DaVinci Resolve how-to
How to color grade in DaVinci Resolve (beginner order, free)
Short answer
Open the Color page, select the clip and fix balance first: click the A (Auto Color) button or use the White Balance eyedropper on something white, then set contrast with Lift, Gamma and Gain in the Primaries palette. Add a new serial node (Option-S / Alt-S) for the creative look so correction and look stay separate, then copy the grade to similar shots with the equals key or Apply Grade.
Checked against: DaVinci Resolve 21 (free and Studio), Windows, Mac and Linux, per the Resolve 21 Reference Manual (July 2026).
Method 1: Color page, primary grade
Open the Color page
Click Color at the bottom of the screen and select the clip in the clip strip. Turn on scopes (waveform and vectorscope) so you judge levels by numbers, not just by eye.
Neutralise the colour cast
In the Primaries palette, click the White Balance eyedropper and click something that should be white and isn't clipped. Or click A (Auto Color) to balance blacks and whites automatically as a starting point.
Set black and white points
Use the Pick Black Point and Pick White Point eyedroppers above the Lift and Gain wheels, or drag the master wheels under Lift (shadows), Gamma (midtones) and Gain (highlights). Keep the waveform between 0 and 1023 without crushing or clipping.
Add a node for the look
Press Option-S (Alt-S) to add a serial node after the current one, and build your look there: colour wheels, saturation, curves. If the look goes wrong, reset that node and the correction stays.
Copy the grade to matching shots
Select the target clip and press = to copy the grade from one clip back, or right-click the source clip's thumbnail and choose Apply Grade. Then fine-tune exposure per shot.
Method 2: Log footage (S-Log, V-Log, C-Log, Apple Log)
Convert to Rec. 709 first
Log footage looks flat by design. Convert it with a Color Space Transform effect or a manufacturer LUT on the first node, then grade on the next nodes.
A node tree beginners can debug
| Node | Job | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balance and exposure | Auto Color, eyedroppers, Lift/Gamma/Gain |
| 2 | Look | Colour wheels, saturation, curves |
| 3 | Fixes in one area | Qualifier or Power Window (for example skin or sky) |
| Last | Output conversion if needed | Color Space Transform |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Auto Color made it worse | Auto Color is only a starting point; undo it or reset the node, then use the eyedroppers on a true white or black. |
| Footage looks washed out and grey | It is probably log. Convert to Rec. 709 first with a Color Space Transform or the camera's LUT. |
| Export looks different from the Color page | Usually a monitor or player colour-management difference (often on Macs). Check the timeline colour space and the Rec.709 gamma tags on export. |
| Middle-click to copy grade does nothing | Use the equals key, or right-click the source thumbnail and choose Apply Grade; trackpads have no middle button by default. |
Questions people ask
What's the difference between Lift, Gamma and Gain?
Lift moves the shadows, Gamma the midtones and Gain the highlights. They overlap, so adjust them gently and watch the waveform.
Can I grade in the free version of DaVinci Resolve?
Yes. The Color page with primaries, curves, nodes, qualifiers and windows is in the free version; some AI tools such as Magic Mask are Studio only.
How do I save a grade to reuse?
Right-click the viewer and Grab Still; apply it later from the Gallery with Apply Grade, or append its node graph.
More DaVinci Resolve guides
Sources and how we checked
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Automatic adjustments in the Primaries palette (p. 3181-3182) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Adding serial nodes (p. 3457) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Copying grades between clips (p. 3425) (checked 2026-10-05)
Blackmagic's manual lists Mac shortcuts; on Windows and Linux use Ctrl for Command and Alt for Option. The log-conversion, scopes and node-order advice is standard Resolve practice shared by the top-ranking guides, not a single manual procedure.
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with DaVinci Resolve's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.