DaVinci Resolve 21.1.2: what's new, the 20% Studio sale and the paid upgrade question

DaVinci Resolve 21.1.2 is out, a free update for both the free version and Studio. The headline numbers: IntelliSearch analysis up to 14x faster on Apple M6 Macs running macOS 27, OGraf graphics playing back up to 4x faster, and OGraf and Lottie graphics finally working on Linux. At the same time Blackmagic has cut Resolve Studio by 20%, to $236, until 20 November 2026.

It’s a point release, so nothing here changes how you cut. But a few of the fixes touch things people actually use every day, and the sale lands right as Blackmagic’s CEO keeps hinting that free upgrades might not last forever.

What’s new in DaVinci Resolve 21.1.2?

Blackmagic’s notes list around 34 changes. These are the ones we’d care about on a real edit:

The vertical-video crowd should look at the responsive OGraf templates. If you deliver the same titles in 16:9 and 9:16, a template that reshapes itself to the timeline saves you from keeping two versions of every lower third.

Which fixes matter most?

Fixes don’t make headlines, but they’re usually why you update. A few that stood out:

• Anamorphic in Fusion. Double squeezed video coming out of Fusion is fixed. If you shoot anamorphic and do any compositing, this one was a real headache.
• Magic Mask renders. Renders with an in/out range on clips using Magic Mask could fail. Fixed.
• Quick Export. It ignored the trim pass grade you’d picked. Now it doesn’t.
• Film Look Creator. The gate weave controls work properly again.
• Cut page. “Recent 5 Mins” was dropping in whole clips instead of the last five minutes. Fixed, along with a loudness meter that didn’t reset after scrubbing.
• macOS 27. Speech Generator was slow and ate disk space, and Music Remixer had problems. Both fixed.

Should you update now?

Mid-project, wait for a break. Otherwise, yes, but do one thing first: back up your project library. Once a project is opened in 21.1.2 you can’t reopen it in 20.3.2. If you share projects with someone still on Resolve 20, agree on a version before anyone updates.

If you’re on a Mac with an M6 chip, the IntelliSearch speed-up only applies on macOS 27. On older Apple Silicon you’ll still get the fixes, just not that 14x figure. That number is Blackmagic’s, and like every “up to” claim it’s the best case.

The update is on Blackmagic’s support page, or through Resolve’s own update check.

How much is DaVinci Resolve Studio right now?

Blackmagic cut Studio from $295 to $236, worldwide, through resellers and its own store. The sale runs until Friday 20 November 2026. In Europe, German retailers list it at €245.

The hardware is discounted too, and it’s probably the better deal. The Speed Editor drops from $395 to $316, and Blackmagic’s keyboards and grading panels, including the Micro Color Panel, are also 20% off. Newsshooter notes that panel stock is limited.

Blackmagic’s stated reason is the new wave of chips built for AI work, naming Apple’s M6 and Nvidia’s RTX Spark. The pitch: Studio’s AI tools now run fast enough on these machines to be worth paying for.

Free or Studio: do you need to pay at all?

Plenty of people cut paid work in the free version, and that’s fine. It has no watermark and no time limit. You pay for Studio when you hit one of its walls:

• You want the AI tools, like Magic Mask, IntelliSearch and the newer audio tools, which is exactly where this update puts its speed gains.
• You need the temporal and spatial noise reduction, which is still the best reason to buy it if you shoot in low light.
• You deliver above UHD or above 60 fps, where the free version stops.
• You cut H.264 or H.265 from mirrorless cameras and drones and want full GPU-accelerated decoding, which makes a big difference to playback.

If none of that is you, keep the free version and spend the $236 on a lens filter or a drive. If you’ve been on the fence, $59 off a licence you buy once, with no subscription, is a decent push.

Will Resolve upgrades stop being free?

This is the part closest to a rumor, so here’s exactly what was said.

At Blackmagic’s NAB 2026 livestream in April, CEO Grant Petty confirmed the Resolve Studio 21 update would be free. He then added, as RedShark News reported, that “we could have an upgrade charge, but we haven’t really charged for any of these upgrades yet.” His reasoning: Studio sells well, and those sales pay for the engineering team. He made similar remarks about Resolve 20 a year earlier.

So: no paid upgrade is planned, no price exists, and Blackmagic hasn’t charged Studio owners for an upgrade so far. What has changed is that Petty now says out loud that it could happen. Our read is that buying Studio today covers you for the Resolve 21 updates at least. Nobody can promise more.

What comes next: Resolve 22?

There’s no official word on Resolve 22. The pattern is worth knowing, though: Blackmagic has previewed its big versions at NAB in April, Resolve 20 in 2025 and Resolve 21 in 2026. If that holds, the next major version would be shown in April 2027, with point updates like this one until then. That’s a guess based on history, not an announcement.

If you shoot small cameras with log profiles like D-Log 2 or bigger bodies recording RAW, like the Sony FX5 with X-OCN, Resolve stays the obvious place to grade them, free or paid.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Blackmagic Design, DaVinci Resolve support and downloads, and its 21.1.2 announcement on X
• Newsshooter, full 21.1.2 release notes (26 October 2026)
• Digital Production, on the update and project compatibility with 20.3.2
• DPReview and Newsshooter, on the Studio and hardware sale
• MyDealz, for the German price
• RedShark News, Grant Petty on upgrade charges at NAB 2026
• Cover and photos: Blackmagic Design, from its official product pages