Getting Started With Blackmagic Cloud
Published by Blackmagic DesignWatch on YouTube
Updated Oct 5, 2026
Video Editing Software
DaVinci Resolve
Editing, color, effects and audio in one app, with a free version
Free plan available
DaVinci Resolve at a glance
from our research
Editing, color grading, effects and audio post in one program for Mac, Windows and Linux
Work moves through separate pages, from cut and edit to Fusion effects, color, Fairlight audio and delivery
Footage above 8-bit, 60 fps or Ultra HD needs Studio, as do text-based editing and the AI tools
DaVinci Resolve Studio: $295 as a one-time purchase; the free version costs nothing
Overview
What is DaVinci Resolve?
DaVinci Resolve is a post-production application from Blackmagic Design, a company founded in Australia in 2001. Blackmagic describes it as editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics, audio post production and photo editing in one program. The current release, DaVinci Resolve 21, comes as a free version and as DaVinci Resolve Studio, a paid upgrade, and both run on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Work is split across pages that follow a project from import to delivery: media, cut, edit, Fusion, color, Fairlight and deliver, plus a Photo page new in version 21. The cut page is meant for fast turnarounds, with dual timelines and a sync bin for multicam programs, and the edit page adds a track layout, proxy editing and subtitles. Fusion builds effects and motion graphics from nodes. The color page covers primary and secondary grading with PowerWindows, qualifiers, tracking and HDR tools, and Fairlight is an audio workstation for up to 2,000 tracks. The Photo page handles color work on stills, including native RAW files from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony.
Projects sit in project libraries that several people can open at once, locally or remotely, and Resolve locks bins and timelines so nobody overwrites anyone else. Blackmagic Cloud can host projects and media, with storage billed on monthly usage. The free version works with 8-bit video at up to 60 frames per second and Ultra HD resolution. Studio, a one-time purchase, adds 10-bit video at up to 120 fps, resolutions beyond 4K and the AI features of the DaVinci Neural Engine.
Our verdict on DaVinci Resolve
Updated Oct 5, 2026Pricing checked Oct 5, 2026
The free version of DaVinci Resolve already includes editing, Fusion effects, color grading with HDR tools, the Fairlight audio workstation and multi-user collaboration, on Mac, Windows and Linux. For someone learning to edit, grading their own footage or running a small post team on a tight budget, that takes the software cost out of the decision. Collaboration is built around post-production roles: an editor, a colorist and a sound engineer can work in the same project at once, and Resolve locks bins and timelines so one person's changes don't overwrite another's.
The limits sit in formats and AI tools. The free version handles 8-bit video at up to 60 fps and Ultra HD, so footage shot in 10-bit, at higher frame rates or above Ultra HD needs Studio. Text-based editing, AI noise reduction, voice isolation, the dialogue separator and magic mask are Studio features too, which matters to anyone who edits interviews or cleans up location sound. Resolve is also a large program. Each stage of the work has its own page and toolset, more to learn than a simple social clip requires.
Studio costs $295 as a one-time purchase, less than 13 months of Adobe's Premiere single-app plan at $22.99 a month. Besides the AI tools, it adds over 45 extra Resolve FX, stereoscopic 3D, a remote scripting API and 120 fps support. Studios that would rather not buy outright can rent Studio licenses by the month through Blackmagic Cloud, one computer per license, and Blackmagic Cloud storage for shared projects is billed on monthly usage. Because Studio includes everything in the free version, the free download is a fair way to judge Resolve before paying.
Choose Resolve to grade, mix and edit in one program without a subscription, starting free and buying Studio when your footage or the AI tools call for it. Two cases point elsewhere. Descript is quicker for podcasts and interviews, because editing there happens in the transcript. Premiere Pro suits teams that build graphics in After Effects, since Dynamic Link passes assets between the two without rendering.
Written by Lokesh Kapoor
Pros & cons
DaVinci Resolve pros and cons
What it does well
- Free version includes editing, color, Fusion effects, Fairlight audio and multi-user work
- Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and Studio can use more than one GPU
- Fairlight audio page handles up to 2,000 tracks with real-time effects, EQ and dynamics
- Studio is a one-time purchase; licenses can also be rented monthly through Blackmagic Cloud
Where it falls short
- Free version handles 8-bit video at up to 60 fps and Ultra HD; 10-bit and 120 fps need Studio
- Text-based editing, AI noise reduction and voice isolation are Studio features
- Advanced Dolby Vision trim controls in Studio need a separate license from Dolby
Editor's assessment from vendor documentation and published pricing
Pricing
DaVinci Resolve pricing
DaVinci Resolve
$0
Free plan
- Editing, color, VFX, motion graphics, audio
- 8-bit formats up to 60 fps and UHD
- Multi-user collaboration and HDR grading
- Mac, Windows and Linux
Usage: The free version handles 8-bit video up to 60 fps and Ultra HD 3840 x 2160; Studio adds 10-bit video up to 120 fps and resolutions beyond 4K.
