Just eleven years ago, when DaVinci Resolve was hardware-based and usually found in the plush and rarified grading suites of only the top level post production houses, there were around a hundred installations. It was expensive. But if you could afford it, or sometimes even if you couldn’t, it brought an extraordinary level of capability to its users.
Today, in a world that would have seemed unimaginable back then, DaVinci Resolve has more than 2M users, and has grown into one of the most fully featured applications in post production.
The last decade has changed technology and entertainment far beyond what anyone would have predicted, and on top of that, everyone is currently dealing with the consequences of a global pandemic. We’ve all had to innovate, so much so that new ways of working that might have taken years before have now been planned and implemented in just a few weeks.
In the new COVID world, remote working and collaboration are no longer “nice to have” but completely essential. At the same time, the amount of video content across the planet is showing explosive growth. When you put these factors together, they point inexorably to a need for a solution like FLOW, which is built on scalable distributed technology stack and optimized for media at every level.
DaVinci Resolve is a super-powerful application in itself but it was never designed to sit at the center of a global, interconnected digital media ecosystem. FLOW’s new integration with DaVinci Resolve Studio brings users into a new world of searchable media, remote working, and format flexibility.
Seamless workflow integration with FLOW
The FLOW workflow integration with Resolve 17 enables users to find digital assets fast
Blackmagic Design has cleverly engineered modern versions of DaVinci Resolve Studio to be open to integration with other software, not just through conventional plugins, but through workflows that are completely dynamic and highly functional.
As a result of close collaboration between EditShare and Blackmagic Design, FLOW is now available to DaVinci Resolve Studio users as a workflow integration. It brings all the enterprise power of FLOW’s search and media management right into the heart of the DaVinci Resolve Studio.
For DaVinci Resolve Studio users, it’s business as usual, working inside a familiar environment with nothing to learn except new and good stuff. Resolve creatives will find immediate and dynamic connection to their media on a shared and collaborative storage system. Crucially, DaVinci Resolve Studio users can stay in their comfortable and productive zone within the Resolve user interface. The moment they want to find media – or export it into the FLOW system – they can use the integration to manage that task.
Imagine the difference between having to find media locally based on a complicated and convoluted file structure and, instead, searching within Resolve Studio via the integration with FLOW for media that’s anywhere within the FLOW media management ecosystem.
Demo of FLOW integration with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Remote possibilities, ultra high resolution potential
FLOW doesn’t mind whether you’re working with full resolution media, mezzanine codecs, or proxy-level content. But for remote work, it’s likely that you’ll want to work with media files that are bandwidth-friendly. Also, for ultra high resolution codecs you may find it easier to work in a lightweight proxy to put less strain on your system”.
FLOW doesn’t lock remote workers into any particular format. In fact, if you have already downloaded media, FLOW allows you to toggle between multiple formats – Mezzanine and Proxy for example.
It also allows you to work inside DaVinci Resolve Studio with ultra-efficient formats that were not previously supported, such as H.264/MP4. FLOW’s import manager lets you choose all available formats and resolutions.
And of course, range markers and large amounts of metadata are preserved when material is imported to or exported from DaVinci Resolve Studio via the FLOW integration.
Let FLOW do the heavy lifting
There are many tasks, like rendering, that you can offload from your local DaVinci Resolve Studio workstation to the FLOW ecosystem. It’s like having all the power of the cloud, with the look and feel of your familiar working environment.
Seamless Proxy workflows With FLOW Automation providing the data wrangling service, Resolve users can now choose two different codecs, such as a mezzanine format and the UHD finished version to connect to concurrently. Work on a low powered laptop, cut using the mezzanine format, simply hit toggle to replace with UHD content, all on premise or in the cloud. It eases the burden on DaVinci Resolve Studio users and improves the workflow
The reviews are in: Integrated Review and approval process, directly from the DaVinci Resolve Studio timeline, thanks to AirFLOW
The bidirectional nature of the communication between FLOW and DaVinci Resolve Studio means that it’s a near-perfect tool for having your work reviewed and approved remotely. You’ll be able to grade in Resolve, upload a version for review via AirFLOW, get instant feedback from producers, creatives or directors and then bring it efficiently back into resolve with all remote comments appearing as notes on the resolve timeline, enabling you to fix issues at that exact moment.
