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I consider Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve to be among the best professional-grade desktop non-linear video editing software out there.

You'll find it a core part of our guides to the best free video editing software and best video editing software we've ever tested. So, I was keen to see what the latest version (21), offers. And to say I was surprised would be an understatement. This is one of those tools that just keeps getting better.

And as its latest major update has just been officially released, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what Resolve 21 has to offer.

You can download the free app by clicking here.

DaVinci Resolve 21: Pricing & plans

• Powerful free version
• One-off fee for more advanced tools
• Professional tools at an absolutely unbeatable price

This is going to be a quick section: DaVinci Resolve is free.

There are no one-off fees, and certainly no subscription costs. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. We all know of Adobe’s continuous (and pricy) subscription plans, and even Apple are now embracing the subscription model with its Apple Creator Studio collection. But Resolve bucks the trend, and remains a bright beacon of hope in a dystopian subscription landscape.

Now there are limitations to Resolve, but these are generous: your exports are limited to 4K and 60fps, and any hardware acceleration is throttled, for instance. That’s because Blackmagic also have Resolve Studio, which unlocks export resolutions up to 32K and 120fps, offer more advanced color correction, additional effects, and also introduces a slew of AI-driven tools, all for a one-off price of $300.

But don’t let that put you off: Resolve should fit most people’s needs, this review will focus on the free version.

• Score: 5/5

DaVinci Resolve 21: Interface

(Image credit: Future)

• Conceals complexity behind multiple interfaces called Pages
• Only shows the tools you need when you need them
• Great for beginners and veterans to use the same interface

Before we delve into what’s new, if you’re unfamiliar with what DaVinci Resolve is, let’s take a broad look at what it offers. Yes, it’s a video editor, but how good can it be considering it’s free? I mean, have you seen Windows Movie Maker? And iMovie used to show so much promise, but has now fallen by the wayside.

But Resolve is so much more than a basic and limited video tool. Despite it being free, it should really be compared to Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Adobe’s Premiere Pro. Within a single program, you can catalogue your clips, build your edit, apply transitions and titles, create complex effects, perform advanced color correction, perfect the audio, and finally export your completed project.

No need to venture into After Effects or Audition, or anything like that (unless you want to of course): pretty much everything can be done within Resolve. In order to achieve this, Resolve is divided into sections, which are referred to as ‘Pages’.

‘Media’ is where you ingest and organise your clips, ‘Cut’ and ‘Edit’ are two ways to build your project - ‘Cut’ having a simplified interface, while ‘Edit’ offers more versatile options. I see ‘Cut’ as ideal for newcomers to the editing world, but I also love the fact you can effortlessly move from one Page to the other and although you might not be able to alter the more advanced functions in ‘Cut’, if you added them while in ‘Edit’, you’ll still be able to preview them while in ‘Cut'.

(Image credit: Future)

Next is ‘Fusion' - which is probably the trickiest Page. It’s where you create special effects, but rather than dragging a function onto a clip, Fusion uses the concept of nodes: you add effects to your worktop then connect clips to those effects. It’s an incredibly versatile and powerful way of working - once you get used to it.

And getting used to it you must, as that concept is also present in ‘Color’, Resolve’s color Correction section, where you can perform anything from basic alteration to more advanced options used by professionals (not surprising, since Resolve started out solely as a color grading tool), and finally, the ‘Fairlight’ Page is for working on the audio.

Whether you’re using Resolve or Resolve Studio, you have access to all the same Pages. The major difference is all the added tools Studio brings to the table.

You could very easily start your journey in Resolve, primarily focussing your efforts in the ‘Cut’ Page, and as you grow in confidence, start exploring the other sections, maybe even graduating to Resolve Studio in time - all without having to pay a penny - at first. If only I had such tools when I myself started out as a struggling editor.

• Score: 5/5

DaVinci Resolve 21: Photo Page

(Image credit: Future)

• ‘Photo’ is a new dedicated space to work on your images
• Think of it as a sort of Lightroom replacement
• The color correction tools are relatively simple through Resolve’s powerful ‘Color’ Page
• Everything you could do to video clips, you can now do to photos.

