This is a huge upgrade to Resolve. By any measure this is a powerful piece of software but the latest upgrade includes Fusion, and takes it into new territory.
We've just heard that the full release of DaVinci Resolve 15 is now shipping. Many users have tried the Beta and from what we've heard it's been pretty stable for some time.
In addition to the existing editing, colour correction, audio post and multi-user capabilities, version 15 adds Fusion. This 3D compositing tool has more than 250 tools for paint, particles, animated titles etc.
At this early stage in the history of the combined software, you might expect that the integration would be superficial, but the reverse is true - actions in Fusion are dynamically linked to the rest of the package. It's very slick and does lend credibility to the idea that the scope of the combined package isn't over-ambitious.
Here's the detailed list of new features:
Improved performance when rendering H.264 clips.
Clip names can be added as part of a window burn.
Added support for HTML text formatting in subtitles.
Added support for 2D and 3D title templates.
Subclip extents can now be changed from the Edit timeline.
Dynamic Trim icon has been added to the toolbar with slip and slide indicators.
Audio automation data can now be edited on Fairlight page.
FairlightFX now include presets and customers can now create their own.
Sound libraries can now be created using DaVinci Resolve disk databases.
Initial ResolveFX and OpenFX plugin support has been added to the Fusion page.
New bypass Color and Fusion effects button has been added to all pages
Fusion compositions can now be copied and applied to additional clips.
MediaIn nodes now let customers modify trim and media properties.
Saver nodes have been added to the Fusion page.
Clip level blanking output is now supported on the Color page.
Nodes can now be assigned custom colors on the Color page.
Compositing images with transparency has been improved.
Optical flow performance has been dramatically improved.
DCTL support has been extended and now supports ResolveFX.
On-screen control for OpenFX and ResolveFX are now more responsive.
Added support for encoding CEA-708 closed captions in MXF OP1a clips.
Added support for encoding EXR clips with alpha channels.
Added support for importing audio clip levels from AAF imports.
New French and Portuguese language localization.
Improved codec and format listing on the Deliver page.
Simultaneous monitoring of SDR and HDR for DolbyVisionTM and HDR10+.
New support for importing audio only AAF timelines.
New support for Final Cut Pro X XML version 1.8.
The bulk of the features in Resolve 15 are still available in the free version. For an additional $299, the price of the "Studio" version, Blackmagic adds: multi-user collaboration, 3D, VR additional filters and effects, unlimited network rendering, as well as temporal and spatial noise reduction.
Resolve 15 is a free download from the Blackmagic Design website for current Resolve Studio customers.
We think this release maintains the justification for our thinking that this package is astonishing value, and one of the most powerful all-in-one applications at any price.