DaVinci Resolve Studio
$295
one-time purchase
- Everything in the free version
- DaVinci AI Neural Engine tools
- Temporal and AI spatial noise reduction
- Text based editing and magic mask
- 10-bit video up to 120 fps
Usage: A one-time payment for DaVinci Resolve Studio 21 on Mac, Windows and Linux. Blackmagic Cloud also rents Studio licenses by the month, one computer per rental license.
Checked against Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd's pricing page on October 5, 2026 · see the full breakdown
Capabilities
DaVinci Resolve features
Checked against the same feature list as every other tool in its category.
Editing & Timeline
- Included:Multicam editingSync several camera angles and cut between them live.
- Included:Proxy workflowEdit lightweight copies of heavy footage, then relink to the originals for export.
- Included:Transcript-based editingCut the video by deleting words from a transcript.Studio version only
- Included:Vertical & social presetsBuilt-in aspect ratios, templates and effects for short-form social video.
Post-Production
- Included:Advanced audio mixingA full mixing environment rather than clip volume controls.
- Included:AI editing toolsFiller-word removal, eye contact correction, background removal or generative fill.Neural Engine tools need Studio
- Included:Automatic captionsGenerates and styles subtitles from the audio automatically.
- Included:Motion graphics & VFXCompositing, keying and animated graphics inside or tightly linked to the editor.
- Included:Professional colour gradingNode or layer-based grading with scopes and HDR support.
Workflow
- Included:Cloud rendering & storageRender or store projects in the cloud rather than only locally.Paid Blackmagic Cloud storage
- Included:Free versionA free plan that stays usable, rather than a watermarked trial.
- Included:One-time purchase optionBuy it once rather than subscribing indefinitely.
- Included:Team collaborationShared projects, review links and comments across an editing team.
- Included:Windows & macOSRuns on both major desktop platforms rather than one.
Ecosystem
DaVinci Resolve integrations
- Blackmagic cameras
- Frame.io
- Dropbox
- Adobe After Effects
Videos
Watch DaVinci Resolve in action
Product walkthroughs from DaVinci Resolve's own YouTube channel.
DaVinci Resolve 17 Fusion Training - Introduction to Fusion
Published by Blackmagic DesignWatch on YouTube
Alternatives
Top DaVinci Resolve alternatives
Tools that do the same job, from the same category.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Best for editing teams on Mac and Windows that share projects and work in After Effects
From $22.99/mo
Final Cut Pro
Best for Mac-based editors and small Apple studios who'd rather buy their editor once
From $4.08/mo
Fit check
Will DaVinci Resolve fit your team?
Support
- Email support
- Knowledge base
- Community forum
Training
- Documentation
- Video tutorials
Deployment
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
Typical users
- Freelancers
- Small businesses
- Mid-size companies
- Enterprises
FAQs
DaVinci Resolve FAQs
Written by our editorial team.
Is DaVinci Resolve free?
Yes. Blackmagic offers DaVinci Resolve 21 as a free download for Mac, Windows and Linux, with editing, color correction, Fusion effects, Fairlight audio, HDR grading and multi-user collaboration. It handles virtually all 8-bit video formats at up to 60 fps and Ultra HD 3840 x 2160. DaVinci Resolve Studio, a $295 one-time purchase, adds 10-bit video at up to 120 fps, higher resolutions and the Neural Engine's AI tools. See DaVinci Resolve pricing.
What does DaVinci Resolve Studio add over the free version?
Studio includes everything in the free version plus the DaVinci Neural Engine's AI tools: temporal and AI spatial noise reduction, text-based editing, magic mask, AI voice isolation, the music remixer and the dialogue separator. It also adds more than 45 extra Resolve FX, film grain, optical blur, stereoscopic 3D, 10-bit video at up to 120 fps and resolutions up to 32K, along with a remote scripting API and support for rendering and encoder plug-ins. Studio costs $295 as a one-time purchase.
Is DaVinci Resolve Studio a subscription?
No. Studio is a one-time purchase of $295. Blackmagic also rents Studio licenses by the month through the License Manager in Blackmagic Cloud. Each rental license activates Studio on a single computer, and moving it means deactivating that computer and signing in on another. Organizations can buy or rent licenses and assign them to people by entering their Blackmagic Cloud ID.
Does DaVinci Resolve run on Windows, Mac and Linux?
Yes. The free version and Studio both run on Mac, Windows and Linux. Blackmagic says Studio is optimized for Metal and Apple silicon on Mac and for OpenCL and CUDA on Windows and Linux, and that it supports more than one GPU. Hardware control panels, such as the Speed Editor, are separate products with their own prices.
Can several people work on one DaVinci Resolve project?
Yes, and the free version includes it. Projects stored in a project library can be opened by several people at once, locally or remotely, so editors, colorists, visual effects artists and sound engineers can work on the same project. Resolve locks bins and timelines automatically so nobody overwrites someone else's work. Blackmagic Cloud can host projects and media, with storage billed separately on monthly usage. Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve compares this with Premiere's approach.
Sources & methodology
Product details come from Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd's public website and documentation (Australia). Every plan and price was checked against the vendor's pricing page on October 5, 2026. We haven't tested this product hands-on; the verdict is a desk assessment. How we research and rank tools
- Founded 2001
- 9 languages supported
- blackmagicdesign.com