Pipeline order
debayer/decode → Node Editor
Color encyclopedia · Camera Raw
Camera Raw in DaVinci Resolve: prepare RAW before grading
Camera Raw is the source-preparation stage for supported RAW media. Learn what Decode Using means, when Color Temp, Tint and Exposure belong here, and why this panel should not replace a normal node-based grade.
Decode first
Camera Raw controls the source before Color Wheels touch it
The important idea is simple: RAW decode parameters describe how Resolve interprets the captured data. They are not just another set of creative controls.
Decode Quality
Controls RAW decode quality. A lighter mode can improve performance on demanding footage, while final quality should be checked before delivery.
Decode Using
Determines where Resolve gets the RAW settings. The exact choices vary by format, so first check what is actually available for the selected clip.
Camera metadata
Camera metadata can be used as the decode starting point. This is useful when you want to preserve the capture intent and avoid unnecessary RAW-level changes.
Real Resolve panels
Look at what the selected RAW format actually exposes
The interface changes with format and decode mode. These screenshots show the actual Camera Raw panel rather than an invented universal layout.
RAW controls
Use Camera Raw to fix the source, not to finish the look
White balance and exposure make sense at the decode stage. Complex contrast, local corrections and look design belong later in the node tree.
Color Temp
Changes color temperature at the RAW decode stage. When white balance is clearly wrong, this can be a cleaner place to correct it than aggressive compensation later in the node tree.
Tint
Corrects the green-magenta bias. Use it together with Color Temp for source balance rather than as a creative look control.
Exposure
Lets you adjust exposure at the RAW decode stage. Make sure you are fixing a source problem rather than trying to build the entire contrast structure here.
Sharpness
Controls decode-stage sharpening when the format supports it. Start cautiously: too much sharpening quickly emphasises noise and edges.
Greyed-out controls
Why Camera Raw can look disabled
A grey Camera Raw panel does not automatically mean Resolve is broken. The selected media, RAW codec and Decode Using mode determine what can be edited at clip level. When settings come from camera metadata or project-level decoding, individual controls may be unavailable.
Before searching for a bug, check three things: is the clip a supported RAW format, what Decode Using mode is selected, and whether the codec exposes clip-level controls in that mode.
Practical workflow
A clean RAW workflow is short and deliberate
The goal is to create a reliable source before the normal grade begins, not to perform the entire grade twice.
01
Confirm the clip is actually RAW
Camera Raw only matters for supported RAW media. If you are working with H.264/H.265 or another baked image, this panel is not a universal replacement for Primaries.
02
Choose the appropriate decode source
First decide whether project settings or camera metadata are sufficient. Move to clip-level manual control only when a specific shot actually needs it.
03
Fix source-level problems only
White balance, exposure and decode parameters are appropriate Camera Raw jobs. Build the full look, local masks and complex contrast later in the Color node tree.
04
Then move to Primaries and scopes
RAW decoding prepares the source but does not finish the grade. After it, check the image and scopes, then build the normal pipeline with Color Wheels and nodes.
Camera Raw vs Primaries
Two stages, two different jobs
Camera Raw prepares the captured data. Primaries shape the image you are actually grading. Keeping those jobs separate makes the pipeline easier to understand and repeat.
Camera Raw
Source and decode
RAW format, decode quality, camera metadata, white balance, source exposure and supported decode parameters.
Primaries / Nodes
Grade and image shaping
Lift, Gamma, Gain, Offset, contrast, secondaries, look design, masks and the rest of the actual grading pipeline.
Open Color Wheels guideFAQ
Camera Raw in DaVinci Resolve: common questions
The questions that usually appear when the panel is opened for the first time or when its controls are unexpectedly inactive.
What is Camera Raw used for in DaVinci Resolve?
Camera Raw controls the decoding of supported RAW media before the normal node-based grade. Depending on the format, white balance, exposure, sharpening and other source-level RAW parameters may be available here.
Why are Camera Raw controls greyed out?
