For those who don’t know the tool: Fusion Studio is a node-based compositor for VFX and motion graphics, living next to DaVinci Resolve and sharing its licensing universe, minus the timeline politics.

Motion graphics gets a bigger toolbox

Fusion Studio 21 adds support for Krokodove motion graphics effects, plus over 70 new motion graphics effects and tools. A new Macro Editor arrives with an inspector view and publishing to macros, aimed at making reusable tool setups less of a scavenger hunt.

Text tools also pick up practical upgrades. Text+ and MultiText add spell checking. Font handling expands with emoji and color fonts, plus a font browser for previewing and selecting fonts. MultiText adds improvements for position, pivot, alignment, and CSV import, and it gains double and triple click selection with drag selection, which should make dense text comps less like surgery with oven mitts.

Roughly a third into testing, expect your existing templates and macros to need a quick sanity pass, because new editors tend to surface old assumptions. That is normal. Test new tools before you trust them in production.

SPEEEEEEEEEED

Fusion 21 also leans harder into retiming with the SpeedWarp node SPDw. SpeedWarp is an AI powered retiming tool that analyzes motion between existing frames to construct new intermediate frames for smooth slow motion without stuttering. It uses DaVinci’s neural network and supposed to be good at reconstructing complex motion where traditional interpolation or frame blending would typically blur or distort.

HTML and JSON graphics walk right in

Fusion Studio 21 adds native support for OGraf HTML graphics and native support for Lottie animations. That combination targets a common pain point in broadcast and social deliverables: motion packages that need to travel cleanly between teams and machines without turning into a pile of fragile renders. And since there is always one more Typo, you want it to work quickly.

We need to talk about OGraf

The OGraf Standard is a web based broadcast graphics specification from the European Broadcasting Union. It targets graphics like lower thirds and over the shoulder elements, and it aims to make them deliverable and renderable across diverse platforms instead of being trapped inside closed vendor systems. The idea is modular graphics workflows where components can be mixed and matched, so teams can create a graphic once and render it on traditional broadcast outputs, digital platforms, web streams, and even inside video editing tools.

At the spec level, OGraf defines what a compliant graphic looks like and how a renderer should interpret it, so a graphic can be created once and used in multiple compatible renderers. A graphic must include a JSON manifest ending in dot ograf dot json plus a JavaScript file that exports the graphic as a Web Component, along with any resources like images, videos, and fonts. The spec also describes a typical workflow split into editor, controller, server, and renderer, and it explicitly allows those parts to come from different vendors rather than a single all in one stack.

That is excellent news for Fusion Studio users because it adds native support for OGraf HTML graphics, which turns this from a broadcast only niche into something you can pull directly into comp land without reinventing the pipeline.

If your shop already gets OGraf packages from a broadcast graphics team, or you need to hand off the same graphic logic across multiple renderers, native OGraf support means fewer bespoke conversion steps and less glue code that breaks at the worst possible time. It also gives Fusion users a more standardized on ramp for HTML graphics workflows, which is the kind of boring interoperability that saves hours.

USD and the 3D side of comps

Fusion Studio 21 updates its USD stack with support for USD SDK 25.11, including the Hydra 2.0 API for the Storm renderer. USD support expands to 3D matte objects and textures, plus a USD Texture Projector and Catcher. The USD Loader also gains global in and out controls. On the compositing side of 3D, the 3D Renderer adds support for Cryptomatte. Fusion Studio 21 also adds native support for creating Relief Maps.

There are also workflow improvements that focus on day-to-day graph hygiene. Fusion Studio 21 lets you change common inspector properties for multi-tool selections, and it can change common inspector values across all selected multi-tool layers. That should reduce the classic Fsuion ritual of clicking twelve nodes to change the same one value.

Deep, stereo, vectors, metadata, and lens work

Fusion Studio 21 adds multilayer support for stereoscopic 3D clips and deep images. Deep images gain color correction. Vector channel support is added for multilayer workflows.

Metadata handling gets more flexible: user defined metadata variables can be used in paths, expressions and scripts. Lens Distort adds checkerboard calibration and GPU acceleration.

Fusion Studio 21 also allows keyframes and spline views to open as a floating window, which is a small quality-of-life feature that tends to matter a lot once you animate all day.

Installer scope and the extra apps

Fusion Studio 21’s installer puts the core application on your system and also adds utilities for setting up hardware control panels. It also installs Blackmagic RAW Player and Blackmagic Proxy Generator into the applications folder. On macOS, installation runs via the Fusion Studio Installer icon, and removal uses the Uninstall Resolve icon. On Windows, uninstall goes through Programs and Features, selecting Fusion Studio and running Uninstall. On Linux, uninstall comes from choosing the uninstall option after running the installer.

