Resolve FX · Color · ACES Transform
ACES Transform is a node-level colour transform for explicitly converting a source through an ACES pipeline and into a chosen output transform. It is a technical colour-management tool, not a LUT and not a one-click cinematic look.
This page focuses only on the Resolve FX control itself: ACES Version, Input Transform, Output Transform and Gamut Compress Type. The broader project-level workflow remains on the Color Management page so the two articles do not compete with each other.
Controls
First decide which ACES version the pipeline expects, then describe the input correctly, choose the actual output target and only then decide whether gamut compression is required. This order is more reliable than trying random transforms until the Viewer looks pleasant.
ACES Version selects the ACES generation used by the effect. Resolve 21 exposes ACES 2.0, 1.3, 1.2, 1.1 and 1.0.3. This is not a creative preset; the version should match the project logic, existing transforms and interchange requirements.
Input Transform describes the source that ACES Transform should interpret. Resolve lists camera and log transforms such as Blackmagic Design Film and Fujifilm F-Log/F-Log2. A wrong choice here is more serious than most creative settings because the grade starts from the wrong signal interpretation.
Output Transform defines the target viewing or delivery context. The Resolve panel includes Rec.709 BT.1886, sRGB, Display P3, P3-D65 and ST2084 variants. The correct choice is not the one that looks nicest on one monitor, but the output the image is actually being prepared for.
Gamut Compress Type determines whether ACES gamut compression is applied. Resolve 21 offers None, ACES reference gamut compress and ACES parametric gamut compress. This is not a general saturation control; it is for more controlled handling of colours that sit awkwardly outside the target gamut.
Node workflow
Before adding the FX, understand whether the project is already managed by DaVinci YRGB Color Managed, ACES or a manual CST chain.
Match the version to the pipeline instead of choosing the newest entry automatically.
The source profile and the actual delivery target should be known before grading decisions are judged.
Use it as a technical solution for difficult out-of-gamut colour behaviour, not as a generic creative control.
ACES Transform vs Color Space Transform
Use it when the node needs an ACES-specific transform with an explicit ACES version, ACES Input Transform, ACES Output Transform and optional gamut compression.
CST is a general colour-space/gamma transform, while the Color Management page explains the full project pipeline. That broader topic stays canonical there.
No double transforms
A node-level ACES Transform may become a second transform if it repeats what project colour management is already doing. Add it only when the pipeline intentionally requires it.
Choosing a transform by how pleasing it looks can produce a technically wrong signal. Match the actual camera/log encoding first.
Rec.709, sRGB, Display P3 and HDR targets are different viewing conditions. The output transform should follow the actual delivery target.
ACES Transform is a node-level interface to standardised ACES input/output transforms. It is not an ‘ACES look’; it explicitly describes which camera/display state enters ACES and which output state should leave it.
| Layer | What it means | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| ACES Version | Selects the generation of the ACES transform set. Resolve 21 exposes 2.0 and legacy 1.x options for compatibility. | Do not mix versions without a documented reason; compare output rendering, not just neutrals. |
| Input Transform | Maps a specific camera/input encoding into the ACES state. This is technical source interpretation. | Verify camera model/log/gamut and make sure an input transform has not already occurred. |
| Output Transform | Renders scene-referred ACES into the chosen display/delivery context: SDR, P3, PQ and so on. | The output must match the real mastering display and deliverable. |
| Gamut Compress Type | Controls handling of extreme ACES colours. ACES 1.3 Reference Gamut Compression and ACES 2 output gamut mapping solve related but not identical problems. | Inspect cyan/magenta edge artefacts, saturated LEDs and negative AP1 components in VFX material. |
Likely cause: An ACES Output Transform is already being applied at project level or by another node.
Fix: Check Project Settings, clip transforms, AMF and the node tree; keep one owner of the output transform.
Likely cause: ACES 2 uses a redesigned output rendering system, not merely a new version number.
Fix: Do not migrate blindly; validate shot by shot and lock delivery transforms.
Likely cause: The input contains out-of-AP1/extreme values and gamut compression does not match the pipeline.
Fix: Compare Gamut Compress options and inspect Reference Gamut Compression / ACES 2 output behaviour on the problem pixels.
When ACES Transform is used locally, it commonly either brings the camera signal into ACES before creative nodes or completes an ACES branch with the output transform. Do not blindly place Input + Output together in the middle of a creative grade if the following nodes expect scene-referred data.
Waveform helps assess rendering/peak behaviour, CIE exposes gamut excursions, and output-transform comparisons require correct monitoring or you are judging the display rather than ACES.
Project-level ACES and node-level ACES Transform are two ways of owning the same responsibilities. A common systemic failure is splitting input/output responsibilities across Project Settings, AMF and nodes without an explicit diagram.
explicit conversion between colour-space/gamma descriptions, including tone/gamut mapping
conversion between white points / illuminants through a CAT model
compressing hue/saturation/luminance variation around a selected Target Color
AP0/AP1, ACES2065-1, ACEScct and transform architecture.
Why the Output Transform is a rendering boundary, not just a LUT.
RGC, ACES 2 and extreme-colour handling.
When ACES belongs project-wide versus node-level.
Panel names are cross-checked against the Resolve 21 screenshots already shown on each page. Where Blackmagic does not publish proprietary implementation math, the article describes documented signal semantics and observable behaviour rather than inventing an algorithm.
FAQ
ACES Transform is a Resolve FX colour transform that lets you choose an ACES version, an input transform, an output transform and a gamut-compression mode on a node.
No. Project-level ACES defines the colour-management system for the whole timeline, while the ACES Transform FX is a node-level transform. Using both without a clear plan can create an unintended double transform.
Choose the version required by the project or interchange pipeline. Resolve 21 exposes ACES 2.0 and several older versions for compatibility.
The source is interpreted incorrectly, so contrast, colour and later grading decisions are built on the wrong transform. Input Transform should match the actual camera or source encoding.
It controls whether ACES gamut compression is used to handle difficult saturated colours. Resolve 21 offers None, ACES reference gamut compress and ACES parametric gamut compress.
CST is a general colour-space and gamma transform with explicit input/output colour-space controls. ACES Transform is specifically built around ACES versions and ACES input/output transforms. The better choice depends on the pipeline you are actually using.
Related Color pages
The canonical page for DaVinci YRGB, managed workflows, ACES project settings, CST and delivery logic.
Where a technical transform belongs in a readable node structure and why node order matters.
Return to the final documented Blur effect before the catalog moves into colour transforms.
Next FX
The catalog continues with a white-point adaptation tool: Method, Source/Target Illuminant, Current Color Space and Gamma are documented from the real Resolve 21 panel.
