DaVinci Resolve Color Page Basics: Scopes, Primary Correction, and Consistent Shots

What the Color Page is doing (in plain terms)

In the Color page, you’re shaping the image using a chain of adjustments (nodes). For beginner primary correction, the goal is consistency and control: get exposure in range, neutralize color casts, set saturation, then add contrast in a predictable way. The key habit is to trust scopes more than your eyes, because your eyes adapt to whatever you’ve been staring at.

Recommended repeatable order

• Read scopes (waveform/parade/vectorscope) to diagnose
• Set exposure with Lift / Gamma / Gain
• Balance white balance with Temperature / Tint (or Offset if needed)
• Set Saturation
• Refine with Contrast / Pivot
• Match shots using Gallery stills and scopes

Scopes basics: what each scope tells you

Waveform (Luma)

The waveform shows brightness distribution from left-to-right across the frame. The vertical axis is signal level: bottom is dark, top is bright. Use it to judge exposure and contrast without being fooled by your monitor.

• Deep shadows should sit near the bottom but not be crushed unless stylistic.
• Highlights should approach the top without clipping (flatlining at the top indicates clipping).
• Midtones (faces, walls, general scene) should land in a consistent band shot-to-shot.

RGB Parade

The parade splits the waveform into Red, Green, and Blue channels. It’s your fastest tool for spotting color casts and balancing neutrals.

• If a “neutral” area (white/gray) shows blue higher than red/green, the image is too cool.
• If red is elevated in neutrals, the image is too warm or magenta-leaning depending on green.
• When neutrals are balanced, the three channels align closely in those neutral regions.

Vectorscope

The vectorscope shows hue (angle) and saturation (distance from center). The center is neutral (no saturation). The farther the trace extends, the more saturated the image.

• Use it to keep saturation consistent across shots.
• Skin tones often cluster along a common “skin tone line” direction; you can use that as a sanity check, but don’t force every scene to the same hue if lighting differs.

Primary correction: exposure with Lift, Gamma, Gain

In Resolve, primary wheels affect different tonal ranges:

Continue in our app.

• Listen to the audio with the screen off.
• Earn a certificate upon completion.
• Over 5000 courses for you to explore!

Or continue reading below...

Download the app

• Lift: shadows (dark areas)
• Gamma: midtones (most of the image, including faces)
• Gain: highlights (bright areas)

Step-by-step: exposure correction using waveform

1. Open scopes in the Color page and enable Waveform (Luma) and RGB Parade.
2. Pick a reference area in the shot: faces, gray walls, white shirts, or anything you expect to be neutral/consistent.
3. Set highlights with Gain: raise/lower Gain until highlights approach the top without flattening. Watch for clipping (a hard line at the top).
4. Set shadows with Lift: lower/raise Lift to place the darkest important detail where you want it. Avoid crushing detail unless intentional (crushed blacks show as a flat line at the bottom).
5. Set midtones with Gamma: adjust Gamma to place faces and general midtones consistently. This is usually the most important control for perceived exposure.
6. Re-check Gain and Lift: changes interact; do a second pass with small moves.

Practical tip: If your shot has a bright window, don’t “fix” the entire exposure by forcing the window into range. Instead, expose for the subject and accept that practical lights/windows may clip. Scopes help you make that decision intentionally.

White balance: Temperature and Tint (using the RGB Parade)

White balance is about making neutrals neutral. Your eyes adapt quickly, so use the RGB Parade to confirm.

What Temperature and Tint do

• Temperature: shifts between warm (yellow/orange) and cool (blue)
• Tint: shifts between green and magenta

Step-by-step: balance a shot with parade

1. Find a neutral target in the image (gray card, white wall, white shirt, neutral pavement). If none exists, choose something that should be close to neutral and be conservative.
2. Look at the RGB Parade in the area of that neutral. You’re looking for channel separation.
3. Adjust Temperature until blue vs red alignment improves in neutrals (cool/warm correction).
4. Adjust Tint until green aligns with red/blue in neutrals (green/magenta correction).
5. Verify on waveform that exposure didn’t drift; small WB changes can affect perceived brightness.

Common diagnosis patterns:

• Too cool: blue channel sits higher in neutrals → warm up (increase Temperature)
• Too warm: red channel sits higher in neutrals → cool down (decrease Temperature)
• Green cast: green channel elevated → push Tint toward magenta
• Magenta cast: green channel low relative to red/blue → push Tint toward green

Saturation control (and how to keep it consistent)

Saturation should be set after exposure and white balance, because both affect how saturation is perceived. Use the vectorscope to avoid over- or under-saturating.

Step-by-step: set saturation with vectorscope

1. Enable vectorscope alongside waveform/parade.
2. Adjust Saturation until the trace extends a reasonable distance from center without slamming into the outer targets.
3. Compare similar shots: if two angles are in the same lighting, their vectorscope “size” should be similar.

Practical tip: If a shot looks “neon” but exposure is correct, reduce saturation slightly and re-check skin tones and reds (reds often reveal oversaturation first).

Contrast and Pivot: simple, controlled punch

Contrast increases separation between shadows and highlights. Pivot shifts where that contrast is centered (more influence on mids vs highs/lows). These controls are useful for a clean, repeatable look without complex curves.

