video tab in the inspector.

Metadata panel support for marker subclips in the media poolThe metadata panel now works for marker subclips in the media pool. Select a marker subclip in the media pool to edit name, notes, keywords and color in the media metadata panel.

DaVinci Neural Engine based subtitles from audio in StudioTimeline audio can now be analyzed to automatically transcribe and generate text captions into a new subtitle track. This feature can be accessed from the Timeline menu using Generate Subtitles from Audio when on the edit timeline. Users can select language, specify caption generation rules and edit the generated subtitles in the inspector.

Supported languages: Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish.

DaVinci Neural Engine powered text based editing in StudioUsers can select one or more clips in the media pool, click the Transcribe Audio button in the media pool header, or from the clip context menu. The action transcribes audio and opens the transcription dialog.

In the dialog, users can select text, right click to edit, replace or delete text, remove silences from the 3-dot option menu and add markers. Users can search for text or find and replace words. The Insert and Append controls allow users to edit media matching the the text selections into the timeline. Deleted sections, including silence, are ignored in timeline operations, offering a convenient way to strip silences in an edit.

From the project settings, users can specify one of 14 transcription languages, or set it to Auto to let DaVinci Resolve automatically detect the language.

Option to copy grades from flattened multicams to multicam anglesWhen flattening a multicam clip, users can choose to copy color grades on the multicam to the underlying angles, preserving changes to color grades and effects, or to retain grades for indivivdual angles.

Ability to manage render caches across projectsThere is a new render cache management window to help you easily see the size and manage your cache data for various projects across all your project libraries. This cache manager can be accessed from the Playback menu under Delete Render Cache.

Smoother video updates when the system cannot play in realtimeThe edit timeline playback engine has been hugely improved especially on processing intensive clips and low powered systems. Previously, extremely choppy video updates would be seen when system processing was insufficient. Video updates are now much smoother with audio still being real time.

Support for USD-based workflows in FusionThe Universal Scene Descriptor USD framework is a set of open standards for interacting, describing, saving and interpreting 3D scene information in a common collaboration format. It also defines standard plugin, renderer (including its own in-the-box Storm GPU renderer) and other framework host/client interfaces.

DaVinci Resolve and Fusion can import USD (.usdc, .usdz, .usda) 3D information including geometry, lighting, cameras, materials and animation. A new collection of USD tools has been added to Fusion allowing users to manipulate, re-light and render these USD files. The New USD toolset in Fusion includes:

uLoader uMerge uTransform uCylinder Light uDisk Light uDistant Light uDome Light uRectangle Light uSphere Light uImage Plane uShape uCamera uRenderer

New multi-merge tool to composite and manage multiple layersMulti-merge allows you to connect and manage multiple foreground sources as a composited layer stack. From the Inspector, you can customize the layering, toggle layer visibility and rename layers. Each foreground layer has its own controls, so you can change individual properties like position, size and apply modes. Users can also right click a layer to split a multi-merge (creating a new multi-merge with the layers above the selection), and there’s also an option to navigate to the connected tools.

Per-timeline Resolve Color ManagementTimelines using custom settings now allow you to override color management settings on a per timeline basis. This allows setting of independent timeline and output color spaces per timeline along with other color management properties. Any existing custom timelines are automatically initialized to color management settings from the project.

Support for marker overlays and annotations in the viewerThe color viewer now supports overlays and annotations for timeline and clip markers. From the 3-dot option menu menu, enable marker overlays. When you select annotation mode from the viewer, the annotation tools are then shown in the toolbar. Drawing annotations on a frame without a marker creates a new timeline marker.

Support for showing missing LUTs as a viewer overlayClips with missing LUTs no longer show a missing LUT warning dialog. Instead the viewer shows an overlay at the bottom right of the screen indicating the name of the LUT if a single LUT is missing or that multiple LUTs are missing. This allows for quick previews of missing LUTs without interruption. Multiple missing LUTs can be seen and managed from the Missing LUTs tab in the LUT gallery.

Ability to manage missing LUTs from the LUT managerThe LUT gallery shows a new “Missing LUTs” tab when one or more LUTs are not found in a given timeline and project. This gives the ability to see a list of missing LUTs encountered so that they can be managed accordingly.

Improved highlight mode behavior during HDR gradingThe highlight mode behavior on the Color page has been improved when grading using the HDR tool. Highlight mode now combines any keyers and alphas with the last used HDR zone.

AI-based Resolve FX Relight to add virtual lighting in StudioNew DaVinci Neural Engine powered Relight allows for positioning virtual light sources in the scene after shooting.

Users can add Relight nodes to generate a scene surface map and define virtual light sources. Light sources can be directional, point source or spotlight, adjusted for color, surface softness and specularity control. Light intensity information is placed in the alpha channel to use with any of Resolve’s existing grading tools.

When adding multiple light sources, users can generate the surface map on an initial Relight node, output the result, and connect inputs for additional Relight light sources from the key output. Alternatively, users can use matte inputs Users can manipulate each light source freely while using the cached surface map, allowing for better real time performance.

