Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.2, as slashCAM reports. The update supports the touchscreen of the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display, renders effects up to five times faster on the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips according to Blackmagic, and brings LUTs for Blackmagic Generation 6 Color Science. The free version and Studio receive the update at no extra charge.
What does Resolve 21.2 bring?
Resolve can now also be operated by touch on the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display. According to slashCAM, the 14- and 16-inch models will appear on November 6; slashCAM does not give a German launch date. How far the touch control extends, for example to zooming with two fingers or turning the color wheels, Blackmagic leaves open. Digital Production says it has not yet tested the feature.
Resolve 21.2: what works, what doesn't
Update for the free version and for Studio, as of November 5, 2026
- Touch support for the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display
- LUTs for Blackmagic Generation 6 Color Science
- Up to five times faster effects on M5 Pro and M5 Max, according to Blackmagic
- Projects from 21.2 cannot be opened in version 20.3.2
Blackmagic does not say which effects and codecs become faster
Sources: slashCAM, Newsshooter, Digital Production
The acceleration applies to effects on M5 Pro and M5 Max; the base M5 chip does not appear in Blackmagic's announcement. According to slashCAM, Blackmagic does not say which effects and codecs become faster. The new LUTs are aimed at owners of Blackmagic cameras, and Studio extends ResolveFX False Color to Gen 5 and Gen 6 color science.
What changes in editing, and what gets fixed?
Multicam clips open as source clips in Source Timelines, and the Source Viewer opens clips like multicams in a timeline. You restore the most recently active edit points via a menu action or keyboard shortcut. An In/Out range can be created as a compound clip that replaces the clips in place. Extracted audio files retain the source timecode, and PNG files provide EXIF metadata. In Studio, Blackmagic also improves the AI assistants for Color and Fusion; according to Digital Production, the assistants download additional packages and export frames.
Newsshooter lists 28 fixed bugs. These include audio problems with MXF clips on network drives, flickering offline frames with H.265 clips, and artifacts in Sony XAVC renders. On Windows, the update corrects HE-AAC decoding and GPU memory errors with OpenFX effects, and on Windows and Linux, ACES 2.0 artifacts.
What does the update cost, and what should you know beforehand?
Resolve is free, Studio is paid. According to Digital Production, Studio requires a license dongle, a Blackmagic Cloud license, or an activation code. According to slashCAM, Blackmagic is offering Studio as well as several keyboards and panels at a 20 percent discount until November 20.
Project libraries remain compatible with version 20.3.2. Projects that you open or create in 21.2, however, can no longer be opened in 20.3.2. Digital Production therefore advises backing up the entire library and individual projects beforehand.
What this means for you
- Before the update, back up the complete project library and the projects you are currently working on. It's best to try 21.2 on a test project first, before moving ongoing jobs over to it.
- If you work on Windows with HE-AAC clips, OpenFX effects, or ACES 2.0, check Newsshooter to see which bugs have been fixed. Perhaps the fix for a problem affecting your project is listed there.
- If you don't own a MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display, the touch feature changes nothing for you. If you have one, try out on one of your own projects which gestures Resolve understands, since the scope is unclear.
- If you are planning to buy Studio, compare the discount until November 20 with the regular price on Blackmagic's website.
Blackmagic released Resolve 21.2 on November 5, 2026; slashCAM reported on the same day.
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