DaVinci Resolve has a reputation for color-grading major Hollywood films – and now those same tools are coming for still photos. DaVinci Resolve 21 will support still photos, including organizing and culling, color editing, and node-based editing – and it’s part of the free version of DaVinci Resolve.
During a livestream event on April 13, Blackmagic Design unveiled DaVinci Resolve 21. The software update brings a long list of tools for video editors, but the software also jumps into editing for still photos. Along with giving photographers access to longstanding color tools, the update gives hybrid creators working in both video and stills one program that can edit across both formats.
BlackMagic Design says that the move brings Hollywood-level color tools to still photography, giving still creators cinematic color grading tools. Cinematic photos have been a rising trend on social media lately – BlackMagic’s move brings actual cinema color tools into still photos. That list of tools includes color corrections, curves, and qualifiers – and the support goes beyond color editing as well.
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Adding photo support to the longstanding video program gives still photographers access to DaVinci Resolve’s color wheels and custom curves. The programs Scopes – which are like histograms for color, including channels, hue, and saturation – are also supported on still photos.
Photographers will also find the well-known sliders for adjustments like exposure and white balance within the long-standing video editor as well.
DaVinci Resolve uses a node-based workflow rather than the layers that are popular among mainstream photo editors. Where layers in Photoshop are stacked on top of each other, nodes are a flow-chart style set of adjustments. As Blackmagic explains it, “It’s possible to add nodes in series or parallel to build complex grades, apply different corrections to different parts of an image simultaneously and use shared nodes to apply the same look across an entire album of photos at once.”
The list of photo features also includes the program’s Film Look Creator, which adds film-like effects, including halation, bloom, grain, and vignetting. Relight FX, which adds lighting effects in post, also works with photos, along with Magic Mask and Depth Maps, to adjust only a portion of the image.
The program’s AI-based tools will also support increasing resolution, lowering noise, and removing unwanted distractions. AI blemish removal is also available, along with tools for smoothing skin and removing dark circles under the eyes.
While DaVinci is known for its color tools, the support for photos also gives photographers and hybrid creators a free software option for organizing and culling images. DaVinci Resolve 21’s Media Pool supports still photos and includes tools for star ratings, setting a photo as a favorite, rejecting a bad shot, and color labels. Albums are also supported.
DaVinci Resolve 21 will support native RAW files from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Sony, along with the iPhone’s ProRAW format. The software will also support wired tethering to import images from supported Sony and Canon cameras into the software as you shoot.
The added support for still photos comes alongside a long list of updates for what DaVinci Resolve is traditionally used for: videos. That list includes AI-powered focal point adjustment, a search tool, and more.
One important thing is not changing with the latest update: DaVinci Resolve 21 is still free, with a paid Studio version housing the most advanced tools. The beta version of DaVinci Resolve 21 is available to download now directly from Blackmagic Design.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates and a full list of features coming to DaVinci Resolve 21.
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Read our review of DaVinci Resolve for more insight, or browse the best photo editing software.