This is usually related to the selected clip type, RAW format or Decode Using mode. Some modes take values from project settings or camera metadata and do not expose clip-level changes. Available controls depend on the format.
What should be changed in Camera Raw versus Color Wheels?
Use Camera Raw for source decode adjustments such as white balance, exposure and supported RAW parameters. Use Color Wheels for overall luminance, contrast, colour balance and the broader grade.
Does Camera Raw work with H.264 or H.265?
Not as true RAW decoding. Camera Raw is intended for supported RAW formats. Normal H.264/H.265 clips already contain a baked image and are graded with the standard Color tools.
Do you always need to change Camera Raw before grading?
No. If project settings or camera metadata already produce a sound technical starting point, there is no reason to change RAW parameters just for the sake of it. Camera Raw is a preparation stage, not a mandatory ritual for every clip.
RAW before the node graph
Camera Raw is part of the image pipeline, not another Primaries palette
The RAW palette matters less for the number of sliders than for its position in the pipeline. Resolve interprets the sensor data and performs debayer/decode before the resulting video signal reaches the Node Editor. White Balance, ISO, Exposure, Highlight Recovery and RAW gamma/gamut choices therefore define the source state rather than merely offering another way to make the same grade.
Decode Using
Project / Camera Metadata / Clip — format dependent
White Balance
changes RAW interpretation before the grade
Key principle
normalise the source first, build the look later
Technical reference
What Camera Raw controls technically mean
The exact controls depend on codec: BRAW, RED, ARRIRAW and other RAW families do not expose an identical UI. The table describes the pipeline logic rather than promising the same controls for every format.
| Control | What changes | When to use it | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decode Using | the source of RAW settings: project, metadata or clip level | when a shot needs its own decode | whether project settings already define the same state |
| Colour Science / Gamma / Gamut | how RAW is interpreted and what signal state is produced | technical normalisation and pipeline alignment | whether downstream colour management matches the RAW output state |
| White Balance / Temp / Tint | channel balance at RAW decode stage | capture WB error or deliberate source correction | neutrals and skin in RGB Parade/Viewer, not just the Kelvin number |
| ISO / Exposure | RAW brightness interpretation before nodes | establish a sensible starting exposure without early clipping | highlight headroom, noise floor and waveform |
| Highlight Recovery | an attempt to reconstruct clipped/near-clipped channel detail when supported | only when useful RAW information exists | colour artefacts and false texture in bright areas |
| Gamut Compression | behaviour of extreme colours leaving RAW decode | when saturated sources exceed the working gamut | whether gamut mapping is being repeated later |
Working sequence
1. Identify the RAW source
Check the camera/codec, camera metadata and current Decode Using mode. Before any adjustment, know whether decoding is controlled by the project or by the individual clip.
2. Choose the state expected by the pipeline
If RCM/ACES expects the camera-native input, do not bake an arbitrary display transform into RAW decoding. In a manual pipeline, choose gamma/gamut deliberately and document the choice.
3. Correct source-level problems only
White balance, source exposure and supported RAW controls belong here. Scene contrast, secondaries, skin isolation and look design should not be duplicated before the Node Editor.
4. Verify after colour management
The Viewer reflects the current full pipeline. Judge a RAW change with scopes and downstream transforms, not only by how the log-encoded source appears.
Diagnostics
Camera Raw is entirely greyed out
Likely cause
the clip is not RAW, project/metadata decode is selected, or the format exposes no clip-level controls
What to check
media type, Decode Using and the specific RAW codec documentation
The image becomes doubly contrasty after enabling RCM
Likely cause
RAW is already outputting a display-like state while colour management performs another transform
What to check
RAW gamma/gamut, clip Input Color Space and CST/LUT nodes in the graph
RAW Exposure saves highlights but the image becomes noisy
Likely cause
exposure raises useful signal together with the noise floor; RAW cannot create missing photons
What to check
capture exposure, waveform, shadow noise and Highlight Recovery