As you explore DaVinci Resolve‘s industry-leading editing tools, you may be wondering: "How can I elevate my work to the next level?" Plugins are the answer!
Plugins expand Resolve‘s built-in effects and transitions with more advanced capabilities that would be difficult or tedious to recreate manually. The good news is there are now ample free Resolve plugins available that rival premium paid options.
In this guide, I‘ll showcase my top recommendations for essential free plugins that all Resolve editors should know about and have installed. I‘ve tested dozens of plugins in my own projects to identify these as clear standouts.
Let‘s dive in! You‘ll soon be leveling up your Resolve skills thanks to these powerful plugins.
An Introduction to Resolve Plugins
Before highlighting the best free plugins for Resolve, let me quickly explain what plugins are and why they matter.
What Are Plugins?
Plugins are simply add-on packages that provide additional functionality to a software program like Resolve. Key types of Resolve plugins include:
- Effects: Used to alter or enhance video clips (blurs, styles, particles, etc.)
- Transitions: Create smoother/more stylized scene changes
- Titles: Customizable animated text tools
- LUTs: Lookup tables to quickly modify clip color grading
Why Use Plugins with Resolve?
While Resolve already includes good built-in tools, plugins dramatically expand your creative options. For instance, complex video effects or animations that would require deep Fusion skills take just a couple clicks with the right plugin!
Plus, many tedious editing tasks like stabilizing footage can be semi-automated through plugins. This saves massive amounts of time and effort.
As Resolve‘s popularity grows exponentially among video pros, the plugin ecosystem is expanding too. That means more free Resolve plugins than ever for users like you!
Next let‘s explore my top 6 favorite plugins that will immediately boost your editing abilities without spending a dime…
1. Reactor – Effects Powerhouse
As far as comprehensive free effects suites go, none tops the legendary Reactor pack from We Suck Less. With hundreds of effects presets, it puts advanced Fusion capabilities at your fingertips.
I often use Reactor as a starting point when considering how to enhance clips and scenes before diving deeper into manual Fusion work. It includes a huge variety of blurs, particles, distortions, transitions, tracking tools, and more.
Some examples:
- Stylize footage to look like old film or a painting
- Add impact with shakes, rumbles, flashes
- Track objects within the frame for motion graphics
- Create trippy loops or fractal patterns
- 3D extrusions to add new dimensions
Using Reactor cuts down Fusion learning curves substantially. I simply browse the effects catalog to find inspiration, customize parameters if needed, and render. Overall an invaluable set of Fusion building blocks every Resolve user should grab!
Key Features
- 300+ Fusion effects presets
- Film looks, particles, tracking, text, transitions
- Constantly updated by creators
- Simplifies complex effect creation
2. Magic Animator – Animation Simplified
Animating text and graphics in Resolve requires mastering keyframes in Fusion – a notoriously tedious process! That‘s why MotionVFX created the excellent Magic Animator plugin.
Magic Animator renders animations as easy as toggling on/off from a huge catalog of preset options. Customize movement further by adjusting anchor points, adding image overlays, and more.
For a recent sports video project, I used Magic Animator to create dynamic scenes of text and logos interacting. Complex movements that would‘ve consumed hours in Fusion were done in minutes!
I‘m continually impressed by new ways to employ Magic Animator‘s diverse animation effects. Don‘t be surprised if you find yourself getting sucked into browsing the vast catalog of options like I do!
Key Features:
- 350+ preset text/video animations
- Just enable/disable which effects to apply
- Change anchor points, add images, and customize
- No manual keyframing required!
3. Locked-On Stabilizer – Steady Any Footage
Raw action camera or mobile phone footage tends to exhibit unpleasant motion artifacts like jittering or blurring. Fixing stabilization used to require filters in After Effects.
That was until Stirling Supply Co. released their game-changing Locked-On Stabilizer plugin for free! This brilliant tool lets you define any subject in the frame to lock onto, then smooths footage to keep it centered.
I mainly shoot real estate and property tours using gimbals, but rugged exterior footage still gives me trouble. The stabilizer plugin works wonders to steady clips and eliminate nausea-inducing shakes. I simply outline my subject and let the plugin perform stabilization magic!