It’s not that you couldn’t use photos in your video projects before, but now, they have their own dedicated Page, sitting between ‘Media’ and ‘Cut’. So what can you do with it? Pretty much everything you’d expect from a dedicated image organiser tool.

Resolve’s ‘Photo’ is compatible with common RAW formats from Canon, Sony and Nikon, as well as a host of others. Put it this way: I didn’t come across a format Resolve couldn’t handle. Working on an image is a fully non-destructive process: no matter what you do, the original file is never altered.

Any photo that’s added via the ‘Media’ Page will be found here, but you can also drag others straight onto the Page’s 'Media Pool’ sidebar. To the right in an Inspector, where you’ll find a histogram, cropping tools, various color adjustments, even pitch and yaw sliders to rectify errors like fish-eye distortions for instance. You can also mark photos as ‘good’ (represented with a heart), or ‘reject’ (with an x). It’s all there, but it’s all pretty basic. Put it this way, Lightroom won’t be having sleepless nights over this inclusion.

(Image credit: Future)

But that’s only part of the story. In order to perform more advanced alterations, you need to add photos to an album (which is conveniently located where the timeline usually is). Once that’s done, you can venture to Resolve’s ‘Color’ Page, and have access to all the power and versatility (and complexity) that comes with that incredible color grading tool. Just like ‘Fusion’, ‘Color' works with nodes.

You add them in sequence or parallel, reorder them, disconnect them, all of this will affect how each node affects your image, and once you go back to Photo, those alterations will be visible from there. This powerful versatility could be something Lightroom might have some concerns about, especially since this is but the first version of this few functionality.

• Score: 4.5/5

DaVinci Resolve 21: AI tools

(Image credit: Future)

• Packed with more and more AI tools
• I repeat, tools - not slop: this is the good stuff
• Only available for paying Resolve Studio users

A new Page is always a big thing to talk about when it comes to a new version of Resolve, but another new trend is the increasing addition of AI tools.

But there’s a caveat: they’re reserved for paying customers. In the free version, that menu’s either greyed out, or if you click on the ‘AI Clip Analysis’ icon, a popup window encourages you to pay the one-time fee to gain access to all the goodies in Resolve Studio.

And goodies there are, like IntelliSearch, which allows you to search for that specific element inside a clip, or the ability to transcribe what’s being said in a clip, detect faces, transform said faces, remove blemishes, remove motion blur, and so much more. Sadly, all these are out of bounds - they’ve got to entice you to upgrade somehow, right?

Should I try DaVinci Resolve?

(Image credit: Future)

Try it if...

You’re looking for a powerful professional-grade video editor with an impressive amount of complex and versatile features, which now includes a dedicated section for cataloguing and grading your photos… all for free.

Don't try it if...

You’re totally wedded to the likes of Apple or Adobe and have invested so much in those software ecosystems that you can’t be prised away from them, even at the prospect of a powerful and free video editing tool.

For more creative software, we've tested and reviewed the best video editing software for beginners and the best video editing apps for mobile devices.

DaVinci Resolve has just released its latest version: 21, and with it comes a brand new Page, dedicated to Photos. Does it provide the tools you need to work with images inside a video project, or on their own?

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VirtualBox is often considered among the best virtual machine software available, particularly for users looking for a free and flexible solution. Its cross-platform support and open-source model make it a popular starting point for anyone exploring virtualization, even if more advanced users may eventually outgrow its limitations.

VirtualBox: Plans and pricing

One of VirtualBox’s biggest advantages is that the core platform is completely free to use and distributed as open-source software under the GPL license.

However, not all functionality falls under the same licensing model. The optional Extension Pack, which adds features such as enhanced USB support and remote desktop capabilities, is free for personal and educational use but requires a commercial license in business environments.

In practice, this means that while individual users can access most of VirtualBox’s functionality at no cost, organizations may need to factor in additional licensing considerations depending on how the software is deployed.

Recent changes in the virtualization market, including VMware making its desktop hypervisors free for personal use, have also reduced VirtualBox’s traditional advantage in this area.

VirtualBox: Features

(Image credit: Oracle // Future)

VirtualBox supports a wide range of guest operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and other platforms, and allows users to allocate system resources such as CPU cores, memory, and storage on a per-virtual-machine basis.

