Faster masks, film grain special effects and refreshed captions dot the list of updates to Adobe’s most advanced video editor.

Adobe released the latest edition of Premiere, updating the popular video editor with a handful of new tools that the company says are “built around how editors actually work.”

The June 2026 update adds new features and minor tweaks across the popular video editor, while Adobe’s After Effects also gains a handful of new features.

Adobe Premiere's summer update brings a handful of new tools without dramatically changing the way that editors work inside the software's beloved workspace, starting with the option to build in natural textures from the timeline.

A new Noise FX tool enables creators to add a film-like grain to footage. Located inside the Effect Controls panel, the tool can dial in grain with an intensity slider, along with functions for working the effect into the shadows, midtones and highlights.

Also in the Effect Controls panel, editors can now work with gradients, including a list of tools to feather, mirror, repeat and make other adjustments. Channel Blur is another new effect arriving in the update.

Video editors also now have the option to use single-word captioning, which shows one word at a time. Like the other June updates, the new captions are designed to fit in with existing tools and arrive by selecting the Single Word layout in the existing caption process.

Adobe says that Object Masks have been refined to improve both speed and accuracy. Masks can also now be regenerated without starting over if the connection to the media is lost.

The update also introduces some new panels and tools. Stock can now be licensed without leaving Premiere inside the new Stock Panel Checkout. Meanwhile, Adobe says the new Sequence Index Panel is designed for long-form editing with more controls.

A new A/V Display Mode will show the video and audio waveforms both in the Source Monitor for easier navigation. Meanwhile, video editors can mute all the existing clips with a press of the global audio mute button.

Markers – Premiere’s way to flag a certain part of the video for easy recall – are also now searchable by color and name.

Adobe also added a 3D Spinback and Slide option into the transition options.

The new Premiere tools come alongside a refresh to After Effects, which adds four AI-powered selection tools to replace the Roto Brush. A new list of tools also come to 3D effect editors, while imported SVG files are now editable inside After Effects.

The updates are rolling out now.

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Adobe Premiere has just introduced a “landmark” color-grading feature, “built from the ground up” and designed to make color grading more accessible for the average content creator. In Adobe’s briefing for its all-new Color Mode, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Video at Adobe, Jason Druss, called existing color-grading tools “very, very mathematical, scientific systems that were designed for full-time specialists.”

And indeed, color grading is an area that Adobe has arguably failed to fully harness in the past. Despite Premiere’s position as industry-grade video software that’s been used to edit the likes of Deadpool (2016), Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve is arguably the Hollywood go-to for color grading.

But Color Mode (now in beta) could be about to change the way creators think about color grading. The technology is said to be the first-of-its-kind and built entirely from the ground up. Jason explained that Adobe isn’t calling Color Mode a feature, panel or iterative update; it’s being referred to as “a complete reset for what color can be for video editors.”

During the demonstration, the ‘Color’ tab was dominated by a huge program monitor, with additional clips positioned in a vertical strip. At the bottom of the interface are the color controls; there are no hidden tabs or drop-downs. All of the color tools are visible from the get-go.

The tools aren’t just simple sliders either, but bi-directional circles. In the case of the contrast tool, up and down alter the contrast of the footage, while left and right control the pivot range. Upon clicking on the tool, a heads-up display appears, conveying video scopes, numerical information, and real-time animated overlays. Each ‘HUD’ is customizable, too, so you can alter elements such as the size and positioning to your taste.

The demo also demonstrated Operations, which Jason called “a completely new invented paradigm for grading, copying and moving color work throughout your timeline.” He proceeded to bring up a selection of Style Presets, making it clear that they differ from LUTs in that they’re essentially pre-graded presets that can be applied and tweaked further by the user.

There’s even a Film Color Module, with 90 film presets such as Fuji ETERNA 250 and Kodak SFX that can be directly applied to the footage. You can also group clips of footage together so you can quickly grade bundles of footage independently from one another.

Another Color Mode innovation is that it will intelligently identify the main colors within a piece of footage so you can edit that hue locally. The demo also combined the AI Object Mask with Color Mode by using the mask to pick out and track a moving vehicle and then color grade the object locally.

Ultimately, Adobe isn’t framing Color Mode as an incremental update. Jason called it “application-sized” and the “largest release in Premiere history.” Whether or not it’s going to compete with DaVinci Resolve remains to be seen, but it’s exciting to see Adobe attempting to innovate an area of video and, indeed, stills editing that's undeniably daunting for newcomers and seasoned editors alike.

The big Premiere news launches alongside some color-grading news for Adobe’s generative-AI editor, Firefly. Simple color adjustments will now be available in the software’s video editor, allowing users to tweak a range of tonal adjustments, including exposure, saturation, and color temperature.

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The big surprise following Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 21 announcement was that the free-to-use video editor now supports photo editing. That’s right, stills photographers can access the coveted software’s color grading tools, favored by Hollywood productions. But of course, that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, with a whole roster of video-centric upgrades to boot.

Unsurprisingly, AI-powered tools feature heavily in this year’s update, with none perhaps as bold as AI Face Age Transformer and AI Face Reshaper. The former allows you to “de-age” faces, while the latter allows you to reshape them. It wasn’t all that long ago (circa 2016) that Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp were de-aged in Captain America: Civil War and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, respectively, which certainly puts this tech into perspective.

AI Blemish Removal rounds off the face-tweaking tools, but they’re not the only AI additions. AI IntelliSearch allows creators to “instantly” find the content they’re looking for, with the intelligent search tool allowing you to find people, objects, and even key words in dialogue. AI CineFocus is a particularly interesting addition, with the ability to alter the perceived depth of field of a scene, going so far as to add bokeh and simulate rack focusing.

AI Speech Generator generates voiceover from text and can even replicate your own voice with just a 10-second sample, while AI SlateID can automatically add metadata that it extracts from a clapperboard used in footage. The final two AI-powered tool additions are AI UltraSharpen and AI Motion Deblur, used to sharpen footage and remove motion-blur artifacts, respectively.

And that’s not all. DaVinci Resolve’s visual effects page, Fusion, gets over 70 new graphics via the new Krokodove toolset. Fusion also links with Fairlight’s audio engine (Resolve’s integrated audio post-production software), which allows for automatic animation based on audio analysis for audio-driven animation (a boon for music video or social media editors). Fairlight also gets folders to collapse or expand audio tracks in a boost to track management.

DaVinci Resolve 21 also boasts big virtual reality updates, with Fusion adding spherical Panomap rotation said to provide more intuitive pitch, tilt, pan, yaw and roll, alongside ILPD retargeting data “for more advanced stereoscopic media handling and compositing.” In addition, Foveated rendering, designed to mimic the human eye’s rendering to reduce GPU processing will now be supported for Apple Immersive workflows. Meta Quest and YouTube presets will also be supported.

Another major workflow update is native support for OGraf HTML graphics and Lottie animations, allowing for files to be dragged directly into the media pool, treated like fully-rendered animations – alpha channels recognized.

Keyframing has also been treated to a few updates, including new ease animations, simultaneous adjustments to multiple clips, as well as a four-point Bézier curve. Another key update is MultiMaster trim passes. This allows you to produce multiple HDR and SDR trim deliverables from one timeline, without having to keep duplicating the timelines.

The news has dropped just days before content professionals descend on Las Vegas for the annual NAB Show. And if you’re lucky enough to be visiting ‘Sin City’, DaVinci Resolve 21 will be demonstrated at the Blackmagic Design booth (#N2502). If you can’t make NAB, you can download the DaVinci Resolve 21 public beta and try it out for yourself now.

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OneOdie is best-known as a headphone manufacturer, producing options at a range of price points for DJs, gamers, and studio monitoring. But with the OneOdio solocaster, the Chinese audio company has created an all-in-one audio interface and podcast console aimed at streamers, podcasters and content creators.

The idea behind the solocaster is to provide users with the ability to capture professional-sounding audio with a simple and easy-to-use hardware interface. This snazzy little unit is fairly compact, so it doesn’t take up much desk space.

The device combines a sound card, voice transformer and mixer in a single compact unit, supporting multi-source input mixing and loopback audio for recording PC audio alongside your microphone. It has pretty much everything you could need for recording audio, not to mention it has a few neat little tricks up its sleeve.

It includes four FX pads, three fader controls, and six built-in voice effects for real-time vocal manipulation. A live noise filter and auto-ducking keep your voice clear over background sound, while 11 RGB lighting modes look great.

OneOdio solocaster: Specifications

OneOdio solocaster: Price

The OneOdio solocaster was launched on February 3 2026, and was immediately available on the OneOdio Website and Amazon in the US and UK. The device costs just $49.99 / £49.99, which is a fantastic price considering all of the features.

Just to put this into perspective, I own a Behringer U-Phoria UM2 for use as an external soundcard I can plug XLR mics into for sound recording, and this costs just over half as much. The thing is, the Behringer is incredibly basic in comparison, with only the most basic features available.

This makes the solocaster a much better option in my opinion, but only if you do need features beyond an external soundcard/audio interface.

OneOdio solocaster: Design & Handling

The Solocast is well made, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s plasticky and lightweight. For a device where you’re turning knobs, hitting buttons and moving mixer sliders, a little weight beyond 12.03oz / 350g would make it feel more solid. However, the four wide rubber feet on the bottom do successfully keep the solocaster in place.

It’s also a pleasingly compact device at 6.7x5.4x1.5in (2.1 inches with knobs) / 17.0x13.8x3.7cm (5.4cm with the knobs), so it doesn’t take up too much desk space.

On top of the solocaster is where all the controls are, and these include illuminated buttons offering various functions, including four FX pads that can record for up to 30 seconds, so you can use them to apply a wide range of sound effects, voice or even music.

The buttons are a good size for use, while the knobs and sliders provide further sound control. The latter are smooth in operation, and although the buttons do work well, they do make a slight clicking noise when pressed, despite being made of rubber.

These and the knobs feature integrated LED strips with 11 dynamic RGB lighting modes, including solid colours, gradients and animated rainbow effects. The latter does look great to be fair, even if they’re ultimately pointless.

Connectivity is reasonably good but could be even better. The solocaster supports five independent audio channels across USB-C, 3.5mm, XLR, Bluetooth and AUX, making it a true all-in-one hub for managing microphones, system audio, background music and external sources simultaneously. What I would have liked to have seen would be two XLR inputs to allow for two microphones to be used for podcasting.

OneOdio solocaster: Performance

In all honesty, the OneOdio Solocaster does everything it claims to and does it well. The sound quality is great, and once you’ve had a little play for a few minutes, everything is incredibly easy to use. There are no drivers to install either – it's plug-and-play.

Sound mixing is handled through three dedicated faders for real-time level adjustment, although one is for the headphones, so it’s not going to affect the recorded sound. It’s probably fairer to say there are two sliders for sound mixing.

At the heart of the OneOdio Solocaster is a professional-grade preamp with 48V phantom power. This allows you to use professional XLR microphones and deliver broadcast-standard sound with just this simple soundcard doing all the work for you.

Live noise filtering and auto ducking keep voices clean during gameplay or commentary, with background noise reduction, while direct monitoring and one-touch mute give creators additional control and confidence during live and recorded sessions. Live monitoring is an essential feature and one that all similar sound cards offer.

There are six real-time voice modulation modes – female, male, child, elder, creature and robotic. I’m not sure that they’re successful in terms of matching the voice types since they all sound like creatures of some kind, but they work exceptionally well and inject a little fun into the recording when required.

Then four programmable FX pads allow custom sound clips, audio tags or effects to be triggered instantly. These also work well, and I played around using the voice modulations to record phrases that could be played back at the press of a button. You can also connect your phone via Bluetooth to add music or use the line-in to play music from your computer.

OneOdio solocaster: Verdict

The OneOdio solocaster is a highly capable audio interface that offers many more features than you’d expect at the price point. Audio quality is good, and even the voice modulations work exceptionally well despite not necessarily being true to their descriptions, while the FX buttons worked exceptionally well.

The clue is in the name, but my main issue with the solocaster is that it only has one XLR input. Two would be useful, so two microphones could be used at once when podcasting. The headphone slider on the device could have been used instead for the second mic.

Rumor has it LG may discontinue production of 8K LCD and OLED displays, citing a lack of demand for 8K televisions (although it hasn't ruled out producing them again if demand increases). And LG isn't the only television manufacturer to roll back on 8K. Apparently TCL announced in 2023 that it was no longer developing 8K televisions, also due to falling demand. Sony also continued this retrograde trend in 2025 when it too ceased production of 8K TVs.

This isn't the first time we've seen a backwards step in television tech. 3D-capable TVs were touted as the next big thing in 2010, but by 2017 3D TV's were all but extinct. Luke-warm consumer demand and a lack of 3D content were often cited as contributory factors to 3D TV's demise, and wouldn't you know, these reasons can also be attributed to 8K's decline.

But with 8K cameras being readily available since around 2020 when the Canon EOS R5 was launched, how can there still be a relative shortage of 8K content? One factor is likely the supporting hardware required for producing 8K footage. Ultra-fast, high-capacity memory cards are a must for smooth 8K recording, and hugely powerful computers will be required for 8K editing.

The issue of whether anyone truly needs an 8K camera is discussed in Digital Camera World's weekly podcast, Bokeh Face, available to view here:

Then there's the small matter of previewing 8K content. Back in 2017 Dell launched the first consumer 8K monitor, the 32-inch UltraSharp UP3218K. Since then it has been discontinued and almost no other 8K monitors have been launched. Right now there's only a single 8K 16:9 monitor available to buy at B&H, and it'll cost you a whopping $8,799.

As a viewer of 8K content, you're also going to need a considerably faster internet connection to stream 8K video smoothly, as with 4x as many pixels as 4K, the bit rate of an 8K video stream will be significantly higher and more bandwidth-intensive.

However, there's another, more fundamental reason why I think 8K television is following the same path as 3D TV: it simply isn't necessary. For the last 25 years or so, the world of digital video has been obsessed with increasing resolution. 'HD' (1280 x 720 pixels) and 'Full HD' (1920 x 1080) were the resolutions of choice from the early-mid 2000s, and a decade later 4K (3840 x 2160, or 4x the number of pixels in Full HD) became the resolution we had to have. But as with many technological advancements, we're now at a stage where subsequent improvements yield diminishing returns. While the jump from Full HD to 4K gave a modest tangible improvement to image quality, the difference between 4K and 8K is almost imperceptible in most cases.

Logically this shouldn't be the case though. 8K has 4x as many pixels per video frame as 4K, so it should look 4x sharper, right? Wrong. There's one constant here that hasn't been considered, and which can't change: the resolving power of the human eye. Just because your shiny new 8K TV packs 4x the number of pixels as your old 4K panel of the same size doesn't mean your eyes can actually see that extra detail when viewed from the same distance as before. Boffins have calculated the exact resolving power of a lens like the human eye using the Reyleigh formula, and we can use this to calculate how close you'd need to view your television in order to actually see the extra resolution of 8K.

In the case of a 75" television, you'd need to be viewing from as close as 2.5 feet (79cm) to really perceive the 8K difference. You'll see a small benefit over 4K when sitting between 2.5 feet and 4.9 feet away, but step back more than 4.9 feet from your 75" TV and you'll see no difference between 4K and 8K. Given that even Panasonic recommends a viewing distance of 6-9 feet for its 70" 4K TVs, and Samsung suggests a 7.5-foot viewing distance from a 75" television, getting closer than 4.9 feet is unrealistic for most people.

For more information on this, check out this excellent article on the subject from Forbes.

So with this in mind, even if you ignore the production difficulties with recording, editing and transmitting 8K video, there simply isn't a compelling reason for actually viewing 8K content in the home. We've reached a point in video resolution where going beyond 4K is ultimately pointless for the vast, vast majority of consumers. Now it looks as though television manufacturers have woken up to this.

What better time for Adobe to announce that 85% of Sundance filmmakers use Adobe Creative Cloud tools, as well as major new updates to Premiere and After Effects, than the week of the Sundance Film Festival? That’s right, the bastion of independent filmmaking kicks off on Thursday, and Adobe is a recurring theme in the filmmakers’ productions.

The broad strokes of the creative software behemoth’s updates are designed to make post-production faster and more intuitive by way of, you guessed it, artificial intelligence. At the front of the pack is Premiere’s new AI-powered Object Mask, which would make Photoshop’s Magic Wand tool blush. This feature was in public beta, but is now available for all Premiere users.

With the tool selected, you simply hover over the scene in question, and colored overlays instantly highlight individual objects and people. What’s more impressive is that a selected mask will then track a moving subject. Perfection isn’t always guaranteed, of course, so you can still use fast lasso and rectangular editing tools to refine your selection. However, anyone who’s ever spent time rotoscoping will know that this is a tool with the potential to dramatically speed up workflow.

Adobe has also redesigned Premiere’s Shape Masks, with Ellipse, Rectangle, and Pen all allowing you to work with effects such as blur and relighting, while Adobe rates these tools’ tracking at 20x faster than previous versions of the software. They can be added via the toolbar, resized, moved, rotated, and feathered, while Adobe says that it’s redesigned Bezier curves for smoother customization. Crucially, you can mix multiple masks with different blending modes.

And indeed, during a demo, I got to see Adobe’s Jason Druss using Shape Masks and Object Masks in tandem to quickly color grade the sky, while removing the faces of two subjects that encroached on the original mask. When cutting out a fanny pack and animating it with a new motion-camera transition to fly towards the screen, he said: “As the fanny pack, not only comes out, but we can see the motion blur attached to it (...) if you want to accomplish work like this, you need to be a really, really advanced video editor.”

That’s not all, you can track bi-directionally and anchor masks to any object within the frame. Adobe says it has also implemented live tracking previews, as per community feedback. But what happens when you make manual adjustments? Well, a new Frame track-editing mode is designed to mitigate the need to manually adjust each keyframe, with the software taking adjustments and applying them accordingly.

Firefly Boards and Premiere have been brought closer together, too, with the ability to import multiple assets into Premiere with a single click. Similarly, the new Adobe Stock integration allows users to browse, preview, license, and import over 52 million clips within Premiere itself. Frame.io will also enjoy greater integration with Premiere, thanks to the presence of the new V4 panel (currently in beta).

Adobe After Effects 26.0

Adobe After Effects has also benefited from a raft of updates. Native 3D Parametric Meshes looks like a great addition for newcomers, while speeding up the workflow of seasoned creators. They allow you to create and combine a plethora of shapes, with new Spot and Parallel shadows said to boost the realism of a scene.

Adobe says that over 1,300 Free Substance 3D Materials can be applied to both native and imported meshes. I got to see materials applied to meshes in real-time during a demo with Adobe’s Victoria Nece, and as somebody with no 3D-modeling experience, the simplicity of this looked very appealing. So too did After Effects’ new Variable Fonts, with the ability to animate typography using keyframes, expressions, and up to eight axes per layer.

Finally, After Effects benefits from an enhanced vector workflow, with the ability to import SVG files directly into the software (commonly used in Adobe Illustrator). On the subject of Illustrator, gradients and transparency settings are preserved when converting Illustrator layers into shape layers.

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Final Cut Pro users will soon be able to choose between a one-time purchase or a subscription model – but tucked in with the news of Apple’s new Creator Studio subscription is a list of new tools coming to the popular video editor. That list includes new AI-powered search, beat detection and a Montage Maker.

The update, which will likely arrive on January 28 with Apple Creator Studio, adds two new forms of AI-powered search to the video editor.

First, Transcript Search will enable creators to quickly find the right soundbite – a tool likely built on the previous launch of AI-powered automatic captions. Apple says the tool can sort through hours of footage with a simple text search, and that it’s geared for interviews and video podcasts.

Second, users will also be able to search through the video footage itself with Visual Search.

The ability to search through my Camera Roll on my iPhone for a specific object, without manually tagging photos, is one of my favorite Apple Intelligence features – and I suspect the tool will be similarly handy for video editing.

Another new AI-based update, dubbed Beat Detection, finds the beats in a music track and visualizes them in the timeline. The feature is designed to aid editors in timing visuals with the beat of the music.

Finally, Final Cut Pro is gaining a tool to automatically create a quick montage from footage using AI. Montage Maker, Apple says, finds the “best visual moments within the footage” and creates a montage from that.

Creators are able to adjust the pacing, cut the visuals to music and use the intelligent Auto Crop to reframe for vertical and horizontal projects.

Apple Creator Studio is launching on January 28 though, unlike Adobe’s transition to a subscription, Apple says one-time purchases will remain available. The tech giant, however, notes that some “access to some of the premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers.”

When I read that DaVinci Resolve now supports 32K video editing, I genuinely wondered if I'd fallen and landed on my head. 

Because let's get real: we're talking about a picture that's 32,000 pixels across. Over half a billion pixels per frame. This, in an industry still wrestling with 4K delivery, where 8K remains a curiosity reserved for tech demos and the occasional wildlife documentary.

Despite all that, though, Blackmagic Design has unlocked 32K editing in the free version of DaVinci Resolve 20.3 for anyone with an M5-powered Mac. That's 30,720 × 17,280 pixels. Sixteen times the resolution of 8K. Two hundred and fifty-six times the resolution of 4K. 

So I'm still rubbing my temple and checking whether there's a lump there. These numbers are absurd. The question is whether they're usefully absurd.

Reality check

After all, we're living in a world where 4K is only just becoming standard. Most streaming services still default to 1080p unless you've got the bandwidth and the subscription tier to prove otherwise. Netflix is still optimizing how to get 4K HDR into homes without constant buffering. 

Meanwhile, 8K adoption has been glacial. Less than 3% of televisions support it. Content is sparse. The entire industry spent years being told 8K was the future, and the future hasn't bothered to show up.

So who needs 32K? Is this genuinely useful, or is it just Blackmagic flexing? The answer, I'd argue, is somewhere in between.

Niche uses

LED volumes are the obvious use case – those massive wraparound screens used on shows like The Mandalorian aren't constrained by broadcast standards. They're custom installations where resolution directly impacts how believable the virtual environment looks to the camera. The same goes for projection domes, large-format digital signage, and certain high-end VFX workflows.

If you're shooting on something like the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K camera, you need software that can actually handle that footage without choking. Editing in 32K will presumably give you the headroom to work comfortably.

Then there's Apple's immersive video format for Vision Pro, which shoots in 180-degree 8K 3D at 90fps. As spatial computing develops (assuming it actually does) these resolution demands will start to make more sense. Though we're still talking about extremely niche territory.

To my mind, then, the strongest case for working in 32K isn't about what you're delivering today; it's about what you might need tomorrow.

Film studios have been scanning 35mm prints at 8K; not because anyone's watching in 8K now, but because they're future-proofing their archives. When you finish a project at 32K, you create a master that can be downscaled to 8K, 4K or 1080p with exceptional quality. In 10 years, if 8K becomes standard, you won't need to return to the original camera files. The work is done.

Verdict

Overall then, I think the very fact that Blackmagic has made 32K editing available to anyone with an M5 MacBook matters. Not because everyone's going to suddenly start shooting 32K; that would be madness. But because when specific workflows demand it – a museum installation, a high-end retail display, volumetric capture prep, key archiving – the tools will be there.

For the majority of working photographers and filmmakers, 32K capability is irrelevant right now. Your clients aren't asking for it. The infrastructure isn't there. And most strikingly, the storage requirements are punishing. A single minute of uncompressed 32K footage at 24fps would eat roughly 270GB. 

Right now, figures like that sound totally insane. Remember, though, that five years ago, 8K editing would have seemed ridiculous. Now it's a legitimate acquisition format, even if delivery remains predominantly 4K. 

So I guess the real question isn't whether you need 32K today. It's how long it'll be before we stop asking the question altogether?

In September, Adobe squished the popular video editing Premiere Pro down to smartphone size – and just a few weeks later, that free app is getting tools tailored for YouTube Shorts. On Monday, December 08, Adobe announced a partnership with YouTube that brings a dedicated YouTube Shorts space in the free video editing app on iOS.

The new YouTube Shorts space gives creators tools geared to YouTube’s platform for short-form vertical videos, including sharing directly to YouTube Shorts from the Premiere mobile app in a few taps.

The new space tailored to Shorts also includes access to exclusive effects along with transitions and title presets, Adobe says. The Shorts-dedicated workspace also includes pre-made templates for quickly creating videos.

But the update also allows Premiere mobile users to customize their own templates, including sharing them with the wider Shorts community for reuse in hopes of sparking a new trend.

While the YouTube Shorts dedicated workspace is new in the young mobile app, Adobe notes that creators can still use standard Premiere mobile tools to create short-form videos, including the multitrack timeline.

Adobe re-imagined the popular desktop video editor in September when it launched Premiere mobile on iOS. The app is free to download from the App Store, through limits some features to paid users, including generative credits and cloud storage. While the app launched on iPhones first, the company said an Android version is in the works.

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When Fujifilm announced the GFX Externa 55 cinema camera, it did so with a promise: 3D-LUTs for Fujifilm’s iconic color profiles would be coming. Now, the files are official: 3D LUTs for several classic color profiles are available as a free download.

