.avif)
Freevisuals
DaVinci Resolve is one of the most capable video editing and colour grading applications available and the free version covers more ground than most editors ever fully use. But the built-in toolset is only the starting point. The plugin ecosystem around Resolve adds capabilities in colour grading, motion graphics, transitions, audio processing, captions, and workflow automation that the native tools simply do not cover, and a significant portion of that ecosystem is completely free to download and use commercially.
This guide covers the best free DaVinci Resolve plugins currently available, organised by category so you can find the right tool for the specific gap in your workflow. Each plugin on this list works with at least DaVinci Resolve 18 and most are compatible with the free version , not just Studio. Where a plugin requires Studio, that is clearly noted. For premium templates and assets to pair with your Resolve setup, Motion Array and Envato Elements both have dedicated DaVinci Resolve template libraries , get 2 months free on Motion Array via FreeVisuals.
Before getting into the list, here is a recent video covering seven of the best free DaVinci Resolve plugins that have come out recently, which gives a good overview of what the free ecosystem currently looks like:
Watch on YouTube: 7 New Free DaVinci Resolve Plugins for Faster and Better Edits
Before downloading anything, it helps to understand the three main types of plugins in the DaVinci Resolve ecosystem, because they install differently and appear in different places inside the application.
OFX plugins are the most common type. OFX stands for OpenFX, the cross-platform plugin standard that DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and other professional editors all support. OFX plugins install to a system-level directory and appear in Resolve's Effects Library under OpenFX. They work directly in the Edit and Colour pages, making them the most accessible plugin type for editors who do not work primarily in Fusion.
Most OFX and Fusion plugins install the same way: download the plugin from the developer's official site or installer, run the installer or manually copy the plugin files into the correct OFX folder for your operating system. On Windows, the standard OFX folder is C:\Program Files\Common Files\OFX\Plugins. On Mac it is /Library/OFX/Plugins. After installing, restart DaVinci Resolve and the plugin appears under Effects Library, OpenFX.
Fusion macros and scripts install into Resolve's Fusion page and extend the compositing and motion graphics capabilities available inside Fusion. They appear in the Effects Library under Templates after installation. Reactor is the main tool for accessing Fusion macros, covered in detail below.
DRFX and template packages are pre-built motion graphics, transitions, and title templates packaged for direct import into Resolve. They install by dragging the .drfx file onto the Resolve interface or importing via the Media Pool. These are the plugin type you encounter most often when downloading DaVinci Resolve transitions and title templates from sites like Motion Array, our own free DaVinci Resolve templates page, and Envato Elements.
If you only install one free plugin for DaVinci Resolve, make it Reactor. Reactor is a community-driven package manager that gives you instant access to hundreds of Fusion macros covering everything from advanced colour grading utilities to particle systems, tracking tools, and UI enhancements. Reactor turns the free version of Resolve into a legitimate compositing workstation.
Think of Reactor as the AEJuice Pack Manager equivalent for DaVinci Resolve , a free plugin manager that gives you access to an entire ecosystem of additional tools from inside Resolve itself, without visiting external websites for each individual download. Once Reactor is installed, you browse and install hundreds of additional Fusion tools directly from within the application.
The Reactor library covers Fusion macros for colour grading, particle effects, text animations, image processing, compositing tools, workflow utilities, and more. It works by having creators upload their plugins to the manager, and you can download any chosen one for free, though some creators accept donations. After installing the Reactor bootstrap script, reload Resolve and select the Scripts option from the Workspace menu to access and install plugins.
Installation process: Reactor installs differently from standard OFX plugins. Download the Reactor bootstrap script from the Reactor website, run it inside Resolve via the Fusion page Console, then browse the library from inside Resolve. No external installer is needed. Go to Workspace in the Resolve menu, open the Console, drag the downloaded Reactor bootstrap file onto the Console window, press Enter, and restart Resolve. The Reactor library then appears under the Workspace menu.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 16 and later, both free and Studio versions. Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Best for: Editors who want to expand Resolve's Fusion compositing capabilities significantly without spending anything. The breadth of what Reactor unlocks makes it the highest value-per-minute-of-setup-time plugin on this list.
