Download.it search icon

Comprehensive editing software with a variety of useful tools including real-time file sharing

Comprehensive editing software with a variety of useful tools including real-time file sharing

Vote: (3 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Black Magic Design

Version: 16.2.2

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(3 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Black Magic Design

16.2.2

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • It's a free digital video editing suite
  • Comes preloaded with FX and compositing modules
  • Used by color graders, video editors and audio correction technicians
  • Includes pro-level media editing features
  • Edits 8k footage
  • An all-in-one software package

Cons

  • The paid studio version has more features
  • A high-end computer is recommended
  • Needs lots of RAM

Listen in, Davinci Resolve 15 is a free video editing program. That's a remarkable thing, believe it or not. Remember, industry-standard video editing suites are complex tools, and they include dozens of specialized media processing modules. Therefore, as a pro-level editing tool, DaVinci Resolve 15 is something of a singular product. Having said that, we need to put this all-in-one video editor through its paces before pinning it with a rating. For one thing, can this software deliver as an industry-relevant media post-editing toolset?

In reality, this program should be more correctly viewed as an occupational stepping stone. After all, most in-house video editors cost thousands of dollars, so they're not typically available to the general public. To get around this monetary stumbling block, keen digital film enthusiasts download and learn DaVinci Resolve 15. The program features a lot of the modules and workflow trends that are seen in film studios. Basically, the program functions as a satisfactory foundation builder. If a student editor really wants to learn the ins-and-outs of this difficult to master vocation, they really couldn't choose a better starter package. Indeed, Da Vinci Resolve 15 includes tabbed timeline footage editing, post-processing audio modifying tools, and a slew of color correction resources as well. Using the program, amateurish footage comes together to create a creatively polished final product, which can look as good as any Hollywood movie.

Again, and this point is definitely worth repeating, professional results are possible, and it doesn't require a four-figure amount of invested capital to realize an artistically conceived vision, not when an editor is using a free-to-use version of Davinci Resolve 15. There is the Studio version of the software suite to consider as well. It costs a few hundred dollars to buy, and it includes a number of essential extras, such as project collaboration tools, but a hobbyist film director doesn't need all of these extras, at least not when they're starting out in this industry. It's enough to have an intuitive digital workspace, a layout that puts film clips front and center, then surrounds the footage with a feature-rich set of editing blocks. From post-production ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) to LUT (Look Up Table) color grading, the number of user-accessible features quickly grows. That can be something of an intimidating experience, having all of these complex video editing tools at-hand. By providing plenty of easy-to-follow tutorials, though, this program narrowly avoids such pitfalls.

It seems like the software engineers have worked hard to eliminate workflow bottlenecks. Sure, the tools are powerful and potentially hard to master. Between the tutorials and a desire to position this program as an entry point vocational platform, the software becomes even more user desirable, though. Stacked timelines are located prominently, right where a budding video editor would expect, and other tools are designed to function just as an industry-standard variant would operate. Hopefully, by providing the color correction tools, audio editing modules, and footage trimming controls in a standardized configuration like this, student filmmakers can more easily transition to those more expensive editing suites. Having said that, DaVinci 15 isn't just for hobbyists and film students, it's also employed as a studio utilized toolset by many editing teams and film companies.

For professional editors, for those who use studio cameras, not small DSLRs, a video editing program must provide scores of professionally graded features. That's just an incontestable fact, really. With a free edition of DaVinci Resolve 15 installed on a 64-bit Windows system, a working video editor really can process all kinds of digital footage, even those that are filmed in 4k or 8k. While 8k video isn't exactly common right now, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a filmmaking standard. However, the computer hosting the program will need plenty of RAM and a high-end GPU if it's to edit such high-definition videoclips. It takes a lot of processing muscle to throw all of those moving pixels around. Moving on a little, there are thumbnails and sound waveforms blocks representing the elements in each clip. A simple click and drag of a mouse are enough to reposition these blocks on the software timeline.

Notable extras include special FX and compositing modes. Audio level corrections and other advanced post-production tools are also freely available. Rounding off the features, there's a project collaboration pipeline as well, although this particular module has been better realized in the Studio version.

Pros

  • It's a free digital video editing suite
  • Comes preloaded with FX and compositing modules
  • Used by color graders, video editors and audio correction technicians
  • Includes pro-level media editing features
  • Edits 8k footage
  • An all-in-one software package

Cons

  • The paid studio version has more features
  • A high-end computer is recommended
  • Needs lots of RAM

Other software to consider