Step-by-step: add contrast without breaking exposure

1. Start small: increase Contrast slightly.
2. Use Pivot to keep midtones (especially faces) from getting too dark or too bright. If faces darken too much, adjust Pivot so the contrast “hinge” better supports mids.
3. Re-check waveform: ensure you didn’t crush blacks or clip highlights.
4. Re-check saturation: contrast can make saturation feel stronger; adjust Saturation if needed.

Shot matching across a sequence using Gallery stills

Shot matching is about consistency: exposure, white balance, and saturation should feel like the same scene and time. The fastest beginner workflow is to create a strong reference shot, save it as a still, then match other shots to it using scopes.

Build a reference shot

1. Choose the most representative shot in the scene (good framing of subject, typical lighting).
2. Do your primary correction: Lift/Gamma/Gain → Temperature/Tint → Saturation → Contrast/Pivot.
3. When it looks correct and scopes are clean, grab a still into the Gallery.

Match other shots to the reference (scopes-first method)

1. Open the reference still in the Gallery and enable split-screen comparison (reference vs current shot).
2. Match exposure first using waveform: align shadow floor, midtone band (faces), and highlight level as closely as makes sense for the angle.
3. Match white balance using RGB Parade: in neutrals and skin-adjacent areas, bring channel alignment closer to the reference.
4. Match saturation using vectorscope: aim for similar trace size and general direction.
5. Match contrast feel with Contrast/Pivot: keep midtones consistent; don’t chase identical waveforms if the shot content differs (e.g., more sky or more dark clothing).

What to prioritize when shots differ:

• If framing changes but subject is the same, prioritize skin exposure and skin hue.
• If lighting changes (cloud passes, practical light turns on), prioritize believability over perfect scope matching.
• If one shot has more bright background, accept higher highlights and match the subject instead.

Guided drill: correct three poorly exposed shots, then match to a reference using scopes

This drill builds muscle memory. You will correct three problem shots (underexposed, overexposed, mixed color cast), then match all three to one reference shot using stills and scopes.

Setup

• Pick a short sequence with at least 4 shots from the same scene (A = reference, B/C/D = problem shots).
• Turn on scopes: Waveform (Luma), RGB Parade, Vectorscope.
• Work in a single node for now (primary correction only).

Step 1: Create the reference (Shot A)

1. Adjust Gain to control highlight level (avoid clipping).
2. Adjust Lift to set shadow depth (avoid crushing important detail).
3. Adjust Gamma to place midtones/skin consistently.
4. Balance Temperature/Tint using RGB Parade in neutrals.
5. Set Saturation using vectorscope.
6. Add a small amount of Contrast and refine with Pivot.
7. Grab a still to the Gallery (label it “REF”).

Step 2: Fix Shot B (underexposed) using waveform

1. Without looking at Shot A yet, diagnose on waveform: most of the signal is compressed low.
2. Raise Gamma first to lift midtones (watch faces/subject region on waveform).
3. Raise Gain to restore highlight energy, stopping before clipping.
4. Adjust Lift last to keep blacks from floating too high.
5. Check RGB Parade for any cast introduced by lifting exposure; correct with Temperature/Tint.
6. Set Saturation (underexposed shots often look dull once lifted; don’t overcompensate).

Step 3: Fix Shot C (overexposed) using waveform

1. Diagnose: waveform is pushed high; highlights may be clipping (flat top).
2. Lower Gain to bring highlights down first.
3. Lower Gamma to restore midtone density.
4. Adjust Lift to keep shadows anchored (avoid making the image look washed out).
5. Balance Temperature/Tint using RGB Parade (overexposure can hide casts until you bring levels down).
6. Re-check vectorscope; reduce saturation if colors feel too strong after exposure is corrected.

Step 4: Fix Shot D (color cast + uneven exposure) using parade first, then waveform

1. Look at RGB Parade in neutrals: identify which channel is offset (cool/warm, green/magenta).
2. Correct Temperature/Tint until neutrals align better.
3. Then correct exposure: Gain for highlights, Gamma for mids, Lift for shadows.
4. Set Saturation with vectorscope.
5. Add Contrast/Pivot carefully; strong casts can return if you push too hard.

Step 5: Match B/C/D to the reference (Shot A) using Gallery still + scopes

1. Enable split-screen with the “REF” still.
2. Waveform match: align midtone placement (especially skin/subject), then shadows, then highlights.
3. Parade match: in neutrals, bring channel separation closer to the reference (don’t chase perfection if the frame content differs).
4. Vectorscope match: adjust saturation so the trace size is similar to the reference.
5. Contrast/Pivot match: aim for similar midtone contrast; use Pivot to keep faces consistent.

Self-check rubric (use this after each shot)

Common beginner mistakes (and quick fixes)

• Chasing the viewer instead of the scope: if it “looks fine” but waveform shows clipped highlights, pull Gain down and re-check.
• Overusing Lift to brighten: brighten with Gamma first; Lift is for setting the shadow floor.
• Fixing WB before exposure is stable: do a rough exposure first, then WB, then finalize exposure.
• Matching by eye only: use the reference still and match midtones on waveform before touching saturation.