Download Reactor: gitlab.com/WeSuckLess/Reactor
See the Reactor installation and usage process in this dedicated tutorial video:
Watch on YouTube: How to Use Reactor in DaVinci Resolve
spektrafilm OFX is a free OpenFX plugin that simulates the full photochemical pipeline spectrally, from camera exposure and negative development to optical printing and scanning. It includes 16 camera-negative stocks and 8 print stocks and papers built from real density curves and spectral data, plus format-scaled grain, halation, diffusion, and lens characteristics.
For editors and colorists who want a cinematic film look without the subscription cost of paid film emulation tools, spektrafilm OFX is the most technically rigorous free option currently available. The approach is different from simply applying a LUT , spektrafilm models the photochemical behaviour of real film stocks using spectral data, which produces results that respond to exposure and colour shifts the way real film would rather than just remapping tonal values.
The practical difference is most visible in highlights and shadows. Where a standard LUT applies the same colour transformation across the whole image, spektrafilm's spectral approach produces the characteristic shoulder rolloff and shadow lift of real film stocks, giving highlights a softness and shadows a density that flat LUT-based approaches do not replicate accurately.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later, both free and Studio versions. Windows and Mac.
Best for: Colorists and editors producing narrative, documentary, and branded content who want a film look that goes beyond standard LUT application. Pairs well with the free LUTs on FreeVisuals , apply spektrafilm first for the base film characteristics and then use one of our free cinematic LUTs at low intensity for a secondary creative grade on top.
Download spektrafilm OFX: spektrafilm.com
For premium film emulation tools with a wider range of stocks and more granular controls, MotionVFX carries professional colour tools for DaVinci Resolve, and Envato Elements has a large library of DaVinci Resolve colour presets and LUT packs. Our own free LUT collection covers the most common cinematic grades at no cost.
GR-44 is a free transitions plugin for DaVinci Resolve featuring 630 plus seamless transitions covering smooth movement, directional wipes, zoom transitions, light leaks, glitch effects, and more. All transitions are compatible with DaVinci Resolve 18 and later, both free and Studio versions.
630 transitions is a significant number , it means GR-44 covers a wider variety of transition types than most paid packs at any price point. The pack is particularly strong on the smooth and seamless transition categories, covering the natural momentum-based cuts that work well for travel content, YouTube vlogs, social media Reels, and any edit where the transition should feel like a natural extension of the movement in the footage rather than a deliberate effect placed on top of it.
The installation process is straightforward: download the .drfx package from the GR-44 website and drag it directly onto the DaVinci Resolve interface. The transitions install as templates and appear in your Effects Library under Video Transitions. Apply by dragging any transition between two clips on the timeline.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later, free and Studio versions. Windows and Mac.
Best for: YouTube creators, social media editors, and travel content producers who need a wide variety of transitions available without paying for a premium pack. Pairs well with the film grit cinematic look covered in our Get the Look bundle guides. For premium transition packs with even more variety and software-specific optimisation, Motion Array has a dedicated DaVinci Resolve transitions library. Get 2 months free via FreeVisuals.
Download GR-44 Transitions: grtransitions.com
AutoSubs is a free DaVinci Resolve plugin that generates subtitles automatically from your audio track using on-device AI transcription, without requiring a cloud service or sending your footage anywhere. The subtitles appear as editable text elements in your Resolve timeline, meaning you retain full styling control after the AI transcription is complete.
For YouTube creators, subtitles are no longer optional , they are a standard expectation from viewers and a requirement for accessibility compliance. AutoSubs removes the manual transcription step entirely for most content types. The on-device processing means your audio never leaves your machine, which is worth knowing for editors working with client content under NDA or any footage with sensitive audio.