3D LUTs, or Look Up Tables, are essentially like a color map that tells both cameras and software how to map the colors in a video. Fujifilm’s cameras can already apply their color profiles to videos in-camera, but those effects don’t impact raw footage files like F-Log2.

The launch effectively allows videographers and filmmakers to do what photographers using Fujifilm cameras have been able to do in Lightroom and similar photo editors for years: Apply Fujifilm’s Film Simulation to jump-start the editing process.

The newly released files are designed to be used with footage from the new Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 and include longstanding color profiles like Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace, Pro Neg. Hi, Pro Neg. Standard, Classic Neg. Nostalgic Neg. and Acros.

Fujifilm has a long list of 3D-LUT files for its cameras, but most of these appear to be limited to Eterna, even for newer cameras like the Fujifilm X-E5. The launch of the files for the Eterna 55 brings more film simulation possibilities than the files tied to its earlier cameras.

That, however, begs the question – can the 3D-LUT files be used on other Fujifilm cameras? When LUT files are designed for a specific camera, using them on another camera may not look entirely as intended, as the input on the sensor is different. Some users, however, are reporting success in using the LUTs on other Fujifilm cameras.

As a Fujifilm photographer, I have Lightroom set up to automatically apply the film simulation from my Fujifilm camera to RAW photos at import, then edit from there. Access to the 3D LUT files brings this sort of editing jump-start to filmmaking – a very welcome addition if Fujifilm plans to continue pushing into cinema with cameras like the Eterna 55.

The 3D LUTs for Fujifilm cameras are available directly from Fujifilm.

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Just weeks after Adobe announced that Premiere was coming to iPhone (Android software is in development) it’s finally here – and better yet, it’s free! That’s right, unless you require additional storage and / or generative AI credits, the Adobe Premiere mobile app is absolutely free to use.

The software, which supersedes the existing Adobe Premiere Rush, is designed to edit professional-grade video on the go, from short films and client work to YouTube and TikTok videos. And while it might not have the full functionality of Adobe Premiere Pro for desktop, users can create a rough edit in the app before continuing that edit using the full-fat desktop software (currently in beta).

That’s not to say that you can’t edit, export and share entirely within the app, though. The iPhone software boasts a multi-track timeline, the ability to “produce studio-quality” audio, form AI-generated content, while also providing access to millions of free multimedia assets.

As Adobe’s VP of product marketing, Mike Polner, put it: “We’re excited to bring the power of Premiere to creators’ fingertips, delivering pro-level creative control, without the pro-level complexity”.

I attended an online briefing, where Adobe senior experience designer lead, Dave Werner, performed a live demo. He said: “It feels right at home from using Premiere on the Desktop (...) all the major features and precision and control that I need, I’m finding in the app.”

During the demo, I got to see Dave put together a quick family short – and the first thing I noticed was the multi-track timeline. I’m an Adobe Rush user, but I’ve often found the timeline to be frustrating. My first impression of the Adobe Premiere mobile app timeline is that it’s much more intuitive and precise, with the ability to trim clips with frame-by-frame precision.

He also demonstrated a couple of AI-powered features. Perhaps the most useful being Enhance Speech. Dave’s example was a video clip taken on a cruise ship, where he’s speaking to the camera, but crowds of noisy people made the dialogue very difficult to hear. Enhance Speech severely reduced the background noise and made the dialogue much clearer.

Another interesting AI-audio tool is Generative Sound Effects. This enables the user to record a vocal passage, and along with a prompt, the AI software uses the timing and cadence of the recording as a blueprint in which to generate the desired sound effect.

In the demo, a ringing bell sound was created by literally speaking into the microphone, “ring-a-ring-a-ring,” then inputting the prompt “Ringing and clanging a bell”, before the software generated a selection of different bell sounds to choose from.

The final generative AI tool I got to see in action was Expand Image. Here the software expanded a 4:5 video clip to 16:9, with the generative AI seamlessly filling in the gaps. And of course, that’s not all the software is capable of, with 4K HDR editing, animated captions, instant background removal, motion effects and more. You can even generate AI-powered stickers to spice up your shorts.

Adobe quoted several content creators during its presentation, with Temi Coker stating: “I can shoot and edit anywhere. [The app] gives me the freedom to just start.” Cleo Abram added: “Premiere on iPhone feels like having a production studio in my pocket.”

Well, Adobe, I’m looking forward to downloading the software – and I’ll be sure to follow up on this article by letting you know how I get on. Until then, the Adobe Premiere mobile app is available on the App Store right now and is free to download. Upgrade plans are available for additional storage or generative AI credits.

According to the Adobe help center, Premiere Rush can no longer be downloaded, with existing downloads working until discontinuation on September 30 2026.

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Blackmagic Design has just released a full suite of free training books for DaVinci Resolve 20 – and they’re an absolute gift for anyone learning to edit, color grade, mix sound or build visual effects.

The new step-by-step guides take a project-based approach, walking you through everything from cutting a documentary trailer to colour grading with Resolve’s legendary tools, building soundtracks in Fairlight and compositing in Fusion. There are six books in total, covering editing, audio, color, and visual effects, and each one is available to download right now, free of charge.

As someone who’s transitioned from stills into video, I’ve found Resolve to be one of the most intuitive video editing platforms out there. These new guides delve much deeper, providing both newcomers and experienced editors with a structured way to learn the software’s ever-growing toolkit.

They’re also completely up-to-date for version 20, which recently introduced a host of new features, so even seasoned users will find fresh techniques to explore.

Each book focuses on a different aspect of the workflow. The Beginner’s Guide covers the essentials of editing, audio, and color. The Editor’s Guide moves into advanced cutting and trimming, metadata, and multi-camera workflows.

There are dedicated guides for Fairlight audio and for color grading, including everything from balancing footage to working with nodes and Resolve’s powerful Magic Mask. And for those diving into visual effects, two volumes take you through compositing, green screen work, 3D particles and much more.

For photographers dipping a toe into video, filmmakers who want to explore Resolve’s newer features, or editors ready to sharpen their craft, these books are well worth the download.

I’ll be grabbing them myself, especially the visual effects and audio guides, as those are areas where, coming from stills, I could use a step-by-step guide.

The new DaVinci Resolve 20 training books are available now via Blackmagic’s website.

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Adobe Premiere Pro is as synonymous with video editing as Photoshop is to photo editing – and now the desktop video editing powerhouse is coming to mobile devices. Adobe is bringing its popular video editor to iPhones this fall, with an Android version to follow. The move reimagines the popular desktop software for smaller screens while keeping favorites like the multi-track timeline intact.

On Thursday, September 04, Adobe announced the upcoming launch of Premiere for iPhone. The upcoming app, which opened for pre-orders today, is rebuilt for mobile devices, including cloud-based capabilities that allow creators to edit on the go and share to social media – or finish the project on the longstanding desktop software.

Adobe says that creators familiar with the desktop software will recognize the multi-track timeline that allows editors to layer together different tracks, audio, and special effects. The company says the mobile app still offers trimming and adjusting with precision, despite being geared for a smaller screen.

The mobile Premiere app will also include audio recording for voiceovers, including the desktop software’s Enhance Speech tool to clean up noisy backgrounds. Creators will also be able to choose from audio assets like music, as well as stickers, photos, and fonts to work with.

Generative AI is built into Premiere for iPhone. Creators can generate video to expand a too-short clip using Adobe Firefly. Adobe’s generative sound effect tools are also coming to the app, including a tool that allows users to mix text prompts with their voice in order to time the sound effects with the footage.

Premiere for iPhone will allow creators to automatically resize edits to export for different platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Reels. Or, using cloud connectivity, creators can also continue to work on the project in the desktop app’s larger screen and wider range of tools.

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most popular video editing programs on desktop, used on hit films like Deadpool, Gone Girl, and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Adding a mobile version will likely give current users the flexibility to edit on the go, while introducing the longstanding tool to mobile content creators.

Like Photoshop for mobile, the iPhone version of Premiere Pro is a free download. Creators can also edit with the app for free, but features like generative AI and cloud connectivity are paid features.

And also like Photoshop for smartphones, Premiere mobile isn't the first Adobe video editor that works on smartphones. Premiere Rush is a scaled-down version of Premiere Pro designed for streamlined edits with a lower learning curve that works across desktop and mobile.

The iPhone version of Premiere Pro will launch this fall, and Adobe says that an Android version is also in the works. Pre-orders for Premiere Pro have opened in the App Store to give creators first access to the app at launch.

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Earlier this year, Blackmagic Design released a major update to DaVinci Resolve, ushering in version 20 with a wave of new features. Now, just a few months later, another significant update has arrived, and this time, it’s all about immersive video.

DaVinci Resolve 20.1 introduces support for Apple Immersive workflows, marking a major leap into the future of spatial video. The update coincides with new releases for Fusion Studio 20.1 (Blackmagic's node-based compositing tool) and the Blackmagic Camera 9.7 Public Beta, with all three updates' primary focus on immersive video creators.

As always, Blackmagic knows how to deliver a hefty update. The full list of features is extensive, but the key highlights are:

• Full support for Apple Vision Pro spatial and immersive video workflows in macOS

• Direct monitoring of immersive content in Apple Vision Pro

• Support for the Apple Spatial Audio format

Not long ago, I shared my thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro and argued that immersive video is still in its infancy, but brimming with potential to reshape how we experience visual storytelling. Blackmagic seems to agree. The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera, launched earlier this year, now pairs seamlessly with the DaVinci 20.1 and Fusion 20.1 updates to form a complete immersive production workflow; from capture through to edit, grade, and delivery.

Blackmagic describes the update as follows: "Today we announced DaVinci Resolve 20.1, a major new update that adds support for Apple Immersive workflows, including support for Apple Spatial Audio, to DaVinci Resolve Studio for macOS. With this update, you can effortlessly edit, color grade, add visual effects, mix Spatial Audio, and deliver Apple Immersive Video captured using the new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera. A new immersive video viewer will let customers pan, tilt, and roll clips for viewing on 2D monitors, or directly stream to Apple Vision Pro for an even more immersive editing experience."

While immersive video is the headline, the update offers plenty for all DaVinci Resolve users. Key improvements include overhauls to the keyframe panel with better refinement controls, upgrades to MultiText making text formatting faster and more intuitive, and a more responsive and flexible curve editor.

Other enhancements span the Cut and Edit pages, Fusion, Color, Resolve FX, Fairlight, Codec and IO, and general performance refinements, all of which continue to make Resolve one of the most powerful editing platforms around.

Immersive filmmaking may not yet be mainstream, but Blackmagic is clearly working to lower the barrier to entry. With the URSA Cine Immersive camera and a free DaVinci Resolve update that supports spatial workflows end-to-end, they’re pushing this next wave of storytelling forward.

You can explore it yourself too, with sample immersive video clips for DaVinci Resolve Studio 20.1 (macOS) available to download.

And don’t forget, DaVinci Resolve remains completely free, and so is this 20.1 update.

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Video editing software comes in many shapes and sizes. An odd thing to say, you may be thinking, but with options for high-end professional productions to absolute beginner software available, perhaps you can see where I’m coming from. ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8 is aimed at beginners, enthusiasts and content creators, so it’s designed with ease of use in mind.

In reality, you could even use the software in a professional setting, although not when handling flat log footage. Footage captured in standard color profiles on any camera is what the software supports, and this is ultimately of no consequence since the software isn’t aimed specifically at professionals. Log support would, however, expand the appeal of the software.

Despite the inability to handle log footage, the software offers all of the controls and functionality you need to edit videos, including screen capture functionality. The timeline has been greatly improved since the previous version of the software, with drag-and-drop functionality. Plus, there are keyframes for adjusting sections of footage, adjustment layers for adding effects, text, transitions, filters and even behaviours to add flourishes to your videos.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8 could realistically be one of the best video editing software options available. This is simply because it’s a little bit different to the competition at the beginner end of the market, with the addition of useful screen capture functionality for content creators. This in itself could make it attractive since the market leader in this area, Camtasia, has become expensive.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Hardware requirements

• Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen or better processor, 2 GHz or faster
• 8GB RAM (16 GB RAM or for HD and 4K editing)
• Intel HD Graphics 530, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon R5 Graphics with 2 GB VRAM or better
• 4 GB VRAM required for editing HD and 4K videos
• DirectX 12 feature level 12_0 and 4 GB VRAM are required to run AI Super-Resolution on the GPU
• 1920x1080 display resolution minimum
• 4GB of available hard disk space (SSD recommended for editing HD and 4K videos)

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Price and availability

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8 is available in both perpetual and subscription-based licensing models, so you can choose the option that works best for you. The Individual Plan includes free updates and tech support for one install while the subscription is active, and this costs $49.99 per year.

The 365 Home Plan is $89.99 per year and includes everything in the Individual Plan as well as ACDSee Cloud, which includes photo editing software, 200GB of cloud storage and the ability to install the software on up to five computers. The Lifetime License is $99.99 and includes updates to version 8 of the software only. All pricing is in US Dollars, wherever you’re based.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Key features

It can be difficult to avoid creating a boring list of features, so rather than focusing on everything, we’ll give Luxea Pro 8 a quick overview and then highlight some of the more interesting new features in this version.

As previously mentioned, the software offers standard features including adjustment layers, text, transitions, filters, visual effects and keyframes for applying effects to specific sections of footage.

Two interesting and useful features are AI-Super-resolution and AI Motion Tracking. AI-Super-resolution allows you to upscale footage to 4K with simple Upscale and Upscale and Restore options available.

AI Motion Tracking allows you to select a subject or face, for example. All you have to do is select the feature and adjust the box over the desired part of the subject. The software then analyses the footage and aims to keep pixelation or another effect over the selected area.

Clips and edits, including sounds, music and graphics, can be saved as a Nest Sequence, which is a little like a Smart Object in Photoshop. These can also be saved as a Nest Preset for use across projects, so if you create an ident using multiple assets and effects, for example, and save it as a Nest Preset, you can easily apply it to all of your videos.

One feature I particularly like about the software is that it has a built-in screen recorder, so you can capture software tutorials or gameplay, etc., with optional microphone and webcam capture.

This functionality and some aspects of video editing in Luxea Pro 8 remind me of Camtasia. This is the best screen recording and screen capture editing software available, but it’s become extremely expensive with a new subscription-based license that replaces a perpetual licensing model.

Luxea Pro 8 could sweep up Camtasia customers while also offering easy-to-use standard video editing functionality. The only negative for screen capture editing is that you have to use keyframes for adjusting audio levels locally, rather than a more intuitive selection-based process where you select the portion of footage to apply sound adjustments quickly and easily.

There are also free content packs which include assets such as images, graphics and sounds. These assets are often themed around a subject such as sports, business, photography, animals and healthcare, etc. These can be downloaded from the ACDSee website or from within the software, which is the most logical way of previewing, downloading and installing.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Interface and useability

The user interface is laid out in a familiar way for video editing software, so whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user of this type of software, it’s presented logically. What I particularly like is that the interface isn’t overwhelming at all because it’s not overloaded with controls.

I appreciate it’s easy for me to say as an experienced user of video editing software, but I’m impressed by what ACDSee has packed into the software without making it overly complicated.

Of course, there is a learning curve as there is with all software. But this is software that you can muddle your way around easily enough and still produce decent results. The help menu is useful for times when you get stuck on something, and tutorial videos on the ACDSee YouTube account are useful.

The one feature I did find impossible was the ability to add behaviours, text and effects to AI Motion Tracking. Adding a Mosaic is achieved using a simple dropdown menu item in an obvious place, and I’m assuming that the dropdown menu should have more items than just ‘None’ and ‘Mosaic’.

Editing is incredibly simple, and you can expand points to the sides of the playhead to cut unwanted footage out, which is intuitive. Video and audio tracks can be stacked as normal, and effects can be dragged and dropped onto the timeline alongside text, transitions and overlays, etc. The process is based around drag and drop, which means you can hit the ground running even if you are an absolute beginner.

Since the editing process is based around drag and drop, with the ability to select sound and video using the playhead and markers, the reliance on keyframes for adjusting sections of audio and or video is frustratingly clunky. Keeping keyframes would be fine, but adding more selection-based functionality would be quicker and more intuitive.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Performance

I tested AI Super-resolution on a powerful laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 4060 GPU, as well as an older but still powerful desktop. The specs of both far exceed what the software requires, and with both computers, AI-Super-resolution was painfully slow when increasing the size of a seven-minute 1080p video to 4K.

This interpolation took a staggering one hour to reach just 19% completion, so I gave up in frustration. I tried a three-second 1080p clip, and this took a more palatable yet also slow four minutes and five seconds to complete. Still far too long, though.

Performance is extremely poor, so you have to ask yourself, is this feature realistically usable, irrespective of results, for anything more than a video clip that’s a few seconds long? The upscaled video quality was impressive, but despite being a great idea, AI Super-resolution is completely impractical.

AI Motion Tracking works best with stable footage where only the subject is moving and not the camera. With both moving, the AI can struggle to maintain the subject. It’s certainly much easier than using keyframes and manually achieving the same result, but it can be hit or miss and certainly doesn’t work in all situations. All in all, the AI functionality is good in terms of results when it works, but performance is not good enough.

Aside from this, the software runs smoothly, and the ability to reduce playback resolution during editing is useful if you experience freezing or stuttering during editing. During testing, a 4K video froze and stuttered, so reducing playback quality by 1/2 resolved the issue without reducing image quality while editing too much.

Once editing is complete, you can export videos to a local file, a file suitable for a specific device using presets or directly to YouTube and Vimeo. A five-minute 4K video with transitions, sound and some music took two minutes to render at the highest Bitrate available of 150,000kbps in H.264, which is pretty good.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Verdict

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8 is easy-to-use video editing software with the added benefit of powerful screen capture tools, making it useful for creating tutorials and capturing gameplay. The tools and features on offer are great for beginners and enthusiasts, possibly even professionals, although the AI-powered features don’t quite live up to their promises.

This aside, the software offers all the features you need for quickly and easily editing videos. Adding transitions and effects is an easy drag-and-drop affair for applying adjustments layers and other effects with ease. While keyframing is available for making a range of adjustments to portions of footage. All this is available for a reasonable price with perpetual and subscription licensing options on offer.

ACDSee Luxea Pro Video Editor 8: Alternatives

Video switchers used to be reserved for larger production houses, but they are now accessible to most, in part thanks to the sheer number of people taking YouTube production more seriously. Companies like RGBlink have been introducing devices that cater to this use case, at a more affordable price point, but are they any good? I’ve tested a few of these, and there is often somewhat of a compromise in their design, so I was keen to see what the mini ISO has to offer, as on paper it looks like a great option with some features that make it pretty scalable.

But what is a video switcher? In essence, it is exactly as the name would suggest. A device that takes multiple inputs and allows the operator to switch which incoming signal it sends to the output, but it gets more interesting than that, with things like transitions, audio mixing, and much more appearing on spec sheets. I’ve been testing the mini ISO for a few weeks, and this is what I’ve found…

RGBlink mini ISO: Specifications

RGBlink mini ISO: Price

Available now at $599 / £599, which is a good price for such a well-featured device. The overall build quality and the feature list could suggest a higher price, making the mini ISO feel that much more of a bargain.

RGBlink mini ISO: Design & Handling

The RGBlink mini ISO ships with a few accessories. You get a USB-C to USB-C cable and power adapter. You can power this from a power bank too, but I’d say the use cases for that are limited. Maybe for doing a garden cooking show, where a power outlet isn’t available, or something similar.

You get a USB-A type 3 cable for connection to a host computer and a 3.5mm cable for audio, which is the split type for both phone and microphone.

The actual unit itself is very nicely made, although smaller than you might expect (the name should have probably made me realise this), at just under 200mm x 112mm x 60mm to the top of the controls. Although tiny, nothing feels cramped. There’s good room to get at all the controls, the channel buttons are a decent size, and the T bar is both nicely sized and weighted.

The mini ISO’s chassis is folded metal, lending a little confidence-inspiring heft to it, while also helping to keep it in place, once multiple inputs and the associated trailing cables are attached. There are 9 channel inputs on offer, split into 4 SDI ports down the side and 4 HDMI type 2.0 along the rear, that support 4K 60p max. There’s a USB-A port on the side for connecting a storage device for recording a production, plus can also be used as a webcam output for streaming. That split audio cable can be used for input in one of the two 3.5mm ports, while a second port is for output. Two HDMI 1.3 ports serve for monitoring purposes, and there’s a gigabit Ethernet port rounding off a pretty comprehensive set of IO.

Then there’s the top face. This houses a joystick for PTZ camera control, the T bar, menu buttons, and channel selecting buttons that illuminate white, green, or blue to help you see what is being selected for various uses. Each HDMI input has an audio levels rotary knob alongside an AFV button, plus there are audio controls for incoming analogue audio and master output levels.

Then there is the screen. At 3.5” it isn’t all that big, but it is clear and bright. Maybe not bright enough for outdoor use, but perfectly usable even in a brightly lit studio. What’s more, it’s a touchscreen, so if you prefer navigating menus and operating this way, you are sorted. Overall, the build quality feels excellent. It’s robust and weighty while not being excessively so. I do wish RGBlink supplied a case for it, but for the majority of users, I imagine this will find a home on a desk and rarely be moved. It does seem a missed opportunity for added value for something so compact and portable, however.

RGBlink mini ISO: Performance

Let’s start with the screen. It’s quite a responsive touchscreen, and I haven’t once had a missed input.

Clarity, colour, and contrast are good too. I couldn’t find anything from RGBlink giving specifications for this, but it works fine for previewing channel content ready for switching, timing transitions, and basic operations. The menus are clear and concise, too. All very logical and reminiscent of what you get on field monitors, allowing you to keep an eye on your content while you make selections.

The same applies for the physical controls. Everything is clearly labelled and logical. A glance at the quick start guide is all that’s needed. Simply plug your sources in and you’ll be ready to go in minutes. One thing to note is that the SDI ports only support HD signals. That may work for your needs, but while the HDMI is good for 4K, SDI is preferable for longer cable runs, and not every device will have an HDMI output. My Pyxis, for example, doesn’t have HDMI, and I was hoping to use SDI. It hooks up fine, but you won’t get the full resolution, so I’ll need to look into using a converter box for this. Not a massive deal, but worth considering.

Once everything is hooked up, things couldn’t be simpler. Use the pots on the left to set audio levels, with the AFV letting you define whether audio switches automatically with video source changes or not. Then you can set previews and live sources using the two rows of illuminated buttons. These are great for an at-a-glance operation; White means there’s a source connected, green for preview and red for programme.

Beneath the hood, there are some extra features that are nice to have. The star here is chroma keying, which works surprisingly well. There are options for green or blue, with adjustments for spill. I was surprised at how good the results were, and overlaying keyed footage on top of a second source looks great.

You can hook up to a PTZ camera too, with remote control via the five-way joystick. I don’t have any PTZ cameras to try this with, but I have no doubt this would work as expected, especially when the rest of the mini ISO is so good.

Some switchers don’t simply jump from source to source upon selection, others have some predefined transitions, but the mini ISO goes the next step with the T bar. Once you have a clip live, you can preview the next source, then smoothly transition, at a speed you like, into that second source.

I found everything works really well here. Not just the physical device, but the workflow too. It’s really easy to navigate and to set things up just how you like. You may be live streaming (the mini ISo can stream to a max of four platforms concurrently) or doing a multicam recording for your channel. No matter what, it is a very intuitive process.

On top of that, there are scenes. These effectively are presets you can recall. If you do regular YouTube shows, with say a couple of different setups, then you can store them as scenes, meaning far less pre-production setup. Simply activate the correct scene and off you go. Very useful indeed. If you do a lot of these productions, then a permanent setup makes sense. Run your cables to your set and tuck the switcher somewhere close to hand. You can run the multiview HDMI to a larger monitor that is in your eyeline, to ensure results are as you want, and start recording or streaming.

Now, the only thing I wasn’t mad about was the output recording. The only option here is 16 Mbps 8-bit MP4. That may be fine for doing instructional videos or live streams, but it feels a bit lacklustre these days. Of course, you could take your HDMI output to another device and record there, but that adds complexity, cost, and logistics to what is really a very nice package. That said, the latency is very good at just 3 frames. Not bad for multicam processing, switching, keying, recording, and streaming. All at once.

My only other niggle is the lack of pro-level audio inputs. This isn’t a dealbreaker, especially if you’re connecting cameras via HDMI, but an XLR input would be nice. The form factor would have had to take a hit then, though, so it’s a trade-off I’m willing to make.

RGBlink mini ISO: Verdict

The RGBlink mini ISO is one of those devices that manages to quietly surpass expectations. It’s not perfect, as a few minor letdowns have shown, but it isn’t far off and is more than capable of delivering on the task at hand. The build, layout, and overall quality are excellent. Should you need a switcher that offers an intuitive experience, along with a few added benefits, then it is absolutely one to add to your shopping basket.

Alternatives

If you're wondering what is a LUT, you're not alone – the phrase has only entered the mainstream imaging lexicon fairly recently, but it has certainly spread like wildfire.

