Blender 5.0: HDR Video, New Nodes, and Overhauled Video Editing

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The open-source 3D software Blender is now available in version 5.0 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as source code for download. The new version supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) monitors and can output videos in HDR-compatible formats. The developers have also unified the node system; in modeling, there are previews of new Geometry Node-supported modifiers.

Using HDR Monitors with Blender

HDR monitors display more than the 255 brightness levels representable in 8 bits. Such monitors use 10 or 12 bits of color depth for this. Blender internally calculates with 32 bits but could only output the result to devices with 8 bits of color depth until now.

Blender 5.0 outputs brightness values according to the Rec.2100-PQ and Rec.2100-HLG standards. The program can also output PNG files and H.256 or AV1-encoded videos with 10 or 12 bits in these color spaces. This allows video files for HDR televisions or YouTube HDR to be created directly in Blender. Previously, external software was required for this.

New Tools for Video Editing

Blender's video editing module, the Video Sequence Editor (VSE), now also supports HDR. This applies to the histogram, vector scopes, and waveform tools for analyzing the video image. They also work hardware-accelerated and thus faster than before.

In the VSE's toolbar, you will now find circle and lasso selection, as well as a new slip tool. This allows the content of a strip to be moved back and forth without changing its boundaries. After pressing the C key, you can, as usual with the VSE, enlarge the length of a strip using the left and right handles.

VSE with Clearly Structured Interface

The Video Sequence Editor (VSE) now starts by default in its scene, which is intended to improve clarity and prevent confusion. The developers have also revised the workspace and template to structure the user interface more clearly: Strip settings are now found in the Properties Editor instead of the Sidebar. The separate timeline is omitted, as the VSE now has its controls for playing and stopping the animation.

VSE and Compositor Grow Together

The most significant innovation in video editing is the direct integration of the Compositor into the video sequence editor via the new Compositor Strip Modifier. This allows image and video elements—such as greenscreen footage, color corrections, or 3D models in live-action scenes—to be post-processed within the VSE. With this function, Blender moves a good deal closer to professional tools like Adobe After Effects.

This is made possible because the Compositor in Blender 5.0 is no longer a standalone post-processing step but a regular data block. This significantly simplifies the reuse of Compositor setups. Another new feature is that Blender can define node groups as Assets. They can then be dragged from the asset shelf, located directly below the Compositor, into the node tree.

Blender already provides eight effect templates, including chromatic aberration, sensor noise, and vignette. The chromatic aberration effect creates a kind of rainbow effect of optical lenses, which becomes stronger the further one moves from the center. Vignette darkens the edges of the image, thus simulating an optical characteristic of camera lenses.

Ray Bundles Move into the Glare Node

The previously standalone Sun Beams node has been removed. Its effect, which simulates visible sunbeams, can now be found as part of the optimized Glare node.

Guide to Porting Old Node Setups

Numerous nodes have also been changed in the Compositor, as equivalents already existed for many things in the shader editor and geometry nodes. For example, the previous texture node has been replaced by various nodes for procedural textures from other areas.

Unifications Also in the Shader Editor

Unification is also progressing in Shader Nodes. For example, you can now use the Repeat Zone in the Shader Nodes for the Eevee and Cycles render engines. Previously, it was reserved for geometry nodes. Shader nodes define how surfaces interact with light. The Repeat Zone can execute an operation repeatedly, for example, to create fractals.

Bundles and Closures Everywhere

Bundles and closures have also been newly introduced, which work in both Shader and Geometry Nodes. Bundles group multiple attributes—such as color and normal direction—into a connection, which facilitates complex physical calculations.

Closures, on the other hand, transfer entire function groups between nodes. Node groups are sent to other node groups similarly to bundles, to pass on not only attributes but entire functions. For example, the same landscape setup can arrange trees randomly or in rows, depending on the closure.

No More Experiments

To make complex models appear realistic or to represent fine surface details, 3D objects in Blender often need to be divided into smaller areas. In the "adaptive subdivisions" process, this is done relatively to the distance from the camera: the closer an object is viewed, the finer it is calculated—areas at a greater distance remain coarsely subdivided. This principle guarantees an optimal balance between detail and computational effort.

Adaptive subdivisions were introduced with Blender 2.78 in 2016, but have been considered experimental ever since. Those who wanted to use it had to activate it manually in the settings. With Blender 5.0, this long testing phase ends: After approximately nine years of development, adaptive subdivisions are fully integrated into the software.

Volumetric rendering in Cycles

Volumetric effects such as smoke or fog are now always calculated physically correctly. However, because the sampling method has been changed, existing scenes may differ slightly visually.

Point Density Texture Removed

The former point density texture, which could be used to represent point clouds as volumes, has been completely removed. Its tasks are now taken over by new geometry nodes that can create and edit volumes. Unfortunately, options to color the generated volume based on the points are still missing. They are expected to follow in a future release.

New Modifiers from Geometry Nodes

Blender 5.0 brings six new modifiers to change the geometry of objects without altering their internal structure. They are all based on geometry nodes and partly replace existing tools. For example, there is a replacement for the array modifier, which can be used to create and distribute copies of objects. The duplicated objects can vary in size and rotation—ideal for realistic scenarios like irregular masonry.

(akr)