AutoSubs integrates with the Fusion page and uses WhisperAI as its underlying transcription engine. Accuracy is strong for clear speech in English and several other languages. For heavily accented speech, unusual terminology, or noisy audio environments, the transcription requires more manual correction than clean studio-recorded voiceover.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later, both free and Studio versions. Windows and Mac (Apple Silicon supported).
Best for: Any YouTube creator or social media producer who currently spends time manually typing or correcting captions. The time saving per video is significant , a 10-minute video that would take 45 minutes to caption manually takes around 3 minutes with AutoSubs plus correction time. For AI voiceover to generate narration tracks before captioning, ElevenLabs is the strongest dedicated option with 10,000 free characters per month and the most natural-sounding AI voices currently available.
Download AutoSubs: autosubs.app
ReaPlugs is a suite of professional-grade audio plugins from Cockos, the developers of the Reaper DAW, available as free VST plugins that install inside DaVinci Resolve's Fairlight audio page. The suite includes ReaEQ (a parametric equaliser), ReaComp (a compressor), ReaGate (a noise gate), ReaDelay (a delay effect), and ReaVerb (a convolution reverb), among others.
The significance of ReaPlugs is that these are not beginner tools , they are professional-grade audio processing tools that compete directly with paid VST plugins costing hundreds of dollars, made available for free by Cockos as a way of showcasing their audio processing expertise. For video editors who handle their own audio mix without a dedicated sound designer, ReaPlugs brings a significant capability upgrade to Fairlight's native toolset.
The compressor and EQ in particular are worth installing immediately. Fairlight's native dynamics tools are capable but the ReaPlugs versions give you more precise control with better visual feedback, which matters when you are trying to clean up dialogue, control sibilance, or manage the dynamic range of a voiceover track in a way that sounds transparent rather than processed.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 16 and later via the Fairlight VST plugin slot. Windows only for the standard installer , Mac users can access the same tools via the REAPER application's built-in plugin set.
Best for: Editors who handle audio post-production inside DaVinci Resolve without a separate DAW and want more control over dialogue, voiceover, and music mixing than Fairlight's native tools provide. Combine ReaPlugs processing with royalty-free music from Artlist (2 months free) or Epidemic Sound for a complete audio workflow inside Resolve. Our own free royalty-free music and free sound effects collections are also worth having on hand for projects where licensing budget is limited.
Download ReaPlugs: reaper.fm/reaplugs
MagicAnimate is a free Fusion macro that adds keyframe-free animation to text, shapes, and other elements inside DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page. Instead of building animation manually by setting keyframes for position, scale, opacity, and rotation, MagicAnimate provides a set of pre-built animation presets that apply smooth, professional-quality motion to any element in a single step.
The practical implication for editors who are not Fusion specialists is significant. Text animations, lower thirds, and motion graphics elements that would take a Fusion beginner 30 to 45 minutes to build from scratch using keyframes can be created in under 5 minutes using MagicAnimate. The animations themselves are the kind of clean, contemporary motion that works across most content types without looking templated or dated.
MagicAnimate installs via Reactor, so Reactor must be installed first. Once Reactor is installed, search for MagicAnimate in the Reactor library and install it directly from within Resolve. After installation it appears in the Fusion page Effects Library under the Templates category.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 17 and later, free and Studio versions. Windows and Mac. Requires Reactor.
Best for: Editors building motion graphics and lower thirds inside Resolve's Fusion page without extensive keyframing experience. Particularly useful for YouTube creators who want polished title animations and lower thirds without the cost or complexity of After Effects. For a more extensive library of pre-built DaVinci Resolve motion graphics templates with a wider range of styles, Motion Array and our own free DaVinci Resolve templates cover a wide range of styles ready to drop into your timeline without any Fusion work required.