LUT is an abbreviation. It stands for lookup table, a rather dry and dusty definition that doesn’t even hint at what LUTs can do. And while they're primarily used by video folks, they can also be employed in photography post-production as well.

They have two main uses in videography and editing/grading. One is to convert images from one color space or profile to another – for example, if you’ve shot in a Sony log profile and you need to convert that to a regular color space for editing and sharing.

The second, increasingly popular use, is to apply creative tonal and color shifts for stylized ‘looks’.

What is a LUT: Must-know #1

LUTs are not just another type of picture style or simulation. They are, very literally, conversion tables that take pixel values from the original image or video, and change them to other pixel values with various tone and color shifts.

If you’re into color-managed desktop printing, you’ll be familiar with custom ‘printer profiles’ and ‘monitor profiles’. It’s a bit like that, but often used for creative purposes, not just color correction.

For this explanation I’ll stick to ‘creative’ LUTs, since this is the major trend right now. The way they work means you can shift colors and tones in any direction you like, for cross-processing effects, black-and-white filter effects and just about any other effect you can carry out with color and tone adjustments.

There are no sliders or adjustments with LUTs; they just do what they do. There are tools you can use to design your own LUTs, such as fylm.ai, for example.

This is probably a job for color grading experts, though, because there are many subtleties involved in producing effective and attractive color and tonal shifts that can be applied across a range of images/videos.

That’s the first thing to know about LUTs. It sounds a limitation, but a properly-designed LUT can be a friend for life. Once you start trying them out you will quickly find favorites that you will want to use again and again.

What is a LUT: Must-know #2

But perhaps the key point about LUTs is that they use a standardized .cube format that can be used across multiple devices and editors. You could load a LUT that you love in your video editing software into your Panasonic Lumix S9, for example, or use the same LUT in your photo editing software.

Not all photo editors support LUTs, and some use them (incorrectly) as an effect filter mixed in with the other editing tools. It’s best to think of LUTs as a kind of pre-processing treatment ahead of your actual editing. If you work in Lightroom you’ll be familiar with Profiles, which do a similar job – though it would be nice if Lightroom used LUTs instead!

So are LUTs the future? For videographers, they are an important technical and creative tool. For stills photographers, presets and filters do the same job with a little more control – but even here, once you’ve found some favorite LUTs, there’s often no going back.

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Some computer tasks are much more effectively performed physically rather than using on-screen controls. This is especially true for creative software, and the Logitech MX Creative Console is a two-part control console designed for use with photo, video, and digital art software, as well as office applications and many others.

If the MX Console looks somewhat familiar, it's because Logitech acquired Loupedeck in 2023. Logitech has been a major player in the input device market for many years, and the MX Master series includes the Creative Console. Given its intended use and functionality, the MX Console competes directly with the TourBox control consoles.

This tactile controller looks neat on the desk, and being made up of two parts means you can arrange the MX Console in a way that works for you. The Keypad is wired, via USB-C, while the Dialpad connects to your computer using Bluetooth. It’s a little strange in some ways and makes sense in others, but we’ll delve into this later.

What I particularly like about the MX Console is that, like the old Loupedeck models, the Keypad buttons are essentially mini screens. These show the assigned action depending on the profiles you have installed and the software you’re using. The Dialpad features blank controls, but with only four buttons, a large dial and a scroll wheel, it’s not a complicated device.

Logitech MX Creative Console: Specifications

Logitech MX Creative Console: Price

The Logitech MX Creative Console is available in two colour options: Pale Grey and Graphite. Pale Grey is so light that it looks almost white when viewed on the Logitech website, while Graphite is exactly the tone you’d expect. The MX Console can be purchased from multiple retailers, including the Logitech website.

With a price of $200 / £200 / AU$350, the MX Console is attractively priced compared to the main competitors, which are the TourBox Neo, Elite and Elite Plus. The main difference between these devices is that the nine main buttons on the MX Console Keypad are mini-LCD screens to show the assigned functions while the TourBox models feature completely blank controls with optional onscreen HUDs to show what everything does.

Logitech MX Creative Console: Design & Handling

The MX Console is built and designed to the high standard you’d expect from Logitech, particularly for its MX Master series of peripherals. The device consists of two main parts, which are the Dialpad and the Keypad. There is also a stand that holds the Keypad at a 45-degree angle, so you can use the Keypad with or without this depending on your preference.

The two main parts of the MX Console are a comfortable size for use and require little desk space at 3.62x3.69x1.33in / 92.1x93.7x33.8mm for the Dialpad and 3.61x3.06x1.00in / 91.7x77.9x25.5mm for the keypad. The Dialpad weighs 4.52oz / 128g, while the Keypad weighs 3.39oz / 96g. Both parts sit on the desk well, thanks to the rubber bars on the bottom to reduce slipping, but a heavier weight would hold both parts in position more effectively.

The Keypad can be laid flat or held on the stand and is connected via USB-C. Frustratingly, a USB-A adaptor isn’t included, so you’ll have to purchase one separately if you require this type of connection. The Dialpad connects via Bluetooth and is powered by two AAA batteries. I wonder if it would have been possible to connect the two parts of the MX Console with a short USB-C cable with computer connection over Bluetooth.

Perhaps, the reason for the chosen approach to connection is that the Keypad features nine backlit buttons that show the assigned function, which is fantastic because you know exactly what you’re pressing. These would likely eat through batteries. There are two other buttons for scrolling between pages of button controls, plus you can assign up to 15 keypad pages per app. This is probably overkill for many, but it does illustrate the personalisation potential of the MX Console.

The Dialpad, on the other hand, features blank controls with four buttons, a large aluminium dial with pleasing resistance and a wide aluminium scroll wheel. The default resistance/speed is set to 50%, and this can be adjusted in the Logi Options+ software. The Dialpad is the analogue controller that provides tactile and precise control of software and operating system functions that work well with a physical input device of this type. The Keypad is used for shortcut-type functions.

The MX Console is driven by the Logi Options+ software, which is easy to use and allows you to download the software profiles you need from the Logi Marketplace. You can also customise existing profiles, create new profiles based on compatible software or create them from scratch, although this last option is time-consuming. The software is generally intuitive and easy to use, and using existing profiles with customisation when preferred is a great way to work.

I found that some of the profile defaults, mostly in terms of the dial and scroll wheel functionality, weren’t set up logically and required customisation. For example, in Photoshop, the dial is set by default to scroll through the Layers panel, which is completely pointless in my opinion as an advanced Photoshop user. This can be changed, but I couldn’t find Brush size in the options available, and this would be a more useful function assignment for the dial.

Another issue that I have here is that the dial isn’t dynamic, and by this I mean it doesn’t change according to what you’re doing or where the mouse pointer sits within the user interface. I created a Levels Adjustment Layer and hovered the mouse pointer over the midtone slider, but the dial still scrolled through the Layers. Having this kind of dynamic functionality and more options for dial functions would greatly improve the MX Console.

Logitech MX Creative Console: Performance

The MX Console is easy to set up and comfortable to use, while the two-part design allows you to arrange it on your desk however you prefer. The nine backlit buttons are customisable in terms of brightness and the information they show. Plus, you can also change the icon colour and text alongside the text size of the label. I prefer to get on with work rather than mess around with icons and text, but maybe that’s just me.

The main application list includes profiles for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Figma, Affinity Photo, Zoom, Spotify, Microsoft Teams and others. Profiles can be downloaded from the Logi Marketplace, so the MX Console is compatible with different software options.

At the time of writing, some of these software profiles are only available in the Beta version of Logi Options+, with delivery of the stable release of the software coming soon.

What I like about the MX console is that when in unsupported software or one where a profile hasn’t been downloaded, you have access to operating system control including page scrolling, sound control and screengrabs etc. It’s certainly no work of genius, but it’s undeniably useful and makes the MX Console useful in some way at all times.

This is one of those devices that does the job it’s intended to do and does it well. The Keypad screens differentiate it from TourBox models that use onscreen HUDs to show what the blank controls do, while the TourMenu shows onscreen menus for quick and easy access to software-based functions. This helps to keep the user’s eyes on the screen and not on the device.

The MX Console does have the Action Ring, which is accessed using the assigned Action Ring button on the Dialpad and opens a circular onscreen menu for the software profile in use. This can be customised, or you can stick with the defaults. Furthermore, the MX Console recognises when you switch software and adjusts accordingly to deliver the control available for that software.

Logitech MX Creative Console: Verdict

The Logitech MX Creative Console is a slick and tactile input device that provides precise control within a wide range of software, including creative and office applications. Build quality is excellent, and the unique two-part design makes sense in several ways. The Keypad features nine LCD buttons that show the assigned functions in different software, which is incredibly useful, and the MX Console is also reasonably priced.

There are some quirks to the MX Console, and some of the profiles don’t always make sense in terms of the control assignment. You can, however, customise all of the controls, although some functionality does appear to be missing. Hopefully, future software updates will address these minor shortcomings to deliver improvements to an already impressive device.

Alternatives

The TourBox Lite, as the name suggests, is the most basic TourBox model available and, as such, comes in at an attractive price. It’s certainly not as fully featured as the more expensive models, but for many photographers, videographers and digital artists, it may be all that you need in terms of a tactile and precise physical controller for your favourite creative software.

The Lite sits at the beginner end of the TourBox stable, below the Neo, the Elite and the Elite Plus. The latter three are identical in layout, but the Elite and Elite Plus include additional features and functionality. To keep things simple and on track with the Lite, these other models have an additional control wheel and several extra buttons for assigning functions.

I’ve recently used and reviewed the TourBox Elite, so I know what to expect from the higher-end model, but I was also impressed with the performance of the Lite despite having fewer controls. It is undoubtedly a TourBox based purely on the design, excluding the TourBox logo on the top of the device, and one that potentially appears less daunting thanks to fewer controls.

Despite the significantly lower cost of the Lite, it’s still extremely well made and has a good weight that helps to keep it firmly in position without sliding around the desk. It can also be used with the same impressive software list as the more expensive models, making it an enticing control console for those on a budget.

TourBox Lite: Specifications

TourBox Lite: Price

The TourBox Lite is the most affordable TourBox model available and can be purchased from the TourBox website, Amazon and other retailers for $95 / £95 / AU$149 for the standalone device. If you intend to travel with the Lite and use it in different locations, you can add the handy carry case, which increases the cost slightly to $113 / £113 / AU$179.

The Lite is the entry-level model and comes in at an extremely attractive price, especially compared to the more advanced models. It offers fewer controls than these, and is only available in black, but the controls available will be enough for many people. Of course, more advanced photographers, videographers and digital artists could undoubtedly benefit from investing in the more expensive Neo, Elite or Elite Plus models, but the Lite can still do a great job.

TourBox Lite: Design & Handling

The TourBox Lite is slightly smaller and lighter than the more expensive models at 4.37x4.17x1.54in / 111x106x39mm with a weight of 11.61oz / 329g. It’s only slightly smaller and lighter, so it still sits firmly on your desk and doesn’t move too easily.

Build quality is also excellent, although the plastic body doesn’t feature the same UV antibacterial and fingerprint-resistant coating as the Elite and Elite Plus. Still, the matt finish doesn’t seem to pick up fingerprints, which is great.

The Lite comes packaged with a high-quality braided USB-C cable with a USB-A adaptor attached. This offers backwards compatibility to USB 2.0, so the device can be used with older computers and those that don’t have USB-C or no spare USB-C ports. Once connected, the TourBox Console software immediately recognises the device.

Although the more advanced models are no more difficult to use than the Lite, I do like the apparent simplicity of the device. And despite having fewer buttons, you can assign functions to button combinations, providing greater flexibility than you might expect simply looking at what’s on offer. Of course, the more advanced models also offer this functionality.

The controls available include one knob, one dial and eight buttons. There are only six standalone buttons, although the knob and dial both feature a button press so you can assign functions to these actions if you wish, hence saying there are two extra buttons. Also, there’s no D-pad on the Lite, which consists of four buttons on the other models.

For me, the lack of the wheel compared to the more expensive models did naturally reduce the amount of control available, but the knob and dial were more than adequate when editing video in Davinci Resolve, for example.

In true TourBox style, all of the controls on the Lite are blank since the device can be used with any software. The Presets available by default only cover a healthy list of programs, while the user-created presets cover an even greater number. With the blank controls, you can have the General HUD overlay active, which is a list of the control/function assignments, so you can see what everything does at a glance.

TourBox Lite: Performance

The Lite can’t be faulted in terms of performance, and it undoubtedly achieves its aim of speeding up creative workflows with tactile control. Like all TourBox models, there is a small learning curve to using the device because you’re trading some keyboard shortcuts and interface controls for physical controls. However, like anything, the more you use it, the more intuitive and natural it becomes.

Having used the TourBox Elite immediately before the Lite, I became accustomed to and enjoyed the haptic feedback available with the wheel, dial, and knob. Since the Lite is the most basic and least expensive model available, this feature is unsurprisingly not included, and I did miss it. It certainly doesn’t reduce the effectiveness of the device, it’s just a nice feature to have if available. However, at the competitive price of the Lite, this certainly isn’t an issue.

The Lite is controlled by the TourBox Console software, where there are built-in presets for use with various software programs. These can be customised, you can create your own and download user-created presets from the TourBox website. Presets are the assignment of shortcuts, macros and mouse actions to the TourBox’s physical controls.

Further to the physical controls is the TourMenu, which consists of several menu options within the TourBox software, specifically for programs that open on-screen software control options. These can provide fast access to useful controls and help to keep your attention focused on the screen rather than having to look down at your keyboard or the TourBox.

This next feature can be switched off, but it’s incredibly useful, so taking advantage of it makes a huge amount of sense. This is that the TourBox Console auto-switches between software, so you can immediately begin using the device across software without manual intervention. I tested this with several programs open at the same time and seamlessly switched between them while using the TourBox.

TourBox Lite: Verdict

The TourBox Lite may be an entry-level model, but it provides solid performance for a highly affordable and attractive price. It’s a wired device, but the USB-C cable comes with a USB-A adaptor so you don’t have to worry about buying one if you have no spare USB-C ports. Having fewer physical controls when compared to the more advanced models is noticeable, but the Lite still provides precise tactile control of creative software.

The TourBox Console software is easy to use, and creating custom presets couldn’t be simpler. I also enjoy the auto-switching between software programs because I didn’t have to break out of my workflow to switch manually. I did miss the haptic feedback of the Elite and Elite Plus models, but for the price of the Lite, you can’t go wrong.

Alternatives

Tactile controller consoles for photographers, videographers and digital artists have been around for a long time and remain as popular as ever. The TourBox Elite is a premium controller that allows for precise adjustments of a wide range of controls within creative software. You can work with existing software presets, download user-created presets and/or create your own.

TourBox has been around for a number of years, with the first TourBox model released in 2018. Since then, the company has grown, and the models available include the Lite, Neo and Elite Plus. The Elite Plus is the same as the Elite except for also providing iPad support alongside working with computers for creatives who use iPads for their creative work.

The TourBox Eilte is a simple controller that can be connected to your computer wirelessly via Bluetooth while being powered by two AA batteries, or it can be connected and powered with a USB-C cable. The TourBox Console software is incredibly easy to use and makes setting up and using the device incredibly easy and efficient.

I’ve used a wide range of control consoles and what I like about this one is that although it’s not cheap, it can be used with many software programs. Plus, although the buttons, wheels and dials are blank on the device, you can choose to have HUD overlays showing the controls on your screen to help.

TourBox Elite: Specifications

TourBox Elite: Price

The TourBox Elite can be purchased directly from the TourBox website, Amazon and other retailers. It’s also available in three colours: Classic Black, Ivory White and Modern Smoke-Black Translucent.

The Elite costs $239 / £241 / AU$386 for the standalone device, or you can add a USB-C cable and a carry case for $269 / £271 / AU$436. The optional carry case is a great accessory if you plan to use the TourBox in different locations.

This is quite expensive when you compare it to the TourBox Neo. The Neo is extremely similar to the Elite with the same control layout and many of the same features. However, the Elite has an upgraded chip, features haptic feedback on the wheels and dial and can be connected to computers via Bluetooth or USB-C, while the Neo is cable only.

TourBox Elite: Design & Handling

The TourBox Elite is an unintrusive device on your desk that’s just the right size to not look and feel overcrowded, with enough space between the controls to be able to differentiate between them without looking. None of these have labels, which makes sense because the device can be used with different software rather than being tied to one. This list of compatible software Presets is impressively long and, the Elite can be used with any software when you create custom Presets.

The Elite is 4.57x3.98x1.73in / 116x101x44mm so it’s compact despite the number of controls available. It weighs 13.26oz / 376g without batteries, so it sits solidly on your desk and has a pleasing weight when held. Batteries are claimed to last up to two months depending on the haptic feedback setting used and whether or not you switch it off after use, although it does enter a sleep mode when not in use.

The build quality of the Elite is excellent, and the controls feel robust, as does the overall design. The review model was the Modern Smoke-Black Translucent, so you can just about see through the device body to the electronics beneath without being distracted by the internals of the device.

The Classic Black option looks great, too, although I would worry that the Ivory White version would pick up dirt. Saying that, TourBox claims that the Elite features a UV antibacterial and fingerprint-resistant coating, and the test model certainly didn’t pick up fingerprints, so that part is certainly true.

Going back to the controls available, these include one wheel, one knob, one dial and 14 buttons. Three of these aren’t strictly buttons, but are the wheel, knob and dial. I’ve included these as buttons since they also have a button press that can be assigned functions. Four of the buttons also make up a D-pad.

Since the buttons are blank, you may be wondering how you know what function has been applied to each control across the different creative software programs you use. This is achieved either by memory, which would come into effect over time, but you can also opt to have HUD overlays active. This shows what every button is assigned to do and is visible on-screen. It is, as you’d expect, extremely useful.

TourBox Elite: Performance

The Elite works extremely well, although it cannot be denied that you have to get used to it before you can fully appreciate the tactile and precise control it offers. Also, if you’re someone who uses keyboard shortcuts, this can add to the time it takes to build familiarity, although the TourBox and shortcuts go hand-in-hand. You can, of course, build a workflow that works for you and using the TourBox alongside keyboard shortcuts worked well for me.

One feature that does make a difference to the user experience is haptic feedback on the wheel, knob, and dial. This undoubtedly adds to the analogue feel of the device, and there are two levels of intensity available, as well as the option to switch it off. It certainly makes these controls feel more mechanical, although the clicking sound produced is a little annoying. It does, however, become less noticeable over time.

The device is essentially controlled by the TourBox Console software, which is incredibly intuitive and easy to use. Within this, there are presets for different software already available; you can create your own based on specific software, start with a blank preset and also download user-created presets from the TourBox website. presets are the configuration of the device in terms of function assignment.

Functions that can be assigned to controls include shortcuts, macros and mouse actions. One useful function that can also be assigned is the TourMenu, which is made up of several menu options within the TourBox software that open on-screen software control options. These can provide extremely fast access to the controls you want and need.

An aspect of the TourBox Console that’s a little confusing at first is that the wheel, dial and knob speed and haptic feedback strength controls are found within the presets rather than the global settings menu. When these two settings are adjusted in a single software preset, they are indeed applied globally to all other presets.

TourBox Console also auto-switches between software, which is fantastic because it works well and maintains a more streamlined workflow when using multiple creative programs. You can switch this functionality off, but why would you?

What would be useful is a general preset created by TourBox that controls operating system functions and Office software when not using creative software. You can, however, create your own custom preset to cover these kinds of functions and download user-created presets for them.

TourBox Elite: Verdict

The TourBox Elite is one of the two higher-end TourBox models offering excellent build quality alongside a pleasant weight that keeps the device firmly in position. Bluetooth connectivity keeps your desk cable-free unless you decide to connect and power via USB-C, while the haptic feedback and great software make it a pleasure to use. The main downsides are that it’s not cheap and there’s no built-in operating system preset for general computer use.

The device is designed for use without having to look at it, and this can be achieved thanks to the different-sized and shaped buttons and controls. What’s more, the optional on-screen HUDs outline what function each button is programmed to perform. You can also adjust existing presets or create your own for a more personalised experience, which is useful.

Alternatives

The ‘Big N’ has slipped out a snippet of news that you might have missed, what with the fanfare surrounding today’s big news that the Nikon Z5 II has arrived. But if you’re a Nikon videographer, the announcement that Adobe Premiere Pro will finally support the legendary manufacturer’s proprietary N-RAW video format will be the bigger revelation, with planned implementation by the end of this year.

N-RAW’s lack of support via the industry standard editing software has arguably held Nikon’s huge charge into the video sphere over the past few years back a bit, with users forced to use another codec or swap to compatible software such as DaVinci Resolve. And with Nikon’s latest top-tier cameras like the Nikon Z6 III, Nikon Z8, and Nikon Z9, boasting formidable video specs, it’s entirely possible that N-RAW’s compatibility issues have prevented some creatives from introducing these powerful cameras into their video setup.

N-RAW is a 12-bit RAW video codec (which supports Rec. 2020 color gamut) that’s designed to deliver high quality footage, while minimizing file sizes, it’ll deliver smaller file sizes than Nikon users’ other Raw option, Apple ProRes RAW, making it a useful format for videographers who require top-notch video footage and want to save more space. That said, any Raw video file is going to be big, so the vast majority of Nikon videographers will still stick with H.265 (HEVC) or 10-bit ProRes most of the time.

Still, this is a huge deal for Raw video shooters and following Nikon’s much-talked-about acquisition of RED, it’s yet another boost to the ‘Big N’s’ rep as a serious video contender. Nikon has made no secret that RED is the reason why Adobe Premiere Pro N-RAW support will exist, thanks to it gaining access to the cinema camera giant's R3D software development kit.

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Blackmagic Design has released The Beginner’s Guide to DaVinci Resolve 19, a free, step-by-step training guide aimed at both new and experienced users of the powerful DaVinci Resolve video editing software. This comprehensive guide walks users through the industry-standard tools available in DaVinci Resolve, covering everything from video editing and color grading to audio enhancement and visual effects.

The release of this free resource comes at a time when more filmmakers and video editors are shifting away from costly subscription-based software like Adobe Premiere Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve’s free software, or the one-time purchase model and industry-leading features of DaVinci Resolve Studio. With this new guide, Blackmagic Design is making it easier than ever for creators to learn and master its software without additional financial barriers.

The guide takes a project-based approach to learning, enabling users to work through real-world examples while gaining hands-on experience with DaVinci Resolve’s tools. Lessons include editing techniques, normalizing audio levels, adding effects, automatically mixing music, color correction fundamentals, and advanced grading techniques.

Users will also learn how to create Power Windows, track objects, apply ResolveFX, organize projects with proxy files, sync and manage audio, enhance audio with the Fairlight page, and build custom titles and visual effects with the Fusion page. The guide also covers project delivery in various formats, including optimized settings for social media platforms.

As filmmakers seek cost-effective and high-performance alternatives to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, DaVinci Resolve has emerged as a top contender. Known for its powerful color grading tools, seamless editing workflow, and professional-level audio features, it has become a go-to solution for many independent creators and production studios alike. The addition of a comprehensive, freely available guide only strengthens its appeal, making the transition from other platforms smoother for new users.

For those considering making the switch to DaVinci Resolve or simply looking to refine their skills, The Beginner’s Guide to DaVinci Resolve 19 is a valuable resource. The book is available for free on Blackmagic Design’s official website, providing accessible, high-quality training to a growing community of DaVinci Resolve users.

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When I came across YouTuber Alucinor Productions’ video, “Is Digital Color Grading Destroying Modern Movies?”, it felt like unearthing some kind of revelation. I instantly knew what the video was going to be about, because it’s a subject that’s sat in my movie-minded subconscious for years.

I know plenty of casual moviegoers who flat-out refuse to watch older movies. And while there are a multitude of reasons why older films may feel different to modern productions – such as jankier CGI, slower pacing, simpler transitions, lighting and much more – one of the biggest differences between then and now, which probably doesn’t get mentioned enough, is color grading.

ABOVE: Watch the video and see if you agree

The concept of color grading isn’t new. Various color-altering methods were used prior to digital filmmaking, such as the bleach bypass technique – which would reduce or remove the film bleaching process to desaturate the footage – famously used to achieve Saving Private Ryan’s iconic aesthetic.

But when digital filmmaking came along, it made the process of color grading cheaper and easier, while dramatically increasing the filmmaker’s possibilities. The problem is, it’s used so often and to such an extent that it can arguably hamper the viewing experience and therefore the story being told.

It seems like every film and television show that comes out nowadays is color-graded to the Nth degree. Alucinor Productions’ video (above) uses a jarring scene in Brad Pitt’s World War Z as a case study to illustrate this point. As he puts it so succinctly: “For audiences to psychologically buy in, the grade must at the very least be tonally consistent with the material.”

And to prove that extreme color grading can also be used to great effect, he cites Mad Max: Fury Road’s saturated blue skies and warm yellow hues as benefitting the film's crazed nature.

Personally, my favorite example of extreme color grading done right is Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. This film, about a romance between a woman and an underwater creature, trapped in a government laboratory, has a very distinctive murky blue and green grade. It’s clearly meant to simulate being underwater. And when paired with a very unconventional love story, the unconventional grade works well.

