DaVinci Resolve 21.0.2 Released – Keyframe Fixes, Retime Curve Improvements, and Better Fusion Vertical Transitions

Software Update

by Nino LeitnerJuly 2^nd, 2026

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Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.0.2, a maintenance update that cleans up a broad set of small but nagging issues across editing, color, Fusion, and Fairlight rather than adding new features. The release sharpens keyframe pasting, retime speed curves, TIFF export bit depth, and IntelliSearch performance, with the Studio edition also gaining an NVIDIA H.264 and H.265 decode fix, plus a parallel Fusion Studio 21.0.2 update.

This is the second point release for version 21, the build Blackmagic Design constructed around the new Photo page and a significant expansion of its AI toolset. It follows version 21.0.1, which focused on RAW decoding accuracy and HDR delivery. If you missed the bigger picture, we covered the full feature set when Resolve 21 shipped and went hands-on at NAB 2026 to see the Photo page, IntelliSearch, and CineFocus running on the show floor.

What changed in version 21.0.2

The fix list sits in the parts of the pipeline you only notice when they break. Blackmagic Design addressed thumbnail previews when bypassing color or Fusion, improved the display of the retime speed curve, and corrected an issue with pasting copied keyframes between clips. Video inspector zoom minimum values, source tape selection, and a media pool custom sort persistence issue were also resolved.

On the delivery side, the update fixes bit depth when exporting the current frame as a TIFF still, which matters for anyone pulling high-bit-depth reference frames out of a grade. IntelliSearch, the local AI-powered media search introduced in version 21, gets a performance fix after slower behavior in prior builds. Fusion sees corrected transition defaults for vertical timelines, useful as more social and mobile-first work runs through vertical sequences, and there is a fix for an inspector unicode display issue tied to spell check.

The Studio edition carries one extra fix that the free version does not: addressed H.264 and H.265 NVIDIA decode performance. For colorists and editors cutting long-form H.264 or H.265 material on NVIDIA hardware, that is the most consequential line in the notes, since decode bottlenecks translate directly into sluggish playback and scrubbing.

System requirements and compatibility

Minimum requirements are unchanged from the version 21 line. On macOS, Resolve 21.0.2 needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later on an Apple Silicon machine, with 8 GB of system memory or 16 GB when using Fusion. Windows requires the Windows 10 Creators Update, 16 GB of memory (32 GB with Fusion), and a GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM supporting OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 12.8, plus NVIDIA Studio driver 581.57 or newer. Windows on Arm runs on Windows 11 for Arm with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, while Linux needs Rocky Linux 8.6 and 32 GB of memory.

The Studio edition adds further headroom guidance for its more demanding features: at least 16 GB of memory (and 16 GB of VRAM on Windows) for advanced AI tools, and at least 32 GB of RAM with 12 GB of VRAM for background rendering and analysis. If you lean on the Neural Engine or run overnight renders, those are the numbers to plan around.

One compatibility note worth flagging before you upgrade: project libraries stay compatible with version 20.3.2, but individual projects created or opened in 21.0.2 will no longer open in 20.3.2. Blackmagic Design recommends a full project library backup as well as individual project backups before opening projects in the new build.

Fusion Studio gets a matching update

Blackmagic Design pushed out a parallel Fusion Studio 21.0.2 for users running the standalone compositing application rather than the integrated Fusion page. Its change list is short: the same inspector unicode display fix tied to spell check, a fix for an inspector versioning issue that was hiding some modifiers, and general performance and stability improvements. Standalone Fusion Studio requires macOS 15 Sequoia or Windows 10 Creators Update, 16 GB of memory (32 GB recommended), and a GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM supporting OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 12.8.

DaVinci Resolve 21.0.2 and Fusion Studio 21.0.2 are available now as free downloads from the Blackmagic Design website, and as always there is a free version and a paid DaVinci Resolve Studio version.

Is the keyframe pasting fix the one you have been waiting for, or is the smoother IntelliSearch the bigger win for your workflow? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!