Australian company Blackmagic Design offers their video editing application DaVinci Resolve for a wide range of high quality ultra HD effects, render queue, and video uploading options among other features.
$0
Free
Frame.io
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Frame.io is a video collaboration platform, supporting the video editing process by providing creative teams with time stamped comments, annotations and hashtags, and an accelerated sharing and approval process.
I learned so much from this instructional exercise, and I appreciated how the educator is an expert all-day colorist. The section on sound reduction was particularly instructive. I noticed a few inconsistencies between certain methodologies in this instructional exercise and approaches suggested in the Advanced Color Grading in Resolve 15 instructional exercise (e.g., where to place sound reduction in the hub tree), but this is to be expected given that there is no one right way to do any of this. I also learned a lot about Resolve's "Restoration" modules for working with authentic film. This instructional exercise will come up again and again in my work.
On a video-by-video basis, Frame.io works perfectly to track comments on individual files. It allows us to bring in different stakeholders and has significantly increased our Creative synergy between our company and clients. The speed at which we can now provide access to assets has removed much of the ambiguity we faced in the past.
Comprehensive - It has video editing, motion graphics, audio, and export tools in one package. It's probably more than most people need, but you don't have to use all of the tools.
Platform and format agnostic - I like that I can work on projects on Mac or PC, and there are regular updates for new codecs and cameras. You can edit pretty much any format with no compatibility worries.
Price - They offer a free version which has most of the functionality. It's a great way to try before you buy and learn the tools. The final price is only $300 per license for the full product. It's a bargain for everything you get, and you don't feel like you're not getting your money's worth, even if you don't use all of the tools.
Some areas of Resolve can leave inexperienced users feeling a bit handicapped. Multiple user sign-ins can be confusing, and determining where to place the database of users might need troubleshooting. The exporting workflow is a bit finicky and will need to be learned to use for even simple capabilities.
Resolve is not friendly on a single screen editing workflow, and even worse on a laptop. Ideally, an editor has multiple screens in the first place, but because a colorist needs to see scopes and monitor, handling both on the same screen, along with all tools is a challenge. This software is best with more screens.
While the NLE capability of Resolve makes for a quick editing workspace, my little experience with it leads me to the conclusion that unless someone desires a completely free alternative to other NLE software, Resolve is not your best friend. Other programs are better.
When I mark a video private, it should disable the sharing link. We’ve run into issues where we’ve made a video private, thinking that it was no longer visible, but those with the link could still view it.
Mobile version is great, but sometimes I have to rotate my phone to get the full feature set, which is a little clunky sometimes.
It works well for our small team, but we’ve run into some friction as things scale. Getting external users set up with the right access can be a bit of a hassle, and the cost starts to add up as we bring on more people and projects. That said, it’s still a solid tool, it definitely speeds up our workflow and works seamlessly with Adobe products.
I give it 9 out of 10 because I have been using Resolve since 2013 and am happy to see its evolution over the years. The Blackmagic team has really done a great job to make it better on a year-on-year basis. I like its workflow, that it has all a video editor needs, like transcoding, supporting a wide range of codes, video editing capabilities, a professional color grading suite, and improved Fusion and Fairlight, and in the end its export and mastering capability i can export pretty much every formate from it.
I've used other video review systems, Frame was the only one I didn't question how they allowed you to review - I just started reviewing. It's that simple. It's easy to set up projects, invite collaborators, and then provide a final cut for download. It's naturally built for the kind of work that TV/Film & video production companies do.
When sharing videos for feedback, there are no noticeable performance issues with Frame.io. Everyone is able to complete their tasks without the program getting in the way.
Not only do they have classes available in Los Angeles, but they'll also allow you to work from home with the manual and demo materials, and then let you test out to get a certification. They get back to you quickly when you email, and they've got a "family" approach to customer service, they make you feel like you're important to them.
I've only reached out to Frame.io a few times but they responded quickly and offered achievable solutions. The fact that I haven't had to reach out to them more is proof that the platform is easy to use, reliable, and can run on its own. The only issues we have had were related to uploading issues on our end.
It has a free version that is very complete. It lets everyone on the team use a lot of very good tools for video editing that would be very expensive while using other solutions that are equally excellent but not as generous. The cost is a very good reason but not the only one, the software is actually really good.
We utilize both Synthesia and Frame.io for different projects. Frame.io we use for editing actual video content that has been captured. Primary use is for customer training and education. We use Synthesia for short-form video production, primarily for software screen recording demonstrations, and for translation functionality (which is excellent).
Most of my videos are not public which is shown to clients. There is a clear improvement of quality which impacts the client interest. It's difficult to put a number but I am much more confident in showing our videos in the sales pitch.
