Going to buy DaVinci Resolve, should I install 17 or 18 Beta?

[WildcatDave]

Wondering if the added features in 18 is worth the (possible) issues with running beta software. Since I am new to DR it might be better to jump in with 18 instead of learning 17 and then having a new version to learn. Although I'm sure they change very little in the UI and mostly add features like Adobe commonly does. My current video editor is PowerDirector 16, which is old and does not support 10-bit video. Opinions...

 

[Saladshooter]

Wondering if the added features in 18 is worth the (possible) issues with running beta software. Since I am new to DR it might be better to jump in with 18 instead of learning 17 and then having a new version to learn. Although I'm sure they change very little in the UI and mostly add features like Adobe commonly does. My current video editor is PowerDirector 16, which is old and does not support 10-bit video. Opinions...

I have Resolve 17 Studio and briefly used the 18 Beta.... it didn't do much to help the video work that I do and was buggy enough & locked up enough times that I went back to Resolve 17.

If you want to get your feet wet first..... you can install the free version of Resolve. It does 10 bit plus UHD 4K video and will do 85% of what the Studio version will do. You can import 5k+ video in the free version but it will only output at 4K.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I left Adobe when the subscription price became too high for me to justify. Looked hard at Resolve Studio, and while the price was fine, the 'node' based workflow just didn't make sense to me (at the time). For the last four years I have used Power Director and am on version 19 now.

Like you however, not working with 10 bit is limiting and while PD is very straight forward, it is very weak in the very space the Davinci Resolve shines. For this reason I recently bought and installed Version 18 of Resolve. I will say before doing so I spent several evenings pouring through Youtube as I had the exact same question as you - 17 or 18?

In the end I have installed 18 and it is running fine. . . . so far. I have yet to put an entire project together but have seen enough to make me okay with 18. If I have any problems, I'll see how good their support is.

 

[vindibona1]

IMO DR 18 has some neat ADVANCED features. But it is still in Beta. My feeling is to stay with 17 until they work the kinks out of 18. There is nothing I *need* in 18 and 17 is pretty darn fabulous. Also, I hate learning new software. I was about to dive into Fusion, but will wait until I've got a non-beta 18 as its seems that the new features are largely in Fusion.

 

[WildcatDave]

Thanks for all the input everybody. I think I'll download the free version of 18 and see how it behaves. If I have any issues I can always grab the free version of 17. I do suspect I'll buy it once I'm comfortable. I've been using Photoshop and Lightroom since forever and would probably go with Premiere for the easy integration and I do like Adobe products. But $21 a month means I'm looking at $252 a year which is basically the cost of DaVinci.

 

[Dave Maine]

I would recommend starting with 17. Resolve is complex enough without trying to figure out what is a Resolve bug or a cockpit error that is in the way of your creation.

 

[PAW]

You can do both:

DAVINCI RESOLVE 18 | How to Upgrade & Install PLUS What You Should Do FIRST!

Been using 18 for a couple of months and have noticed no problems.

 

[Dale D]

Wondering if the added features in 18 is worth the (possible) issues with running beta software. Since I am new to DR it might be better to jump in with 18 instead of learning 17 and then having a new version to learn. Although I'm sure they change very little in the UI and mostly add features like Adobe commonly does. My current video editor is PowerDirector 16, which is old and does not support 10-bit video. Opinions...

For what it's worth, if you call Adobe personally and ask them for a one year price break, they will usually give it to you. Then you will have the entire Adobe CC suite for $26.00 a month. Here is the telephone number
1-800-833-6687. Follow the prompts for your choice. You can get the entire Photoshop with nearly weekly updates and new improvements, including the amazing masking tools. Ditto with Lightroom. You'll get Premiere Pro with updates. You'll get free unlimited human support 6 days a week. Plus free access to the entire suite (PDF, Effects,etc.).

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Stay away from Adobe Premier as it is full of bugs. Some of the best creators will not even consider it until Adobe addresses the big problems with it.

 

[Dale D]

Stay away from Adobe Premier as it is full of bugs. Some of the best creators will not even consider it until Adobe addresses the big problems with it.

I've been using Premiere for several years without difficulties or bugs. Never experienced any bugs. Let's not go into the usual anti Adobe rants . I hate paying for it too but it is still the best product for me for the money- I get the entire suite for a discounted price and full support.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I've been using Premiere for several years without difficulties or bugs. Never experienced any bugs. Let's not go into the usual anti Adobe rants . I hate paying for it too but it is still the best product for me for the money- I get the entire suite for a discounted price and full support.

Well your not a professional creator that uses it for his income. People who get payed by Adobe to promote their product don't tell the truth. Matti has been around for a very long time using and comparing programs so I would take his word over yours any day.

 

[Dale D]

Well your not a professional creator that uses it for his income. People who get payed by Adobe to promote their product don't tell the truth. Matti has been around for a very long time using and comparing programs so I would take his word over yours any day.

You are correct. No, I am not a professional, Far from it. Just a hobbyist. I certainly don't get paid by Adobe or anyone. It is just my opinion from my experience. And you misspelled paid.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

You are correct. No, I am not a professional, Far from it. Just a hobbyist. I certainly don't get paid by Adobe or anyone. It is just my opinion from my experience. And you misspelled paid.