As technology gets better, it gets simpler
Underneath the apparent simplicity of the FLOW integration with Resolve Studio, there’s some advanced technology at work. Years of experience, development and feedback from customers have allowed FLOW to evolve into an advanced ecosystem of media management functionality that scales across size and location. Behind the scenes, there’s a plethora of configurable options. On the surface, there’s a sharp, focused, uncluttered, familiar user experience.
Blackmagic Design and EditShare work in different fields, each to a high level of excellence. The openness of Blackmagic Design to this integration project has resulted in a massive increase in functionality for DaVinci Resolve Studio users, and has allowed FLOW to bring the benefits of enterprise-strength media management to right within the DaVinci Resolve Studio user experience.
-Import media from FLOW media management, edit and send for review all within the EditShare workflow integration for DaVinci Resolve -Remote users collaborate online through the AirFLOW web UI with results returned by to the workflow integration -Work with high resolution media or proxies and seamless pull in markers from FLOW asset data
Boston, U.S. and London, UK – November 10, 2020 –EditShare and Blackbird have joined forces to give media professionals more options when it comes to collaborating and editing video in the cloud. The integrated solution combines EditShare’s EFS scalable storage, FLOW media management, and open APIs with Blackbird’s cloud video editing and publishing platform. Optimized for both speed and mobility, Blackbird and EditShare connect users into the wider media ecosystem, making content of all types located across storage pools accessible in the proper formats for rapid editing and delivery to multiple platforms and channels.
EditShare CEO Conrad Clemson comments: “Cloud-based remote collaboration is no longer merely a “nice to have” but a necessity. Video production teams have rapidly pivoted their workflows to take advantage of the cloud’s scalability, flexibility and mobility. The combination of Blackbird and EditShare delivers added value to customers wanting to incorporate quick turnaround editing into a greater production workflow.”
Blackbird CEO Ian McDonough said: “Our exciting new partnership with EditShare is a great example of industry specialists building interoperable end to end solutions. Media assets stored and managed by EditShare solutions can now be accessed directly through Blackbird’s browser interface where they can be professionally edited and passed back or published.”
The companies will demonstrate their joint solution on Wednesday, 18th November at 9AM and 3PM ET. To register for the webinar please visit:
FLOW is EditShare’s media orchestration layer, with enterprise strength media management and automation. Built on a vertically integrated technology stack, it allows editors access to their media, wherever it is, and in any format. Fully proven in high pressure production environments, FLOW’s open APIs and media-engineered core make it ideal for fast and close integration with other great products.
EFS scalable storage enables media organizations to build extensive collaborative workflows on premise, in the cloud, or in hybrid installations, shielding creative personnel from the underlying technical complexity while equipping administrators and technicians with a comprehensive set of storage management tools. For Blackbird editors, EFS is a fast and flexible collaborative shared video storage solution with best-in-class project sharing.
About Blackbird
Blackbird is a professional grade video editor that functions in a browser even with a low bandwidth connection. It delivers unbeatable speed, scalability and richness of editing features. The Cloud-native platform allows users to rapidly go to market with their content, bringing massive efficiencies across all organizations.
About Blackbird plc
Blackbird operates in the fast-growing SaaS and cloud video market and has created the world’s most advanced suite of cloud-native computing applications for video, all underpinned by its lightning-fast codec. Blackbird’s patented technology allows for frame accurate navigation, playback, viewing and editing in the cloud. Blackbird underpins multiple applications, which are used by rights holders, broadcasters, sports and news video specialists, esports, live events and content owners, post-production houses, other mass market digital video channels and corporations.
Since it is cloud-native, Blackbird removes the need for costly, high end workstations and can be used from almost anywhere on almost any device. It also allows full visibility on multi-location digital content, improves time to market for live content such as video clips and highlights for social media distribution, and ultimately results in much more effective monetisation.
