DaVinci Resolve 21 Hands-On at NAB 2026: Photo Page, IntelliSearch, and CineFocus in Action

by Alexandra ThompsonApril 19^th, 2026

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We caught up with Blackmagic Design’s Simon Hall at NAB 2026 for a hands-on look at DaVinci Resolve 21. From raw photo editing with full node-based grading to AI-powered clip searching and synthetic depth of field, here is what stood out on the show floor.

When Blackmagic Design announced DaVinci Resolve 21 ahead of NAB, the feature list was massive. But feature lists only tell part of the story. We sat down with DaVinci Resolve Specialist Simon Hall at the Blackmagic Design booth to see how some of the headline additions actually work in practice.

The Photo page is more than a Lightroom competitor

The biggest addition in Resolve 21 is the new Photo page, and seeing it in action makes the ambition clear. The page includes album management, raw file adjustments (temperature, contrast, gain, shadows, pivot), and the ability to jump straight into the Color page for more complex grading, all while maintaining a fully non-destructive raw workflow.

Unlike Photoshop, where raw adjustments are essentially baked in once you open a file, Resolve 21 keeps everything in raw throughout the pipeline. Adjustments made on the Color page are written back to the raw file, meaning they persist if the image is opened outside of Resolve. Simon specifically mentioned fashion clients shooting medium format who need every frame of video to match their hero stills, a workflow that previously required constant round-tripping between applications.

The integration goes deep. Simon pulled up Magic Mask on a photo and isolated a red dress in a few clicks, demonstrating that the same AI segmentation tools editors use on video work just as well on stills.

IntelliSearch finds an elephant in a close-up

IntelliSearch is Resolve 21’s AI-powered media search tool, processing everything locally on the machine with no cloud dependency. Simon demonstrated it by searching for “elephant” across analyzed clips, and the system correctly identified a tight close-up of an elephant despite the framing making the animal difficult to recognize at a glance.

The tool recognizes objects, animals, vehicles, trees, and other visual elements, with results appearing as clips in the Media Pool that can be dropped into a smart bin. It does not currently support compositional searches (you cannot ask for “wide shots”), but for content-based discovery across large media libraries, it could save significant time on documentary projects or productions with extensive archival footage.

CineFocus brings synthetic depth of field to the edit page

Resolve 21 includes a range of new ResolveFX effects, and CineFocus is among the standouts. It uses AI-generated depth maps to create convincing synthetic depth of field in post. Simon applied the effect to a clip and demonstrated how a movable focus point controls where the image remains sharp, with everything else falling off into natural-looking blur. No actual depth data from the camera is required.

The tool includes controls for aperture shape, bokeh, and blur intensity, with keyframeable parameters that enable animated rack-focus moves. The results Simon showed were surprisingly convincing for a real-time effect. For fixing focus issues in post or adding shallow depth of field to footage shot on smaller sensors, CineFocus looks like a genuinely useful addition.

Neural Engine improvements and quality of life

More broadly, Hall emphasized that Resolve 21 pushes the DaVinci Neural Engine significantly further than previous versions. Both IntelliSearch and CineFocus are powered by it, and Speed Warp now has a Metal-accelerated version for Mac users that harnesses the GPU for noticeably smoother and faster retiming performance. On the organizational side, the Media Pool now supports tabs, allowing editors to keep multiple bins open and switch between them with keyboard shortcuts.

On the audio side, Fairlight Live is a separate, free application built on the Fairlight engine for live audio mixing. It works with Blackmagic’s new Fairlight Live hardware panels and integrates with ATEM switchers for live event production and broadcast.

When can we expect the final release?

Simon suggested a June to July timeframe based on previous release cycles, noting that the developers release the final version “when they’re happy with it.” The public beta is available now as a free download for both the free and Studio versions. Existing Studio license holders will receive the update at no additional cost, continuing Blackmagic’s policy of free lifetime upgrades with the one-time $295 purchase.

Have you tried the DaVinci Resolve 21 beta? Are you using the Photo page, or are IntelliSearch and CineFocus more relevant to your workflow? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!