Minimum system requirements to actually run it

The macOS minimum requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later, an Apple Silicon based computer, and 16 GB of system memory or 32 GB for improved performance. For monitoring, it lists Desktop Video 12.9 or later.

The Windows minimum requires Windows 10 Creators Update, 16 GB of system memory or 32 GB for improved performance, and a GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM. It lists a GPU that supports OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 12.8, AMD and Intel official drivers from the GPU manufacturer, and an NVIDIA Studio Driver 570.65 or newer. For monitoring, it lists Desktop Video 12.9 or later.

For Windows on Arm, the minimum calls for Windows 11 for ARM on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite series processor, with 16 GB of system memory or 32 GB for 4K.

On Linux, the minimum calls for Rocky Linux 8.6 and 32 GB of system memory, plus a discrete GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM. It lists OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 12.8 support, AMD official drivers from the GPU manufacturer, and an NVIDIA Studio driver 570.26 or newer. For monitoring, it lists Desktop Video 12.9 or later.

Pricing and licensing reality check

Fusion Studio is listed at $295. As always, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production, preferably on a clone of the job, not the only copy of the job.

Link Citation Block

// Quoted info
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/compare
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support
https://www.komkomdoorn.com/krokodove/
https://ograf.ebu.io/
https://lottie.github.io/
https://openusd.org/
https://github.com/Psyop/Cryptomatte
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicraw
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicproxygenerator
https://www.apple.com/macos/
https://www.microsoft.com/windows
https://www.kernel.org/
https://www.khronos.org/opencl/
https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-zone
https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/mobile/snapdragon/pcs-and-tablets/snapdragon-x-elite
https://rockylinux.org/
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

The post Fusion Studio 21 beta is here first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Blackmagic Camera turns an iPhone into a manual camera app that can feed directly into Resolve workflows, now with wrist control via Apple Watch on iOS. Or the other professional controllers you might have.

A wrist remote for phone rigs

Phone cameras already live in all the inconvenient places. High on a stand. Gaffer-taped to a car. Wedged into a tiny corner for a cheat shot. The update to Blackmagic Camera targets that exact pain point with a companion app for Apple Watch that can control and monitor the iPhone camera remotely.

The Watch companion focuses on practical set tasks. It can start and stop recording, show framing, and display audio levels. It also exposes key controls from the wrist, including exposure, focus, and LUT selection. The whole point is simple: keep all hands off the phone when a touch would wobble the shot, it is too far away, or the camera’s protection against the environment (Animals, Art Directors, the Public) is already in place. The Watch companion installs through the Watch app on the iPhone, and it pairs up as a remote control surface for the camera app. If you want to see it in action, have a look at this video from 9 to 5 Mac:

New hooks for studio style control

This update also adds support for ATEM camera control when you use Blackmagic Camera with ATEM workflows. That matters for anyone building iPhone based multicam setups that need consistent shading and control.

The same update adds support for Blackmagic Focus and Zoom demands when used with Blackmagic Camera ProDock. That pairs the app with physical lens style controls, aimed at a more traditional camera operating feel on a phone rig. Those demands already exist as hardware controls for compatible lenses in Blackmagic’s camera ecosystem. Here, they extend into the phone rig world when you connect through the ProDock.

HDMI portrait output and other workflow fixes

The App Store release notes for the current version list several production-facing additions and fixes beyond the Watch comanion.

The update adds support for full-screen portrait mode HDMI output. That targets vertical capture pipelines where you still want proper monitoring on external displays, without awkward letterboxing or UI clutter.

Pricing and availability

Blackmagic Camera on the App Store is free. Hardware mentioned in the update, including Blackmagic Camera ProDock, carries its own pricing and availability outside the app listing. But you know that, don’t you?

The boring advice that saves shoots

New features feel exciting right up until they meet real world constraints like wireless congestion, rigging compromises, heat, storage, and a director who wants the fifth take to roll instantly. Treat the companion like any other control surface: test it, rehearse it, and build a fallback plan before you rely on it in production.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera

The post Apple Watch control for the Blackmagic Camera? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Tl;DR: AutoCut lives inside Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, so editors can nuke busywork in the same timeline where deadlines go to scream.

AI that cleans up after the creative decisions

There is a familiar moment in every edit: the story finally works, the pacing clicks, and then the timeline reveals the bill. Breaths to trim. Dead air to delete. Captions to build. Takes to compare. Chapters to mark. Shorts to slice. It is not glamorous, but it is where hours disappear.

