i believe that's an old myth that continues to endure. there is no crazy advanced features lurking behind a paywall....for 95% of davinci resolve users, you get also all the goodies. it's impossible to tell which videos on yt were created with the stuido version or not. unlike the other sw that milks you monthly or yearly and if you stop paying they cut you off, $300 for dr studio for a lifetime. and if that's still too much, get the amazing speed editor for free if you can find a deal like this still available:
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio with Speed Editor (Activation Card)
pay to pay.
Some aspects of DaVinci Resolve’s free version that may fall short include its inability to work with 10-bit footage. This could pose a problem for certain cameras, such as the Panasonic GH5. You are also limited to a 4K UHD (3840×2160) output that could be a dealbreaker for those filmmakers shooting in DCI 4K (4096 x2160) for cinema.
One of the key differences with the studio version of DaVinci Resolve 17 is its ability to use GPU acceleration, including utilizing multiple GPUs. The free version can only use some GPU acceleration for playback but for rendering it relies on the CPU. This is especially noticeable when you have a high-end GPU. Performance can improve substantially with popular formats like H.264 and H.265 when using GPU encoding and decoding. The use of the GPU is also critical for other features like GPU accelerated Resolve FX and the DaVinci Neural engine.
As mentioned before, the free version of DaVinci Resolve 17 can import footage with a resolution higher than 4K but can only export up to 4K UHD at 60 frames per second. DaVinci Resolve Studio is capable of exporting up to 32K at 120 frames per second.
The studio version can use 10-bit footage and has an expansive range of formats it can play and export, which is important for professional work.
To access the advanced noise removal tools and motion blur or mist effects, it may be worth upgrading to DaVinci Resolve Studio.
High Dynamic Range color grading is supported in DaVinci’s Studio version. The increase in the color data of your image in HDR color grading can add some incredible vibrancy for higher-end projects that need to be Dolby or HDR10+ compliant. The studio version adds HDR scopes that are able to provide detailed information for ST.2084 and HLG images as well as remote grading.
The studio version of Resolve features many more advanced features like scripting and automation, colorspace transform language, workflow integrations plug-ins, 3D audio, etc. Most of these features are aimed at professional work and if that’s what you are doing you will require the studio version.
Are you saying the above is not true? I shoot only 10-bit 4:2:2 DCI video with my Canon cameras. I also do HDR on occasion. I also work with time critical deadlines and depend on GPU acceleration for everything.