DaVinci Resolve 18.1 adds vertical video support, timeline locking, new AI-powered audio tools and more: Digital Photography Review

Blackmagic Design has announced DaVinci Resolve 18.1, the latest update to its professional video editing application.

The update adds support for editing in vertical resolutions, like for social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook Shorts, Instagram TV and more. With support for resolutions like 1080 x 1920, users can select square and vertical resolutions directly in the project settings.

DaVinci Resolve 18.1 includes a new timeline locking operation for collaborators. When you lock individual timelines within bins, it prevents two users from selecting the same timeline by locking it to the first user without locking the whole timeline bin. Multiple editors can work on different timelines within the same bin simultaneously.

DaVinci Resolve 18.1 includes many sophisticated audio editing tools. The new version adds AI-based voice isolation track FX so users can easily remove loud, undesirable sounds from voice recordings. When you add DaVinci Neural Engine enabled voice isolation to the cut, edit and Fairlight pages, it’s possible to isolate dialog from background sounds in a recording. This can eliminate unwanted noise like aircraft and explosions, leaving only the voice. This is ideal for interviews and dialogue recordings in noisy environments.

There’s a new built-in dialogue leveler track FX that processes and makes dialogue recordings sound smoother without the user going through the tedious process of performing manual level adjustments on clip gain or automation curves. DaVinci writes, ‘Controls include real time scrolling waveform display, focus presets and three process options which allow customers to easily achieve natural sounding results.’

There’s also new vector keyframing of Fairlight audio automation curves. This tool allows users to graphically enter, edit, trim and nudge keyframes with standard tools. There’s also a new automation editing view for faster and simpler management of curves and keyframes. The new version includes Fairlight grid support so that users can position clips on a grid based on timecode or musical tempo.

For Fusion users, there’s added support for magic masks in the Fusion page. The magic mask palette within Resolve uses the DaVinci Neural Engine to detect animals, vehicles, people and objects, tracking the subject’s movement throughout the frame. Users can now produce clean traveling mattes directly on the Fusion page. Customers can now search for common keywords and categories for more than 200 tools. Using smart search, users can find the tool they’re looking for even if they don’t know its exact name.

DaVinci Resolve 18.1 includes support for Dolby Vision 5.1.0 cinema trims, allowing users to adjust brightness levels of high dynamic range images to optimize for cinema and television audiences.

Per DaVinci, the software also includes ‘significant performance improvements for multiple tools. Internal processing results in up to 10x faster Text+, 5x faster stabilization, face refinement tracking and analysis, 4x faster spatial noise reduction, better playback performance with large node graphs and improved Blackmagic RAW decoding on Apple silicon.’

To recap the new features in DaVinci Resolve 18.1, the main new features are:

• Vertical resolution options in project settings for social media.
• Select custom thumbnails and channels for YouTube uploads.
• Support for individual timeline locks enhancing multi-user collaboration.
• New DaVinci Neural Engine enabled voice isolation in Studio.
• New Dialogue Leveler for natural smooth audio.
• Vector keyframing for Fairlight automation curve editing.
• Fairlight grid support for editing to timecode or musical tempo.
• Reorganized and streamlined view menu.
• Support for Resolve FX Dust Buster in the edit timeline.
• Improvements to ATEM Mini ISO project import to keep audio attached to video clips.
• Improved speed editor functionality in the edit page.
• Subtitle caption properties can now be overridden individually.
• Support for subtitle track presets and per-track formatting rules.
• Support for Magic Mask in the Fusion page.
• Support for Dolby Vision cinema trims.
• Support for fractional display scaling for Windows and Linux.

DaVinci Resolve 18.1 is available now as a free update. DaVinci Resolve 18 is available to download now from Blackmagic Design. DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 is available for $295. For information about both versions, click here.