DaVinci Resolve 21 Public Beta 4 Released – Canon RAW Highlight Fix, Fusion Motion Path Keyframing, and Refined AI CineFocus

Software Update

by Nino LeitnerMay 28^th, 2026

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Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21 Public Beta 4, a targeted update that sharpens behavior rather than adding headline features. The release makes Resolve FX behave more predictably on still images, corrects highlight rendering for Canon CR2 and CR3 files, and brings Fusion motion paths and modifiers into the keyframe editor on the Edit and Cut pages. Studio users also get a more refined AI CineFocus and improved AI beauty tools, while everyone gains Insta360 native colorspace support and expanded DNG decode handling.

This is the fourth public beta of Resolve 21, the version Blackmagic Design built around the new Photo page and a substantial expansion of its AI toolset. If you missed the original rollout, we covered the full feature list when Resolve 21 was announced, and later went hands-on at the Blackmagic Design booth at NAB 2026 to see the Photo page, IntelliSearch, and CineFocus running on the show floor. Beta 4 is less about new capabilities and more about making the ambitious additions of this cycle hold up in day-to-day use.

The cadence has been steady since launch. The first beta, released alongside the NAB announcement, carried the headline additions: the Photo page, the new AI tools including CineFocus, the Krokodove toolset for Fusion, and Fairlight folder tracks. Beta 2 followed with more intuitive photo crop tools, faster and more accurate IntelliSearch, improved RAF and 12-bit NEF decoding, and foveated rendering for Apple Vision Pro workflows. Beta 3 leaned into collaboration and format support, adding better MultiMaster workflows, live capture from the Sony Alpha 7 V, Panasonic Lumix RW2 decoding, new scripting APIs, and up to three times faster sync to Blackmagic Cloud. Beta 4 continues that pattern of incremental refinement.

Resolve FX behave more reliably on stills

Most of the photo-side work in this beta is corrective. Resolve FX now stay aligned when you transform a still image, so resizing or repositioning a photo with an effect applied keeps overlays and on-screen controls where they should be. That matters because misaligned controls on the Photo page made precise adjustments frustrating, and the fix lets you fine-tune without losing your reference points. Blackmagic Design has also improved transparency handling for effects on stills, made effect favorites persist between app launches, and corrected warper tool behavior on photos so reshaping and manipulating images tracks more accurately.

Canon CR2 and CR3 highlights look right again

The update introduces more accurate highlight representation for Canon CR2 and CR3 images. Previously, bright areas in these files could appear darker than expected, which is a real problem when you are grading or compositing and relying on the raw data to behave consistently. With Beta 4, highlights retain a more natural appearance, removing a point of friction for anyone bringing Canon stills into the Photo page workflow.

Fusion motion paths arrive in the keyframe editor

On the Edit and Cut pages, the keyframe editor now supports Fusion motion paths and other modifiers. In practice, that means animation curves, motion paths, and linked parameters coming from Fusion titles, effects, and macros can be adjusted directly alongside timeline keyframes. Editors no longer have to jump into the Fusion page to refine an animated graphic or a Fusion-driven effect, which should make complex motion work faster to iterate on and easier to keep in sync with the cut.

AI CineFocus and beauty tools, refined for Studio users

For DaVinci Resolve Studio users, AI CineFocus has been improved to produce more convincing shallow depth of field. Both the Better and Faster modes now handle subtle blur more cleanly, and Blackmagic Design has reduced edge shimmer, stair stepping, and halos so foreground subjects separate more naturally from their backgrounds. That separation is exactly where synthetic depth of field tends to fall apart, so the gains are most useful when simulating lens focus on interviews, close-ups, or archival footage where reshooting is not an option.

The AI beauty tools see similar refinement. The blemish removal tool now allows greater precision within the facial area, keeping corrections focused only where they are needed, and the face refinement tool gains better support for alpha layer workflows. The latter makes it easier to isolate and track facial adjustments automatically, cutting down on manual masking for beauty, fashion, or interview shots.

Insta360 colorspace and DNG decode handling

Rounding out the release, Beta 4 adds support for the Insta360 native colorspace, useful as more productions fold 360 and action-cam material into mixed timelines. The update also improves DNG decode handling, adding color value and profile look table support for more consistent image reproduction across the formats Resolve ingests.

DaVinci Resolve 21 Public Beta 4 is a free download for both the free and Studio editions, available now directly from Blackmagic Design via this link. As always with beta software, it is worth backing up current projects before updating and testing new behavior on copies rather than active jobs.

Are these fixes the ones you have been waiting for, or is there still a rough edge in your Resolve 21 workflow that needs attention? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!