Automatic input and output management for Resolve FX grading nodesResolve FX plugins applied on color grading nodes now automatically setup the inputs and outputs needed and generated by the plugin. This removes the need to drag these plugins as independent FX nodes. Additionally, Resolve FX plugins dragged to the empty area in the node graph area now create color grading nodes with the effect applied. In order to create FX nodes, option drag the plugin to the node graph area.

Support for edit and mix groups in FairlightWith edit and mix groups, now you can combine related tracks or mixer channels into groups, enabling mix automation or editing operations to occur across all group members. Groups can be nested (smaller groups inside of larger), or temporarily suspended, allowing you to quickly switch focus from individual tracks, smaller groups of tracks, and on to large groups. In the edit timeline, you can draw or edit automation across multiple grouped tracks at once. Choose which attributes you want grouped, including editing, mix automation, record enable, solo or mute.

Elastic wave time stretching now features a voice-specific optionYou can select a new voice-centric pitch shifting option when applying elastic wave on a clip. Right click the clip to be retimed and select Elastic Wave, Voice. The existing “General Purpose” algorithm can still be selected for clips without voices.

Support for nesting VCAsVCAs can now be assigned to other VCAs from the mixer.

Enhanced Dolby Atmos support in StudioFor Dolby Atmos monitoring, this update adds 9.1.6 and 5.1.4 formats, as well as support for personalized HRTF binaural rendering. Other additions include Atmos re-render capabilities, 5.1-based real-time loudness metering, and 96Khz master file support.

Ability to stream and spot from applications like SoundminerUsers can use external sound effect database applications like Soundminer to define selections or whole sound effect clips and and spot them into the Fairlight timeline. The media will be placed into a dedicated bin.

While the user’s audio set up can be used to monitor both Resolve or external applications separately, the Soundminer AU monitor plug-in (Mac) or Rewire can alternatively be used to to allow full real time Fairlight mix monitoring and routing with effects

Sign in and upload videos directly to TikTok from DaVinci ResolveUsers can now upload videos directly to TikTok. Sign in to TikTok from the Internet Accounts tab in DaVinci Resolve system preferences. Once signed in, the TikTok deliver page and quick export presets can be used to upload directly.

Remote Monitoring Improvements in StudioDaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5 features a number of enhancements and capabilities for remote monitoring.

Users can now initiate remote monitoring connections using Blackmagic IDs and a session code. Initiating a session no longer requires dealing with IP addresses and port forwarding. Users can sign up for a free Blackmagic ID and login to use this feature.

To initiate a remote monitoring session, select Remote Monitoring in the Workspace menu, login with your Blackmagic ID account, select codec and bitrate and select Start Session. Share the session code with clients to initiate a connection. Once the connection is accepted from the session window, the client will be able to see the video output stream.

DaVinci Resolve Studio supports streaming to multiple remote monitoring clients simultaneously. The bandwidth used depends on the number of client connections. Insufficient bandwidth will impact the playback quality on all the clients.

Clients can monitor streams using a native window in the DaVinci Remote Monitor app on their computer displays on Mac, Windows or Linux systems with DaVinci Resolve Studio installed.

DaVinci Resolve Studio on Mac can now initiate and run monitoring sessions. Windows and Linux systems still require a compatible NVIDIA GPU and supporting drivers to initiate or view a monitoring session. The Remote Monitoring app on Mac, Windows and Linux requires a license activated version of DaVinci Resolve Studio on the same machine.

The codec and profile selected in DaVinci Resolve Studio need to be supported on client machines for the feature to work.

Along with the final release of DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5, a DaVinci Remote Monitor app for iPhones and iPads will be introduced to use the device as a remote monitoring client.

Remote monitoring uses WebRTC to initiate connections between DaVinci Resolve Studio and multiple clients. However, some heavily restricted network setups may still block the initiation of a session, and a VPN may be required. A wired connection is recommended for the best performance.

Rocky Linux 8.6 based installation environment for DaVinci ResolveUsers looking for a standardized Linux environment can download the new Linux ISO as indicated in the Linux Installation Instructions note in the DaVinci Resolve Linux installer.

Optimized Blackmagic Cloud project library connectionsDaVinci Resolve 18.5 includes improved performance when connecting to Blackmagic Cloud project libraries. From Preferences > General, select the Optimize project library cloud data traffic option and restart the application.

Encode support for ProRes, AV1, H.264, H.265, MP3, AAC in MKV containersWhen rendering MKV files, users on supported systems now have access to a wider variety of video and audio formats. Refer to the DaVinci Resolve codec support document to determine format support.

You will also need to download and install the latest Blackmagic Design Desktop Video software for monitoring with your Blackmagic Design video hardware. Desktop Video is available from www.blackmagicdesign.com/support.

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.Matthew has won 48 ACS Awards, including five prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.