DaVinci Resolve for the Mac Platform

Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is a high end color-correction solution that has traditionally been used on the Linux platform by professional organizations with vast resources. Unfortunately, the prohibitive hardware costs kept more casual users out of the game. But DaVinci Resolve is now available for the Mac platform, putting it within reach of users whose resources are only half-vast.

DaVinci Resolve is typically deployed on a cluster of Linux computers, each containing high-performance GPU cards. You basically throw enough hardware at it so that processing is done in real time no matter how intensive the workload. You effectively end up with the power of a super computer at your disposal.

Spatial and budgetary constraints prevent most interested parties from building a Linux cluster, but anyone can afford a single Mac computer. And that’s all you need to get started with DaVinci Resolve. When your workload demands more power, and your budget can foot the bill, you can upgrade DaVinci Resolve to a full Linux software license and add extra Linux computers and GPU cards to the mix as necessary. No matter how intensive your color-correction workload becomes, you can continue to increase the size of the cluster so that all processing is always done in real time.

When implemented on the Mac platform, DaVinci Resolve offloads all of the processing to a single Graphics Processing Unit, or GPU. Color correction is done in real time by taking advantage of nVIDIA’s CUDA technology, which is a parallel computing architecture that greatly improves the performance of a GPU. Blackmagic Design recommends that your Mac should contain two nVIDIA cards, a GT 120 to handle the interface and monitors and a Quadro FX 4800 to accelerate the processing of graphics.

DaVinci Resolve for the Mac OS is ideal for color correcting both SD and HD video. It supports most popular video I/O devices as well as 32-bit float YRGB processing for all effects. A powerful 3D tracker automatically creates a cloud of tracking points around any region you select. An intuitive node-based workflow makes it easy to apply primary and secondary color correction as you see fit. Stereoscopic 3D and raw RED files can also be corrected using DaVinci Resolve.

B&H sells the DaVinci Resolve software for the Mac platform by itself and in various hardware/software bundles. The software-only package is a full copy of DaVinci Resolve with no features disabled. Though DaVinci Resolve can be controlled using a mouse, it’s much better when you use a third-party control panel. That’s why B&H also sells DaVinci Resolve with Wave Panel Kit, DaVinci Resolve with JLCooper Eclipse CX Midnight Control Surface Kit, DaVinci Resolve with Blackmagic Design’s Control Surface and DaVinci Resolve Control Surface and Cubix GPU-Xpander Desktop 2 Kit.

You’ll have to piece together your own Mac system to use the software-only product or any of those bundles. The requirements are pretty heavy duty. You’ll need a Mac Pro with a minimum of two 2.26 GHz quad core processors running Mac OS X 10.6.4 or higher. You’ll also need a minimum of 6GB of RAM and a SuperDrive optical drive. Ideally the system should contain both an nVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and an nVIDIA Quadro FX 4800. You’ll also need a DaVinci Resolve Control Surface or Tangent Devices Wave Panel. Don’t forget some serious storage space and a high-end monitor. Be sure to do your homework if you’re considering using a system that you already have. But there’s an easier way to go.

If you prefer when things are made easy for you, B&H carries a DaVinci Resolve/Mac Pro Turnkey System. The bundle includes the DaVinci Resolve software pre-installed in a 2.93 GHz 12-core Mac Pro system running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The system features 12GB of RAM, nVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and Quadro FX 4800 graphics cards, 8TB of storage space, a Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD Extreme 3D Plus and a Tangent Devices Wave Panel.