AutoCut targets that stretch of the process with a set of automation tools that run directly in the host editor. The plugin bundles 10 distinct tools into a single subscription and runs in Premiere Pro versions from 2023 through 2026. It also supports DaVinci Resolve 18.6 and 19 or later, including the free version of Resolve.

The goal is simple: keep editors on the same Timeline and offload repetitive cleanup that does not need creative judgment, while leaving the actual choices in human hands. New tools and innovations should always be tested before use in production, especially when they touch timing, dialogue, and deliverables.

Silence cutting with knobs editors actually recognize

Silence removal sits at the centre of the toolset, and it is the feature on which the plugin originally built its name. The workflow starts with something editors already do every day: define an in point and an out point on the timeline. From there, the editor sets a noise floor value in dB and tunes the minimum silence duration and the minimum speech duration, then lets the analysis do the trimming.

For fast iteration, it also provides preset profiles ranging from Calm to Jumpy that adjust how aggressively gaps are removed. In practice, that means the editor can decide whether the cut should feel conversational or more like a caffeinated highlight reel, without manually razor-blading every pause.

This is the kind of automation that tends to fit high-volume talking-head work: solo presenters, interview-heavy pieces, video journalism, and anyone cutting long-form dialogue where micro-pauses add up to macro time loss. It is also relevant to podcast workflows, especially when the job includes preparing multiple versions of the same content for different platforms and runtimes.

About one third into a real-world edtiing day, silence trimming is usually where optimism goes to die. This is where automation earns its keep.

Captions, chapters, profanity, resizing, and the rest of the boring buffet

The plugin’s ten-tool bundle extends beyond silence cutting into other mechanical steps that commonly stack up after an edit locks. It includes animated captions and translation, along with tools aimed at podcast and short-form production.

The feature set also covers take selection via repetition detection, profanity bleeping (a f**** usefull feature depending on the topic… though we haven‘t tested it with the creative swearing that comes from an 8+ hour editing session…) , and chapter creation for long videos. There is also an aspect ratio conversion tool for resizing deliverables for different formats, which matters when a single cut needs to ship in multiple aspect ratios under the same deadline.

One module focuses on turning long videos into short-form clips by identifying key segments. Another uses AI to add B-rolls, with the B-roll feature listing Storyblocks as the stock footage source powering that portion of the workflow. These features sit squarely in the current reality of editorial: one master timeline often needs to feed a whole ecosystem of cutdowns, captions, and platform-specific versions.

The plugin includes a podcast module and a multicam podcast editing workflow, which targets a common pain point for creators and small teams: syncing the cameras is the easy part, but cleaning up the dead air, surfacing the best takes, and generating captions can turn a quick turnaround into a multi-hour grind.

Licenses, trials, and what it costs when the honeymoon ends

The plugin ships with a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card. After that, pricing splits into three plans, with monthly and annual billing options.

The Basic Plan unlocks only the silence-removal tool. It costs $6.60 per month when billed annually, listed as $79 per year, or $9.90 per month when billed monthly.

The AI Plan includes the full set of ten tools. It costs $14.90 per month when billed annually, listed as $178.80 per year, or $19.80 per month when billed monthly.

The Enterprise Plan starts at three seats and is priced at $19.90 per seat per month when billed annually, listed as $238.80 per seat per year, totaling $716.40 for the minimum three-seat configuration. It includes priority support, on-demand demo calls, team licensing, and centralized billing.

On the payment side, the pricing page notes secure checkout by Stripe. The plugin is also listed as working on both macOS and Windows.

A single license activates on one computer at a time, with the option to transfer between machines via an account dashboard. That is a practical detail for editors who bounce between a studio workstation and a travel laptop, or who split their time across different facilities.

Where it fits in a modern post pipeline

The plugin’s appeal is not about replacing editorial decisions. It is about compressing the cleanup stage that follows those decisions. When you are cutting dialogue-driven content at volume, the work is not only creative but also procedural. The procedural part tends to be the same every time, making it a strong candidate for automation.

The best way to judge tools like this is to throw real timelines at them. Use a project with messy audio, uneven pacing, multiple cameras, and actual delivery requirements, then validate the output against your standards. If the tool saves time without introducing new cleanup, it earns a spot. If it creates edge-case errors, it stays in the sandbox until it behaves.

https://www.autocut.com

The post AutoCut brings AI cleanup inside Premiere Pro first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t now the tool: Resolume develops realtime visual performance software for live events, LED walls, and installations. Its core tools Resolume Arena, Resolume Avenue and Resolume Wire focus on fast playback, live control, and GPU driven image processing, occasionally crossing paths with VFX and virtual production, but usually living in a different department with louder music.