Speed ramping , the technique of smoothly transitioning from normal speed to slow motion and back within a single clip , is one of the most popular effects in contemporary video content and one of the more technically involved effects to execute well in DaVinci Resolve without assistance. Speed Ramp Lite is a free plugin that simplifies the process into a drag-and-drop workflow that works directly in the Edit page without requiring Fusion.
Speed Ramp Lite is designed for fast, simple use, making it one of the easier plugins on this list to get up and running quickly without a learning curve. After installation, apply it as an OFX effect to a clip, set your in-point and out-point for the speed change, and the plugin handles the smooth interpolation between speeds automatically. The result is a fluid transition between playback speeds that eliminates the manual keyframe work normally required.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later. Studio version recommended for the best quality slow motion output, though the free version works for standard frame rate footage.
Best for: YouTube creators producing travel, sport, and lifestyle content where speed ramps are a standard editing technique. Pairs well with our own free whoosh SFX pack which provides the audio punctuation at each speed change point.
Download Speed Ramp Lite: Available via the Reactor library or from the developer's website via a web search for Speed Ramp Lite DaVinci Resolve.
Snap Captions 2 is a free Fusion-based caption tool that adds styled, animated captions to your DaVinci Resolve timeline with significantly more visual control than Resolve's native subtitle tools. Where AutoSubs handles the transcription step, Snap Captions handles the styling step , giving your captions the kind of animated, highlighted, word-by-word appearance that performs well on YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.
The tool supports word-level highlighting , where each word lights up as it is spoken , which is one of the most effective caption styles for social media retention. Word-level highlighting keeps viewers reading along with the content rather than reading ahead, which contributes to the kind of engaged viewing behaviour that YouTube's algorithm rewards with longer average view duration.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later, free and Studio versions. Works alongside AutoSubs , use AutoSubs to generate the transcript and Snap Captions to style the result.
Best for: YouTube Shorts creators, TikTok editors, and any creator producing short-form content where styled captions are a key part of the viewing experience. For AI voiceover that pairs with caption-first content workflows, ElevenLabs generates natural-sounding narration that AutoSubs and Snap Captions can then transcribe and style automatically. For AI video creation that handles the full workflow from script to captioned video, InVideo AI is worth comparing as an alternative to building the workflow manually in Resolve.
Download Snap Captions 2: Available via the Reactor library or search Snap Captions 2 DaVinci Resolve on the Fusion forum at forum.blackmagicdesign.com.
mLUT is a free OFX plugin that improves how LUTs are applied and managed inside DaVinci Resolve. Rather than applying LUTs through Resolve's native LUT browser, mLUT adds a dedicated OFX effect that gives you a browser for your full LUT library, intensity controls, and the ability to blend multiple LUTs with independent intensity settings in a single node rather than stacking multiple nodes.
For colorists who work with large LUT libraries across multiple projects and client styles, mLUT significantly reduces the time spent navigating between Resolve's settings and the colour page to manage LUT application. For editors who are newer to colour grading, the intensity slider that comes with mLUT's OFX application is a more intuitive way to control LUT strength than the native node-based approach Resolve uses by default.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 17 and later, free and Studio versions. Windows and Mac.
Best for: Editors and colorists who work with LUTs regularly and want faster access and better control over LUT intensity without building complex node trees. Use alongside our free LUT collection which includes 22 cinematic grades, the Moody Film Shadows LUT, the Coffee Shop Cafe Vibes LUT, the Teal and Orange LUT, and more, all free for commercial use. For a larger premium LUT library, MotionVFX carries the Film Lab pack which includes over 25 customisable LUTs alongside other colour tools for Resolve.
Download mLUT: motionvfx.com/mlut
The AEJuice Starter Pack is best known as an After Effects and Premiere Pro plugin but it also works with DaVinci Resolve via the AEJuice Pack Manager's standalone version. The Starter Pack includes over 100 free motion graphics assets covering liquid elements, transitions, flat icons, and UI elements, all accessible through the Pack Manager interface without leaving your editing workflow.
