COLOR / TOOL GUIDE 03 / 13
Match.
A starting reference. Not a finished look.
Color Match uses a filmed color chart. Understand chart selection, patch alignment and the signal entering Match: these determine whether its result is useful.
known reference patches
how the Color Match input is encoded
the intended normalised result
The palette swatches are tool controls, not a chart filmed in the scene. Match needs the corresponding physical chart in the source frame and accurate alignment.
BEFORE MOVING A CONTROL
Understand what you are changing.
Chart capture determines measurement quality
The chart must share the lighting you intend to correct. Glare, shadow, mixed illumination or clipped patches corrupt the samples. The algorithm cannot know a white patch was colored by a nearby reflection; it is being given the wrong problem.
Choose the exact chart model, not a roughly similar pattern of squares. Align the grid with patch interiors so borders, background and gaps are excluded from sampling.
Source Gamma describes the signal at this stage
Before Match, identify upstream RAW decoding, RCM input transforms, LUTs or CSTs. Source Gamma must correspond to the signal at this stage rather than merely the camera’s menu setting.
Target Gamma and Target Color Space must also fit downstream processing. Do not perform the same output transform twice. One understandable technical pipeline is more useful than several simultaneous ways of “normalizing log”.
Evaluate the scene, not only the chart
Compare Match with the saved version: inspect neutral patches, skin, bright fabrics and scope extremes. If the chart looks convincing but actual objects deteriorate, revisit lighting, alignment and signal settings rather than intensifying the result.
Shot matching and creative grading still follow this technical starting point. Transfer to another shot only after considering illumination and source state. A chart does not remove the need to inspect motion and shot continuity.
FROM PURPOSE TO CONTROL
Choose deliberately, not by trial and error.
The interface images are collected in the viewer above. Here, focus on what each control changes and when to use it; values in the captures are not universal presets.
What Color Match does
Compares captured chart patches with reference values
Color Match is not a whole-scene AI correction tool. It relies on known chart patches and uses them as a measurable reference point.
Provides a fast technical starting point
With a properly captured chart, the tool can move the image toward a useful technical baseline. The result still needs to be checked in the Viewer and on scopes.
Works best as a separate technical step
It is cleaner to keep Color Match separate from the creative look. That makes the automatic match easy to compare, understand and disable if necessary.
Does not replace manual grading
A chart helps describe technical color, but it does not know the creative intent, skin tone under the actual lighting, scene mood or desired contrast. It is a starting point, not a finished grade.
Where a match goes wrong
Pressing Match without a chart in the frame
Color Match is not a universal automatic grader. Without a reference chart in the shot, there are no chart patches to match.
Selecting a similar but different chart
If the selected ColorChecker does not match the physical chart, the reference patches and values do not correspond to what the camera captured.
Guessing the Source Gamma
Gamma and color space are part of the technical context. A wrong source setting can produce a completed match that looks worse than the original visually and on scopes.
Treating the result as a finished grade
Even a good Color Match does not make creative decisions for the colorist. Balance, contrast, skin tone, local secondaries and the creative look still remain.
TECHNICAL REFERENCE
Colour Match is only as reliable as the chart capture and its interpretation
A ColorChecker is not a magic cinematic button. It is a measured reference with known colour patches. Resolve compares what the camera captured with the expected values for the selected chart and builds a correction. If the chart is lit differently, reflecting glare, the wrong chart model is selected or Source Gamma does not match the current signal state, the algorithm will faithfully solve the wrong problem.
What Colour Match needs before you press Match
| Element | What it describes | Good practice | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chart model | the exact reference values and patch layout | select the exact chart used on set | choosing a visually similar chart |
| Chart alignment | which image area corresponds to each patch | align the grid accurately inside the patches | including borders, glare, shadow or background |
| Source Gamma | the transfer/gamma state entering the palette | match the upstream transform and current pipeline | declaring camera log after a CST has already transformed it |
| Target Gamma / Colour Space | the normalised state the correction targets | choose a target compatible with the downstream pipeline | performing a display transform here and again in RCM/CST |
| Colour Temp | the expected chart illumination characteristic | use the actual capture condition when the parameter is needed | correcting intentional coloured scene light as if it were a camera error |
| White Level | the reference level for the brightest patch in the algorithm | set deliberately and verify on the waveform after Match | judging only by whether the white patch looks white |
FROM KNOWLEDGE TO A REPEATABLE RESULT
One exercise. A result you can check.
Use footage of a supported physical chart under the scene lighting. Create a separate technical node and save a pre-Match version. Colored squares in the palette do not replace a filmed chart.
- 01
Capture the chart under the same lighting as the scene
Color Match is useful only when the chart represents the actual shooting conditions. A chart lit differently from the scene no longer describes the scene as expected.
- 02
Choose the correct ColorChecker type
The Resolve chart preset must match the physical chart in the shot. Different charts use different patch sets and layouts.
- 03
Check Source Gamma and the target space
Before matching, define the camera signal and the intended target. An automatic button cannot compensate for a wrong technical context.
- 04
Align the patches before pressing Match
The sampling grid needs to sit on the correct chart patches. After Match, compare the result with the source and verify the image on scopes.
Self-check in Resolve; the site does not evaluate your work. Progress is not saved after reloading.
An editorial exercise for your own footage, not an automated check of a Resolve project. Work on a copy or separate version and evaluate the complete shot.
WHEN THE RESULT IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT
Find the cause, not a compensating slider.
01The match introduces a strange cast+
Possible cause. glare/shadow on the chart, wrong chart model or inaccurate alignment
What to check. zoom in, inspect every patch and reshoot the chart when the source capture is poor
02Contrast becomes excessive after the match+
Possible cause. Source Gamma/Target do not match the current signal state or a transform is duplicated
What to check. upstream CST/RCM, Source Gamma, Target Gamma/Space and output transform
03The chart matches but the rest of the scene does not+
Possible cause. the chart and subject are under different light, illumination is mixed, or camera spectral responses differ
What to check. capture conditions and manual shot matching after technical normalisation
A SITUATION TO THINK THROUGHThe white patch is neutral after Match but skin looks unnatural. Is the operation successful?Compare your reasoning ↓
One patch cannot validate the transform. Check chart model and illumination, source gamma and possible duplicate transforms. Compare actual objects with the pre-Match version; the chart is a measurement reference, not the final artistic criterion.
FAQ
What else should you know?
What does Color Match do in DaVinci Resolve?
Color Match uses a color chart captured in the shot as a reference. After choosing the chart type and technical settings, Resolve matches the chart patches toward expected values and creates a technical starting point for further grading.
Can Color Match be used without a ColorChecker?
Not for its normal purpose. The tool expects a supported color chart that was actually captured by the camera. Without one, Color Match is not a general-purpose automatic correction button.
What should Source Gamma be set to?
Source Gamma should correspond to the source camera signal or the current technical state of the footage. The exact choice depends on the format and color-management workflow, so it should not be selected simply by how the image looks.
Does Color Match replace Color Wheels?
No. Color Match provides a technical starting point from a chart. Color Wheels are used for manual control of luminance, balance, contrast and the overall color state of the image.
Should you always use Match when a ColorChecker is in the shot?
No. A chart can also be used as a visual and measurement reference. If the color-management pipeline already provides a correct technical baseline, automatic Color Match is not guaranteed to improve the result.
Sources and version notes
Checked against Blackmagic Design’s Color documentation and the relevant new-feature guides. Screenshots are from the site’s own supplied library; controls and layout can differ between versions. Examples are instructional, not universal production settings.
Back to the interface reference ↑