But Alucinor Productions’ point is that many movies are graded without such attention to detail, almost for the sake of it. He uses Jurassic World as an example, showing a behind-the-scenes clip of a muddy, brown river that looks teal in the final edit. The difference is not only striking, but a world away from the realism of the colors portrayed in the Steven Spielberg original.

And it’s older films like Jurassic Park where the YouTuber wonders whether the filmmakers of today could learn a thing or two. And I certainly agree with his point that, in the right film, a more realistic color grade can help to immerse audiences, while an extreme grade can pull them from that immersion.

Make sure you watch the video for all of Alucinor Productions’ thoughts on color grading and the many examples he draws from. I really think he’s hit upon something we need to pull from our subconscious and talk about more.

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Despite introducing us to some of the best photo editing software, I can't remember a time when it wasn't hip to hate on Adobe. After all, it's a mega-corporation that could, theoretically, hold the creative industry to ransom with its roster of industry-standard software (unless you're to believe that could all change with Apple's recent acquisition of Pixelmator). But lately – following that messy AI T&Cs debacle – it seems the Adobe naysayers are out in force.

Ask a pool of creatives what they despise most about Adobe, and you can bet your bottom dollar the vast majority will say Creative Cloud's subscription model. And although I'm well aware I'm in the minority, I've always considered it preferable to the old Creative Suite's one-off payments, especially if you can land a juicy Black Friday deal.

I first encountered Adobe software when I studied art and photography at college, circa 2008. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator lessons were my absolute favorites. I soon conquered the learning curve and found myself digging deeper into the CS4 software as an extracurricular activity. Every chance I got, I was glued to an Apple iMac in my classroom. The problem was, I had to go home at some point…

I consider myself to have had a fortunate upbringing, but my parents certainly couldn't justify spending $199 on Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended Student Edition (nearly $300 today, adjusting for inflation - find out about current Adobe student discounts). Let alone Illustrator…

So, for about a year, I learned how to use Photoshop by day and spent my evenings working out how I did the exact same thing on open-source software GIMP. Eventually, a friend introduced me to a cracked version of CS2, later CS5, but these were buggy and the latter came with a nasty virus…

Once I'd left college there was absolutely no way I could afford Adobe's huge prices. Sure, upgrade prices weren't nearly as bad, but getting a foot on the Adobe ladder was simply unobtainable for me. And I'm guessing, thousands of other fledgling creatives. Eventually, I was able to access Adobe software at work, but even then, I was forced to use CS5, even after the release of CS6. Not the end of the world, but not having access to new features was certainly an annoyance.

Then, in 2011, Adobe launched Creative Cloud. By mid-2013, Creative Suite's tenure had come to an end. There would be no CS7, a Creative Cloud subscription was the only option if you wanted the latest Adobe software. And while many creatives – presumably those paying for significantly cheaper upgrades – lambasted the payment model, I could finally afford Adobe software and would never have to worry about putting down a big lump sum. Best of all, so long as my hardware was up to scratch, it would always be up to date.

This is why I've always preferred the subscription model. It's more accessible for fledgling creatives. I don't think anyone can deny that a big down payment of hundreds of dollars is a huge ask for a student or start-up. Besides, Adobe certainly wasn't the first company to enforce a subscription model and nowadays, subscriptions are the digital norm. Everything from Microsoft's Game Pass to Amazon Prime requires a subscription.

So why all the hate? Well, some people like to own the software they use. And while this is always going to be preferable, it's worth noting that – now physical media is all but extinct when it comes to computing software – you never truly own a digital download. This is something I mention in more detail when discussing the fact that Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 is no longer yours for life.

I'm sure the main concern is that the subscription model is cumulatively more expensive than the one-off payments of yesteryear. Now, my biggest gripe with Creative Cloud is that the subscription options are unnecessarily complicated. You can subscribe to individual applications, there's a Photography plan, an All Apps plan, you can add Adobe Stock plans, choose to pay an annual lump sum, an annual monthly plan or a monthly plan that you can cancel at any time. There are business models, student models, sales throughout the year, the list goes on and on…

This means that savvier users can end up paying less than others, so long as they choose the right plan and are willing to take out a subscription during a sale period. Heck, some people wait until the renewal period, then threaten to cancel their subscription, only to take advantage of any 'leaving' discounts. It's a bit of a mess. And if you don't navigate it properly, you could end up paying over the odds.

Add in inflation and it's extremely difficult to work out where the subscription model stands in relation to the one-off payments of yesteryear. Regardless, I decided to crunch a few numbers to see if I could draw any conclusions.

The standard all-apps package costs $59.99 / £56.98 per month (if you commit to a year). It's $89.99 / £85.48 if you take out the 'cancel any time, no fee' plan. I'm going to crunch the annual monthly plan, since that's what I think most users will use. Within reason, a new Creative Suite was released every two years. So, 24 months using All Apps totals $1,439.76 / £1,367.52.

Students and teachers get the All Apps plan for $19.99 / £16.24 per month for a year and $34.99 / £28.99 thereafter. That's $239.88 / £194.88 for the first year and $419.88 / £347.88 for the second year, totalling $659.76 / £542.76.

Compare these figures to CS6 one-off prices and the results are pretty interesting. The standard CS6 Master Collection cost $2,599 / £2,223. I could only find reliable US pricing for the Education bundle, $999. Clearly, the subscription model is cheaper. But upgrades muddy the water. Once again, it's very hard to find reliable CS6 pricing nowadays, but a post on the Adobe Community forums reveals that upgrading from the CS5 Master Collection to CS6 cost $1,049. Now, that's less than a yearly Creative Cloud All Apps subscription.

So, let's assume Master Collection upgrades would have continued roughly around that price. If you paid $2,599 for the CS6 Master Collection and every two years you paid $1,049 for the subsequent upgrade, after four years you would have paid $3,648, six years, $4,697, eight years $5,746 and 10 years $6,795. Now for the Creative Cloud All Apps plan. After four years, $2,879.52, after six years, $4,319.28, after eight years, $5,759.04, and 10 years, $7,198.80.

So, take those figures at face value and over a 10-year period Adobe's old model is cheaper. In fact, it's cheaper after eight years and would continue to get comparatively cheaper as the years roll by.

But, this really isn't a fair experiment. I haven't accounted for inflation, I haven't accounted for any Creative Suite discounts or price hikes and I haven't accounted for any Creative Cloud discounts or price hikes. Let's not forget, you can save plenty of money on the latter depending on when you take out your plan and how you choose to maintain it. And of course, I've only compared the Master Collection and All App plans, individual software could turn up different results and Lightroom wasn't even included in the CS6 Master Collection, so there's another important variable.

If I can deduce anything from my laymen's number crunching, it's that we're probably not losing out big time when it comes to Creative Cloud. And of course, Creative Cloud is a smoother experience, with instant updates and access to the cloud.

There is of course a wider discussion about Adobe's dominance within the creative industry and the high fees it's always been able to set when it comes to its software. Then again, it's worth noting that before Adobe came along, retouching was extremely expensive. According to Wikipedia: "When Photoshop 1.0 was released, digital retouching on dedicated high-end systems (...) cost around $300 an hour for basic photo retouching. The list price of Photoshop 1.0 for Macintosh in 1990 was $895."

Huh, maybe that puts things into perspective...

Interested in editing? Check out the best video editing software and the best monitors for photo editing.

With the proliferation of AI-generated imagery and rise of deepfake video, it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell whether footage you're viewing is genuine or not. To combat this, everybody's favorite video-streaming service YouTube is rolling out a new 'Captured with a camera' label that verifies whether an uploaded video was shot on a real camera and contains unaltered footage and sound.

To qualify as 'Captured with a camera' footage, the video must be shot on a device that uses the CP2A authentication standard, which embeds authentication information into the metadata, so what content was shot when and where can be traced.

Digital content authentication service Trupic has produced what it says is the “first authentic video with C2PA Content Credentials on YouTube.” Fittingly, it was recorded at San Diego Zoo, the location of the very first video ever uploaded to the platform by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim back on April 23, 2005.

YouTube is using this data to authenticate that videos were recorded with genuine cameras. They don't need to be unedited to get the badge, but according to Youtube's support page, it won't allow any edits that break the chain of provenance or make it impossible to trace the video back to its original source, any significant alterations to the video’s core nature or content including sounds or visuals, or any edits that make the video incompatible with C2PA standards 2.1 and above.

YouTube users can already voluntarily flag videos as being their own AI creations, but this works in the opposite way, not only allowing them to label their video as real, but being being verifiable using technical standards.

However, as the C2PA standard is relatively new and only appears in select camera models, such as the Sony A1, A9 III and A7S III with a recent firmware update, it cannot verify footage from the past – meaning the 1969 moon landings would not qualify for a YouTube 'Captured with a camera' status. So it's unlikely to quieten any 'fake or not' conspiracy theorists any time soon…

• This is the world's first industry standard to assure a photo's authenticity
• What are Content Credentials and can they save photography
• Canon, Nikon and Sony are banding together in the fight against fake images

If you think photo editing is complicated enough, then video editing can feel ten times worse. It’s not just the extra complication of moving images, timing and timelines, but the further complication of sound. 

Thank goodness, then, for programs like Adobe Premiere Pro 2025, which aims to make video editing accessible to beginners. And not just accessible in terms of jargon and editing steps, but with accessible pricing too. Unlike Adobe Premiere Pro, which is available only on subscription, Premiere Elements 2025 is sold for a one-off license fee.

There is one (new) catch. Premiere Elements 2025 now comes with a fixed three-year license term, so it’s no longer software you can buy once and use forever. That said, Adobe updates both Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements annually, so it’s unlikely you’ll be using it in three years anyway.

Premiere Elements uses the same combination of Quick, Guided and Advanced modes found in Adobe Photoshop Elements, with the aim of catering for users of all experience levels. This is one of its key selling points.

Even so, it faces competition from some of the best free video editing software out there today, and once you start looking at paid-for products, it's up against some of the best video editors on the market.

Premiere Elements 2025: What’s new?

Adobe updates both Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements annually. You don’t have to upgrade every year, but there may be enough new features to make it worthwhile. Here’s a run-down of what’s new in Premiere Elements 2025:

New dynamic title designs with free Adobe Stock templates and new controls for styling and animating text. These are a great way to introduce longer movies.

New color correction tools improve Premiere Pro’s color enhancements, including a new white balance tool and color correction curves. and creative color grading options. Also new is support for LUTs, both camera log profile LUT conversions and creative LUTs you can supplement by importing your own. LUTs are a big part of creative color grading in video.

There’s also new, simplified timeline in the Advanced mode, where video and audio tracks are now grouped together (standard practise in other video editors). Adobe has also added support for Apple’s latest M3 processor, and has launched mobile and web companion apps too, though these are currently in beta. 

Adding ‘beta’ features to new software versions seems to be standard practise at Adobe now. At some point we can expect these to become final versions, but these beta tools are still functional.

It’s not the biggest list of new features ever, and if you currently own Premiere Elements 2024 there may not be enough here to tempt you to upgrade. 

Premiere Elements 2025: Price and availability

Adobe Premiere Elements 2025 is available now direct from the Adobe website and costs $99.99 / £86.99 (about AU$145.99). You can also get it as part of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 & Premiere Elements 2025 bundle, which costs $149.99 / £130.49 (about AU$219.99). 

That’s not a bad price considering what you get, and in a market where more and more software publishers are shifting towards subscription plans. 

Premiere Elements 2025: Interface and usability

Premiere Elements 2025 follows the same pattern as Photoshop Elements. It uses the same companion Organizer app for photos and videos, and the same Home page window for browsing projects and launching tasks.

All the serious work is done in Premiere Elements itself, which attempts to cater for different user levels with its Quick, Guided and Advanced views. The idea is that the Quick view is a simple no-fuss, jargon-free editor, the Guided view walks you through more advanced processes when you’re ready to develop your skills and the Advanced view is for when you’re fully up to speed. 

This works up to a point, but there are aspects about the Quick mode which aren’t entirely convincing – it’s as if Adobe hasn’t really made a simpler video editor, but simply swept a lot of the technicalities under the carpet.

One very obvious example is the way Effects are applied via two buttons on the right side of the screen. Effects are applied by one button, which opens up an Effects browser but the effect settings are only visible if you click the second 'settings' button. Once you get that, it’s fine. But the effects are the same across all three views and many have quite complex parameters, for example the Shake Reduction effect has some fairly advanced options (and it’s not the worst for this) that someone using the Quick view might not be ready for.

Incidentally, the Shake Reduction effect changes its name to ‘Stabilization’ in the effects settings panel. Also, the timeline in the Quick view is called the ‘sceneline’. This kind of ad hoc jargon swapping isn’t helpful. 

Guided view does offer an introduction to manual video editing tools by walking you through each step, but it doesn’t seem quite as integrated as the Guided mode in Photoshop Elements. It’s more like an interactive help guide that tells you where tools are and what to do with them – it doesn’t present them ready to use in the Guided panel. 

The Advanced panel certainly gives you the most hands-on control and there’s enough here for some reasonably ambitious video projects, though the style of the motion graphics templates shows the emphasis is clearly on amateur/family use. 

Premiere Elements is powerful enough for most users, but it’s some way short of a professional editor like Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Even the free version of Resolve is much more powerful than this, supporting multiple timelines in a single project, ‘bins’ for advanced media management and full-blown audio editing and equalization tools in its Fairlight module.

In a strange way, in attempting to make Premiere Elements simple, Adobe has made it complicated. It’s attempted to simplify the complicated processes of video editing, but over-complicated the possible pathways and approaches you can take in making your movie.

Premiere Elements 2025: Performance

Premiere Elements 2025 performs pretty well on the whole, but not always. I did try the automatic highlight reel feature in Quick mode by feeding it around 30 clips from a day’s shooting in Cornwall, consisting of timelapses, slow motions, an RNLI lifeboat leaving a harbour, people diving and swimming and dogs playing in the surf on a beach – and after Adobe’s AI spend about half an hour (very literally) digesting and analyzing all this footage, it decided I didn’t have enough content for a highlight reel. Great. That’s half an hour I won’t get back.

The stabilization effect works well, and that’s very useful with unstabilized cameras and can also help with any left-over micro-jitters with those that do. Premiere Elements is not especially quick at analyzing the footage, but not really any worse than other video editors.

The color correction and grading tools are effective too, but they do seem rather fussy and old-fashioned, being based mainly around sliders rather than the more intuitive color wheels in Lightroom’s Color Grading panel, for example, or the color wheels other video editors. 

The audio editing tools are basic but effective. If you’ve got a lot of wind noise from using unshielded mics in windy conditions outdoors, for example, the High Pass filter does a good job of suppressing it. I also like the bundled music tracks and Adobe’s clever Remix technologies for adapting their length and intensity to match the video.

Where Premiere Elements is particularly strong is its huge range of visual effects, such as Vignetting, Lighting Effects, LavaLamp, GoldenLight… it’s a long list. However, many of these are novelty effects you’re unlikely to consider for more serious projects. (Was that diplomatic enough?)

Premiere Elements 2025: Verdict

To a degree, Premiere Elements 2025 basks in the aura of Premiere Pro, promising many of the same features and capabilities in a much more affordable and accessible program. The reality is somewhat different. Premiere Elements 2025 feels like a much older program that’s being kept going by a smattering of new features with every annual update. Underneath all that dazzling potential is a somewhat ordinary mid-range video editor with some clever AI features that often work well but sometimes don’t, and effects and graphics that would be fine for a school presentation, but not so much in a commercial environment.

But still, if you’re a Windows user it doesn’t have a lot of competition that is subscription free. It is pretty good value, even if  in the end you just go straight to the Advanced mode and ignore all the rest.

For Mac owners I think it’s slightly different because they’ve already got iMovie. Premiere Pro is more powerful, but you won’t always need its extra gadgets and you might not appreciate its extra complexity. iMovie does more than you expect, Premiere Pro might do less.

And then on both platforms there’s DaVinci Resolve. It’s free and it’s ridiculously powerful. It has a steep learning curve, but the hours you’ll spend figuring out stuff in Premiere Elements will get you quite a long way with DaVinci Resolve too.

Premiere Elements 2025: Alternatives

It's Adobe Max 2024! Which means Adobe is divulging all the details on the big projects it has been working on since the last Max – and unsurprisingly, for anyone following recent years, the focus is again all about Generative AI.

Since its launch, Adobe’s Firefly AI models have become an immensely popular part of Photoshop, Lightroom, and Express, (over 4 billion images generated!) and have rapidly expanded into touching every part of the Adobe ecosystem. AI has certainly changed the photo editing game forever – now Adobe aims to inspire a similar shift in video editing with the launch of the first public beta for generative AI for video.

So, what’s new in the beta? The big news is Adobe has added its first publically available AI video models to extend video or audio to cover gaps in footage, smooth out jarring transitions, and hold shots for longer. I have just seen a demonstration of some of the features on offer and it looks mind-blowing.

All these work in a similar way, you click and drag out the AI generator tool to fill in gaps in your timeline, and the AI works to analyze the clip you are editing and generate new frames that perfectly match that clip. The AI works out if the shot is best held static or if it should continue the current camera movement in the clip. It is really that simple, and in Adobe's demonstrations, the results are really impressive.

I am notoriously bad at holding shots for not quite long enough or not remembering to get enough b-roll footage, and Generative Extend is definitely set to save me a lot of stress in trying to fill the inevitable gaps I always find in my footage when I come to edit it.

Quick side note – Generative Extend is not to be confused with Generative Expand from apps like Photoshop, which can be used to expand the background of an image and add in more information, which Premiere doesn’t (currently) offer.

Check out a very quick demo of the software in action below:

Adobe is quick to point out that its AI is commercially safe by design and is trained on Adobe licensed stock and public domain content, with the model adhering to Adobe AI ethics principles, and is connected to the Adobe-led Content Credentials initiative to label any content generated using AI models.

This isn't the OpenAI Sora video generator equivalent that many were hoping for just yet. But while you also can’t yet generate new footage directly in Premiere Pro from a text or video prompt – it’s not far away. Adobe has teased a new text-to-video or image-to-video generator which will be available in Firefly soon (you can join the waitlist now).

If you have an Adobe Premiere Pro or All Apps subscription you can sign up for the Adobe Premiere Pro (Beta) right now in the Apps panel on Creative Cloud, and then select the Beta tab at the top.

Check out more options for video editing with our guide to the best video editing software.

DaVinci Resolve 19 is published by BlackMagic Design, the company behind Pocket Cinema and Ursa cinema cameras, together with a range video production equipment and mixers. It actually comes in two versions. DaVinci Resolve 19, which is free, and Davinci Resolve 19 Studio, which is a more powerful version sold separately but also bundled with some BlackMagic hardware products.

Both versions of DaVinci Resolve 19 are professional video editing applications on the same level as Apple Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro. They incorporate powerful audio and effects tools too, so they are designed as all-in-one video editing solutions.

It's a kind of win-win for BlackMagic Design, because while DaVinci Resolve is one of the best free video editing tools you can get, DaVinci Resolve Studio is one of the best professional video editors.

You might imagine that the free version is pretty limited and designed to act as a tempter for the full product, but that’s not how it works in this instance. DaVinci Resolve 19 is a fully featured editor in its own right, with perhaps all the power – and more – that solo shooters, content creators and small production teams might need. There’s no catch.

DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 is a much more powerful tool that brings a multitude of AI workflow, editing and enhancement features and is designed for collaborative workflows and large-scale productions. BlackMagic claims DaVinci Resolve is “Hollywood’s most popular solution for editing, visual effects, motion graphics, color correction and audio post production.”

DaVinci Resolve 19: What’s new?

The new features in Davinci Resolve 19 are concentrated in the Studio version. There are so many that it would take thousands of words to describe them all, but here are a few highlights:

Auto Stingers: These can be moving graphics or sound transitions to let viewers know a scene or a camera viewpoint has changed.

Text Based Timeline Editing: You can edit clips based on their transcribed text directly, with multiple voice recognition and named speakerst.

AI Speech to Text Transcription: Automatically transcribes video and audio clips, with the ability to mark in and out points to edit or delete text, add markers, remove silence.

Automatic Subtitles: Transcribes speech to text automatically into a subtitle track on the timeline. 

AI Based Voice Isolation: Removes unwanted sounds from voice recording, and ideal for presenting or interviewing noisy environments. There’s also a new Built-in Dialogue Leveler.

UltraNR Noise Reduction: Uses the new DaVinci Neural Engine to reduce digital noise but maintain clarity. 

Film Look Creator: Adds cinematic ‘film’ looks with halation, bloom, grain, flicker, gate weave and vignetting.

Automatic Depth Map: Generates a 3D depth matte of a scene to allow separate foreground/background grading.

AI Audio Panning: A new IntelliTrack AI point tracker can follow people or objects as they move across the frame.

IntelliTrack AI Tracking: Powered by the DaVinci Neural Engine to optimize panning and tracking.

Music Remixer FX: Separates music into voice, drums, base, guitar, for example, for selective remixing.

Person Mask: Another DaVinci Neural Engine feature, this time to detect, mask and track people and their movement in a shot.

SuperScale: Advanced upscaling algorithm superior to standard resizing controls and ideal for scaling “archival footage” to today’s resolutions..

Smart Reframe for Social Media: Create square or vertical versions of shots using the DaVinci Neural Engine to identify key action and reframe the shot automatically.

Object Removal: You can use this to cover up moving objects in a scene – and there’s a Patch Removal option for static objects.

Optical Flow Speed Change: Uses an advanced retiming algorithm to slow down and extend the action in a sequence with frames “intelligently constructed” from existing visual data.

Track and Follow Objects: Follow objects and people in 3D space with masking for selective grading and effects.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. DaVinci Resolve 19 Studio is a major new release, so at this point you might be debating whether to upgrade. You don’t really need to worry, though, because your existing Resolve Studio license will still be valid.

If you’re not currently a Resolve user and you’re wondering if this is the right software for you, then there is a fully-featured free trial that will give you plenty of time to make your mind up.

DaVinci Resolve 19: Price and availability

DaVinci Resolve comes in two versions. DaVinci Resolve 19 is the free version, and is a full-powered video editor with no time limits or upgrade nagging. DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 is a more powerful version aimed at high-end studios and filmmakers. It sells for $295 / £235. Be aware, though, that many BlackMagic hardware products, such as its Pocket Cinema cameras, come with a Studio license included, so you may not have to pay at all. BlackMagic updates DaVinci Resolve regularly, but does not currently charge for updates.

DaVinci Resolve 19 vs Resolve Studio 19

Will the free version of DaVinci Resolve 19 be enough for you, or will you need the advanced tools in the paid-for Studio version. The first point to make is that the free version is not simply a cut-down version with extra features you can unlock. It’s a separate, fully-featured and very powerful professional video editing tool in its own right. The fact that it’s free really is quite remarkable. Nevertheless, there are things the Studio version does that the free version doesn’t, so here’s a brief run-down.

First, the free version is limited to 4K resolution and 60fps. This will be fine for many creators out there, but if you film in 6K open gate or 8K, you will need the Studio version, which go right up to 32K resolution (!) and 120p frame rates.

The free version offers pretty much all the video editing tools and effects you could ask for in a regular video editor, but the Studio version brings extremely powerful AI features such as UltraNR noise reduction, intelligent tracking, magic masking, music remixing and more. It’s a long, long list.

The Studio version is also better for resolution changes and horizontal/vertical crop options. It has a SuperScale feature to upscale 1080 video to 4K, for example, and a Smart Reframe feature that uses the software’s neural engine to crop and follow key objects.

You also get a new Film Look creator, whereas previously you might have needed a plug-in like Dehance. So while much of the increased power of Resolve Studio 19 is aimed at large production studios and multi-cam, multi-person setups, there’s still a lot for individual creators, filmmakers and smaller studios.

Perhaps the best approach is to start with the free version, see how you get on and then check the features in the Studio version to see if it’s worth swapping.

DaVinci Resolve 19: Interface and usability

Rating Davinci Resolve 19 for design and usability is difficult. It’s a bit like Photoshop, in that it’s designed for speed, efficiency and clarity for professional users. It’s not designed as an easy introduction to video editing for beginners.

For a start, it’s organized into seven different panels, or workspaces. There is some overlap between them, but each one focuses on a specific area of editing. First is the Media panel, where you organize your media into Bins, add new timelines and generally manage all the assets used in the project. Next is the descriptively named Cut panel, where you cut your clips and media together in your video timeline. The Edit panel is where you make detailed adjustments to the video and audio tracks, clip by clip, and after that you have the Fusion panel for special effects, the Color panel for in-depth color grading and Fairlight panel for detailed audio adjustments. Finally there’s the Deliver panel, where you choose your video output settings.

You may not use all these panels, you probably won’t use them in order but jump to and fro as needed, and you may certain workflows more intuitive for you.

That’s just a quick, simple tour. In fact, each panel offers huge depth of control, and there’s a lot to take in. There are some great tutorials online to get you started, but if you’re a new user you should still expect to spend a few hours getting up to speed, much of it absorbing the techniques and terminology of high-end video editing. 

