Blackmagic Design just released DaVinci Resolve 20.2.2, a small but important maintenance update addressing playback, trimming, and metadata issues introduced in the previous 20.2 release. While this version adds no major new features, it refines everyday workflows and boosts reliability across edit, color, and Fairlight pages.
After the bigger leap of DaVinci Resolve 20.2 (article here), which introduced ProRes RAW decoding, immersive EXR workflows, and AI-driven “Cinematic Haze” effects, the focus of the just-released version 20.2.2 (update downloadable here) is squarely on polishing user experience and improving stability, particularly in editing and audio post-production.
Refinements in editing and timeline handling
Editors will notice smoother timeline behavior thanks to fixes for ripple deletes and trim operations that occasionally unlinked or removed audio. Linked audio clips now maintain proper relationships even during complex ripple trims. Playback in Fairlight and the Edit page also sees reduced jitter, while “Go to mouse pointer” and cinema viewer navigation issues have been addressed.
A long-requested correction ensures that applying grades from other clips now correctly respects the user’s “node stack” preference, giving colorists more predictable behavior when transferring looks across shots.
Improvements in Fusion and Fairlight
Fusion gains several quality-of-life improvements, including fixes for spline easing, USD texture paths, and 3D Renderer named layer visibility. A crash caused by certain ripple trims was also resolved, and network rendering of Swizzler compositions now performs as expected. Audio users benefit from smoother MP3 playback and restored visibility of in/out controls in the Fairlight viewer at smaller UI widths.
Two small but useful scripting API additions allow developers to set media locations upon project creation and to query or apply Fairlight presets, opening new automation possibilities for studio environments.
MP3 playback in Fairlight should work smoother again with the DaVinci Resolve 20.2.2 update. Image credit: Blackmagic DesignBetter color management and metadata tools
Mac users will see improved Rec.709 scene color management in the viewer, addressing inconsistencies introduced in prior builds. Resolve 20.2.2 also introduces a convenient metadata enhancement: users can now right-click in the media metadata panel to copy file metadata values, streamlining project organization.
Project compatibility and installation
Project libraries remain backward-compatible with DaVinci Resolve 19.1.4, but individual projects opened in 20.2.2 cannot be reopened in 19.1.4. As always, Blackmagic recommends creating full backups before upgrading.
DaVinci Resolve 20.2.2 is available now for macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Windows 10 or newer (including ARM-based Windows 11 systems), and Rocky Linux 8.6. The update also requires recent Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.9 drivers and the latest GPU drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Apple.
Here’s a video from our friend Leon Barnard from Team 2 Films talking about the DaVinci 20.2 update:
Conclusion
While version 20.2 brought headline-grabbing features like ProRes RAW support and immersive workflows, DaVinci Resolve 20.2.2 is squarely a bug fixing and performance enhancement update. For editors and colorists already working on the 20.2 branch, this update is well worth installing to ensure smoother operation and more stable sessions.
How are you liking the latest version of DaVinci Resolve? Let us know in the comments.