Well this post is about davinci-resolve, not Adobe Premiere. And thanks for correcting my mistake, we all make them. I suggest you do a search on youtube for Premiere bugs. You will also find many other videos of people complaining about the program that they have paid a large fee for.

 

[JoelP]

So far my Studio version of Resolve 18 works just as well as Resolve 17 version, but I am far from a power user. I run this on an MSI laptop with an i9 and an NVidia 3080.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

@Ty Pilot if you think about nodes like adRjustment layers in Photoshop etc they make more sense. They allow you to make non-destructive edits to your video.

I've really been enjoying resolve despite some minor challenges wrapping my head around some things. Tracking and most anything in the Fusion area are still a WIP.

Here's a tip. If you want the Speed Editor (which I've also fallen in love with) but don't need the advanced features of Studio (or don't want to drop $300) you can buy them used. I got one in excellent condition from Adorama for $132. You wouldn't know it's used by looking at it.

I wouldn't upgrade to 18 until it's out of beta. Based on what I've read, the releases are hit and miss. I think I read yesterday that r4 was good but r5 went backwards.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I've been using DaVinci Resolve 18 since it came out and it has yet to lock up on me. However, every time I open the app, it seems like there's an update. I'm running it on an M1 Mac Mini.

 

[WildcatDave]

For what it's worth, if you call Adobe personally and ask them for a one year price break, they will usually give it to you. Then you will have the entire Adobe CC suite for $26.00 a month. Here is the telephone number
1-800-833-6687. Follow the prompts for your choice. You can get the entire Photoshop with nearly weekly updates and new improvements, including the amazing masking tools. Ditto with Lightroom. You'll get Premiere Pro with updates. You'll get free unlimited human support 6 days a week. Plus free access to the entire suite (PDF, Effects,etc.).

Thanks for this. The only downside I see that is that I will get invested in Adobe Premiere and need to keep using it. Once I learn something I don't want to switch. I've been a Photoshop user for over 25 years and Lightroom sense it's first release. I don't mind the subscription model but if I can purchase software and use it for three or four years without spending any more money than might be a better solution.

Maybe there is a trial of Premier I can test, I may like it better anyway. The money is less of an issue versus having an easy-to-use editor. And though I suspect I will get deeper into it as I go, I don't plan on being some Hollywood color grading Mastermind .

 

[WildcatDave]

@Ty Pilot if you think about nodes like adRjustment layers in Photoshop etc they make more sense. They allow you to make non-destructive edits to your video.

I've really been enjoying resolve despite some minor challenges wrapping my head around some things. Tracking and most anything in the Fusion area are still a WIP.

Here's a tip. If you want the Speed Editor (which I've also fallen in love with) but don't need the advanced features of Studio (or don't want to drop $300) you can buy them used. I got one in excellent condition from Adorama for $132. You wouldn't know it's used by looking at it.

I wouldn't upgrade to 18 until it's out of beta. Based on what I've read, the releases are hit and miss. I think I read yesterday that r4 was good but r5 went backwards.

All of this is very good info, thank you. I didn't even think about used options. I'm so used to suffer being virtual these days. I keep hearing about this speed editor, which is something I would definitely be interested in. As my work will be more about getting product to clients than spending hours making it look Hollywood special.

So I went to look at the speed editor. It looks like it has a lot of advanced features (buttons) for really deep editing, which is probably not something I will get into. I suspect from my years of work in photography and now recently with drones, that it will mostly be a couple of clips trimmed and merged together to create a single video. So all of those buttons on that controller may not be useful for me, although the wheel is probably nice. All of that said however, Amazon has a deal for $395 where you get DaVinci resolve 17 and the speed controller. So for $100, I get the controller. That might be the way to go even if I barely use it, would be worth it probably.

 

[vindibona1]

Thanks for all the input everybody. I think I'll download the free version of 18 and see how it behaves. If I have any issues I can always grab the free version of 17. I do suspect I'll buy it once I'm comfortable. I've been using Photoshop and Lightroom since forever and would probably go with Premiere for the easy integration and I do like Adobe products. But $21 a month means I'm looking at $252 a year which is basically the cost of DaVinci.

Sounds like a plan. However it is my understanding that the $21/mo does not include the cost of AfterEffects. (Correct me if I’m wrong). As a professional photographer I used Photoshop every day. Now that I’m retired it’s less frequent. I was really happy paying once for the license but they won’t even activate my last stand alone version and now pick my pocket every month for part time use. At least it’s only $10/mo. No way an I going to pay for PP when I have a better products for $300

I've been using Premiere for several years without difficulties or bugs. Never experienced any bugs. Let's not go into the usual anti Adobe rants . I hate paying for it too but it is still the best product for me for the money- I get the entire suite for a discounted price and full support.

How long do you "only" pay $26/mo? You do realize that, at the "discounted" price you get to play $312 PER YEAR for the entire suite. But how many of the apps do you actually use? I do understand your fondness of the program and that you've been working with it for some time.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Premier Pro costs $21/mo, but After Effects ( presume similar to DR Fusion) costs another $21/mo, no? Do you get After Effects with your $26/mo?

 

[retiredNH]

I found that resolve studio did much faster rendering than the free version. Even though I don't use ALL the buttons, I find the speed editor is well worth it, just for the jog/shuttle alone, although you'll quickly learn that other buttons save time too.