If you’re coming here from Final Cut or Premiere Pro you’ll already know the principles and just need to adapt to a new environment. If you’re coming here from iMovie on the Mac, say, or any other basic video editor, then it’s going to take a little longer to gain any kind of fluency. But if you’re a first-time video editor looking for a free tool to get you started, then DaVinci Resolve will probably scare you to death.

DaVinci Resolve 19: Performance

Video editing is a hardware-intensive process, and the higher the resolution and frame rates you work at, the more processing power is required. This, and the fact that everyone’s hardware setup is different, makes it hard to measure performance. On my old 2017 iMac with 16GB RAM it ran well enough up to 4K resolution but wasn’t fast – it felt about as speedy as iMovie. On my newer Mac Studio with 32GB RAM and Apple Silicon it’s very fast. If you’re going to work at higher resolutions and frame rates, though, with a lot of real time FX and audio/video track mixing, you’ll probably need to look again at your hardware setup. 

DaVinci Resolve 19: Verdict

DaVinci Resolve is available as a free version which has much of the power of paid-for professional video editors, together with an efficient workflow and powerful audio and grading tools. But just because it’s free, it doesn’t mean it’s good for beginners. There is a great deal of excellent training material online, but new users will have a lot to learn and even users with some experience of other video editors will need time to adapt to Resolve’s way of working.

And then there’s DaVinci Resolve 19 Studio. This is a professional video editing powerhouse that packs in just about every AI enhancement and effects tool imaginable and is right at the cutting edge of video production. This is the version you’ll need if you want to edit 6K video, 8K and beyond. It does come with a fairly stiff one-off license fee – unless you buy a BlackMagic camera or certain other BlackMagic products, which include a free Resolve Studio license key.

For amateurs, and many professionals, DaVinci Resolve 19 is the best free video software you can get – if you can put in the time to learn it. And for those who need to go further, Resolve 19 Studio is the next logical step and one of the top three professional video editors on the market right now.

DaVinci Resolve 19: Alternatives

Trying to find the best video production console has been a challenging task in the past. There are a number of requirements that need to be met, from the simple number of video sources, to mixing in the audio in a controllable way, on to adding lower thirds and other graphics, alongside previewing outputs before sending them to a live stream. We’ve all seen broadcasts where technical hitches break the flow and that’s something I’m keen to avoid, especially when I’m trying to deliver content for a video or visual effects based audience.

I’ve had good results from devices like Blackmagic Design’s Atem Mini Pro switcher and its siblings but I was keen to see if the Rodecaster Video could become an all-in-one solution.

Rode has built a solid reputation with its solutions for audio, with excellent wireless mics (more on this later) for filmmakers and their well received podcasting gear. The Rodecaster Video looks like it may well be the solution to the user needing a compact and comprehensive controller.

Specifications

Processor: Octacore

Screen: 2” touchscreen

Inputs: 4x HDMI. 2 x USB-C, Bluetooth, Wireless, 2 x XLR combo

Outputs: 2 x ¼” headphone, ¼” Speaker outs

Price and availablity

The Rodecaster Video was launched in September 2024 for a recommended retail price of $1,199 / £999. That works out a little more than some of the competition but a fair price, considering the features and quality of components, alongside the excellent performance.

Build and handling

The Rodecaster Video has a huge range of in and outs on the rear, including four HDMI ins and a pair of outs, two Neutrik combo jacks, USB-C ports as well as wireless receivers and Bluetooth connection, allowing for multiple video and audio inputs. 

The power enters on this panel as well, by way of a USB-C port and there are two ¼” headphone jacks sitting alongside a pair of ¼” speaker outputs. Personally, I’d like to have seen at least one headphone jack on the front of the device, as I like to use cans for multiple tasks, and that would save fishing around each time I want to listen to something else.

The top/front face is where all the control happens, dominated by the two rows of rubber buttons, used for selecting channels and scenes, as well as shortcuts to things like selecting overlays and keying options.

There’s also a bright touchscreen that is used for settings and deeper controls. Two rotary controls sit above, one for menus and the other for audio output levels, pressing to switch between the two headphone and speaker levels. The levels are shown by a growing ring of coloured LEDS, which works well but it is a shame you can’t instantly see the three together.

Everything looks and feels well built and, while I’m not a fan of rubber buttons, everything is nice to engage and that touch screen is both bright, clear and responsive.

You will need to download the Rode Central software for your Mac or PC, using which you can control the device, as well as setup scenes, update the firmware, and add media to your library.

Performance

Setting up the Rodecaster Video is straightforward and takes just a few minutes. I had a particular setup in mind, with two cameras, a mic for my vocals and an output from my guitar amp, for an instructional final video on how to get certain tones from effects pedals.

Plugging everything in and setting up channels and audio levels for each was a doddle, using the mixer section of the Rode Central software.

At this point, I realized that a single operator is limited in what they can achieve as, for my use case, I’d need to interrupt the flow of my content to swap between the different sources. I could edit after the fact as you can record to an external drive with the different sources fully intact. Very useful. The scene system is a real winner for any user, allowing you to assign a number of different setups, with varying inputs, overlays, and audio mixes, for single-click recall at any time, making engaging live streaming simplicity itself for any operator, even single users.

Better yet is the Auto mode. I had thought this might be somewhat gimmicky, but in use, it turned out to work very well, making a laborious task quite enjoyable. Using this system you can select a source and set a level of priority for it, using incoming audio as a guide. Then I could let the device switch between a wide shot, close up on the guitar as well as mixing the audio of both voice and instrument.

Which brings me on to the audio quality. I’m a stickler for good audio, which as we all know is the most important element of a media package. The Rodecaster Video uses Neutrik combo jacks for all levels of incoming signal from phantom-powered mics, synthesizers or guitars etc. These inputs, along with excellent Revolution preamps, producing excellent signal-to-noise ratios.

Each audio channel can also access a number of useful effects including compressors, de-essers and noise gates. All useful stuff but I’d like to see this expanded in future to allow VSTs to run, allowing more flexibility. I’d love to be able to use my preferred reverbs or delays. That said the audio quality is excellent and if I really needed to I could process the recorded audio through Logic or Davinci Resolve’s Fairlight page.

Audio can be sourced not just from the combo jacks but via USB, Bluetooth or wireless, using the two antennas that come in the box. I was excited by this, as I’ve used Rode’s wireless (and wired) mics for years and was hoping I could use either my Video Mic Pros, or Wireless Go set with it. Unfortunately, only certain models are supported, but it’s a feature I’d love to take advantage of, so it looks like I'll have to upgrade to the Wireless Go II, which is compatible.

Although they have their place, I’m not always a fan of straight cuts and like to use transitions of which luckily the Rodecaster Video has a number, easily selectable, either in software or directly on the front panel. These range from wipes, dips and fades and are easily accessible. 

There’s more on offer too. If you have a project needing keying you can chroma key your footage directly on the device, although to dial in your result Central is the place to do it, with controls for spill suppression, luma compensation and more.

If you have graphics that you would like to use, for logos, lower thirds or splash screens, these can be loaded onto a microSD card, which is mounted via the rear panel. There’s a dedicated overlay button the front panel, so you can easily add them to your production with a single click.

A useful tool, especially for the streamers. Is the ability to preview on a second screen, before sending to your live feed. This is really handy and allows you to ensure what you make public is exactly what you’re expecting.

Verdict

Alternatives

Thanks to our ever-present smartphone we’re likely to be capturing many hours of high-quality video footage. You can trim and share short clips straight from your smartphone’s Photos app to social media sites such as Facebook or to friends and family via Whats App, but the majority of your valuable video assets may never get watched, which is a huge waste!

By using a dedicated non-linear editing (NLE) app such as Adobe Premiere Elements 2024 you can produce longer and more professional-looking video programs that you can ‘broadcast’ to the world on your YouTube channel, or share via a Reel on Instagram. The term ‘non-linear’ simply refers to the option to swap the running order of video clips in an app’s timeline.

In the ‘olden days’ video editors had to copy clips from a videotape player to a video recorder. If you needed to change the order of the linear clips you had to start editing from scratch! Non-linear computer-based video editing was as revolutionary for tape-to-tape video editors as the word processor was for type-writer users (and I’m old enough to have used a typewriter and endured the slow process of tape-to-tape video editing back in the 1980s!)

As its name suggests, Premiere Elements 2024 is a simplified version of Adobe Premiere, a high-end NLE app used by many professional video editors. The full version of Premiere will be very daunting to approach if you’re new to non-linear video editing.

Fortunately, Premiere Elements 2024 is an entry-level NLE and it’s well worth considering as your first NLE as this review will demonstrate. There are free video editing apps out there such as Apple’s iMovie, so why should you pay for Adobe Premiere Elements 2024? One answer lies in the Premiere Element’s Guided Edit mode - which takes you step-by-step through the whole video editing process. More on that later.

If you want to explore more non-linear options check out our guide to the best free video editing software. Or if you need information on a wide range of paid-for NLEs, look here – check out of top picks for the best video editing software.

Premiere Elements 2024: Specifications

Premiere Elements 2024: Interface and Usability

Adobe Premiere Elements looks very similar to most contemporary NLEs (such as iMovie), with a clip bin on the top left to store unedited video assets for your project. Along the bottom of the workspace runs a timeline. It's here that you place your clips to tell a story and trim them to create a tight, smooth-flowing narrative sequence. There’s also a toolbar to summon special effects or color-correcting tools.

Adobe Premiere Elements has looked the same for many years, so its neutral light grey workspace was beginning to look very dated. Fortunately, in its 2024 incarnation you can now access a Dark mode in the Settings > General UI Mode menu. This creates a darker black and grey interface that echoes the look of other contemporary nonlinear editing (NLE) apps such as Movavi Video Editor and helps give Premiere Elements 2024 a fresher, more modern look.

Premiere Elements 2024 does have some interesting new features to offer as we’ll explore, but are they useful enough to motivate owners of older versions of Premiere Elements to pay for an upgrade? We’ll answer that key question in due course.

Premiere Elements 2024: Quality of Results

Premiere Elements 2024 offers more ways to help novice video editors turn raw footage into shareable sequences using the power of Adobe Sensei AI. The Create drop down menu features a new Highlight Reel tool that uses AI to analyse clips for key features such as faces, groups of people, interesting lights and activity for example. It then creates an edited sequence that you can share via social media.

In theory using AI to cut the best bits of your clips together is a great idea but in practice we found the results were a bit hit and miss, though you can manually fine-tune the AI-selected results by clicking on the ‘Edit in Timeline’ button. Premiere Elements 2024 enables you to use AI as a springboard to creativity but it’s certainly not a replacement for human editorial decisions.

The new Highlight Reel tool also enables you to create a reel that matches the requirements of specific social media sites. For instance, an Instagram Story or Reel has a vertical shape that measures 1080 x 1920. If you share a horizontal series of clips to a vertical layout then the Highlight Reel tool helpfully adds a blurred and enlarged version of your clip to the reel’s background to avoid featuring large and boring black letterbox borders appearing in your reel.

This social media focus gives Adobe Premiere Elements the edge over Apple’s free iMovie which has little to offer for editors who want to produce social-media compatible content - iMovie can’t export a vertical portrait-oriented video clip for an Instagram Reel for example. Premiere Elements 2024 also features a comprehensive collection of new graphics that you can use to soup up your social media stories. Graphics are organized into categories such as Christmas, Social, or Neon Stickers for example.

One fun feature is the ability to make a graphic follow the movement of your subject using motion tracking. Simply summon the Motion Tracking tool from the Tools palette, draw a box around a moving subject such as a person, and then click Track. You can then assign a graphical element such as a speech bubble to the motion-tracking rectangle and it will follow your subject’s every move. Check out this review’s supporting video to see motion tracking in action.

We did encounter a couple of crashes when applying motion tracking, but the Premiere Elements settled down. The app does auto-save in intervals so if you have a crash you shouldn’t lose too much work. I felt obliged to manually save my work before attempting a motion-tracking operation.

Traditionally you would have to extend a music track to fit the footage on your timeline by copying a section and then cutting it in on a beat. This was quite a tricky edit to pull off to get the music to loop. Now you can simply tick the 'Fit Entire Video’ box in the Score Property panel and the music will loop to fit the duration of your footage and it will add the end of the music track to the end of your footage. You can also use a slider to adjust the music from Mellow to Intense. Mellow dials down the volume of some percussion instruments. These music Property panel features will save you a lot of time tinkering to get music tracks to suit your edited footage.

Another useful new tool in Premiere 2024 is Color Match. This enables you to click on template images to transfer their colors to a clip. You can use this to produce creative results, such as dramatically warming up a scene. Or you can sample the healthy colors from one clip in the timeline to correct problems with color in another clip (such as warming up a cold color temperature for example). Color Match should save you a lot of time playing with presets in the Fix menu. Premiere Elements 2024 also sees easier ways to modify your project’s sound with a new collection of audio effects such as Reverb, which flatters a singer's voice. There’s also as a handy DeHummer which reduces mains-induced hum. Finally, if you’re already using Photoshop Elements 2024 then Premiere Elements will slot smoothly into your organizing, editing, and sharing workflow as both the photo and video editing apps share the same Elements Organizer.

Premiere Elements 2024: Verdict

A handful of new tools, a more contemporary look, and an expansion of its AI-assisted tools may not be enough to compel existing Adobe Premiere Elements owners to upgrade to 2024, but if you’re a novice editor (or want to do more than free desktop apps such as iMovie will allow) then Premiere Elements 2024 is well worth considering thanks to its step-by-step easy to follow Guided Edit workspace. You can then take the skills that you learn into the Advanced workspace when you’re ready. Premiere Elements 2024 is also packed full of customizable graphical elements that will make your social media clips more engaging and these can be downloaded for free from within the app.

Alternatives

It's been quite a week for users of Adobe's video tools. First, Adobe unveiled some useful new features in Premiere Pro aimed at improving overall workflow efficiency; in particular, making color grading a cinch. And now the software giant has announced plans to integrate generative AI features into its video editing software. 

The new text-to-video feature, powered by Adobe's Firefly Video Model, will enable you to generate video clips directly from text prompts. This feature will be complemented by a wide array of camera controls, enabling fine-tuning of elements such as angle, motion and zoom. 

The idea is to enable editors to generate B-roll footage that seamlessly integrates into their timelines. Adobe suggests you could also use text-to-video to generate elements for pre-viz, such as atmospheric overlays, or inspiration for motion graphics.

A related feature is the image-to-video tool, which can turn still images or illustrations into dynamic video clips. This could prove useful for video editors looking to add motion to static elements, or create transitions between scenes.

Extend your clips

Another AI-powered feature coming to Premiere Pro in beta is called Generative Extend. Similar to Photoshop's Generative Expand tool for image backgrounds, this tool will enable editors to automagically increase the duration of existing video footage. This could be a handy backup where a shot needs to be held longer or when B-roll is scarce.

Of course, any use of AI raises worries about commercial safety and potential copyright issues, so Adobe is making a lot of noise about its model is trained only on content that Adobe has permission to use.

This is not surprising, as there are already other apps out there that can generate video from prompts, such as Runway and Luma Dream Machine, so this seems like a good way for Adobe to distinguish itself as the choice for video industry professionals.

That doesn't, of course, deal with the separate issue of using AI to generate video of real-life actors; one that was at the heart of the 2023 Actors strike which had devastating effects on the TV and movie business.

Does Generative Expand come under that category? That might seem mean spirited if we're just talking about a few seconds of AI generation. But what if it becomes a few minutes, or a few hours, further on down the line? Actors could see it as a "thin end of the wedge" issue and studios, as ever, will need to tread carefully around this stuff.

All of this is a bit moot right now though, as Adobe has not yet announced a specific release date for these features, stating only that they'll be available "later this year." 

At this unspecified point, text-to-video and image-to-video capabilities will initially be accessible through Firefly.Adobe.com, while Generative Extend will be integrated directly into Premiere Pro.

In the meantime, the company has opened a waitlist for the beta release of the Firefly Video Model. Interested professionals can sign up to receive notifications and early access.

See our rundown on the best video-editing software currently available

Film-making and video editing is a rewarding profession, but not everything about it is great at the moment. Budgets everywhere are tightening, teams are getting smaller, and the pressure to achieve more in less time and with fewer people is rising all the time. 

In this light, Adobe's big update to its flagship video editing software, Premiere Pro, will be of particular interest to anyone who hasn't gone home on time lately. Because it includes some useful new features aimed at improving overall workflow efficiency and, in particular, transforming the way video professionals deal with color. 

Launched ahead of IBC 2024, these updates are currently available in beta to subscribers and are expected to roll out in full this fall. Read on to find out what's changed.

No need for color grading

At the core of the update is a dramatically reimagined color management system, which bypasses the manual color-correction process entirely. 

Traditionally, video editors have relied on look-up tables (LUTs) to convert RAW and Log footage into usable color formats. However, Adobe's new system eliminates the need for LUTs, instead automatically transforming RAW and Log footage from "virtually any camera" into standard dynamic range (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) formats. 

This means, at least in theory, that video editors can begin working with color-graded footage right away, cutting out a major step in the process and saving everyone a lot of time and money.

The new color management system is built on the Academy Color Encoding System (ACEScct), an industry-standard color space used in Hollywood. This, Adobe says, ensures high-fidelity tone mapping, and broad compatibility across a wide range of devices and display technologies.

And this is just the start, explained Jason Druss from Adobe's product marketing team, during a presentation to journalists. "We're serious about color," he said, "and this new color management system is just the beginning of making professional color workflows more powerful and accessible for video editors, right inside Premiere Pro."

To make things as easy as possible for editors, Adobe has organized the new color management system around six "set-it-and-forget-it" presets, which let you toggle between traditional Rec.709 (for legacy projects) and the new ACEScct wide-gamut color space. 

The latter enables editors to work with a greater dynamic range and color depth, and is recommended for high-end video production and HDR content.

Notably, some of the most-used effects within Premiere Pro, including the Lumetri color panel, are now fully color-space aware. This means that adjustments to skin tones, highlights and shadows will be more accurate and smoother across different color profiles. And that should give you a bit more flexibility when you need to create a specific look or feel for a project.

New Properties Panel

As well as the color management system, Premiere Pro now has a new Properties panel, which has been created to help you complete tasks with less fiddling around and opening up of menus. 

This new, context-sensitive panel consolidates frequently used tools, effects and adjustments into a single location, saving you from having to navigate through multiple menus and panels to get stuff done. For example, you can now crop video clips directly within the Program Monitor. 

The panel also allows for batch adjustments, so you can apply changes to multiple clips or graphics simultaneously. This should speed things up a lot for anyone working with complex timelines or large volumes of footage.

At the presentation Anna Lehman, a designer on the Premiere Pro team, emphasized Adobe’s ongoing commitment to improving the software’s usability. "The Properties panel is contextual to your workflow," she explained, "so you don't have to navigate between all of those 20 plus panels in Premiere to find the controls that you need."

Performance enhancements and format support 

Away from the headline features, Adobe has also done work under the hood, to making Premiere Pro run faster on the latest computers. So it's further optimized the software to take advantage of hardware acceleration, which should means faster playback and smoother editing of high-resolution footage, especially for popular codecs like AVC and HEVC. Meanwhile, Adobe says that exports of ProRes files are now up to three times faster. 

Premiere Pro also now supports a wider range of native camera formats from manufacturers like Canon, Sony and RED. This should make it easier for editors to start working with RAW files directly in Premiere Pro, without the need for a lot of time-sucking transcoding .

Integration with Adobe’s other Creative Cloud applications has also moved forward in this new release. For instance, when you're working with After Effects via Dynamic Link, you should now notice more accurate color representation between the two applications; reducing the need for manual adjustments during final render.

New-look UI 

Alongside these functional improvements, Adobe has also given Premiere Pro’s UI a brand new look. The redesigned interface now offers two dark modes, a light mode, and a high-contrast accessibility mode. These new themes are designed to reduce eye strain and make staring at the screen more comfortable over time, which could be useful for anyone working lots of late nights.

The updated interface also includes cleaner typography and redesigned icons, improving the overall look and feel of the software while maintaining consistency with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. These visual changes are pretty subtle on the whole, but effective all the same. In other words, you'll still recognize everything easily, but it should all look just a little nicer.

What’s next? 

Adobe’s latest update to Premiere Pro is interesting enough in itself. But it's also fascinating to hear the reasoning behind it, and what that means for the company's strategy for the next few years. 

In the presentation to journalists, Adobe's reps made it clear they understood what's happening in the real world with their software. Namely that, with the rapid rise of short-form content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, video editors are under increasing pressure to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

These new features aim to help with that. Looking ahead, Adobe plans to continue refining Premiere Pro’s color management capabilities and expand its integration with other Creative Cloud applications.

The company says it's actively seeking feedback from its user base to guide future updates and ensure that Premiere Pro remains a versatile and powerful tool for filmmakers and video editors of all skill levels.

See our rundown on the best video-editing software currently available

For the last 25 years or so, the world of digital video has been obsessed with increasing resolution. 'HD' (1280 x 720 pixels) and 'Full HD' (1920 x 1080) were the resolutions of choice from the early-mid 2000s, and a decade later 4K (3840 x 2160, or 4x the number of pixels in Full HD) became the resolution we had to have, whether that be from our TVs and computer monitors, or when shooting video with our cameras.

Even in the mid 2010s when 4K was ramping up in popularity I questioned its real-world benefit. The jump from analog VHS video to standard-def digital DVD content (480/576 horizontal lines) was night and day in terms of image quality, while the leap from DVD res to Full HD was almost as pronounced. The difference between Full HD and 4K was far less noticeable, although it was at least a subtle improvement for most people viewing big-screen TVs at typical viewing distances.

However, as with many technological advancements, we're now at a stage where subsequent improvements yield diminishing returns. While the jump from Full HD to 4K gave a modest tangible improvement to image quality, the difference between 4K and 8K is almost imperceptible in most cases. And yet when viewed from a mathematical perspective, this doesn't make much sense. 4K has 4x the total number of pixels as Full HD, so it should provide 4x the clarity. 8K is 4x the pixels of 4K, so it too should boost clarity four-fold. But there's one constant here that hasn't been considered, and which can't change: the resolving power of the human eye. Just because your shiny new 8K TV packs 4x the number of pixels as your old 4K panel of the same size doesn't mean your eyes can actually see that extra detail when viewed from the same distance as before.

"Sure, but when I upgrade to an 8K TV, I'll also buy a bigger TV - then I'll be able to see that 8K difference, right?". Actually, it's not that simple. Boffins far smarter than me have calculated the exact resolving power of a lens like the human eye using the Reyleigh formula, and we can use this to calculate how close you'd need to view your television in order to actually see the extra resolution of 8K.

In the case of a 75" television, you'd need to be viewing from as close as 2.5 feet (79cm) to really perceive the 8K difference. You'll see a small benefit over 4K when sitting between 2.5 feet and 4.9 feet away, but step back more than 4.9 feet from your 75" TV and you'll see no difference between 4K and 8K. Given that even Panasonic recommends a viewing distance of 6-9 feet for its 70" 4K TVs, and Samsung suggests a 7.5-foot viewing distance from a 75" television, getting closer than 4.9 feet is unrealistic for most people.

(For more information on this, check out this excellent article on the subject from Forbes)

So while you are unlikely to get a tangible benefit from 8K when viewing a television, what about viewing 8K content on a computer monitor? After all, we sit a lot closer to those, so we'd surely be more likely to see the extra detail on offer. That theory checks out to an extent, but with computer monitors generally being far smaller than typical TVs, you'd need to sit really close to see an 8K difference.

And that's assuming you can even get your hands on an 8K monitor. Dell made headlines back in 2017 with its first 8K monitor - the 32-inch UltraSharp UP3218K. I thought at the time this was the start of a torrent of 8K monitors, but since then we've seen the grand total of... zero other 8K consumer monitors. Earlier this year Asus teased its 8K ProArt Display PA32KCX, but it's yet to go on sale. Even that lone Dell 8K monitor is hard to find beyond Dell's own web store - it's long been discontinued by B&H, indicating demand may not be very strong.

All this isn't to say there are no benefits to 8K. For those shooting 8K video, it gives more versatility to crop in on areas of the frame when needed and then export at 4K while loosing little, if any, detail. Furthermore, if you're shooting professional footage destined for broadcast and/or cinematic release, then sure, it makes sense to shoot at the best video quality available. TV manufacturers will also often reserve their premium features for 8K models - the latest OLED/QLED panel tech, the best possible HDR and screen brightness, the best image processing and upscaling, etc. Likewise, even if you're not buying a camera like the Canon EOS R5 or R5 Mark II specifically for its 8K video ability, you'll still benefit from other high-end stills and video features which you may not get with cheaper 4K-only cameras.

But the fact remains that when it comes to consuming content at home, unless you're rocking a home cinema with a screen size well north of 100 inches, there's no need for 8K: a 4K display with the same brightness/contrast/refresh rate/additional display features will look just as good to the human eye.