It includes core virtualization features such as snapshots, which allow users to save and restore the state of a virtual machine, as well as shared folders and clipboard sharing between host and guest systems when Guest Additions are installed. Multiple networking modes are also available, including NAT and bridged networking, enabling different connectivity scenarios depending on user needs.

Additional functionality is provided through Guest Additions, which improve display handling, enable better mouse integration, and support features such as dynamic screen resizing. While the feature set is comprehensive for a free solution, some capabilities, particularly in areas such as graphics acceleration, remain more limited compared to commercial alternatives.

Recent versions have also introduced support for features such as virtual TPM, making it easier to run newer operating systems, including Windows 11.

VirtualBox: Interface and use

(Image credit: Oracle // Future)

VirtualBox uses a familiar, structured interface centered around a main dashboard for managing virtual machines and a detailed settings panel for configuration. Compared to earlier versions, the interface shows clear signs of improvement, with a more organized layout and better separation of system and machine-level tools.

That said, the overall design still feels more functional than refined. While navigation is logical once you understand where everything is, the experience lacks the level of polish and guidance seen in competing platforms, particularly for less experienced users.

Creating a virtual machine is handled through a guided setup process that covers operating system selection, resource allocation, and storage configuration. The process is generally straightforward, although certain steps such as attaching installation media or adjusting system parameters require a basic understanding of virtualization concepts.

In day-to-day use, the experience is stable but not always seamless. During testing, interaction within the virtual machine worked reliably for basic tasks, but usability is affected by small friction points, including mouse and keyboard capture behavior, which can feel unintuitive at first. While these issues can be managed with experience, they highlight the platform’s more technical orientation compared to more streamlined alternatives.

VirtualBox: Performance

(Image credit: Oracle // Future)

In use, VirtualBox delivers adequate performance for basic virtualization tasks, but it does not match the consistency or responsiveness of more polished alternatives. During testing, the virtual machine booted reliably and handled light workloads such as web browsing and system navigation without major issues.

However, performance can become less stable under heavier use. Applications may take longer to respond, and overall system interaction can feel less fluid compared to competing platforms. This is particularly noticeable in graphics handling, where VirtualBox’s limited acceleration capabilities restrict its suitability for more demanding workloads.

Resource usage is another factor to consider. Running a virtual machine requires careful allocation of CPU and memory, and on more modest systems, this can impact both host and guest performance. While the platform remains usable for everyday tasks, it is not optimized for high-performance scenarios.

Overall, VirtualBox performs well enough for testing environments, development setups, and general-purpose virtualization, but users seeking consistently smooth performance or advanced graphical capabilities may find stronger options elsewhere.

VirtualBox: Support

VirtualBox primarily relies on documentation and community-driven resources, including official manuals and user forums, as its main support channels.

Oracle does offer paid support through its enterprise programs, but this is limited to specific configurations and use cases. For most users, support is therefore largely self-service, which can make troubleshooting more time-consuming compared to commercial virtualization platforms with dedicated support channels.

VirtualBox: The competition

VirtualBox operates in a competitive space alongside tools such as VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop, both of which offer similar core virtualization capabilities but target slightly different user needs.

Recent changes, including VMware making its desktop hypervisors free for personal use, have significantly increased competition in this space.

VMware Workstation is often seen as the more polished alternative, with stronger integration across enterprise environments and broader ecosystem support. While VirtualBox has largely caught up in terms of core features, VMware still tends to offer a more refined experience and better integration with other VMware products.

Parallels Desktop, on the other hand, focuses more on ease of use and performance, particularly on macOS systems. It offers tighter system integration and more seamless workflows, although this comes at a cost, unlike VirtualBox’s free and open-source model.

In practice, VirtualBox remains a strong option for users who prioritize cost and flexibility, while VMware and Parallels are often better suited to those who need higher performance, deeper integration, or a more streamlined user experience.

VirtualBox: Final Verdict

(Image credit: Oracle // Future)

VirtualBox remains one of the most accessible virtualization tools thanks to its free and open-source model. It covers the essentials well and offers a high degree of flexibility, but the experience still lacks the polish and consistency of commercial alternatives. While it performs reliably for basic tasks, users looking for smoother performance or a more intuitive interface may be better served elsewhere.

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