Blackmagic Design Releases Free DaVinci Resolve 17 Training Videos

Blackmagic Design released a new and free series of training videos for DaVinci Resolve 17. Divided into four sections – Edit, Color, Fairlight, and Fusion – the training provides more than 17 hours of content. Created with the help of Blackmagic certified DaVinci trainers, the course also provides example projects and media to follow the workflow and practice skills.

When it comes to the increasingly popular NLE DaVinci Resolve, there is tons of free educational content available on YouTube from various creators. A useful resource on finding good Resolve educators on Youtube is my article about the RESOLVECON 2021 – so make sure to check that out, too!

On top of that, there are several paid online courses available which go into greater detail – for example, the comprehensive “Advanced Editing with DaVinci Resolve” course from Ollie Kenchington on MZed. Last but not least, Blackmagic Design also provide free educational content on various aspects of Resolve workflow. The Australian company recently published a new series of free training videos on Youtube. Let’s take a closer look at it.

DaVinci Resolve 17 training videos from Blackmagic Design

The recently released free training program from Blackmagic Design has been put together with the help of Blackmagic Design certified trainers and it is divided into four sections:

• Edit – 4 part series focused on editing workflow on the edit page in DaVinci Resolve 17
• Color – 5 part series focused on color grading on the color page in DaVinci Resolve 17
• Fairlight – 7 part series focused on audio production on the Fairlight page in DaVinci Resolve 17
• Fusion – 4 part series focused on visual effects and motion graphics on the Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve 17

On top of the training videos, Blackmagic Design also provides example projects and media that will help follow the lessons and practice. All the assets can be downloaded free of charge from the Blackmagic Design Training Webpage.

The Edit training course is divided into four parts:

1. Introduction to Editing Part 1 – This first video provides you with an overview of the craft of editing. You will learn how to import and organize your clips, discover the power of metadata and build a rough cut using the edit page.
2. Introduction to Editing Part 2 – The second part shows the more advanced features and tools on the edit page. You will learn how to refine a rough cut using trim edit, match frame and replace shots easily, mix audio efficiently and add effects, transitions and titles.
3. Multicam Editing – You will discover fast multicam editing tools for projects with 4, 8 ,16 or more cameras. You will learn how to sync angles directly in the timeline and edit a simple two-camera interview. You will then test your skills by syncing and editing a larger multi-camera music performance.
4. Visual Effects in the Edit Page – In the final video, Blackmagic trainers show you how to enhance your project with visual effects that are available on the edit page. You will learn how to use traveling mattes, pull an effective green screen key, create simple sign replacements and build complex multi-screen effects using the video collage filter.

DaVinci Resolve 17 Color training

The Color training is divided into five parts:

1. Introduction to Color – Provides you with an introduction to the color page before diving into the art of color grading. Learn how and why you should use the primary and secondary grading features, along with how to read scopes.
2. Advanced Color – You will discover the advanced features of the color page, learn how to set up color management, how to structure grades using the node editor, work with RAW media, grade with the HDR palette, track with the magic mask and more.
3. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel – Learn how to work faster and get more control with the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel. Discover how to navigate the color page, adjust multiple parameters simultaneously and grade without using a mouse.
4. Delivering Content – BMD trainers show you how to prepare your content for delivery. You will learn how to work with presets on the deliver page, set up a render queue, how to deliver video for online use, and more.
5. Color Management – In the final video, the trainers expand on the importance of color management in your workflow. You will learn what exactly color management is and discover each of the color management systems and settings available in DaVinci Resolve. Additionally, you will find out how to color manage with HDR and how to use Dolby Vision.

DaVinci Resolve 17 Fairlight training

The Fairlight course focusing on audio production features seven videos:

1. Introduction to Audio – This video provides you with an introduction to the Fairlight page before teaching the craft of dialogue editing. You will learn how to navigate the Fairlight interface, manage media, change track levels, edit dialogue, balance clip levels, and how to repair dialogue with plugins.
2. Introduction to Sound Design – Discover the art of sound design and sound effects. You will learn how to control clip and track levels, create a spotting list for sound effects and design with markers, sync sound effects in the timeline, use the Sound Library to manage sound effects, and add effects such as reverb and EQ limiting to add depth and dimension to sound.
3. Introduction to Mixing – This video guides you through the critical step of mixing audio. You will see how to pan tracks, modify audio with equalization and dynamics, work with buses, add automation to the mix, and finally bounce, mix and pan finished tracks for delivery.
4. Recording VO and ADR – Discover how to record a simple voiceover track and re-record dialogue with automatic dialogue replacement (ADR). You will learn how to set up a microphone, patch the microphone input to a track, arm the track, and start recording.
5. Working with Audio Track Layers – Learn how to work with audio track layers which are a powerful tool for editing multiple takes together to get the best performance. You’ll learn how to split and edit together the best takes in a scratch voiceover track and then use audio track layers to create crossfades between music clips in the same track.
6. Channel Mapping and Linked Groups – Learn how to properly set up clips and timelines for successful multichannel audio editing through the correct use of channel mapping and linked groups.
7. Dolby Atmos Integration – In the final video, you will work with a professionally produced Dolby Atmos demo project and explore the features built into the Fairlight page. Then you’ll work with the Fairlight immersive tools to visualize the panning and placement of objects in the surround sound space and create your own Dolby Atmos mix.

Last but not least, the Fusion course features four videos focusing on different aspects of visual and motion effects workflows:

1. Introduction to Fusion – This first video provides you with an introduction to the Fusion page and its node-based interface. You’ll learn how to work with nodes when building a basic composite and discover how to animate with keyframes.
2. Basic Compositing – Discover how to perform common compositing tasks on the Fusion page. Firstly, you will learn how to combine elements of separate takes to create a seamless final image. Then you’ll use the Luma Keyer to replace the sky in one shot to better match another.
3. Motion Graphics in Fusion – This next training video explores the powerful 3D features on the Fusion page. You’ll learn the basics of how to create and work with Fusion’s true 3D workspace including building with shapes, using views and cameras, adding lights, and how to render your 3D objects into 2D.
4. 3D Compositing – In the final training video in this series, you’ll learn about the powerful 3D compositing tools on the Fusion page. Fusion features a true 3D workspace for compositing and creating visual effects and motion graphics. In this tutorial, you’ll use the advanced 3D camera tracker to create a virtual camera before adding objects into the environment. You’ll also discover how to use the tools to paint out unwanted objects to improve the shot.

As always, the latest version of DaVinci Resolve is available now as a free download from the Blackmagic Support Center. The full Studio license of  DaVinci Resolve 17.4.3 is also available on the same page, but an activation code has to be purchased in order to launch it. The full license for two computers currently costs $295, but with the purchase, you also get a free Blackmagic Speed Editor (check our review here). The license also comes with all new Blackmagic Design cameras.

Do you use DaVinci Resolve for your postproduction work? How did you learn to use the app? What do you think about the new free Resolve 17 training from Blackmagic Design? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.