We've reached a point in video resolution where going beyond 4K is ultimately pointless for the vast, vast majority of consumers, so don't be fooled by the 8K marketing hype.

Movavi Video Editor 2024 is part of a suite of apps that include Movavi Screen Recorder, Movavi Video Converter, and Movavi Photo Editor. Movavi offers its apps via a similar model to the Adobe Creative Cloud in that you can subscribe to individual apps or pay more to bundle them together. For example, you can subscribe to Movavi Video Editor on its own or bolt on the Screen Recorder and Video Convertor apps for an additional subscription cost. 

But let's focus on Movavi Video Editor. Like Davinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Elements, Final Cut Pro, and iMovie – Movavi Video Editor 2024 is a non-linear editor (NLE) that enables you to pop your clips into a timeline, trim them to show the good bits and drag clips around to change the running order and tell a more coherent story. 

You can also use the app to add post-production ‘bells and whistles’ such as titles, animated overlay effects, and music to create slick video sequences with high production values.  On the spectrum of non-linear video editors, Movavi is an entry-level app like iMovie and Adobe Premiere Elements, but it boasts some extra AI-assisted tools up its sleeve such as the ability to remove a background without needing a green screen backdrop in the shot. This enables you to perform some fun composite sequences without having much non-linear editing experience.

Movavi: Requirements

Movavi: Interface and Usability

Movavi’s apps (such as Video Editor and Video Convertor) are accessed in the Movavi Suite App. This works like the Adobe Elements Organiser, enabling you to launch your desired photo or video editing app. During the trial period, you can use the Movavi Suite app to launch and explore Movavi Video Editor, Video Converter, and Screen Recorder. As with most NLE apps, project assets (such as clips) appear at the top left (alongside a column of icons that accesses other assets such as titles and transitions.) These assets can be dragged into the timeline that runs along the bottom of the workspace. Here you do the main work of trimming and re-ordering clips to tell a story and then add post-production polish with effects, title, and transitions. Your edited story takes shape in the viewer at the top right. 

Movavi’s interface has the standard black and dark grey backdrop favored by contemporary NLE apps, though its assets in the timeline are color-coded to make them easy to identify. For example, music tracks are green while video clips are blue, and they inhabit their own layered tracks in the timeline. If you’ve used any non-linear editor (NLE) before then you should be able to get up and running in Movavi Video Editor in a short time. 

Movavi Video Editor 2024 is packed with a generous collection of ‘free’ assets. I put inverted commas around ‘free’ because you do need to subscribe to use Movavi Video Editor 2024. For example, there are 693 free sound effects compared to iMovie’s 95. These sound effects are collected and accessed by convenient categories such as ‘Footsteps’ or ‘Horror and Suspense’, making it easier to find the audio asset that your project requires. 

The 58 free titles are also helpfully categorized. If you need to expand Movavi’s collection of titles or sound effects you can drag and drop assets that have a red crown icon on them. These extra assets require you to subscribe to an additional Effects Store Subscription. If you don’t subscribe to the Effects  Store then you can still export your video. 

However, video clips that feature assets that require an additional subscription will have a watermark graphic over them. Extra audio tracks that require an Effects Store subscription have an audio watermark (which repeats the word ‘Movavi’ at intervals), thereby rendering the audio clip useless (unless you subscribe to the Effects Store). However, there are ‘free’ 155 music tracks included in the basic annual Movavi Video Editor subscription so you should be able to find a suitable soundtrack without paying extra.

I must mention the fact that Movavi Video Editor’s graphics and stickers are slick and contemporary, so they will make your YouTube channel’s content look good. They are far better than Adobe Premiere Elements graphical assets which look more like old ‘clip art’.

You can drag multiple effects (such as Overlays and Filters) onto a single clip. These effects are easy to manage. By double-clicking on a clip you can assess the Clip Properties window (which is a bit like Final Cut Pro’s inspector). Here you can modify general properties such as Opacity or Blending modes or go to the Applied Effects panel to change a particular effect’s attributes. 

As a regular user of Final Cut Pro, I enjoy using keyboard shortcuts, such as tapping Cmd+B to cut/split a clip at the position of the playhead. I can also summon the Blade tool with the same shortcut and then click to make multiple cuts. This Cmd+B  keyboard shortcut performs the same way in Movavi Video Editor when it comes to splitting clips, making it an intuitive process for me to edit quickly in the app. 

One feature I didn’t like was when I clicked on a clip in the timeline and hit [Backspace] to delete the target clip, the consecutive timeline clips didn’t automatically slide to fill the gap. There may be a setting to make this happen but I haven’t found it as yet. That’s a small niggle though as in general I was able to bash out a couple of test edits very quickly and add effects, titles, and transitions with ease (see supporting video).  

Another niggle occurred when applying multiple effects to a clip. I added three effects to make an iPhone 15 Pro Max’s pristine HD clip look like retro analog film complete with scratches, cross-processed faded colors, and a vignetted edge. In Final Cut Pro (and even iMovie) I could copy the multiple effects from one clip and paste them onto another. In Movavi Video Editor I had to apply the effects to each clip one by one which slowed down my workflow unnecessarily.

Movavi: Performance

Like many apps these days Movavi Video Editor 2024 uses AI to make challenging tasks easier and faster to perform. You can pop a graphic on a layer above a video clip and then use AI-assisted motion tracking to make the graphical element follow the movement of a particular person in the clip. This is easy to implement (just draw a box around the subject) and it works effectively as you’ll see from our supporting video. 

Another area where AI proves effective is in removing a background. Traditionally you’d need to film a subject against a green screen and key out the green to make the background become transparent (and Movavi does have green screen compositing tools). However, with the AI Background Removal tool, you can remove the background in any clip. The results aren’t always as smooth as using chroma key tools, but for a quick social media composite this is a welcome feature - and I was impressed at how AI managed to select a subject’s wind-blown hair while removing unwanted background pixels. 

In the Audio panel, you can use AI-assisted Noise Reduction to reduce the distracting presence of background noise so that the subject’s voice sounds clearer.

When it comes to sharing Movavi makes it easy. Simply tap on the Export button and browse through a wide selection of destination devices such as specific widescreen TVs or smartphone models or upload directly to social media sites such as YouTube to TikTok. 

Movavi: Verdict

As an experienced video editor, I enjoyed using Movavi Video Editor 2024, though a novice should be able to get to grips with it quite quickly. The basic subscription supplies plenty of assets such as animated titles and captions that enable you to create eye-catching social media sequences with ease, though you do have to pay extra for additional effects to avoid watermarking. 

The AI-assisted features are welcome and fairly effective, especially the background removal tool and you can also use AI to track a graphic to a subject without worrying about manually creating keyframes. All in all Movavi Video Editor 2024 is a slickly designed feature-packed NLE that is more polished than the similar Adobe Premiere Elements 2024, though unlike Adobe’s app, Movavi Video Editor requires an annual subscription, which will make it cost you more in the long run. 

There’s nothing more frustrating than turning down well-paid work because your laptop doesn’t have the processing power to edit big video files. Over the last few months, I have had to say no to several videography jobs because my strained 2017 MacBook Pro struggles to buffer even proxy files.

The best full-frame cameras today are capable of outputting incredibly high-quality video. It’s impressive that the Panasonic Lumix S5 II, for example, can shoot 4:2:0 10 bit 6K video while the Sony Alpha A1 captured 4:2:0 10-bit 8K. To cope with such large files, you need a laptop with a fast processor, lots of RAM, and a large hard drive.

Sometimes, it feels like I’m stuck in a vicious circle. I need well-paid jobs to afford a new laptop, but for the same reason, I can’t accept them. I recently had to revert to editing a video shot on my camera using an app on my phone. Luckily, it was only ever intended to be a reel, so I got away with it, but for more in-depth projects requiring different transitions, graphic overlays, and beautiful color grading, in-app editing won’t cut it.

I’ve tried everything to make DaVinci Resolve work on my computer. I’ve deleted software I rarely use to free up space, downloaded a Mac clean-up tool to get rid of files clogging my hard drive, and always worked from an external hard drive.

The new M-series chip found in all Macbooks since the 2022 M2 Macbook Air is way more powerful than the previous dual-Intel processors used. With built-in video encoders, it's faster and uses a lot less power to perform the same tasks, resulting in a laptop that doesn’t get hot and slow down. Individual components are also soldered directly to the Apple-made motherboard which again cuts down on transfer time and makes the video editing process much more efficient. There really is nothing worse than having to wait for that spinning-colored cursor to disappear before you can move on to the next step.

Sadly for now all I can do is struggle on with my 2017 Macbook Pro hope that the photography jobs keep coming in. For the time being, I can just about run Photoshop and Lightroom at the same time so I guess I should count my blessings that I'm not entirely out of action.

Investing in a top-of-the-range camera that boasts big sensors, top-quality video, and huge RAW files might seem appealing, but there are a lot of other considerations you should factor in. Not only might your laptop not be powerful enough, but you’ll quickly start using up storage space, too, so it’s definitely something to consider.

Check out our guide to the best laptops for video editing, and the best hard drives for video editing

As part of the launch of the EOS R5 Mark II, Canon Europe has teamed up with social media agency Formidable, and come up with a novel and entertaining idea to show off the new camera’s skills. 

For the multi-platform social campaign across Canon’s YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and web, the brand came up with a challenge: to see if director and hybrid creator Anthony Rubinstein to shoot and edit a full-length music video, and stills, in less than 48 hours, only using the EOS R5 Mark II. 

With the clock ticking, Rubinstein and the Formidable team enlisted the help of Hana Lili, a 24 year old Welsh singer-songwriter who supported Coldplay on the Cardiff leg of their world tour, and whose music has been used on the soundtrack for TV show Love Island.

The Mark II is proving incredibly popular with anyone who’s tried it.

Our editor James Artaius recently reviewed the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, calling it "Once again, the company’s most important, and most powerful camera…simply the best camera I’ve ever used."

It combines in-camera 180MP upscaling and 2-stop denoising, faster 30fps burst speed, 8K 60p RAW, C-Log2, killer AI-powered predictive autofocus, reduced rolling shutter, Eye Control AF, 8.5 stops of image stabilization, pre-capture for stills and video, Smart Controller, Multi-Function Shoe, full-size HDMI port.

The end result of the ambitious project?

A two minute and 26 second music video with accompanying stills for Lili’s new track Iconic.

Among the hero content pieces of the campaign is an eight-minute behind-the-scenes video that explains the creative process in full, and Rubinstein’s experience with the camera.

Calling the camera "A real pleasure to shoot with," Rubinstein also experienced the Mark II on a gimbal, "the idea is I’m going to be able to get some really lovely sweeping, orbiting shots, and the autofocus in the camera is going to do the job of making everything super sharp the whole way through."

He also praised the C-Log 2, which "Captures so much picture information, and it’s going to mean that we’ve got so much flexibility in the edit, and in the grade."

Another feature, which utilizes artificial intelligence, is the eye controlled autofocus.

"I just trained it on my eye," explains Rubinstein, "and basically what happens now when I look through the EVF is when I look at a different area of the scene, it automatically focuses in on where I’m looking.

"Really cool feature, really, really kind of spooky, but very fun."

Check out our guides to the best Canon cameras, and the best Canon RF lenses. 

I’m an old-school (Gen X) videographer who’s been shooting video professionally since the late 1980s. In those early days of chunky video tape and clunky camcorders, I shot footage to be enjoyed on a 4:3 TV screen. Fast forward to the early naughties and I was excited to be shooting in a 16:9 aspect ratio and watching footage on a widescreen TV. Back in those distant days, it was inconceivable to me that one day people would shoot video in any orientation other than horizontal/landscape.

I now find myself in a world occupied by Gen Z filmmakers, who increasingly prefer to create and view content on their smartphones. And because they tend to hold smartphones vertically they film in a vertical (portrait) orientation too. It would be OK if all screens were portrait/vertical (and you do see some dedicated vertical screens at concerts or displaying adverts in city streets). But when it comes to cinemas, TVs, laptops, and most viewing screens and displays, most are still in horizontal landscape orientation.

I can’t deny that I’ll happily scroll through other people’s vertical/portrait-shaped reels in my iPhone’s Instagram feed, but as a professional video maker, I hate shooting in the vertical format. I tend to consume most of my media on a widescreen TV, or if watching a show or movie on the iPhone I’ll hold it horizontally. When a vertical/portrait video clip appears on my horizontal TV screen it’s bordered on either side by large black bars. This ‘pillar boxing’ is a waste of space. News programs try to make the vertical smartphone-sourced clip look less rubbish by stretching a blurred version of the vertical clip to fill a horizontal background layer in an attempt to fill the black bars. This crude workaround looks awful to my Gen X eyes!

As humans, we see the world in widescreen, with our peripheral vision full of detail so that we can appreciate a beautiful landscape or see a predator approaching. By shooting and viewing footage in a horizontal/landscape orientation we are replicating human vision. When forced to shoot vertical video I’m missing the 'bigger picture'. I’m suffering from tunnel vision! In a vertical frame, I can see my main subjects but I can’t view them in the context of their surroundings, which makes vertical travel footage in particular look inferior to a horizontal widescreen version of a scene. A friend of mine went to a gig and she complained that while the distant on-stage artist’s face was displayed in extreme close-up on giant vertical screens, none of the supporting dancers were visible onscreen due to its narrow vertical shape.

But hey, I appreciate I’m ‘old school’ and technology moves on to suit the needs of new generations. I recently reviewed the Hohem iSteady V3 gimbal which can switch between portrait and landscape orientation if you make a specific gesture – two thumbs up. As I tend to wave my arms around while presenting to the camera, the gimbal would suddenly switch from horizontal to vertical orientation in the middle of a take which was infuriating.  

Some Gen Z viewers will watch a movie at double speed to consume it more quickly – which is an insult to the movie maker. I’d never consume a movie like that, but will I ever shoot vertical footage like Gen Z filmmakers do natively? I’d rather shoot a landscape-shaped widescreen clip and then crop it in Final Cut Pro if I need to create a social media-friendly portrait-oriented clip. At least then I’ll still have access to the bigger picture in my original widescreen 16:9 footage. 

I’m documenting my brother’s journey to restore a WW2 Willies jeep. This ongoing project involves me driving to Scotland to film milestones such as the Jeep’s first test drive. Naturally (for me) I film in HD widescreen 16:9. Occasionally I may miss a milestone so my nephew will send me his phone-sourced footage to include in my documentary. As he is Gen Z the footage is sometimes shot in vertical/portrait orientation so I just can’t (okay – won’t) use it in my widescreen project, which is frustrating.

Gen Z faces the problem of having large ‘letter box’ black bars above and below a landscape-oriented clip when viewing it on their vertically held smartphones. But the blighters are solving that ‘problem’ by using AI to extend the movie’s pixels to fill the black bars above and below the footage. This completely changes the vision of the director and cinematographer and is more insulting than watching a movie at double speed! I feel another rant coming on but am off to sit down in a quiet room and watch a favorite UHD 4K movie on my widescreen TV.

If you want to landscape or portrait video, you're going to need one of the best cameras for video, or for specific platforms, check out our guide to the best cameras for Instagram or the best YouTube cameras.

If you're anything like me, the idea of using a video monitor when your camera already has a perfectly serviceable LCD screen for shooting feels like an extravagance. That was until I used the Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G, which is considered one of the best on-camera monitors currently available.

This is ultimately a small professional video monitor that despite only being 5 inches, provides much more screen real estate than a 3-inch camera LCD, alongside a much clearer on-screen image and additional functionality. This makes it an enticing option for enthusiasts looking for a smaller video monitor ideal for location shooting, rather than 7-inch models that are packed with higher-level features and functionality.

So, you may be wondering why you'd need a monitor like this, and the simple reason is that it makes compositing, focusing, and shooting much more accurate and reliable. In many cases, such as with the Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G, you can take advantage of Raw video capture to seriously elevate your video, whether shooting with a video camera, mirrorless camera, or DSLR.

The main downside to this monitor is that it only supports up to 1080p 60fps video, which means that you'd have to consider the Blackmagic Video Assist 5 12G HDR or the 7 12G HDR to capture in 4K. This may not be a problem if you only intend to shoot Full HD, but for professionals capturing 4K, this will undoubtedly be a deal breaker.

Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G: Specifications

Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G: Price

The Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G was released back in 2020, and the price has come down since then to $325 / £299. But with the major downside of the monitor being that recording is limited to 1080p at 60fps, which in today's terms is low when 4K is the standard, this does make the Video Assist 5 3G seem expensive.

The advantage of this monitor is, however, that you can capture Raw video, bypassing your camera's internal recording function and compression, to enjoy a higher quality of flat footage. That's alongside the added benefit of the additional features it provides over your camera, but only if you can get by with your Raw video resolution being maxed out at 1080p.

Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G: Design & Handling

Just like all Blackmagic products, the Video Assist 5 3G is extremely well-built and finished to a high standard. It measures 148x90x37mm / 5.83x3.54x1.44 inches with a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen and weighs 387g, so it's compact and lightweight. Albeit quite thick as a result of the rear cooling fan and the two battery slots on the back.

Batteries are hot-swappable, and since the Video Assist 5 3G only requires one battery to run you can charge the expended battery while using the other if you have two, which is a handy feature for location shooting. However, you would need a high-capacity and fast-charging power bank in this situation. The monitor can also be powered by the included 12v adaptor when working indoors or via a power bank with a plug socket. The battery type is the readily available NP-F570.

In terms of connections and ports, there's a full-size HDMI input and output, SDI input and output, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SD card slot, USB-C, and an adaptor socket. There are also six 1/4-inch female threads – three on the top and three on the bottom – for mounting the monitor and attaching other accessories. There is, however, no mounting arm or the like included in the kit, but you do get a battery charger and an adaptor for powering from the mains. 

The overall design is fairly minimalist and this is possible because the Video Assist 5 3G uses a touchscreen interface on the up to 300nits 5-inch screen. This isn’t particularly bright so in brighter conditions the screen can be difficult to view, but you can buy compatible monitor hoods to help in these situations. There's even a small mono speaker for monitoring audio if you prefer this to headphones, but this is in reality better for playback of footage rather than reliable audio monitoring where headphones are much more effective. 

The user interface is incredibly intuitive, but like any product aimed at professional use, you do need to understand what many of the features and functions are for. Some are, of course, self-explanatory and even a small amount of video knowledge will be extremely useful. But some elements will need some research if you're unfamiliar with them. 

I found the interface extremely clear and easy to navigate, with a simple layout of controls. Adjusting the white balance of the monitor is performed manually to correct the color balance of the screen using two sliders with no Kelvin values and just white and grey rectangles as references, and this didn’t feel particularly reliable to me. 

Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G: Performance

I purposely left my camera set to 4K capture while using the Video Assist 5 3G when capturing with the ProRes codec. As I expected, the footage captured was 1080p as the specs suggest. So, while the footage was in a Raw format, it still felt like a step down from 4K and ultimately quite limiting. Of course, if you only ever shoot in 1080p the Video Assist 5 3G could be perfect for you.

You can use the Video Assist 5 3G purely as a monitor, pressing the record button on your camera to capture video in-camera, and for this it works well. Not least because you can take advantage of the scopes etc. But the problem here is that you're ultimately paying for a recorder, and you can buy a simple video monitor for as little as half the price of the Video Assist 5 3G.

Video can be captured in 10-bit in ProRes and DNxHD codecs with various options for each available. There's only one SD card slot, which is no problem and understandable given the size of the monitor. But it's the larger screen size than cameras alongside features including Waveform, RGB Parade, Vector and Histogram scopes that make the difference; a small histogram can also be set to show over the video screen and there are also on-screen zebras for overexposure and focus peaking to aid with focusing.

Some of these scopes can be a little confusing at first if you're not familiar with them, but getting to grips with them doesn’t take long; they're invaluable tools for assessing exposure once you understand all of them. For many people though, the histogram overlay on the video capture screen is more than adequate and is my go-to option for quick exposure assessment when shooting stills and video, although I do find the other scopes useful for more in-depth initial set-up.

A great feature is that you can apply LUTs to the on-screen image to give you an idea of how your footage will look once colour graded. There are some LUTs already installed by default, but once you hook the Video Assist 5 3G up to the Blackmagic Video Assist Setup software on your computer, there are several slots available to import your own LUTs. I didn’t do this myself because I'm happy with viewing a flat on-screen image, but it's certainly useful if you prefer to view a partially colour graded image at the point of capture.

Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G: Verdict

The Blackmagic Video Assist 5 3G is without a doubt a great little monitor in terms of build quality and the way it improves hugely on the 3-inch LCD screen most cameras have. A 5 rather than a 3-inch screen may not sound like much, but it makes a huge difference to the success and precision focusing, composition and exposure adjustment.

But I just can't get past the fact that the monitor tops out at 1080p video capture. Sure, you can capture in Raw formats, but 4K is the standard these days with many higher-end productions shooting at even higher resolutions, so the limitation here severely impedes the Video Assist 5 3G's potential and usefulness. Although it can also be used purely as a monitor.

That said, if you primarily work with 1080p video, and there are several reasons why some people will do this, the monitor is a great option in this situation. Plus, you can capture Raw video footage with it. It still feels a little dated as a result of the resolution limitation, so for more advanced users and professionals a more expensive higher-end model could be a better option both for now and for future-proofing.

Alternatives

Blackmagic is a big player in the video industry, not least for its amazing Davinci Resolve software. But the company also produces editing controllers and high-end video monitors/recorders, including the Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR. 

I've been sitting on the fence about whether or not I need a video monitor, but after using the Video Assist 7 12G HDR I can see some huge benefits for myself and anyone who shoots a lot of video. So, aside from the generous size of the screen and the features, which we'll discuss later, one of the Video Assist 7 12G HDR's key features is its ability to capture 4K Raw codecs at up to 60fps, aiming it squarely at professional users rather than enthusiasts, with a price that confirms this.

I can confidently say that it's one of the best on-camera monitors, and this professional-level monitor with Raw recording and its size, make it most suitable for studio work and location work where a team of people needs to view the action. As opposed to individuals taking a more run-and-gun approach to video work. 

You could attach this monitor to a hotshoe attachment, but this may put stress on the camera due to the weight. Plus, additional weight when one or two batteries are attached, but it would work perfectly well attached to a camera cage, a magic arm attached to the tripod, or on a separate tripod.

Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR: Specifications

Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR: Price

The Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR has been around for four years now, but it's still going strong and, as you'd expect, the price has reduced slightly since launch. It's still a professionally priced monitor at $795 / £759, but that's not too bad when you consider that it can record 4K Raw footage. 

What's more, it's not a great deal more expensive than smaller comparable monitors, which makes it pretty good value for money given the size and features of the monitor. The Video Assist 7in 12G HDR is available from multiple photo and video retailers, as well as online retailers including Amazon.

In the kit you get a USB battery charger and a 12v wall adaptor, but no batteries or mounting devices, so you'll have to supply these yourself. This probably won’t be an issue for most professionals, but a magic arm or mini tripod would be a nice inclusion that would also be useful.

Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR: Design & Handling

Blackmagic Video Assist monitors pretty much all look the same, with the main difference being the sizes of the 5-inch and 7-inch models, whereas the smaller monitors have fewer slots and connections. The Video Assist 7 12G HDR is quite a beast at 193x356x37mm / 7.6x5.14x1.45 inches and weighs in at 835g / 29.5oz without any batteries. Add one or two batteries on the back and the size and weight naturally increases further.

The batteries are hot-swappable so you can keep shooting without downtime, but you will need plenty of spare NP-F570 batteries to shoot all day. If you’re shooting indoors, however, you can use the included 12v adaptor for power. So, while this isn’t the most portable of monitors when compared to Blackmagic's 5-inch models, the ability to use batteries remains a necessity for times when a power source isn’t available.

The screen itself is luxuriously large and bright with a maximum brightness of 2500nits, which makes it possible to use the monitor in bright conditions. The screen resolution is 1920x1200px, despite the 4K recording resolution, but this doesn’t cause any issues in use and the screen is, forgive my enthusiasm, an absolute joy to use and nice and sharp to boot. But despite its bright and sharp screen, a monitor hood would, however, still be useful for reducing glare.

The touchscreen is also perfectly responsive and alongside the intuitive user interface, it's incredibly comfortable and easy to use despite being a high-end professional accessory. This, it has to be said is an accomplishment on the part of Blackmagic, and means that anyone who understands video settings can use it out of the box without worrying about instructions – it's that easy to use.

There are plenty of connections and ports including HDMI and SDI inputs and outputs, two balanced mini XLR connectors with phantom power if you'd prefer not to record sound through the camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB-C port. With the latter, you can also connect an SSD to take advantage of higher storage capacity, but there's no mounting option for hard drives on the monitor.

Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR: Performance

The Video Assist 7 12G HDR can record HD and 4K DCI up to 60fps in 10-bit broadcast quality footage. Raw codecs include 4:2:2 ProRes and DNxHD, and with a selection of cameras listed on the Blackmagic website, Blackmagic Raw can also be recorded. Plus, as HDR in the name suggests, HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma are supported. You can also use the monitor purely as a monitor by recording from your camera directly, but this ultimately defeats the purpose of buying it.

