Blackmagic Design is pushing DaVinci Resolve beyond video editing with its latest update. This time, it’s taking direct aim at Adobe Lightroom.
Announced at NAB 2026, DaVinci Resolve 21 (beta) introduces a new Photo page that brings proper image editing tools into the app for the first time.
While Resolve has technically supported still images before, editing them meant treating photos like video clips. However, the new Photo page changes that. It lets users import, organise and edit images, including RAW files from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony in a dedicated workspace.
From there, edits are handled through Resolve’s familiar node-based Color page, which offers tools like curves, qualifiers, power windows, noise reduction and sharpening.
It’s a different approach to Lightroom’s sliders. Nevertheless, it is arguably more flexible. You can stack adjustments in layers (or “nodes”) and apply them across multiple images. You can even preview changes across an entire album in real time using the new Lightbox view.
There are also some pro-friendly touches. Photographers can tether compatible cameras to capture images directly into Resolve while adjusting settings like ISO and white balance on the fly. Additionally, albums work similarly to Lightroom collections. Everything ties neatly into Resolve’s existing Edit and Color workflows.
But this isn’t just a photo update. Resolve 21 also leans heavily into AI. New tools include an AI Face Age Transformer, which can convincingly age (or de-age) subjects. Alongside that is a Face Reshaper for tweaking facial features and an improved Magic Mask for quick selections. On the video side, features like AI UltraSharpen and Motion Deblur aim to rescue soft or blurry footage.
Most of these features will be available in Resolve’s free version. However, some, including Magic Mask, remain locked to the $295 Studio tier.
Resolve still isn’t a one-to-one Lightroom replacement just yet, but this update makes the gap a lot smaller. For creators already using Resolve for video, having a capable photo workflow in the same app could be a compelling reason to stick around. Consequently, they may even ditch Adobe altogether.
