What’s NEW in DaVinci Resolve 21.1

DaVinci Resolve 21.1 introduces significant quality of life upgrades driven directly by customer feedback. This release delivers refinements across existing tools, from editing to visual effects, along with a powerful new dedicated server for AI integration. One of the most comical and interesting responses to feedback came from this post on the blackmagic design forum page. One customer actually had handwritten a postcard to the CEO! On the color page, the playhead no longer jumps to the start of a frame on a new clip that is layered and instead remains in place.

Edit Page & Timeline Updates

The Edit Page has received numerous functional improvements to speed up daily workflows:

• Inspector Presets: You can now save common inspector values as user presets to quickly apply them to other clips. Parameters can be saved individually or combined into a group preset via the option menu.

• Batch Fusion Changes: Fusion effects parameters, such as fonts on multiple Text+ clips, can now be adjusted in batch directly from the inspector. The font browser also displays the actual text used in your title.

• Source Aspect Ratios: You can view the full native source aspect ratio of clips in the left source monitor, even when working on a vertical 9x16 timeline. This feature requires disabling your external reference monitor from an ultrastudio or decklink device.

• Multicam Enhancements: The multicam viewer is now "sticky" and persists even if you switch to the color page, other timelines, and back. You can split multicam clips at gaps using timecode, and use a hotkey to flatten or decompose them.

• Timeline Visibility: A new "display scaled waveforms" option improves audio visibility without altering the volume. You can also enable "display clip durations" to see exact clip lengths directly on the timeline.

• Compare Timelines: The timeline comparison tool has been completely overhauled. You can right-click a previous timeline to compare it with the current one, revealing a “new” badge icon to visually accept and reconcile changes. This update makes it easier to see what the differences are between two timelines.

The New Trim Editor

The trim editor has been completely redesigned to mirror the functionality of Avid, removing the bulky bottom film strip.

• Direct Interaction: Click directly on the viewer image to select the A side, B side, or middle for a roll edit. You can also click, hold, and drag your cursor on the side you want to trim to actually perform the trim.

• Dynamic Trim Mode: Pressing "W" activates dynamic trim mode, which selects the nearest edit, turns on ripple mode, and activates playback looping.

• Keyboard Controls: Use "J" and "L" to trim backwards and forwards. Tap "U" to cycle through A, B, and roll side selections. In keyboard customization if you search for “nearest” you can map the edit side selection directly like you would have had in avid to (P, [ and ]}

Fusion Enhancements

• Point Tracker: You can now easily delete bad tracking data from the playhead to the start, end, or entirely without opening the spline editor using the new trim buttons. The reference frame can also be changed after a track is complete.

• Camera Tracker Integration: The camera tracker can now utilize supervised user tracks imported from the Point Tracker to assist with the solve. This feature aids in difficult solves with lots of motion blur.

• Lens Distortion: The Lens Distort node features a user draw-on mode to calibrate lines that should be straight, making it much easier to work with imperfect real-world lenses. This node is also reversable for proper VFX integration workflows.

AI and Model Context Protocol (MCP)

DaVinci Resolve Studio 21.1 introduces an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integration under the file menu when you choose AI assistants.

• Agentic AI Connection: The MCP acts as a connector between DaVinci Resolve's published API and external AI assistants like Claude or Codex.

• Chat-Based Control: By connecting an AI account, you can drive the software via text prompts. In testing, Claude successfully opened projects, ran automatic subtitles, utilized AI smart reframing for vertical video, applied black-and-white grades, and exported the final video.

• Vibe Coding: One popular use case I envision this new tool used for is for editors to write their own custom scripts without learning how to program in python or lua to execute their automated ideas.

• Custom Solutions: Rather than charging for generative AI credits, Blackmagic Design's MCP server allows users to build and run their own bespoke AI scripting solutions.