The screen provides all the information you need with several options for features such as guides to be shown on-screen. Scopes are available to assist with exposure and focus, and exposure scopes can be viewed in isolation, overlaid on the record screen, or with a small box of the camera view over the scopes. These make it incredibly quick, easy, and comfortable to focus, adjust exposure, and monitor exposure, thus increasing precision and working speed.

A useful feature that some will love and others will be indifferent about is the ability to apply LUTs to your footage. LUTs can be imported into the monitor using the Blackmagic Video Assist Setup software on your computer. Once installed, they can be applied to the on-screen image to give you an idea of how color-graded footage will look or hard-coded into footage when shooting with the Blackmagic Raw codec. But remember, to use this codec you must be using a supported camera.

I had the screen initially set to capture in Blackmagic Raw and since my camera isn’t supported, I was faced with a black screen and a small message informing me of an incompatible codec. But once I'd changed over to DNxHD the on-screen image roared into life and I was able to begin shooting. 

Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR: Verdict

It's often said that size doesn’t matter, but the sharp and bright 7-inch touchscreen on the Blackmagic Video Assist 7 12G HDR is an absolute joy to use. With such a large and clear on-screen with up to a whopping 2500nits of brightness, the prospect of going back to the average 3-inch camera screen quickly becomes something of a nightmare.

Beyond the excellent and easy-to-use user interface, the scopes for assessing exposure and focusing make precision incredibly easy to achieve. Then there's up to 4K 60fps broadcast quality Raw footage that can be recorded with LUTs overlaid or hard-coded into Blackmagic Raw. There's so much to like here, but in all honesty, it won't be for everyone.

A 7-inch monitor like this is large and heavy on top of lenses, a camera cage, and all of the other accessories you may have attached to your camera. So, if this is too much for you, there is a 5-inch version – the Blackmagic Video Assist 5 12G HDR – that's perfect for run-and-gun handheld shooting, where size and weight are often an important consideration. 

Alternatives

Adobe Express users will now have access to TikTok’s commercial music library, allowing content creators to use more than a million popular songs. 

Announced today at the Cannes Lions International Film Festival for Creativity, the integration will make TikTok’s commercial music library available on Adobe Express via the Symphony Assistant add-on. 

Adobe said:

“With Adobe Express features, powered by Adobe Firefly generative AI and designed to be commercially safe, and music from TikTok’s Commercial Music Library pre-cleared by TikTok for commercial use, users can confidently create and post TikTok content for their business.”

According to TikTok, 88% of their users say that sounds are essential in conveying brand identity and increasing the likelihood of making a sale. This initiative will enable users to quickly access over a million songs and add an extra layer of design to their marketing content.  

This move comes several months after Adobe and TikTok announced its “first-of-its-kind” integration with TikTok’s Creative Assistant. This enabled TikTok users to create high-quality videos to push their brands quickly, and easily. 

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media apps and has become an essential tool in many brands' marketing strategies. The app design is very simple and allows users to scroll for hours and take in and view a huge amount of content in a short space of time, while the algorithm continues to put things that may be of interest to the user directly in front of them.

Not only have people been able to forge entire careers through content creation on the app, but the amount of money that people will pay for a sponsored post on a popular person’s page is incredible.

Depending on a user's number of followers, they can receive up to $2,500 for one post, more in some cases (on a platform that suggests 1 to 4 postings a day).

“Creativity is the core of TikTok. Content, communities, and cultures are all directly connected to, and built by, creativity on the platform,” said Andy Yang, Global Head of Creative Product at TikTok.

“We are continuously building and investing in creative solutions to help our brands be creative storytellers and connect with the TikTok community. We are excited to further expand our partnership with Adobe, giving brands the tools to soundtrack their TikTok content and create at scale.”

Adobe found themselves in hot water recently after an update of their terms and conditions included allowing the media company to have access to any form of media uploaded to its many programs. This led to many calling for a boycott of Adobe and their software.

Why not check out our guide to the best photo editing software, and the best tablets for photo editing. 

I have to confess that I have no problems using software interfaces for making adjustments when editing photos and videos, but I may have been swayed by the Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Color Panel. This is a color grading control panel designed for use with DaVinci Resolve video editing software that can be used with both computers and iPads.

In reality, I don’t spend enough time color-grading videos to justify the investment in this slick, tactile, and ultimately time-saving device. But if you spend a lot of your time doing just that, the Micro Color Panel could be a game-changer for your workflow. Plus, the compact size, internal battery, Bluetooth connectivity, and an iPad slot mean that not only is it highly portable, but it can also be used on the go, practically anywhere.

This could be incredibly useful for content creators because work can be completed on location with an iPad and quickly and easily uploaded to social media or a client for proofing. For professional video editors and colorists, it’s undoubtedly a comfortable and precise input device that’s equally at home connected to a desktop or laptop.

It’s fair to say that given the cost of the Micro Color Panel, it’s not going to be a cost-effective option for casual video editors. Of course, you could still buy one and you would no doubt be happy with yet another high-quality product from Blackmagic Design that makes adjustments incredibly precise and, indeed comfortable. But at $509 / £498 with no copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio included, it’s arguably aimed more at professional users who already own a software license. Although, it can also be used with the free version of the software which provides access to professional color grading controls available in the full version.

Blackmagic Micro Color Panel: Specifications

Blackmagic Micro Color Panel: Price

The DaVinci Resolve Micro Color Panel is a specialist device designed to provide tactile control within DaVinci Resolve’s Color Page. So, in a nutshell, it’s just for color grading and image adjustments. It’s quite expensive at $509 / £498, although it is less expensive than the more advanced, larger and heavier DaVinci Resolve Mini Color Panel. 

The Micro Color Panel is, however, more expensive than products such as Loupedeck and TourBox controllers that can be used with a variety of photo and video editing software. But where the Micro Color Panel lacks this multi-software versatility, it makes up for it in the fact that it’s designed for one job and does it extremely well. 

A point to consider is that where many Blackmagic Design controllers come bundled with a copy of Davinci Resolve Studio, ultimately reducing the cost if you don’t already have the full version of the software, the Micro Color Panel doesn’t come with a software license.

Blackmagic Micro Color Panel: Design & Handling

There’s no getting away from the fact that Blackmagic Design manufactures high-quality products, and the Micro Color panel is no exception. The black finish looks great, albeit a dust magnet. The trackballs, wheels, and dials have a pleasing amount of resistance that adds to the tactility of the device, while the backlit labeled buttons have a positive feel when pressed. Plus, rubber pads on the bottom help to avoid slipping when used on a desk.

The backlighting is fantastic overall because colorists and editors often work in dimly lit rooms, so this naturally makes it easier for you to see what’s what. Unfortunately, the dial labels aren’t backlit and this would be extremely useful because when the buttons are backlit the labels appear extremely dull in comparison. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but it would undoubtedly be better if they were backlit.

The setup of the Micro Color Panel is as simple as could be, so you don’t have to be a computer expert to get yourself up and running. The instructions suggest that you can simply connect the device and that DaVinci Resolve will recognize it, which it does. But to make it work with the software I discovered that I had to select it as the Color Panel to be used in the software preferences. 

It’s not a difficult task, and once this is done the Micro Color Panel can be connected via USB-C or Bluetooth. Although it needs to be charged for the latter so you will initially and occasionally have to use it plugged into your computer, or at least charged directly with a USB-C charger. The internal battery, alongside the iPad slot, also allow for the Micro Color Panel to be used on the go, and it can even be charged by the iPad although this has obvious consequences.

Compatibility of the device is for DaVinci resolve version 12.5 and above, so it goes back quite a long way since the current stable version is 18.6.6 and the final release of version 19 is imminent at the time of writing. In terms of operating systems, the Micro Color Panel is compatible with Mac 14.3 and above, Windows 11, and Rocky Linux 8.6. I connected it to computers running Windows 11 and 10 via Bluetooth and had no issues with the latter despite Windows 10 not being officially supported.

Blackmagic Micro Color Panel: Performance

The Quick Start guide that comes with the Micro Color Panel is extremely useful and is clearly laid out so that you can learn what all of the controls are for if you’re unfamiliar with them. It’s essential reading anyway because some buttons have toggle operations – they change what a specific control adjusts – so knowing this will ultimately improve the effectiveness of the device.

The Micro Color Panel at its most fundamental level simply takes the on-screen user interface controls of the Color Page and puts them in your hands. Can you get by without one? Definitely, but there’s no denying that it makes adjusting these controls quicker, easier, and more precise. It would be difficult to justify the expense as a casual user, but for people who spend a lot of time color grading, it would be a worthwhile investment.

I didn’t test the device with an iPad neatly tucked into the iPad slot/holder. However, it’s obvious that using the two in combination would provide a vastly improved user experience than touching the screen to adjust settings; adding precision and also providing a more comfortable working position with the Micro Color Panel positioned on a desk or your lap.

One feature that I found extremely useful concerning the dials is that as well as twisting them to make adjustments, pushing down the dials resets the relevant adjustments. It’s just a small thing, but it helps to reduce the reliance on using a mouse or touching the iPad screen to reset if you’re unhappy with any of the dial-based adjustments you’ve made and would like to start again.

I could list all of the controls available, but that’s not going to explain much and would end up being a boring list. But some of the highlights include Y Lift, Y Gamma, and Y Gain for controlling the luminance of the three main tonal ranges, Contrast and Pivot to control contrast and the balance of how contrast is applied, the three trackballs and surrounding wheels, and much more.

Blackmagic Micro Color Panel: Verdict

The Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Color Panel is an excellent tool for professionals or those who often color grade their video footage and require tactile precision. It’s highly portable – small and light enough to carry around in a backpack – and can be used at a desk with a computer or an iPad, but at $509 / £498 it may be less expensive than the more advanced Mini Color Panel, but it’s still a pricey piece of kit.

That said, it is a pleasure to use and it certainly makes color grading video a more comfortable experience and ultimately faster. The default sensitivity of the trackballs, wheels, and dials is perfect being not so sensitive that adjustments go off the charts, but sensitivity can be customized if you wish. There is a small learning curve to understand all of the controls, and over time this naturally becomes second nature. But there’s no getting away from the fact that the Micro Color Panel is a specialist professional device rather than a consumer product for occasional video editors/colorists.

Alternatives

Following on from the big iPad announcements given by Apple, Final Cut Pro has been given a significant update with a ton of new features for the iPad app and Mac. 

Final Cut Pro is Apple's video editing software and ranks highly among creators for creating, editing and rendering video. As is the case with most software updates in 2024, the new 'Final Cut Pro for iPad 2' and 'Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8' will have a host of new AI-powered features that make editing workflows all the more efficient. 

AI already plays a huge part in Final Cut Pro, with features such as Fast Cut (which accelerates time‑consuming editing tasks) and Auto Crop (which crops your footage for the various aspect ratios required for posting on different platforms).

The new iPad Pro is the first Apple product to come with an M4 chip, meaning that its processing power has enhanced dramatically, enabling fast video rendering and support for more streams of ProRes RAW. This has meant that new and improved features can be added to Final Cut Pro for iPad 2. 

The first on the list is the new Live Multicam feature, which turns the iPad Pro into a portable multicam production studio, as seen in the video above. This enables users to set up four separate camera views that all feed back to the iPad as a central hub, where the exposure focus and zoom can be controlled. 

This on-the-go editing and directing facility can be extremely useful when streaming live events or recording interviews. It does appear that the only cameras that can do this at present are iPhones and iPads, so hopefully this will open to include further cameras in the future. 

In conjunction with Live Multicam, Final Cut Camera comes to iPhone and iPad to enable live monitoring and individual control of each video feed. This changes the camera app used when recording with Multicam, enabling enhanced monitoring and settings adjustments. 

Another improvement that will make Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 more appealing to users is that it now supports external projects. This enables users to create or open projects on an external storage device, and import media without taking up space on their iPad. This is a huge change and will help make the new iPad Pro an even more viable video editing device.

"Editors can quickly hand off external projects to another editor or take them into Final Cut Pro for Mac; create new projects on external storage; and seamlessly import high-resolution files and professional codecs like ProRes and Log," says Apple.

New customizable elements bring more options to projects, with the inclusion of twelve new color-grading presets, eight basic text titles, twenty new soundtracks and additional dynamic backgrounds, overlays, and, title sequences. And the ability to bring controlled and precise adjustments is supported by the new Apple Pencil Pro. 

It's not just Final Cut Pro for iPad that has seen an update, either, as Final Cut Pro for Mac has also benefited from improved features – and of course, they are likewise powered by AI. 

"Available as a free update to existing users, Final Cut Pro 10.8 introduces Enhance Light and Color, offering the ability to improve color, color balance, contrast, and brightness in one simple step, and is optimized for SDR, HDR, RAW, and Log-encoded media," Apple continues.

"With Smooth Slo-Mo, frames of video are intelligently generated and blended, providing the highest-quality movement and more drama to a project."

Improvements have also been made to the naming system, and search functions to speed up workflow efficiency. 

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 will be available later this spring as a free update for existing users, and available on the App Store for $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.99 per month or $49 / £49 / AU$49 per year, with a 1-month free trial for new users.

Final Cut Camera will be available for free later this spring as a standalone app.

Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 will be available as a free update for existing users and  $299.99 / £299.99 / AU $299.99 for new users on the Mac App Store. All new users can download a free 90-day trial of Final Cut Pro.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best iPad, the best Macbook, and the best iMac.

Ahead of NAB last year, Adobe teased us with a little glimpse into future of Firefly in its video editing products. Since then, Adobe's focus has seemingly been on AI in photography and content creation, with it all going a little quiet on the video front. 

This has enabled technologies like the mind-blowing Sora text-to-video model from OpenAI to grab headlines in the AI video space. However, just ahead of Adobe Max taking place in London next week, Adobe is taking the wraps off some of the latest AI capabilities it has been cooking up for Premiere Pro.

Now, as you might expect, some of the generative AI capabilities of Firefly in Premiere Pro closely follow what we have already seen in Photoshop – although there is a pretty substantial difference between altering one static frame to changing 30 or 60 frames per second while also factoring in movement, and looks set to be a gamechanger in video editing.

So what's new? One of the most substantial new features teased is Generative Extend, which enables editors to add generative frames to clips to increase their overall length. This is incredibly useful if you are like me, and forget to linger that second or two extra on a shot, which makes clips harder to blend into a transition when you make it to editing. 

Adobe's example of holding the shot on a person's solemn and static face is neatly done, but it would be interesting to see how this works with more complicated shots with additional motion.

Object Addition & Removal will also be a very welcome feature for editors who are weary of tediously removing unwanted objects that have strayed into shots. 

Firefly can recognize and highlight objects in the scene, like in Photoshop, or you can manually select areas in the footage, and these objects or selections can then be tracked across the whole clip. Objects can be completely removed and replaced with a seamless background, or replaced with an alternate generative object that better fits the scene.

Text to Video is also coming to Premiere Pro, enabling entirely new footage to be generated from within the software based on text prompts. Adobe is a little less bombastic on this one and suggests that it might be a good way to ideate, storyboard or augment B-roll footage rather than as a significant content creation tool (in its current form, anyway!).

In a surprising move, Adobe isn't just pushing its own Firefly AI model in this reveal; it is also working on integrating third-party AI models directly into Premiere Pro's interface. In its showcase video, Adobe shows how it can create content using Sora, Pika and Runway just as easily as Firefly – so even if Adobe loses the AI race, its software might still be the best place to use other AI models in the future.

Finally, as a founding member of the Content Authenticity Initiative, Adobe is keen to reaffirm its commitment to Content Credentials, which is currently the most widely recognized way to identify AI-altered content. Adobe will be integrating Credentials into Premiere Pro as well as exports that use generative content. 

For the full lowdown on all the latest AI tools Adobe has been working on, check out the video below.

For more on video editing check out our guide to the best video editing software, or for stills the best photo editing software.

We like to think a camera's auto white balance is infallible, but in reality most cameras will generate a slight unwanted color cast when recording images or video. What's more, the way a camera captures color - its color science - will also vary between camera manufacturers, with some cameras emphasising particular hues more than others by default. Should you be recording a subject from multiple angles using cameras from different brands and with different lenses, it's also likely there'll be a subtle yet noticeable color variation between the footage from each camera, which could then be jarring to the eye once your shots are edited together.

To solve such color inaccuracy and inconsistency, you need a reliable, accurate color reference target which can be positioned in the scene your filming, recorded by all the cameras you're using for the shoot, and then used to calibrate every shot in post production. And that's exactly what the Spyder Checkr Video has been designed for. This passport-sized plastic case contains several, precision-calibrated reference cards featuring various color and grayscale swatches which are used to align the white balance and color of your recorded footage once it's imported into video editing software like Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere. Naturally, you'll also need consistent lighting for the Spyder Checkr Video to work accurately, so it's best used in a studio environment under controlled lighting.

Read more:

The best camera for video
The best video editing software
The best monitor calibrators

Build and handling

The Spyder Checkr video outwardly resembles Datacolor's other Spyder Checkr products, like the stills-orientated Spyder Checkr Photo. Being video-centric, it's been designed to be held by your subject rather than placed on a surface in a scene. Consequently the edges of the case have been sculpted to make it sit more comfortably in the hand, as well as minimising the possibility of fingers casting a shadow over the color swatches.

Open the case and you'll find four separate reference cards. The two on the first 'pages' are the most important; the grayscale card being for calibrating white balance, while the other card contains color swatches for calibrating color and skin tones. Flip the central divider and you'll find a grey card, again for white balance calibration, plus a focus star.

If you're a hybrid shooter and already own a Spyder Checkr Photo, the reference cards are the same size as those in the Video and can easily be swapped between products so you can carry a single Checkr containing the four cards you need most.

Performance

Though the Spyder Checkr Video looks very similar to its Spyder Checkr Photo sibling, the way it's used to calibrate color is very different. You start by having your subject, or an assistant, hold the tool in the setting you'll be recording and under the same lighting. The Checkr should also be panned slightly to ensure you record at least one frame where the reference cards aren't affected by shadows or reflections, as these would corrupt the accuracy of the color swatches. Record this same test scene containing the Spyder Checkr Video using every camera on your shoot and, providing the studio lighting stays consistent, you can then calibrate all subsequent footage recorded in this setting.

How you then calibrate white balance and color in post production depends on the video editing software you're using. But broadly speaking, it will be a somewhat time-consuming process requiring the use of your software's waveform monitor to set white balance, while adjusting the vectorscope diagram will let you define correct color hue and saturation, as well as set optimal skin tone rendition. You'll also have to spend some time at the start of the process isolating the Spyder Checkr within the scene using a mask, in order to simplify the subsequent waveform and vectorscope displays. Check out the Datacolor website for detailed guides on how to use the Spyder Checkr Video in conjunction with Davinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro.

But put in a few minutes of effort here and you'll likely be rewarded with a noticeable improvement in color accuracy and saturation, which will also be consistent across multiple cameras. While the calibration process does require manual input and concentration, the process is no more involved than other aspects of post production at this level and can easily be incorporated into your workflow.

Verdict

The Datacolor Spyder Checkr video is a deceptively simple tool that can make a dramatic difference to the quality and consistency of color in your footage. It's not a tool designed for casual outdoor vlogging, but it is an essential companion for studio shoots under controlled lighting, especially where multiple cameras are being used. 

The software side of the calibration process does require some user effort, but for high-profile or commercial shoot where quality is paramount, it's well worth spending a few extra minutes in post production to ensure calibrated color and therefore client satisfaction.

Though the Spyder Checkr Video may ultimately be just four calibration cards in a plastic wallet, the price is fair for the quality, accuracy and reliability of the product itself, and the tool is an absolute bargain when you consider the impact it can have on the final quality of your footage.

DaVinci Resolve 18.6  is a free nonlinear editing (NLE) app from Blackmagic Design, which also manufactures a comprehensive range of high-end digital video cameras for filmmakers. NLE apps enable you to swap the running order of a program’s clips by dragging and dropping them around in a timeline in a non-linear fashion, compared to the original (and much slower) method of copying clips from a tape player to a tape recorder in a linear video editing suite.

Blackmagic Design also makes other hardware devices such as the DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor which is a console that lets you perform a host of video editing operations using tactile knobs and buttons.

In many ways DaVinci Resolve 18.6  looks and behaves like professional NLE apps such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, despite the fact that it’s free to download and use. If you pay to upgrade the free DaVinci Resolve 18.6 to DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 then you’ll find tools that Final Cut Pro lacks (such as advanced HDR grading and voice isolation tools). This review focuses on the free DaVinci Resolve 18.6 app, but we’ll touch on some of the more advanced features of the paid-for version below.

DaVinci Resolve Studio

The free version of DaVinci Resolve 18.6 includes the same high-quality processing as the paid-for DaVinci Resolve 18.6 Studio and can handle unlimited-resolution media files. However, it does limit project mastering and output to Ultra HD resolutions or lower. 

DaVinci Resolve 18.6 only supports a single processing GPU on Windows and Linux and 2 GPUs on the latest Mac Pro. If you need features such as support for multiple GPUs, 4K output, motion blur effects, temporal and spatial noise reduction, multiple AI-based tools, HDR tools, camera tracker, voice isolation, multiple Resolve FX, 3D stereoscopic tools, and remote rendering, then you’ll need to upgrade to DaVinci Resolve 18.6 Studio. 

For more check out our full review of DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.

Specifications

Price

DaVinci Resolve 18.6 is available to download for free! You can find the download link on Blackmagic's website. 

However, if you want to unlock all the full features of the software, you can upgrade it to DaVinci Resolve Studio for $295 / £245.

Interface and Usability

Calling DaVinci Resolve a non-linear editing app is like calling James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 a ‘car’. DaVinci Resolve does so much more than simply enable you to edit and trim clips as we’ll explain. 

Anyone familiar with NLE apps should be able to get up and running quickly in DaVinci Resolve’s workspace. The app lets you take baby steps on the basic Cut page. Here you can drag and drop imported clips from a bin into a classic timeline and then drag them around to re-arrange the running order in true non-linear fashion, before trimming them. This helps you quickly create a rough edit. 

The Edit page gives you a more sophisticated timeline where you can combine (and composite) video and audio in layers and watch your narrative take shape in a classic main viewer.  Here you can perform keys and add masks to your layered content.

To grade your clips’ colors and tones click on the Color icon. Here’s where you’ll find the type of color grading tools that you’d expect to see in a paid-for app such as Final Cut Pro, including a histogram that gives you a clearer view of the spread of tones in a clip and a vectorscope that helps you produce faithfully rendered skin tones.  DaVinci Resolve started out as a color grading app (adding editing tools as the app evolved), so unsurprisingly its grading tools are second to none. 

The Fusion page gives you motion graphic tools to enhance your tightly edited and beautifully graded footage and the Fairlight page gives you access to a comprehensive collection of post-production audio tools. It may help to compare DaVinci Resolve’s various pages to Lightroom Classic’s modules, as each page gives you access to a different suite of tools so that you can focus on the task at hand.

Performance

I’ve used NLE apps since they were invented in the 1990s (having learned to edit on linear tape-to-tape edit suits back in the 80s), but my ‘go-to’ app for professional work is Final Cut Pro. 

I found it fairly easy to get up and running in DaVinci Resolve 18.6 when it came to importing and editing, though as it was a new app I had to adapt to DaVinci’s differences. One gripe I had was when swapping the order of clips in the main Edit page. When I dragged a clip from the end of the timeline and placed it between two other clips it would over-write sections of the clips (instead of moving them apart to accommodate the new clip). After some googling, I learned that I could employ a keyboard shortcut when I dragged and dropped a clip to avoid overwriting the others, but this made the app less intuitive to use than when editing in Final Cut Pro. 

However, when using the more basic Cut page moving clips around in the timeline behaved the way I was used to, with clips sliding aside to let new clips into the timeline (with no overwriting.)

The Color page features a wide range of ways to enhance a clip’s colors and tones. It had no trouble taking the desaturated and flat-toned log color clips from my iPhone 15 Pro Max and giving them more vibrant colors and a richer range of tonal detail with a click on the Auto Color command. Creative grading is catered for too - by using Curves I was able to sample a blue sky and then change the hue from blue to a cinematic cyan just by dragging a point on the curve (just as I could in Final Cut Pro). 

A key difference to Final Cut Pro is DaVinci’s use of Nodes. Nodes enable you to apply an effect (or mask) to a particulate clip (in a similar way to applying an adjustment layer to an image layer in Photoshop). You can then unplug and rewire nodes to change their effect on the clip in a very organic way. I found this new way of working was a steep learning curve to climb but this extra level of control is worth mastering. Check out my supporting video to see Nodes in action. I created a mask to brighten a light in a clip, adjusted its blending mode, and made it track the light as the camera moved.

One tool that made me seriously think about defecting from Final Cut Pro was DaVinci Resolve’s ability to use AI to listen to the content of my timeline and then transcribe it as text. This proved a much faster way to create captions and subtitles than having to play a clip and then type out the dialogue by hand. I used to earn quite a lot charging clients to manually transcribe subtitles over a period of days but those days are over! 

