DaVinci Resolve 20.2: A Post-Production Pro's Take on the Latest Update

I remember first opening DaVinci Resolve in 2013 as a second-year producer and director for "Graveyard Carz" on Discovery Velocity. At that time, our little post-team edited episodes on Mac Minis in Adobe Premiere Pro from portable USB-2 HDD’s. Kinda crazy to think about today.

My friend and colleague (show Producer, Colorist and Post-Production Generalist), Casey, showed me a free color correction tool used in "Hollywood" films he was learning. And like many during that time, I was amazed by its capabilities and that it was free.

Grading original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera footage in Resolve.

Today, Resolve is the Swiss Army knife of post-production. It handles editing, motion graphics, audio mixing, visual effects, and raw photo processing. While Final Cut Pro remains my primary software for most projects—its speed and efficiency align with my workflow—I reach for Resolve more often. With every update, I’m honestly surprised it’s not my daily driver.

20.2 Update: Small Changes, Big Impact

When I opened DaVinci Resolve 20.2, I didn’t expect much from a point release. But after a week with the new features, I’m impressed by how these subtle updates streamline my workflow.

The redesigned track destination controls stand out: now with separate columns for the Source Track Selector and Destination Auto Selector. As someone working with multicam and complex audio, this should reduce errors from routing audio to the wrong track.

Curtesy of Blackmagic Design

But the new Sync Lock functionality is the real breakthrough for me. Now, like in Final Cut Pro, I can protect my carefully placed titles and voiceovers during ripple edits on the main footage.

Curtesy of Blackmagic Design

You could always manage this with shortcuts, but now, it's one of those features you never want to live without. (It’s like Final Cut Pro’s magnetic timeline; yeah — fight me. 🤣)

More Than Just AI Candy

The new silence detection and removal tool is immediately valuable for anyone editing interview footage or podcasts. Found in the Clip menu under Audio Operations, this feature can auto-detect and ripple-delete silent gaps across all timeline tracks. Its main advantage is that it works globally—you can select a clip to analyze and remove silence across the entire timeline or focus on specific sections.

Curtesy of Blackmagic Design

For editors like myself who handles talking head interviews, voiceovers, or any content requiring tighter pauses, this is going to be major time-saver.

Improvements That Actually Matter

Ruler guides in the Edit and Cut viewers may seem minor, but they clearly show Blackmagic understands practical editing needs. No more guessing title placement or aligning graphics by feel. With the enhanced Multi-Text tool supporting CSV imports, creating consistent lower thirds and graphics packages will be much faster.

Curtesy of Blackmagic Design

I’ll probably keep using image guidelines until we can save guides as presets.

The new audio detachment is another great feature. I know being able to detach synced audio while preserving timeline sync and linking shows Resolve is being built by actual editors.

Hey Premiere Pro, where are you at? (To be fair, they’re trying 😆)

The Bigger Picture

This update shows Resolve maturing into a full post-production ecosystem, and in the most feel good way. These aren’t flashy features. They’re smart refinements that solve real workflow problems.

Curves Editor toolbar changes, better keyframe handling, expanded codecs (like ProRes RAW and Sony ARW), all show Blackmagic’s commitment to staying ahead.

Curtesy of Blackmagic Design

Final Thoughts

Eleven years after first using Resolve, 20.2 update doesn’t revolutionize editing, but it adds to years of consistent improvements to the capabilities that save hours on projects.

These updates remind me why I turn to Resolve, just as I once did with Final Cut when Premiere was lagging in 2018.

Who knows, maybe I’ll finally make the switch for good.

The best tools are the ones that get out of your way and let you focus on storytelling. And with each update, Resolve gets a little better at doing exactly that.

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