DaVinci Resolve started as a professional color correction platform, allowing colorists to digitally manipulate the color tones of video files. However, the software has continued to expand and evolve, and now it’s one of the most popular digital video editing programs on the market.
While DaVinci Resolve has plenty of shortcuts and has added tons of new features that allow creators to edit video, adjust color, add graphics, and much more, one thing that really makes the tool even more versatile is its ability to accept plugins for new features and tools.
In this guide, we’ll go over some of our favorite plugins for DaVinci Resolve that will really up your editing game and enhance your post-production workflow on your next new video.
What can you use DaVinci Resolve plugins for?
There are tons of plugins available for DaVinci Resolve that allow you to expand the tools and features of the program.
There are, of course, lots of color LUTs and presets that allow you to quickly apply cinematic tones to your video. There are also new plugin tools that allow you to clean up your video by removing color noise, stabilizing shaky footage, or removing light flickers.
Some plugins add editing functionality, such as false color and gridlines. If you haven’t explored the world of plugins for DaVinci Resolve, you’re really not getting the most out of the platform.
Our top 10 DaVinci Resolve plugins you need to add to your workflow
#1: False Color by time in pixels
Price: $48
Free Trial Available?: Yes
This tool is an absolute must-have. In fact, we’re a little shocked that DaVinci Resolve doesn’t already have a built-in false color tool, but that’s what makes plugins like this so handy.
This false color plugin allows you to apply a false-color overlay to your images to easily identify areas of under and overexposure. For under $50, this one is a must-buy.
#2: DE:Noise by RE:Vision Effects
Price: $169.95
Free Trial Available?: Yes
While DaVinci Resolve does include a de-noising tool, most users agree that it takes a lot of manual configuration to get it to work properly.
This de-noising plugin by RE:Vision Effects is by far one of the fastest and easiest ways to remove color noise, dust, or film grain from your images while still preserving all the essential details. If you regularly find yourself cleaning up noise in images, download this plugin. It’s a worthwhile investment.
#3: Sapphire by BorisFX
Price: $1695.00
Free Trial Available?: Yes
Ok, take a deep breath after that sticker shock. Sapphire is one of the most expensive plugin investments you can make for DaVinci Resolve, but there is a lot of value behind that number.
Sapphire includes over 270 visual effects, 3500 presets, and a ton of specialty overlays and effects like lens flares, distortions, transitions, and time/light effects. It also includes the beloved Mocha planar tracking tool, which we’ll get into later in this list. Essentially, for the price of admission, Sapphire may be the ONLY plugin purchase you’ll need to massively expand the visual effects functionality of DaVinci Resolve.
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#4: Flicker Free by Digital Anarchy
Price: $149
Free Trial Available?: Yes
A flicker in your images is one of those annoying imperfections that can come up time and time again and take ages to remove. Flickers can happen due to out-of-sync cameras, fluorescent lighting, or long time lapses.
Either way, adding a flicker removal plugin means you can eliminate this common flaw with just a few clicks, and this Flicker Free plugin from Digital Anarchy is a longtime editor favorite.
#5: FilmConvert
Price: $139
Free Trial Available?: Yes
Shooting on digital cameras is now the norm, but it’s leaving many directors and editors nostalgic for the look and feel of traditional film. Thankfully, digital editing programs like DaVinci Resolve can allow you to recreate that feel through careful tone adjustments and grain additions.
Or, you can just purchase FilmConvert and instantly apply the look of dozens of classic film stocks to your images. Personally, we love being able to drop in a FilmConvert preset and only have to tweak it to get that perfect cinematic look.
#6: LensMaster Flares by Learn Now FX
Price: $38.99
Free Trial Available?: No
Move over JJ; lens flares are now easier than ever to add to any project, any time. If you love that dramatic effect of lens flares, but you don’t want to spend hours creating one from scratch in a visual effects program, then this plugin is perfect for you. This allows you to add lens flares without leaving Resolve and without any rotoscoping expertise. And for under $40, there’s really no reason not to add this to your arsenal.
#7: Reactor by We Suck Less
Price: Free
Free Trial Available?: No
Reactor is an open-source package manager created by the community at We Suck Less to allow you to access 3rd party effects and plugins created by the community. This allows you to install hundreds of unique effects with just a few clicks, so when we say run, don’t walk to install this program; we mean it.
#8: Beauty Box by Digital Anarchy
Price: $199
Free Trial Available?: Yes
De-aging and retouching are some of the most challenging effects to achieve on film, mostly because they involve touching up a moving subject. With Beauty Box, you can do this largely automatically. It can auto-analyze a frame to create the correct mask for your subject and then allows you to adjust things like skin tones, shine, and smoothness.
#9: Mocha Pro by BorisFX
Price: $695 (for full license, subscription options available)
Free Trial Available?: Yes
Mocha Pro has been a favorite plugin of editors and visual effects artists for almost 20 years, and it’s not by accident. This is one of the most intelligent planar tracking tools available, allowing you to easily track objects in a frame and add visual effects elements to complement the audio visual experience.
You can also use it to remove unwanted objects, replace the sky, or add digital makeup to performers. This thing is incredibly powerful, and if you don’t spring for the Sapphire collection that includes it, this is still a worthwhile investment all on its own.
#10: mChannel Clean by MotionVFX
Price: $89
Free Trial Available?: No
Last but certainly not least is our favorite graphics plugin for DaVinci Resolve. The mChannel Clean plugin allows you to insert clean, crisp graphics that are perfect for a variety of advertorial projects. They’re so sleek and so simple, making these incredibly versatile graphic templates that will work for a wide variety of projects.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, this guide has given you a peek into the wide variety of plugins available that video editing professionals use to level up their editing game and expand the limits of what they can do inside of DaVinci Resolve. This list is in no way exhaustive, so go out there and see what else you can find to make Resolve the perfect platform for all your editing needs.
And if you’re looking for a better way to bring your remote video production team closer together and collaborate more efficiently from a distance, check out Evercast. Evercast is a great choice for video editors because it allows you to stream your DaVinci Resolve editing sessions in full HD while video chatting and exchanging notes with your team, all under one platform.