Colour depth, finally

Resolume has released an update adding 10 bit colour output across its software line. According to the company, this increases output precision from 8 bit colour to approximately 1.07 billion colours, reducing visible banding in gradients. The feature is aimed at LED walls, broadcast pipelines, and other display systems where colour depth matters and dithering is not sufficient.

The company states that capture devices supporting 10 bit can now input and output higher precision colour. Updated capture support includes NDI version 6.1.1 and Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.1. These changes are limited to devices and signal paths that already support 10 bit. No claims are made about automatic colour management or calibration.

Speed and responsiveness

Resolume reports faster composition loading, particularly in projects with many layers and groups. MIDI processing has also been optimised to reduce interface lag when handling dense control data. The Arena title bar now indicates when a composition is opening, saving, or closing, making internal busy states more visible during live operation.

These changes are described as workflow and stability improvements rather than architectural changes. Performance gains are not quantified and are Not independently verified at press time.

Wire gets more readable

The update includes several usability changes to Wire. A new Patch Navigator panel allows faster navigation in large node graphs. A Notes panel has been added for in patch documentation. Texture previews now appear when hovering over outlets, and new commands allow inserting nodes before or after existing connections with automatic rewiring.

The node search popup now shows previews, and new nodes include Kaleidoscope, Gaussian blur, cylindrical and spherical coordinate tools, and a stable sort node. Resolume describes these as quality of life improvements rather than new rendering features.

Effects and control plumbing

A new CRT effect has been added, built in Wire and fully editable. Resolume positions it as a starting point rather than a fixed look. MIDI and OSC monitors can now be paused and resumed, allowing inspection of incoming data without continuous scrolling. The REST API has been expanded with new calls for loading compositions, opening multiple clips, adding columns, and checking file accessibility.

Where this sits for VFX people

Realtime event graphics and VFX pipelines do intersect, particularly around LED volumes, previs, and on set playback. However, Resolume remains focused on live performance and operator driven graphics rather than shot based rendering or asset management. It is quite a cool, vibrant tool for what it is, but it does not try to replace traditional VFX or virtual production systems.

The post Resolume adds 10 bit colour and speed fixes first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Blackmagic Design develops cameras, broadcast gear, and postproduction software including DaVinci Resolve, Fusion, and Fairlight. The Blackmagic Camera Setup utility keeps their cameras’ firmware up to date, adds new features, and includes the Blackmagic RAW toolset used in Resolve and other DCC workflows.

PYXIS learns to cool itself

Version 10.0 of Blackmagic Camera Setup, released just now, introduces a dynamic fan control system for the Blackmagic PYXIS 12K. The camera now adjusts its cooling behaviour automatically while recording.

Pre-record and expanded audio arrive

Both the PYXIS 6K, PYXIS 12K, and the URSA Broadcast G2 gain a pre-record mode, allowing the capture of a few seconds before the record button is pressed, a practical addition for live and documentary work. All three models also now support four-channel audio recording, mono headphone monitoring, and a 0% opacity option for frame guides, giving operators the ability to clear overlays entirely when composing shots.

API, proxies and lens support updates

The update adds new Camera Control REST API commands, aimed at remote operation and integration with external systems. Blackmagic also adds an option to inhibit proxy recording, which could be useful for locked-down or multi-camera workflows. For the URSA Broadcast G2, 10.0 also improves Blackmagic Cloud integration and B4 lens compatibility. Blackmagic has not detailed the nature of these improvements, and they are not independently verified at press time.

RAW utilities and system requirements

The installer continues to bundle Blackmagic RAW Player, RAW Speed Test, RAW SDK, and RAW plugins for host applications. The update supports macOS 14 (Sonoma) and macOS 15 (Sequoia) on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, as well as Windows 10 and Windows 11 64-bit systems. Blackmagic lists 8 GB RAM as the minimum for macOS.

Updfated PYXIS Manual

At the same time, BMD updated and released a new manual for the PYXISI Camera – geht the full PDF here for free or have a look if you think about getting one of them. https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/BlackmagicPYXISManual.pdf?

Practical reminder

As always, users should verify firmware stability and feature compatibility before deploying updates in active production environments. Never update during production, which we heartily recommend, because yesterday a Windows-Update made this news you are reading a hectic morning duty instead of a relaxed last evening thing. Also: Check yourt backups, while you are at it.

The post Blackmagic Camera 10.0 brings fan brains and pre-record tricks first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.