Blackbird® is a registered trademark of Blackbird plc. www.blackbird.video
EditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and smart workflow solutions for the production, post-production, new media, sports, and education markets. Whether you need on-prem, cloud, or hybrid solutions, our products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include media optimized high-performance shared storage, archiving and backup software, a suite of media management tools and a robust set of open APIs that enable integration throughout the workflow. Customer and partner success are at the heart of EditShare’s core values ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none.
Press Contact Cat Soroush Zazil Media Group (e) catherine@zazilmediagroup.com (p) +1 (631) 880-9534
Integrated FLOW Panel provides DaVinci Resolve Studio users access to storage pools and archives with tools to search, browse, and retrieve assets; facilitates exceptional remote proxy editing as well as review and approval workflows
Boston, MA – November 9, 2020 – EditShare®, a technology leader that specializes in collaboration, security, and intelligent storage solutions for media creation and management, today announced its FLOW Panel for DaVinci Resolve Studio, connecting thousands of users into the wider media ecosystem. Designed to simplify storytelling, FLOW manages media assets and workflows across on-premise and cloud-based tiered storage environments. The integrated FLOW panel, which was developed with FLOW’s open API, provides DaVinci Resolve users a media gateway to assets and associated metadata. Easy-to-use production tools facilitate advanced remote workflows including seamless proxy editing and review and approvals.
“Our collective customers need freedom and flexibility when it comes to the tools they work with and the same applies to the workflows they need to run their production and business. EditShare and Blackmagic Design have a common goal of aligning customer needs at the forefront of our development and delivering innovative technology to enable the very best storytelling experience,” comments Sunil Mudholkar, vice president of Product Management, EditShare. “Many of our customers rely on DaVinci Resolve’s incredible creative toolset day in day out. With the new FLOW panel, our collective customers now have a seamless and secure interface to all the production assets from ingest to delivery, with smart tools that enable them to find content easily and work collaboratively with other team members, regardless of location.”
New FLOW Panel located within the DaVinci Resolve 17 UI
The FLOW Panel for DaVinci Resolve Studio lets editors, colorists, VFX artists and sound mixers move beyond their locally connected storage and search, browse, and access proxy and high resolutions versions of video and audio assets across multiple storage pools and archives. FLOW’s fast production tools can be used to quickly organize assets into folders and cuts-only sequences. With one click, users can import assets into DaVinci Resolve Studio, including clips, sub clips, and sequence markers. FLOW delivers the rich metadata and content directly into the DaVinci Resolve Studio bin and onto the timeline. Users can also upload assets from DaVinci Resolve Studio back into FLOW with one click, facilitating review and approval across the operation.
“EditShare’s focus on developing open platforms and remote collaboration workflows is helping production and post-production businesses adapt to new remote business models in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” said Jacob Groshek, PhD, research manager, Digital Experience Management for IDC. “They are continuing to evaluate the content supply chain and seek out innovative ways to enhance the user experience that help optimize the return on investment for customers.”
Support for Remote Proxy Editing Ideal for working in any remote scenario, the FLOW Panel for DaVinci Resolve Studio lets users edit with proxies – whether downloaded, streamed over a VPN, or played from central shared storage. This nimble proxy workflow benefits from the lightweight characteristics of highly efficient codecs like H.264/MP4. FLOW generates the proxies and tracks the relationship between high and low-resolution files. A menu toggle in DaVinci Resolve Studio lets users switch seamlessly between original and proxy versions, allowing them to check the original shots any time during editing. With both sets of files always available and accessible to DaVinci Resolve Studio, color grading, effect creation and conforming are greatly streamlined.
The FLOW Panel for DaVinci Resolve Studio will be generally available with FLOW 2021.
About EditShare
EditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and smart workflow solutions for the production, post-production, new media, sports, and education markets. Whether you need on-prem, cloud, or hybrid solutions, our products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include media optimized high-performance shared storage, archiving and backup software, a suite of media management tools and a robust set of open APIs that enable integration throughout the workflow. Customer and partner success are at the heart of EditShare’s core values ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none.
