The release of DaVinci Resolve 21 brings a significant shift in how editors handle motion graphics, introducing native support for HTML-based animations. For the first time, users on both macOS and Windows can integrate OGraf (.json) and Lottie (.lottie) files directly into their projects, streamlining the bridge between web-based animation tools and the edit suite.
A New Era of Workflow Efficiency
Historically, bringing complex vector animations into a NLE often required time-consuming transcoding or third-party plugins. With DaVinci Resolve 21, these files are now treated as native media. Whether you are sourcing animations from online libraries or receiving custom assets from a designer, the workflow is now as simple as drag-and-drop.
Once imported into the Media Pool or placed directly onto the timeline, Resolve recognizes these files as fully rendered animation clips. This allows editors to maintain a fast, iterative workflow without leaving the software.
Precision Compositing and Transparency
One of the most powerful aspects of this new integration is the native handling of alpha channels. DaVinci Resolve 21 automatically recognizes the transparency within OGraf and Lottie files.
This makes these formats an ideal choice for:
- Stingers and Overlays: Effortlessly layer graphics over footage.
- Transitions: Create seamless, high-quality wipes and branding elements.
- Lower Thirds: Maintain crisp, vector-based clarity without the heavy file size of traditional video codecs.
By simply dropping the animation over another layer, the software handles the composite correctly, ensuring that the transparency is preserved and the graphic integrates perfectly with the background.
Enhanced Control in Fusion
For those who need deeper integration within their VFX or motion graphics compositions, the update introduces the OGrafLoader node in the Fusion page.
This dedicated new tool allows artists to load OGraf or Lottie files directly into the Fusion node graph. By providing a direct path for HTML-based animations within the Fusion environment, Resolve 21 gives editors the power to build complex, multi-layered compositions using modern, lightweight animation formats.
The Bottom Line
The inclusion of HTML graphics support represents a major step forward in modernizing the DaVinci Resolve ecosystem. By supporting OGraf and Lottie, Blackmagic Design is giving editors the tools to use high-quality, scalable animations with unprecedented ease, ensuring that the path from web-ready design to the final render is shorter than ever.