Verdict

If you use entry-level apps such as iMovie and want to develop your skills as a non-linear video editor, then DaVinci Resolve 18 is well worth a look, though you’ll need to climb a fairly steep learning curve to grasp its suite of tools (especially in relation to color grading). 

If you’re a more experienced Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro user then DaVinci Resolve definitely deserves your time and attention, and exploring its tools may act as a springboard to motivate you to license the outstanding suite of AI-assisted tools in DaVinci Resolve Studio. 

Whatever your experience as a video editor you have nothing to lose but time when you explore what DaVinci Resolve 18 has to offer (and potentially much more to gain when it comes to producing cinematic-looking footage).

Alternatives

Don't have the Apple Vision Pro yet? It turns out that doesn't need to stop you recording Apple's Spatial Video format, which you can now do with your iPhone, and there are several good reasons why you should.

For one thing, quite a few other devices and platforms are now claiming to be able to show Apple's spatial video format using other platforms. As early as 16th of November VR filmmaker Hugh Hou shared footage using YouTube VR which can be viewed on Meta Quest 2 and 3 VR headsets, for example. So there is a chance it'll become a standard.

Even if you're planning to go the full Apple route, so there are plenty of things that might have prevented you from getting a Vision Pro on day one. Not owning your own gold mine might have been an issue. Even if you happen to be swimming in money you might live in one of the 194 of 195 countries where the Vision Pro still has no official release date, while in the one place you can theoretically buy it, the USA, supplies are hard to find.

No matter — if you have an iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (the latest phones as I write) you can shoot those special moments now to enjoy when you eventually get hold of the magic glasses. Here's how.

1: Check your iOS

This feature was enabled with an update, iOS 17.2, so the first thing you need to do is check your phone has updated itself. In the Settings app choose General (a gray icon) then About (usually at the top). The version should be the second thing down.

If you need to update, pop back to General '<' and the second item down should be Software Update. There is an Update Now button to force an update.

2: Enable Spatial Video (camera settings)

Sadly we're not done with the settings yet. Now, still in the Settings app, it's time to find the Camera page and while you can scroll down and find the camera icon personally I find it easier to begin typing 'Cam' in the Search bar.

The Camera settings page is useful for unleashing a lot of features you might have heard about but which Apple keep hidden for usability reasons. In this case we'll choose Formats > (4th from the top) and, near the bottom, you'll see the option to turn on 'Spatial Video for Apple Vision Pro'. Credit to Apple, they're very clear about the amount of data you'll be using up (something to think about depending on your iCloud and storage choices).

3: Switch to the camera, choose video, and go horizontal...

To record a spatial video you need to switch to the Camera app just as you normally would to capture any other video. You'll see no changes straight away, but make sure you've switched to Video mode and that you turn your phone horizontally. This is natural for me – I'm old and think video is horizontal so do this instinctively. When these conditions are met the spatial video icon appears (turned off by default).

4: Switch on spatial video, hold level, and record

When you enable spatial video, the button turns yellow and all your zoom options evaporate (the image will frame itself). Instead, text tips will guide you as to the best distance from your subject. Spatial video is recorded using the main and wide cameras which, since you turned the phone, have become horizontal. It's your job to keep them horizontal by holding the phone perfectly level, hence the new spirit level graphic which has appeared center frame to help you do this.

So, no zooming, keep level, and Apple say aim for balanced lighting conditions, but otherwise this is where you start and stop recording as per usual.

5: How do I view spatial video without Vision Pro?

Don't worry, your phone and Apple devices will play the video usual, and you can share it as you usually do without confusing recipients. A new 'Spatial Video' folder will appear in your Apple Photos apps, too, so they'll be easy to find if you ever do buy a compatible device!

For a traditionalist, perhaps it's better to look for the best monitor for photo editing!

Editor X is designed by Wix and offers a range of advanced web design tools and layouts that are perfect for creatives wanting a simple drag-and-drop solution to their website building needs. Through the easy-to-use interface, it is possible to create beautiful galleries while also controlling the position and size of design elements including text, graphics, and forms. 

With a sleek and simple interface, creatives are able to leverage some pretty powerful tools that will result in great-looking websites every single time. A range of themes and templates are available to give users a headstart on creating their website. Through containers, galleries, and grid layouts, it's also possible to push the functionality of your site beyond the basics. Editor X offers it all with an Elite package that has unlimited storage so you're not having to worry about running out of space.

Editor X: Who is it for?

Editor X is designed by Wix, the well-known website builder. I'd understand if you were confused about why Wix now has two website builders; Editor X and Wix Studio. In reality, Wix is attempting to customize their website builders to more specifically target their customers. Wix Studio is designed more for agencies or those wanting to create websites on behalf of their clients. Editor X, on the other hand, provides a smoother and more efficient way to build high-end websites. It does this by offering a number of tools, including AI, presents, and reusable templates. As a result, websites can be created in a fraction of the time.

Editor X is therefore for any photographer, videographer, or general creative who wants a drag-and-drop interface that helps them build an online portfolio in the way that they want.

Editor X: Price

The Basic plan will be enough for a lot of creatives, with 10 GB of media storage included. The fact that it costs only £9 per month makes it a very appealing package indeed. If you'd like to add eCommerce functionality, then you'll need to upgrade to the Standard package, which is £14 per month. This option also has the added benefit of boosting your media storage to 50GB.

Editor X: Key Features

Editor X has everything you need to create advanced designs without needing to know any code. 

Responsive design

One of the strongest elements of the Editor X builder is its responsive nature. Websites can respond to any changes in the window they are contained in, whether that be landscape or portrait, or on a desktop or mobile device. You can ensure that the content on your pages is going to adapt accordingly. 

Gallery Layouts

Editor X offers the most comprehensive set of gallery layouts of any website builder on the market at the moment. With a whopping 12 different options, creatives can customize the look of their work in pretty much any way they want. Collage and Masonry options provide a variety of differently sized images across the page, whereas a more formal grid structure gives equal attention to every piece of media.

eCommerce

Creatives who want to go beyond just showcasing their work can utilize the range of eCommerce tools available with Editor X. Products can be added to pages using different layouts, with an easy-to-use dashboard for managing all your different products. With the tools provided, it is possible to customize all the images, descriptions, and prices of all your products.

Editor X: Design & Ease of Use

Editor X is as easy to use as the likes of Squarespace and Format. After selecting one of the templates, I could quickly customize and adjust what I was given to create an impressive website without too much hassle. With around 50 different templates, creatives have the ability to make themselves stand out from the rest.

The interface itself is almost identical to Wix and follows the same principles as Squarespace. The page tools are all located on the left-hand side, with easy access to elements, layers, and pages. There are a huge number of elements available, but all of them are helpfully categorized into sections. Adding them to the page is as simple as dragging and dropping. 

The properties panel is located on the right and was always available when I needed it. As is the case with the Wix interface, I didn't always find it the easiest to locate the properties or tools that I was looking for. Some interfaces sync with your brain beautifully, but I didn't find that to always be the case with Editor X. 

One of the things I love the most about Editor X is the layer-based interface. In most website builders, it is possible to move elements forward and backward in the hierarchy, but Editor X goes a little bit further by giving you a layer-based graphical hierarchy of your page. This makes it much easier to move these elements around without having to constantly right-click and move individual items up and down the hierarchy. 

Editor X: Results

I enjoyed creating my website in Editor X. The process of creating pages, adding content, and adjusting layers was relatively straightforward, with only a few problems finding specific functionality. The resulting website was exactly what I was after. Being able to start with a beautifully crafted theme made it easy to realize my vision for creating my portfolio.

Editor X Alternatives

Editor X is most similar to Wix Studio, Squarespace, and Weebly. In my experience, Squarespace trumps all of these for both functionality and price. If you're after a more simple portfolio builder, then Adobe Portfolio or SmugMug might be better options.

When you think of video editing, the last thing you might consider is a keyboard designed specifically for this purpose. But, that’s exactly what the Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Editor Keyboard is. If you’ve ever seen the Davinci Resolve Speed Editor, it’s a little like that but with a full QWERTY keyboard and many more controls, functions, and labeled keyboard shortcuts alongside a jog wheel and is aimed at professional users.

This is essentially the clue as to whether or not you need one, coupled with the overall cost of the keyboard, which isn’t cheap. The Editor Keyboard costs $580 / £570 but also includes a license for Davinci Resolve Studio 18, which costs $295 / £284 alone. So, if you don’t already own a license, this essentially puts the cost of the keyboard at $285 / £286, which is still expensive, but it will provide a much faster and more tactile editing experience than using a standard keyboard and mouse.

With so much functionality packed into it, alongside the steep learning curve associated with Davinci Resolve Studio 18, you’re only going to get the most out of a device like this if you’re fairly proficient with the software. For casual video editors, your money could be better spent elsewhere or saved for when you’re ready for such a specialist upgrade. But if you’re a professional video editor working all day every day, the Editor Keyboard is an investment worth considering.

Why do you need an editing keyboard?

Blackmagic calls the Editor Keyboard the ‘world's best DaVinci keyboard’ which is a claim you’d expect. But as the makers of Davinci Resolve Studio software, the keyboard does indeed integrate perfectly with the software to provide an efficient approach to video editing thanks to dedicated control keys, labeled keyboard shortcuts, and the multi-function jog wheel. It’s much more than just a basic video editing keyboard with shortcuts simply labeled on the keys.

For video editing, the Editor Keyboard has everything you need including a full QWERTY keyboard. This features a revised layout where Blackmagic used feedback from professional editors to help produce the most efficient layout. It’s undoubtedly a specialist device with a cost and functionality that make it much more than most people would ever need. But if you’re a professional video editor using Davinci Resolve, there’s no question that it will improve your editing efficiency thanks to the QWERTY keyboard and the tactile controls.

The jog, which Blackmagic refers to as the ‘search dial’, can be set to function in different ways using the Shuttle, Jog and Scroll keys, as well as controlling other useful functions when used with certain function keys. The controls available on the whole allow you to perform tasks including trimming, cutting, adding and adjusting transitions, adding and removing effects, moving clips into position and much more. Trimming can even be applied using either the jog wheel or the keyboard itself. Plus, the jog wheel features a clutch so you can set playback forward or backward through the timeline at different speeds in Shuttle mode.

Other useful features include the ability to sort clips by time, camera, duration or name using the sorting keys, there's a keypad for entering edit points and durations numerically and a viewer button on the revised layout changes to full-screen mode. These features are just the tip of the iceberg, with the exact features and functionality required by individuals naturally always varying, but the Editor Keyboard will have most if not everything you need. One of the obvious aims of the keyboard is to provide instant access to key controls with smooth and intuitive handling, which it achieves. 

DaVinci Resolve Keyboard: Design & Handling

The Editor Keyboard is extremely well made and has an undeniable look and feel of quality about it, although the design is certainly functional rather than gimmicky. But that’s not a bad thing because it’s a serious professional tool rather than a garish LED-infused gaming keyboard, for instance. The top plate of the keyboard is metal and there’s a black plastic palm rest for added comfort at the bottom. On the back, there’s a USB-C connection to attach the keyboard to a computer, alongside two USB-A connections for attaching a mouse and/or other USB accessories. The keyboard can be used on a desktop or inset into a console, with a lip around the top edge to allow for the latter.

All in all, at a distance, it looks a little like a subdued gaming keyboard but with keys grouped in colors to denote keyboard shortcuts and functions alongside a jog wheel on the right. It’s quite large and heavy at 23x8.77x2.1 inches / 584x223x53mm with a weight of 5.07lbs / 2.3kg, so it’s longer and much heavier than my Steel Series gaming keyboard, which certainly isn’t small. It’s the length that’s most noticeable and it will undoubtedly encroach on mouse space, but the idea of the keyboard is, in part, to reduce the reliance on mouse use during editing to speed up the process so this shouldn’t be a problem.

The mechanical keys can’t be faulted in terms of operation and are comfortable to use in an editing context. But the QWERTY keys do feel small and cramped for typing, so it’s not the most comfortable option for everyday typing tasks. The keys are useful for typing titles and any other typing tasks within Davinci Resolve, plus the clearly labelled keyboard shortcuts on each key are incredibly useful whether you know Davinci Resolve inside out or you’re learning how to use it. The shortcuts make a huge difference when editing and greatly increase editing speed and efficiency before you even consider the dedicated function buttons and the jog wheel. 

The jog wheel itself is comfortable and easy to use with smooth operation and a weighty feel that gives it presence during use. The resistance is perfect, allowing you to scrub through footage with precision, or to spin it faster to get through clips at speed using one of the three available modes that change the way it interacts with the timeline. As previously mentioned, it’s a high-quality keyboard and performs its functions incredibly well.

DaVinci Resolve Keyboard: Performance

The color-coded shortcuts on the keys make accessing these shortcuts quick and easy with no reliance on knowledge and memory. These are alongside dedicated function keys to the left of the keyboard, functions on the F keys, and the jog wheel and its control keys which are comfortably positioned on the right. Perhaps not so comfortable for lefthanded video editors, but it’s the most logical position considering how keyboards and similar editing controllers are laid out.

Overall, this makes the Editor Keyboard, alongside the fact that it’s designed for use with Davinci Resolve, a specialist keyboard that’s geared almost wholly towards video editing. It’s an even more efficient tool than the Davinci Resolve Speed Editor, which is great but lacks the keyboard and shortcut element and is geared more towards integration with an existing keyboard and mouse and is the better option for some people. Not least because it can be easily moved from one computer or location to another, whereas the Editor Keyboard is more of a permanent solution, although there’s no reason why you couldn’t move it around if you’re happy to transport a keyboard of this size and weight. 

You can, of course, use it as your main keyboard, and it functions even when Davinci Resolve is closed, but you won’t be able to enjoy the best typing experience in terms of speed and comfort. 

The advantage of the Editor Keyboard is that it removes such heavy reliance on using a mouse so that both hands are on the keyboard. This may sound counterintuitive, but the controls available allow you to move the playback point on the timeline quickly while moving clips around and adjusting their length, for instance.

The shortcut keys provide instant access to a wealth of controls that will instantly save time, but some of the other function keys require knowledge of video editing and controller devices of this type to make the best use of them. The Keyboard Editor is aimed at professionals who are likely to already have this knowledge, but if you’re just starting out professionally or you’re a keen enthusiast, there will be a learning curve involved with getting to know what everything does. Even professionals may need to learn about secondary key functionality where a double press or interaction with a modifier changes functionality. Guidance in this area isn’t covered in the instructions, so you’ll have to look to third-party tutorials online if you need to learn more.

DaVinci Resolve Keyboard: Final Verdict

The Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Editor Keyboard is a high-quality video editing controller aimed squarely at professionals based on functionality and cost. This certainly doesn’t mean that it’s not suitable for enthusiasts, but for more casual video editors there are less expensive options available that would also provide a more intuitive, tactile, and faster editing experience than a standard keyboard and mouse.

There is a learning curve when it comes to using some of the controls on the keyboard, and although the instructions don’t cover operation, there are plenty of tutorials online to help you get up and running if you’re unfamiliar with devices of this type. Many professional video editors may already know exactly how the keyboard functions, although there will be others who need to learn how it works to get the best from it.

The full QWERTY keyboard with color-coded and labeled keyboard shortcuts may not be the best for general typing tasks, but for use with Davinci Resolve it works incredibly well. This, alongside, the dedicated controls and the jog wheel makes the Editor Keyboard an excellent option for individuals who edit many videos and could benefit from the improved editing experience it provides. It’s not cheap, but it does include a Davinci Resolve Studio 18 license.

Alternatives

As consumer-level cameras, action cameras, drones, and smartphones, are becoming easier to use for shooting high-quality video, more and more of us are naturally creating video content. Whether for personal use, sharing on YouTube, or producing videos commercially, video creation is blossoming. But like most image capture, it’s the editing side of things that can feel most cumbersome and that’s where accessories such as the Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Speed Editor come into play. 

The Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Speed Editor is a small keyboard-like device that has a footprint roughly the same as a 10-inch tablet, albeit deeper and heavier, and complements your keyboard and mouse to greatly speed up video editing in Davinci Resolve. This is thanks to dedicated controls that work seamlessly with the software, including a multi-function jog wheel, which saves huge amounts of time and provides a more hands-on and intuitive approach to editing once you understand how it works.

In terms of cost, the great advantage of the Speed Editor, if you’re planning to buy Davinci Resolve Studio 18 anyway, is that it comes bundled with a free license for the software and costs $395 / £359. 

So, in effect, you’re only paying $100 / £75 for the Speed Editor itself because Davinci Resolve Studio 18 costs $295 / £284 alone. This ultimately makes the Speed Editor excellent value for money if you don’t already own a license and an essential item if you’re a professional video editor or an enthusiast who edits a lot of video content.

The focus of the Speed Editor, as the name suggests, is speed, and it certainly achieves this to ultimately save huge amounts of time for people who edit many videos, as well as providing a more tactile experience. The Speed Editor is instantly recognised by Davinci Resolve so no configuration is needed, simply connect and get started; it’s compatible with computers running Davinci Resolve on either Mac 10.15 Catalina or Windows 10 64-bit or later. 

DaVinci Speed Editor: Design & Handling

The Speed Editor sports a functional grey and black design that neither blows you away nor disappoints. It’s undoubtedly well made with a metal top plate and mechanical keyboard keys which are clearly laid out and labelled using shades of grey to differentiate between six groupings of controls/keys. Some keys also have lights to show that the function they connect to is active.

One of the main features of the Speed Editor is simply that it’s a specialist keyboard/controller with dedicated controls designed to work specifically with Davinci Resolve. If you need fast and fluid access to editing functions alongside a fantastic scroll wheel with multiple functions, the Speed Editor is a useful accessory for Davinci Resolve users.

Blackmagic calls this the ‘search dial’, which can be used for trimming alongside three scrolling functions, both forwards and backwards through video clips within the timeline. You can control a whole host of functions with the device including trims, cuts, add and adjust transitions, add or remove effects, undo, move clips, select multiple cameras and much more with modifier options to access secondary key functions in some cases. The list goes on.

The jog wheel has a great feel with smooth rotation and a perfect weighting which makes it as comfortable to use as it is effective. On the rear of the device, there’s a USB-C port for connecting to a computer, charging and updating firmware. 

There is, however, no power button so you have to plug the Speed Editor in via USB-C and open Davinci Resolve to kick it into action. Once on, for the first Bluetooth connection, you have to unplug it and can then easily connect via Bluetooth by searching for devices with your computer. The connection was, in my experience, stable and allowed me to place the Speed Editor wherever I needed it to be during use, even on my lap which worked well with my keyboard and mouse in their usual positions on my desk. 

With no power control, when connected via USB-C or Bluetooth, the Speed Editor powers off when Davinci Resolve is closed and will power up again when Davinci Resolve is opened with both connection options; it’s pretty neat, and the only time you have to plug once a Bluetooth connection has been established is when the device needs to be charged.

The Speed Editor is reasonably compact at 9.64 x 6.14 x 1.73 inches / 245 x 156 x 44mm with a slightly sloping design so it’s shallower at the front to angle the controls towards the user. It weighs in at 27.5oz / 780g, so it’s not particularly heavy and its relatively small size and lightweight make it easy to travel with and use with multiple computers in different locations if you need to. Although, it unfortunately doesn’t come with a carry case. 

DaVinci Speed Editor: Performance

The Speed Editor looks simple enough at first glance when you first set it up on your desk, but upon further inspection, you’ll quickly find that not all keys and controls are necessarily self-explanatory. Especially if you’re not familiar with hardware of this type. So, despite the Speed Editor’s apparent simplicity, there’s certainly a learning curve involved because some keys can perform multiple functions and may need a single or double press, for instance, to access specific functions.

Like anything, the more you use the Speed Editor, the more you naturally learn about how it works moving from extremely basic use to greater familiarity where your video editing workflow speeds up considerably. The instruction manual doesn’t give you any information about how to use the Speed Editor, so if you’re a complete newbie you can find lots of tutorials on YouTube that will help you to get started and take you far beyond the basics.

Even at a basic level, using the Speed Editor does speed up editing because it allows you to make faster direct edits using keys and the amazing jog wheel with much less mouse clicking and dragging. This may not sound impressive, but it’s a huge time-saver and provides a much more intuitive, hands-on, editing experience. The ability to scroll through footage in multiple ways, quickly and easily mark in/out points, trim, move clips into position, and more is invaluable when you spend a lot of time editing videos.

I didn’t time the battery life when connected via Bluetooth, but the battery lasted for several hours in one session of use without the Speed Editor shutting down, so there could have been plenty of use left in the battery. Plugging in with the USB-C cable to charge would have limited where it could have been positioned on my desk while in use and charging with the included 1m cable, so a longer cable may be necessary depending on how your workspace is set up.

DaVinci Speed Editor: Final Verdict

Being a Davinci Resolve Studio user and having used the Speed Editor, I have to admit that I’m completely smitten by what it has to offer in terms of speeding up editing and ultimately, making my workflow more fluid for the time that I had the device. There’s no getting away from the fact that there’s a learning curve involved to get the best out of it and justify the investment, and the instructions from Blackmagic are lacking, to say the least. There are, however, some fantastic tutorials on YouTube that will get you up and running with confidence in no time.

For more casual enthusiast video editors who don’t edit many videos – those for whom the free version of Davinci Resolve with its 4K output limit and paired back functionality is more than adequate – the Speed Editor isn’t necessary and you wouldn’t gain a huge amount from purchasing one. For professionals and enthusiasts who edit many videos, and even those who would prefer a more intuitive editing device than a standard keyboard and mouse, the Speed Editor is a no-brainer.

What’s more, the fact that it’s only marginally more expensive than Davinci Resolve Studio 8 software and includes a free license makes the Speed Editor incredibly cost-effective if you plan to buy the software anyway. The Speed Editor costs $395 / £359, which is just $100 / £75 more than the standalone Studio 18 software. Unfortunately, if you do already have a license, you’ll simply have to bite the bullet and spend out if you would like to add the Speed Editor to your existing Davinci Resolve Studio workflow. Either way, you won’t be disappointed with what it has to offer.

Alternatives

Adobe's been holding its annual Adobe Max conference since 2003, and every year it dominates the headlines on creative industry websites like the one you're looking at. But while Adobe makes some of the most popular videography software, these tools don't usually get a lot of attention. 

In years gone by, it was always Photoshop that Adobe put most of the emphasis on; nowadays it seems to be focusing more on AI tools aimed at marketers and non-professionals. Either way, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it didn't care too much about videographers. 

Yet if you scratch the surface, you'll find that significant updates to its video making tools also tend to get airtime at Adobe Max too: and to help you out, we've listed everything scheduled to be announced in today's opening keynote.

It's fair to say that at this year's Max, the focus is on speeding up video workflows, rather than anything completely revolutionary. Still, we all have deadlines to meet, and we all want to go home at the end of the day, so these new features are still worth checking out...

 Five new features for video

We've been excited for a while about Adobe's plan to integrate Frame.io into Premiere Pro and After Effects, which allows videographers to collaborate remote with others on footage, in real-time, even at high resolutions. And it now seems to be gaining a head of steam; hence the debut of 'Share for Review' with Frame.io in both video and audio tools. Premiere Pro will now have a 'Share' button that will now intuitively introduce Premiere users to Frame.io, with the click of a button for faster content sharing and collaboration. 

Another big announcement is that Premiere Pro users can now publish videos directly to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. The software now includes new templates that make it easy to set up projects for publishing in the most popular sizes and layouts for social media. In other words, creating, editing and publish shorts and reels directly to social media platforms just got quicker.

This means videographers can create posts, add captions, hashtags, and keywords, and then upload them directly from Premiere Pro. For anyone who doesn't post on social media regularly, you might wonder what the fuss is about. But anyone who does will know just how maddeningly time-consuming a job it is, and will appreciate any time-saving or efficiency Adobe can offer here.

Additional innovations in Premiere Pro include a huge 5x timeline performance advancement for faster and smoother editing, along with new color preferences and improved tone mapping to make it easier to improve the color in your video; a popular request from the Premiere Pro community that Adobe has acted upon.

Video templates

And that's not all. If you're seeking an easy way to create polished video content quickly, you'll be pleased to know Adobe Stock is introducing video templates. The stock library, which is integrated into all of Adobe's Creative Cloud tools, will now add a rich new video template collection that brings together Premiere Pro, After Effects and Motion Graphics templates.

Finally, Adobe will also be announcing new AI-powered text-based editing and motion improvements in Premiere Pro and After Effects. Although right now, that's all we know: Adobe hasn't told us anything more about this… or indeed the other new features we've described above.

To be honest, this is a bit unusual: normally, us journalists get to attend a virtual or real-life press conference in advance of Adobe Max, to see the new features being demoed and ask the experts questions. This year, though, we've seen nothing, and nor have any of our colleagues on sister titles. So basically, we've shared about all there is to share at this point. 

If you want to watch along at home, though, and see whether Adobe actually gives more details or shows anything in action, you can register to watch Adobe Max (which starts today) online, at max.adobe.com.