DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor Review: The Wheel of (Saving) Time

A devoted video enhancing keyboard may appear to be overkill for many informal customers, however don’t write it off till you’ve tried Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor. This little gadget packs a lot effectivity, together with the model’s Studio software program, in a single small package deal that it would simply be definitely worth the cash. 

Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve is well the perfect free video editor you could find. Seasoned editors may discover the migration somewhat powerful because the program has some workflow quirks which can be simply totally different sufficient to journey up muscle reminiscence, however in my expertise, changing my workflow was effectively definitely worth the transition.

The Speed Editor, one of Blackmagic’s proprietary enhancing boards, is a devoted machine designed to combine easily with Resolve. It has six units of buttons mapped to features contained in the editor, plus a large wheel to clean by clips. If you’ve ever hung out in an enhancing bay, it would look acquainted (if very small). For people interested by taking pictures indie motion pictures and past, a software like this can assist.

The $395 sticker value might sound stunning, however the firm additionally throws in a duplicate of DaVinci Resolve Studio, which often prices $295 by itself. While the free model is already greater than sufficient for most individuals, Studio provides a large library of visible results instruments, help for 10-bit video, and the DaVinci Neural Engine to make a quantity of results instruments quicker. 

A Portable Editing Bay

The most putting side of the Speed Editor except for the attention-grabbing dial—extra on that under—is how compact it’s. It’s barely smaller than an iPad (although clearly a lot thicker) however options six units of keys that cowl a stunning quantity of the necessities that almost all video editors want, like primary cuts and multicamera controls.

On the rear, it has a single USB-C port for each connecting to an enhancing rig and charging. Yes, this enhancing board is wi-fi, however there’s neither an influence change nor any methodology of Bluetooth pairing with out connecting it to your laptop by way of USB-C first. This is especially annoying when you edit on a number of gadgets. I exploit a Windows desktop and a MacBook Air, each of which have DaVinci Resolve put in. Technically, the board is suitable with each, however swapping them is sufficient of a ache that I’d advise in opposition to making an attempt. The solely manner to take action appears to be to unpair the board completely, however even that’s flaky. It would have been good to have a board that helps a number of programs the best way most wi-fi keyboards do.

While this quirk is disappointing, the Speed Editor is a unbelievable software for transportable enhancing in any other case. It is gentle sufficient to throw in a bag and sits comfortably subsequent to a laptop computer on small espresso store tables, and I used to be even in a position to make use of it whereas enhancing on an airplane. The flexibility to take studio enhancing bay-level instruments with me wherever is difficult to understate.

The Dial 

Portability apart, the dial is the star of the present right here, and I can not categorical how a lot better enhancing video is once you use it. The machined metallic knob within the center of the machine rotates easily however nonetheless permits for very exact controls. You can flick it to ship it spinning (not that it’s good to) and cease it on a dime. A single dimple enables you to transfer the dial with as little as a single finger, and a rubberized rim makes positive you by no means lose your grip on it. 

The dial has three modes: Shuttle, Jog, and Scroll, every enabled by buttons simply above the wheel. Each of them has a purple LED to point which mode you’re at present in. These could be acquainted to veteran video editors with skilled expertise, however for everybody else, right here’s how they work: 

Shuttle: In this mode, the dial controls playback pace. This can vary wherever from 0.25x to 32x, relying on how removed from the preliminary level you flip the dial. This works in each instructions, so you possibly can scrub by the timeline in reverse at as much as 32x.