Resolve Quick Start

From a fresh node to a clean primary grade. The one thing to get right before you touch a slider is the Input Transfer Function, so this page sets that first, then walks the correction in a simple order: brightness first, then color.

It assumes the plugin is installed. If not, start with Install & Activate.

1. Add Prime/Grade™ to a node

On the Color page, create a node for your primary grade.

• OFX version. Open the OpenFX panel, find Prime/Grade under the PixelTools group, and drag it onto the node.
• DCTL version. Add a DCTL OpenFX effect to the node, then choose PixelTools_PrimeGrade from the DCTL dropdown.

The controls appear in the inspector.

2. Set the Input Transfer Function

Prime/Grade™ needs to know what color space your image arrives in. This is the single most important setting, so do it before anything else.

• Color-managed project (DaVinci YRGB Color Managed or ACES): set the Input Transfer Function to your working space, for example DaVinci Intermediate.
• Project without color management: set it to the camera’s native log curve, for example ARRI LogC3 for a legacy Alexa, LogC4 for an Alexa 35, Sony S-Log3, or RED Log3G10.

Prime/Grade uses this curve to linearize for its tone math and to reference exposure in stops; it does not convert the image. A wrong curve throws off every tone move, so it is worth taking a moment to get it right. Set the Input Gamut to your image’s primaries so the Saturation checker reads correctly; DaVinci Wide Gamut is the default and pairs with the DaVinci Intermediate default.

3. Set exposure

In the Tone group, set Exposure first, in stops, until the shot sits where it belongs. Get the brightness right here before you move on, so do not skip ahead. If the shadows need opening or holding, use Flare for a soft lift across the low range and Fill to move the shadows without touching the highlights.

4. Set contrast

Still in Tone, set Contrast, then use Pivot to place where the contrast hinges. A lower pivot adds contrast that holds the shadows; a higher pivot holds the highlights. If the brightest highlights need taming, roll them down with Speculars.

5. Balance the color

In the Color group, use Temp and Tint to neutralize any color cast. To check your work, turn on the White Balance checker in the Tools & Charts group: it highlights neutrals so you can see when they are actually neutral. In the OFX version you can also click a neutral area with the eyedropper and let Temp and Tint set themselves.

6. Set saturation

Set Saturation last, once tone and balance are where you want them. It uses a subtractive model by default: it scales each color’s distance from neutral rather than clipping the most saturated pixels. If you are grading skin, turn on the Skin checker to see whether skin tones are landing consistently across your shots.

7. Judge it with the checkers

The Tools & Charts group holds on-screen checkers that read the image without changing it: false color for exposure, skin, white balance, middle gray, saturation, and an invalid-value check for values that could fail a delivery. Turn one on to confirm the grade, then turn it off before you render.

Next

The grading controls guide covers every Tone and Color control in detail, and the Overview explains the order the controls run and what each group does.