The key advantage of AEJuice in a DaVinci Resolve workflow is the Pack Manager's cross-pack search and preview capability, which lets you browse, preview, and apply assets faster than navigating a standard template folder structure. The auto-resize feature means assets scale automatically to match your Resolve composition settings, eliminating the manual resize step.
For a full breakdown of the AEJuice Pack Manager, how to install it, and how to get the most out of the free packs, read our dedicated AEJuice Pack Manager complete guide. Get 10% off any AEJuice purchase through the FreeVisuals link: aejuice.com.
Compatible with: DaVinci Resolve 18 and later via standalone Pack Manager. Windows and Mac.
Best for: Editors who want a wider library of motion graphics assets accessible through a managed interface rather than navigating template folders. The free Starter Pack gives you 100 plus assets immediately, and upgrading to the I Want It All Bundle unlocks 30,000 plus assets across 131 packs.
Beyond the downloadable plugins above, FreeVisuals has a collection of free DaVinci Resolve transition templates that install as DRFX packages rather than OFX plugins. These require no plugin installation , download, drag onto the Resolve interface, and they appear in your Effects Library immediately.
Our most popular free DaVinci Resolve templates include:
Film Grit Transitions for DaVinci Resolve , 7 film burn and light leak transitions compatible with DaVinci Resolve 18, no plugins required. Free to download and use commercially.
Browse the full free DaVinci Resolve templates collection for transitions, titles, lower thirds, colour presets, and motion graphics.
For premium DaVinci Resolve template libraries with professional support and regular new releases, Motion Array (2 months free) and Envato Elements both have strong DaVinci Resolve sections.
This post focuses on free plugins but it is worth briefly covering the premium options that come up regularly so you can make an informed decision about where free plugins hit their limits.
MotionVFX mFilm and mLooks. MotionVFX is the most respected premium plugin developer specifically for DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro. Their colour tools, motion graphics packs, and transition libraries are used by professional colorists and editors who need polished, well-supported tools for client work. One-time purchase per product, no subscription required.
Magnific AI for image upscaling. For editors who need to upscale low-resolution footage or thumbnail images before bringing them into a Resolve project, Magnific AI produces exceptional detail enhancement results that outperform standard upscaling significantly. Get access through our FreeVisuals partner link.
Dehancer. The premium standard for film emulation in DaVinci Resolve. Models photochemical film stocks spectrally in a way that produces more accurate emulation than any free tool currently available. Worth the investment for colorists who produce narrative or commercial work where the film look is a central part of the visual language. Starts at around $29 per month for the DaVinci Resolve OFX licence.
Boris FX Sapphire. The industry standard for lens flares, glows, and visual effects that appear in professional broadcast and film production. MotionElements and Envato Elements carry Sapphire-compatible presets and templates at lower cost than the plugin itself. For most YouTube and social media content, the free alternatives above produce results that are difficult to distinguish from Sapphire output at a fraction of the complexity.
Filmora and Wondershare suite. For editors who find DaVinci Resolve's plugin ecosystem overwhelming, Filmora by Wondershare offers a simpler editing environment with built-in effects and a more accessible learning curve. Not a plugin for Resolve, but a genuine alternative for creators who find Resolve's depth more obstacle than asset.
Rather than installing every plugin on this list at once, a more practical approach is to build your stack in order of immediate workflow impact. Here is the recommended installation sequence for editors who are starting from a stock DaVinci Resolve setup:
Start with Reactor. Install Reactor first because it is the foundation for several other plugins on this list including MagicAnimate and Snap Captions. A few minutes of setup unlocks access to hundreds of additional tools without any further external downloads.
Add colour tools next. Install spektrafilm OFX for film emulation and mLUT for better LUT management. These two tools upgrade the colour grading capability of any Resolve workflow immediately and are independent of each other, so either can be installed without the other. Pair with our free LUT collection for a complete free colour toolkit.
