Introduction
Since its release to the public, Puget Bench for DaVinci Resolve has supported both the paid (Studio) version of Resolve and the free edition. Not every test could run on the free version, due to differing support for features like AI and higher resolution timelines, but free users were always able to run the core codec processing and export tests.
Unfortunately, in version 21.1, Blackmagic has entirely removed scripting support from the free edition of DaVinci Resolve. From the DaVinci Resolve 21.1 update notes:
“We have moved the ability to script in Python to the Studio version. The Python API was being used to hack studio features into the free version. DaVinci Resolve relies on studio license sales to pay for the engineering team. Unlike subscriptions, which have become normal but lock people’s work up unless you pay monthly, we want to offer a differentiation from charging monthly fees.”
While Blackmagic’s reasoning is completely sound, and we support almost anything that helps them maintain their perpetual $295 licensing model for DaVinci Resolve Studio, it unfortunately means that tools (like Puget Bench) that rely on scripting can no longer run on the free version of Resolve.
Recommended Solutions
Since the removal of scripting support is a deliberate decision by Blackmagic, there are no simple workarounds for the free version of DaVinci Resolve v21.1 and, presumably, future releases. To bring awareness to this change, we will soon release a benchmark update that will block users from attempting to run Puget Bench for DaVinci Resolve on the free edition from v21.1 onward.
If you use the free version and want to run Puget Bench, there are two options available for you:
- Downgrade to / stay on DaVinci Resolve (Free) v21.0. This will allow the benchmark to run, but its performance metrics will become increasingly out of date as Blackmagic releases new updates to Resolve.
- Upgrade to DaVinci Resolve Studio. We are huge fans of Blackmagic’s perpetual $295 license (we have a number of licenses still in use from DaVinci Resolve v14!), and for anyone concerned about performance, the Studio version is typically well worth it. Not only does it unlock advanced features like AI tools and higher-resolution timelines, but it also provides hardware decoding support for H.264/HEVC. This alone can often provide a greater performance boost than purchasing new hardware, and is often our #1 upgrade recommendation.
Conclusion
While the removal of scripting support from the free version of DaVinci Resolve is disappointing and will have a measurable impact on the number of results in our Puget Bench for DaVinci Resolve benchmark database, we can’t fault Blackmagic’s reasoning behind doing so. The Studio edition is already one of the most cost-effective professional NLEs on the market, especially given its feature set and the breadth of workflows it supports.
We will continue to monitor and re-enable benchmark support if anything changes, but for now, support for the free version will be removed from Puget Bench starting with DaVinci Resolve version 21.1.
If you’re using DaVinci Resolve and want to see how your system performs, Puget Bench is completely free for end users. You can compare your results against thousands of systems in our DaVinci Resolve benchmark database.
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