A Comprehensive Guide to Enhancing Videos with DaVinci Resolve

When you search for a powerful, professional, or studio-grade video editing tool, you may easily get the recommendation of DaVinci Resolve. It provides all the necessary and advanced functions to edit videos and improve overall quality. Whether your footage looks soft, grainy, or just plain low-resolution, the software can be a great helper. However, as a beginner or casual user, you may be unfamiliar with it.

This guide will talk about how to enhance videos with DaVinci Resolve. You can learn to upscale your low-res footage, remove grain, fix blurry edges, optimize human subjects, and more using its advanced features. In addition, we introduce an excellent DaVinci Resolve alternative for those seeking a more streamlined experience.

Part 1. Upscale Low-Resolution Footage with AI Super Scale

The latest DaVinci Resolve 21 offers a free trial version to test its video editing and enhancement capabilities. You can go to the official Blackmagic website to download it. Enter your basic information as required. Once downloaded, launch it on your computer. From this section, we will tell you how to enhance videos with DaVinci Resolve Studio.

When you want to upscale your video resolution and sharpen details, start with the AI Super Scale function. This AI-powered upscaling feature adopts advanced machine learning models to intelligently analyze each frame, predict missing detail, and reconstruct a higher-resolution version.

To access and use AI Super Scale in DaVinci Resolve, you can right-click on your clip in the timeline, go to the Inspector, and click the Video tab, then turn on AI Super Scale. You have several options: 2x, 3x, or 4x upscaling.

Part 2. Remove Grain with Temporal and Spatial Noise Reduction

After upscaling low-resolution footage, the source noise may be amplified. When you need to remove grain, blur, or spatial noise from a video, use DaVinci Resolve Studio’s noise reduction tools: Temporal Noise Reduction and Spatial Noise Reduction. Note that these noise reduction tools are limited to the paid version.

To access the noise removal tools, switch to the Color page and click the Motion Effects icon.

Select your clip once opened the Color workspace. enable Temporal NR in the Motion Effects panel. You can adjust the threshold and radius to remove grain. Start with a threshold around 10-15 and adjust the radius to 2-3 frames to reduce grain.

For Spatial Noise Reduction, turn to the Spatial NR controls. Adjust available options to remove noise. You can select a preferred Mode, customize the Radius, and adjust other settings to denoise your video.

For the best results, apply temporal noise reduction first. Then, perform spatial noise reduction with conservative settings. You should adjust the noise removal result gradually based on your specific footage.

Part 3. Fix Blurry Edges with Midtone Detail and Sharpening

After noise reduction, your footage may look slightly soft due to the blurry edges. You can fix it with DaVinci Resolve’s sharpening tools. You can easily access them in the Color workspace under the Sharpen panel.

Use the Midtone Detail control to sharpen edges. you can set sharpening to 0.5-1.5 and keep the radius between 0.5 and 1.0 pixels. The Threshold slider determines which areas are sharpened. You can start with 5-10 and adjust based on your footage.

For more precise edge enhancement, you can consider using the Sharpen tool in the OpenFX palette.

Part 4. Optimize Human Subjects with AI Face Refinement

If you need to optimize human subjects in enhancement, try using AI-powered face refinement tools in DaVinci Resolve. They can significantly improve how faces appear on screen.

To access the Face Refinement effect, go to the Resolve FX Refine library. This AI effect can detect face features and provide related adjustment options. You can soften skin texture, brighten eyes, add subtle glow, or reshape facial features.

Note that Face Refinement processes each frame individually. This may cause slight flickering if settings are too aggressive.

Part 5. A Good DaVinci Resolve Alternative to Enhance Videos

While DaVinci Resolve is undoubtedly powerful, its complexity and resource requirements can be overwhelming for most casual users or those who need quick, straightforward enhancements.

The current trial version costs 3.8GB, which takes a long time to download and set up. What’s more, its Studio version costs $295, and the learning curve is steep.

If you need a simpler, more affordable AI video enhancer alternative, VidHex Video Enhancer is worth considering. It uses the latest AI-driven models to upscale, denoise, and sharpen footage. You don’t need to manually adjust many options and settings. The video enhancement is straightforward: import a video, select an enhancement model, and export.

VidHex employs several advanced AI models to tackle different enhancement tasks, including General Enhancement Model, Face Model, Video Quality Repair Model, Detail Restoration Model, Video Denoise Model, Frame Interpolation Model, and Color Enhancement Model.

VidHex supports up to 4x upscaling with enhanced quality. If you prefer a one-click way to enhance video quality without the complexity of DaVinci Resolve, download this alternative and start a free trial.

Part 6. FAQs on How to Enhance Videos with DaVinci Resolve

Question 1. Can I enhance video quality in DaVinci Resolve for free?

The free version of DaVinci Resolve includes basic noise reduction and sharpening tools, but AI Super Scale and Face Refinement are exclusive to the paid Studio version. You can still achieve decent results with DaVinci Resolve’s manual sharpening and denoising. However, advanced AI features can significantly reduce effort and improve consistency.

Question 2. Does upscaling always improve video quality?

No. Your upscaling may make existing artifacts, noise, and compression blocks more visible. You should upscale your video with noise reduction and sharpening.

Question 3. Is VidHex a complete replacement for DaVinci Resolve?

No. VidHex Video Enhancer is a focused enhancement tool, not a professional-grade video editor. It excels at one-click AI upscaling and denoising but lacks timeline editing, color grading, audio tools, and other advanced effects. As an alternative to DaVinci Resolve, it is mainly used for quick enhancements. However, for serious video editing and comprehensive post-production, you should switch to DaVinci Resolve.

Conclusion

This guide tells you how to enhance video with DaVinci Resolve using AI upscaling, noise reduction, sharpening, and face refinement. If you don’t mind the steep learning curve, you are suggested to download its free version and start a trial. Use related functions to enhance your footage and check if this professional-grade program fits your editing or enhancement needs. If you seek a more accessible alternative, VidHex offers an excellent choice.