Milpitas, USA – October 20, 2011 – Blackmagic Design today announced DaVinci Resolve 8.1, an exciting new software update with powerful features, is now available. This update is available to all DaVinci Resolve customers free of charge and can be downloaded from the Blackmagic Design web site.

The new Resolve 8.1 software update includes support for Apple Final Cut Pro X XML round trip, new layer node composite effects, ACES colorspace support, compatibility with Avid AAF for round trip with Avid Media Composer™, Final Cut Pro 7 clip size and position support, new copy commands for grades, upgraded EDL features, support for UltraStudio 3D for Thunderbolt™ and compatibility with the 2011 MacBook Pro 15″ computer.

With this new update, DaVinci Resolve can now import and export Final Cut Pro X timelines using the new Final Cut Pro rich XML file format. When working in Final Cut Pro X, customers will get full timeline round trip where projects can be moved between Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve, retaining the multi track timeline with frame accurate cuts, dissolves and even speed changes. DaVinci Resolve will also use rich XML from Final Cut Pro X to link to original camera footage. DaVinci Resolve supports full media management for Final Cut Pro X projects including additional source clip folders and alternate image source when conforming edits in Resolve.

Because DaVinci Resolve supports grading of high resolution and bit depth files, edits can be exported out of Final Cut Pro for finishing in the highest quality. An alternative workflow is to use DaVinci Resolve 8.1 to manage extremely high resolution raw image formats such as RED, ARRI, CinemaDNG and DNxHD and then to grade and render to ProRes or uncompressed media for Final Cut Pro X.

DaVinci Resolve 8.1 now includes new layer node composite effects which offer colorists even greater creative grading with add, subtract, difference, multiply, screen, overlay, darker and lighten effects. Colorists will be able to use these new composite effects to create extremely complex and intricate grades with limitless power.

Keeping pace with DaVinci’s heritage in the high end feature film industry, DaVinci Resolve 8.1 now includes ACES colorspace support. ACES and IIF is a new colorspace and file format promoted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences technology committee to provide a universal and open image interchange and processing format. The ACES IIF file format is fully supported, and includes a variety of IDTs and ODTs as well as support for 3D shaper LUTs. DaVinci Resolve 8.1 allows colorists to work in this format seamlessly, and even the free of charge DaVinci Resolve Lite includes ACES colorspace, so upcoming videographers will have access to the latest Hollywood technology.

To improve compatibility with customers using Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve 8.1 now includes improved support for Avid AAF import/export for roundtrip editing to Resolve and back to Avid Media Composer. This new AAF support includes effects such as dip to color, edge and center wipe with border, clock and venetian blind wipe and also cross, oval and diamond iris wipe, overlay composite and more. Also includes support for Avid sizing with (PTZR) pan, tilt, zoom and rotate.

Additional support is included for Final Cut Pro 7 round trip with clip by clip selectable import of image sizing data now possible. Import sizing and position data for all or selected clips is available to allow renders using the extremely high quality DaVinci Resolve image resizing engine.

New cut, copy and paste operations for editing and node metadata including dynamics have been added to DaVinci Resolve 8.1, allowing much easier and dramatically faster editing of clips in the timeline and copying grades between nodes. DaVinci Resolve 8.1 also includes new conform features including the abilities to export missing clips EDL and import new EDL to a track. This simplifies finding and replacing missing clips in long form projects, and is great for changing VFX shots. This DaVinci Resolve update is now even faster to use with an exciting new ‘hover over node’ grading status display to reveal lists of changed grades within the node.

DaVinci Resolve 8.1 increases support for hardware, including full compatibility with the Apple Early 2011 MacBook Pro 15″ with 1680×1050 display, as well as the new UltraStudio 3D for Thunderbolt technology based computers. Support for UltraStudio 3D allows video monitoring and deck I/O from the latest iMac and MacBook Pro computers that support Thunderbolt™ technology.

Other new features included in DaVinci Resolve 8.1 includes support for clip by clip scaled or unscaled data range color space conversions, support for clip by clip colorspace selection in case a source clip has been incorrectly encoded, renders now support video or data levels and support for HDR source icons in the timeline thumbnail for RED HDRx clips.

Availability and Price

DaVinci Resolve 8.1 is available now as a free download for all current DaVinci Resolve customers.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve 8.1, and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagic-design.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company’s DaVinci Emmy™ award winning color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagic-design.com.

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