Add transitions and motion graphics. Install GR-44 for transitions and MagicAnimate (via Reactor) for Fusion animation. For templates that do not require Fusion, download the FreeVisuals free DaVinci Resolve templates as DRFX packages.
Add caption tools last. Install AutoSubs for transcription and Snap Captions 2 for styling. These are the most workflow-specific tools on the list , only add them once the colour and motion graphics stack is in place.
Add audio tools if you mix in Fairlight. Install ReaPlugs if you handle your audio post-production inside Resolve. If you use a separate DAW for audio, skip this step. Pair Fairlight with royalty-free music from Artlist (2 months free), Epidemic Sound, or our own free music collection for a complete free audio workflow. For stock footage to pair with your Resolve projects, Shutterstock and iStock are the strongest premium options, and our free stock video collection covers a range of cinematic footage at no cost. For AI image generation to create thumbnails and visual assets for your Resolve projects, OpenArt AI is worth exploring alongside our free AI image generator guide. And for CapCut editors who also edit in Resolve, the CapCut affiliate link gives you access to premium features across both platforms.
Most OFX plugins and Fusion macros work on the free version of DaVinci Resolve. Before downloading, check whether a plugin requires DaVinci Resolve Studio, even if the plugin itself is free. Some plugins rely on Studio-only rendering features. Every plugin listed in this guide is noted as free-version compatible where that is confirmed.
OFX plugins: run the installer downloaded from the developer's site. It places the plugin in the correct system OFX folder automatically. Restart Resolve after installation and the plugin appears in Effects Library under OpenFX. DRFX and template packages: drag the .drfx file onto the DaVinci Resolve interface or import via File, Import, Fusion Tools. Reactor: install the bootstrap script via the Resolve Fusion Console as described in the Reactor section above.
For beginners, the most immediately useful free plugins are GR-44 Transitions (drag-and-drop with no learning curve), AutoSubs (generates captions automatically from audio), and Speed Ramp Lite (simplifies speed ramping into a single effect). Reactor is worth installing early as it opens access to many other free tools without requiring individual downloads for each one.
Download plugins only from official developer websites or well-established community sources. Reactor is distributed via GitLab and is the primary trusted source for Fusion macros. AEJuice, MotionVFX, and the other named developers in this guide all distribute from their own official sites. Avoid downloading plugins from unofficial file sharing sites or YouTube comment links , the plugin ecosystem has very few legitimate reasons for a tool to be distributed anywhere other than the developer's own site.
Yes in most cases. Always check the licence for each individual plugin as conditions vary. Reactor-distributed tools are generally free for both personal and commercial use as part of the open-source Fusion community. AEJuice free packs include a commercial licence. MotionVFX's free tools include commercial use. Confirm on the individual developer's licence page before using any plugin for a paid client project.
OFX plugins install to a system-level directory and appear across the Edit, Colour, and Cut pages inside Resolve. They are the most accessible plugin type for editors who do not use Fusion. Fusion macros install to the Fusion page specifically and appear in the Fusion Effects Library. They offer more compositing power but require working inside Fusion to use effectively. Most colour grading and transition plugins are OFX. Most motion graphics and animation tools are Fusion-based.
FreeVisuals has a free DaVinci Resolve templates collection covering transitions, titles, lower thirds, colour presets, and motion graphics. All templates are free for commercial use and compatible with DaVinci Resolve 17, 18, and 19 including the free version. For premium DaVinci Resolve templates with professional support, Motion Array (2 months free) and Envato Elements are the two largest sources.
More Free Assets for DaVinci Resolve Editors
FreeVisuals has free DaVinci Resolve templates, LUTs, overlays, stock footage, music, and sound effects , all free for commercial use with no attribution required. Plus exclusive deals on Motion Array, Artlist, Envato Elements, MotionVFX, and AEJuice.
Free DaVinci Resolve TemplatesFree LUTsGet 2 Months Free on Motion ArrayBrowse MotionVFX
.avif)
.avif)
.avif)
.avif)
