DaVinci Resolve 21 Launches With New Photo Editor and Advanced AI Tools

Blackmagic Design has announced DaVinci Resolve 21 at NAB 2026, adding a new Photo page that brings its color grading tools to still photography. The update lets photographers use the same node-based grading workflow that has long been used in film post-production.



The Photo page is fully integrated into Resolve rather than a separate tool. It connects directly with the existing Color page, giving users access to primary color correction, curves, qualifiers, and power windows for still images. Because the workflow is non-destructive, users can reframe or crop images at their original source resolution without losing quality. Albums can be used to organize photos by shoot, camera, or custom criteria, with batch adjustments and tagging available across entire collections. A new Lightbox view also provides an overview of images with grades applied in real time.



The addition brings Resolve into still image editing, where tools like Pixelmator Pro and Lightroom are commonly used, while maintaining Resolve's node-based approach for building more complex grades across multiple images.



Under the hood, the DaVinci Neural Engine powers a broad set of AI tools. IntelliSearch can find people or objects across media, while CineFocus lets you shift focus within a shot and adjust depth of field with aperture and bokeh controls. Face tools are also part of the update, including AI Face Age Transformer and AI Face Reshaper for changing facial features. Other additions like Magic Mask, Blemish Removal, and UltraSharpen handle subject isolation, skin cleanup, and sharpening.


Fusion is getting the Krokodove toolset, which brings more than 70 motion graphics tools and templates into Resolve. Keyframing has been expanded with new easing options, and the app now supports Lottie and OGraf files directly. On the audio side, Fairlight adds folder tracks for cleaner timelines, along with an animator modifier that can drive Fusion animations from audio levels.



DaVinci Resolve 21 also includes foveated rendering for Apple Immersive workflows, improving playback by keeping detail where the viewer is looking. There are also updates for immersive formats and spatial controls, along with better support for stereoscopic work.


Support for tethered shooting has been added for Sony and Canon cameras, with images saved directly into Albums while adjusting settings like exposure and white balance. The new MultiMaster trim manager makes it easier to produce HDR and SDR versions from the same timeline.



There are also updates to media management, including smart bins and tagging, along with a new layer-style view for node graphs. Text and scripting tools have been expanded as well, with IntelliScript support for building timelines from screenplay formats.

The DaVinci Resolve 21 public beta is available to download today from the Blackmagic Design website. The software is being demonstrated this week at the company's NAB booth.