Beyond handheld shots, it has huge utility for drone, sports, and automotive footage. Spending less time on stabilization means more creative options to make compelling videos. This plugin single-handedly rescued many raw clips I’d written off!
Key Features:
- Lock and stabilize chosen subjects
- Performs advanced pixel tracking
- Deshakes handheld/drone/action cam footage
- Intuitive rectangular tracking tool
4. mCam Rig – Next-Level Camera Motion
Hollywood productions use state-of-the-art camera stabilizers and dollies for beautiful motion shots. But for home video editors, recreating such effects poses challenges.
That‘s where the ingenious mCam Rig plugin comes in! Developed by MotionVFX, it simulates advanced 3D camera rigging right inside Resolve Studio.
The slick interface lets me set up horizontal and vertical axis movements, then adjust motor speeds, easing behaviors, damping, and more. Test renders provide an instant preview to dial-in sweet spots.
Now I can achieve precise sliding and panning camera motion without expensive equipment or difficult keyframe animation. It‘s a game changer for enhancing both stationary and moving sequences! Dolly zoom, anyone?
Key Features:
- Mimics multi-axis camera dollies/sliders/stabilizers
- Keyframe-free parametric camera animation
- Customizable speed, angles, easing, range of motion
- Instant render preview to evaluate motion
5. FixThePhoto Free LUT Pack – Next-Level Grading
As any colorist knows, lookup tables (LUTs) are invaluable for creative grading by mapping footage to completely different styles.
While Resolve has great built-in grading tools, LUTs expand possibilities tenfold. I lean heavily on LUTs during final polish stages for professional results efficientlty.
That‘s why I was thrilled to discover FixThePhoto‘s generous free LUT collection. With 30+ presets, it enables gorgeous cinematic tones, brighter summer looks, and stylized effects.
I often use FixThePhoto‘s LUTs to match disparate clips or give projects cohesive color schemes. The deep shadow tones add striking drama for real estate walkthroughs. Vibrant pops work nicely for commercial branding videos. And I‘ve tailored the summer collection for lifestyle influencer content.
This free pack makes color transforms painless. FixThePhoto also sells affordable paid LUT collections with hundreds of options for unlimited looks.
Key Features:
- 30+ free premium LUT presets
- Get rich cinematic, bright summer, stylized sepia etc.
- Support 8-bit and 10-bit color
- Individual downloads or full pack
6. ResolveX Transitions – Creative Scene Changes
DaVinci Resolve comes with a decent set of video transitions like cross dissolves, wipes, and pushes. However, the ResolveX transition pack provides next-level options to make your scene changes stand out.
Created by The Resolve Store, this free collection of 10 transitions combines bold sound cues with eye-catching animation effects. I especially like the fast action Whoosh and modern Angled wipe transitions to inject energy into edits.
For a YouTube channel client, I took advantage of shakes, pans, zooms and other dynamic transitions from ResolveX to make their vlog more engaging. These add serious production value compared to jump cuts!
I do recommend checking out The Resolve Store‘s affordable paid transition bundles to level up further. But the free ResolveX pack makes an awesome start.
Key Features:
- 10 free modern video transitions
- Great for vlogs, music videos etc.
- Includes shakes, distortion, zooms
- More in paid bundles
Transform Your Editing Today!
I hope you‘re just as fired up as I am to grab these killer free plugins for DaVinci Resolve!
They provide incredible value that can seriously elevate your work while saving huge amounts of manual effort. Take your color grading, effects, animations, stabilization, and transitions to new heights!
Below I‘ve summarized each recommended plugin along with links to add them to your editor right now. Give them a spin, and let me know if you have any other favorite plugins I should check out!
Happy video editing my friend!
| Plugin | Description |
|---|---|
| Reactor | 300+ Fusion effects presets |
| Magic Animator | 350+ text/video animations |
| Locked-On Stabilizer | Track and stabilize chosen subjects |
| mCam Rig | Simulates advanced 3D camera rigs |
| FixThePhoto LUTs | 30+ Free look transform presets |
| ResolveX Transitions | 10 modern video transitions |
