DaVinci Resolve (Free) vs. DaVinci Resolve Studio (Paid): What’s the Difference

If you have been following the news, then you must have come across Blackmagic renaming the ‘DaVinci Resolve Lite’ version as ‘DaVinci Resolve, ‘ which is the free version and ‘DaVinci Resolve Studio’ is the paid version.

If you are new to the software, then choosing the one between the two might raise confusion for you. Thus, in this post, I will highlight the major differences between the DaVinci free and paid versions, and then you can decide which one is apt to satisfy your needs.

Note: Blackmagic renamed the ‘DaVinci Resolve Lite’ version as ‘DaVinci Resolve’, which is the free version and ‘DaVinci Resolve Studio’ is the paid version in 2015, at that time, the version is 12.

Blackmagic has released a new version in 2017 named DaVinci Resolve 14, and there are some cool features such as Fairlight Audio.

And in 2018, the newer DaVinci Resolve 15 is available, which includes the audio editing features Fairlight and some built-in Fusion visual effects.

In 2019, DaVinci Resolve 16 comes out. It mainly focuses on quick editing for users with limited time. It also has used machine learning to accelerate your video editing, but the whole program is in beta. DaVinci Resolve 16 Beta is free to use, and DaVinci Resolve Studio 16 Beta costs you $299, and it also has minimum system requirements for your device.

At the time of writing, Blackmagic Design released DaVinci Resolve 17 on 2020, which is the latest major release of its flagship video and audio editing software.

Since DaVinci Resolve updates often, so the features for both the free and paid versions could change in the future.

Basic Comparison Between DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Studio

Price: ‘DaVinci Resolve’ is the free version, and you can download it from the official website without paying anything. Separate free versions for Windows, Linux & Mac are available for download.

‘DaVinci Resolve Studio’ features everything available in the free version along with several other tools like HDR Grading, motion blur effects, multi-user tools, 3D, and much more! Thus, previously it is priced at $995, which includes the purchase of many Blackmagic cameras and USB license dongle, which needs to stay inserted if you are not using the Mac version. The studio version entitles you to upgrade your existing version with the future releases without any extra cost.

While after Davinci Resolve 14, the price of the paid Studio version is reduced to $299.

Features Comparison Between DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Studio

Section 1. Common Features

1. Editor Friendly interface: With multiple editing friendly features, you can carry out virtually every imaginable editing through DaVinci. Multi-cam editing enables you to trim programs while other sources are playing in the background in real-time. Different camera angles can be synched and switched when creating multi clips. Images and video layers can be animated, rotated, or scaled using motion paths. Also, multiple keyframes can be selected, copied, edited, and moved using various parameter curves. The positioning of the keyframe is strategic and, thus, easy to locate. It also provisions for adding custom titles and aligning multiple built-in transitions. Both transitions and titles can be imported and placed in the video while editing through DaVinci.

2. Color correction: With DaVinci, it is possible to swap, copy, extract, or expand the imported nodes and make major enhancements through an improved node editor. It also takes care of the edges and saves them from being overly pointed. With custom curves and soft clip, high and low softness can be processed convincingly. 32-bit floating-point quality with YRGB color space makes the image look nothing less than perfect! HSL Curve grading adds to this perception by allowing to adjust hue, saturation, and luminance of the image by picking colors from the image itself.

Section 2. Unique Features of the paid version

Unique Features of DaVinci Resolve Studio:

With new editing features and changes to grading and color correction tools, DaVinci is ready to spread its magic. As mentioned earlier, the Studio version consists of dozens of new and vastly improved tools that can provide completely redefined output. Collaborative teamwork, Power mastering, deinterlacing on export, noise reduction, 3D stereoscopic Grading, and HDR Grading being some of them. Here below is the briefing of four prime distinct features of Studio.

1. Collaborative Teamwork:

This amazing new collaborative workflow in Studio allows multiple people to work together on the same timeline at the same time. This means you can share grades across timelines at the same time; you can set the acceptance level to be automatic or based on your nod as a project owner. Also, with its extended feature of remote Grading, low-resolution files from another computer or internet can be imported to allow colorists to do color grading. This contributes to finishing the editing quickly, and you are able to focus on the visual flow of your edit.

2. High Dynamic Range Grading:

Studio supports High dynamic range production, which helps in creating the videos in the Ultra HD format. In other words, the videos can meet the standards for HDR deliverables such as Dolby & HDR10. With this, the content turns out to be powerful and visually striking, which means it is the combination of more immersive and vivid colors, richer contrast, deeper shadows, and brighter highlights.

3. Noise Reduction & Motion Blur Effects:

This feature can be used to reduce temporal noise, blur motion, and apply spatial noise reduction techniques. The frames with just the right amount of motion and noise look extremely natural and thus enhance the scenic view of the video. Noise reduction can be used in any node placed anywhere on the node graph in any position. It automatically detects which part of the video is in motion and then adjusts the blur based on movement. These effects help in blending and simulating the aperture giving a perfect ending to the video.

4. Stereoscopic 3D Grading:

The videos should be clear, crisp, and immersive; it’s like storytelling and should involve directing the audience’s eye. 3D stereoscopic Grading helps in maintaining the focus on the story as it helps in bringing everything to the perfect alignment. Removing excessive colors and correcting alignment errors can be done simultaneously.

There are some more unique features of the DVR Studio paid version, for the detailed features comparison between Davinci Resolve Free and Paid version. I hope the information above will give some inspiration in choosing DaVinci Resolve versions.