Ahead of Apple's launch of spatial video editing support in its Final Cut Pro update, Blackmagic Design has beaten Cupertino to the punch with the release of DaVinci Resolve 19.1. The update, which is available for download on the Mac App Store, supports spatial decoding of photos and spatial encoding of MV HEVC video on the Mac.
This means users can now easily edit and deliver spatial videos to Apple Vision Pro, a feature that has not appeared in any major NLE until now.
Spatial video delivery is available in both DaVinci Resolve 19.1 and DaVinci Resolve Studio 19.1. To get started, I inserted a spatial video and a photo, both from my iPhone 16 Pro Max, into the DaVinci Resolve timeline.
To encode spatial videos, you'll need to select Quicktime as the delivery format and H.265 as the codec. Once you've selected these options, set the Render Stereoscopic 3D option to both eyes and select MV-HEVC from the drop-down menu. Once you've done this, add the project to the render queue and export as usual.
Putting the resulting video into Apple's Vision Pro allowed me to immediately play back the video with spatial support in tow. It's also worth noting that DaVinci Resolve supports spatial decoding of photos, so you can add spatial photos to your project timeline and blend them with your video footage.
The process for editing spatial video is simple and works similarly to editing regular 2D video. In my test, I performed a simple zoom function using keyframes on both the photo and video, and they rendered as expected in spatial mode when viewed on an Apple headset. If you’re looking for an easy way to edit spatial content for Apple Vision Pro, DaVinci Resolve 19.1 is a great fit.
As for Final Cut Pro, support for spatial video editing, along with new features like AI-powered captioning, is expected to launch this week. If previous timelines are any indication, we could hear more about the update as early as tomorrow, as that’s when the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit kicks off. Apple is inviting attendees to its campus to get a sneak peek at what’s new in the pro app lineup. Needless to say, we’ll get all the details as soon as they become available.
In the meantime, what do you think of spatial video editing? Are you interested? Let us know in the comments.
