Resolve FX · Color · Chromatic Adaptation
Chromatic Adaptation is a technical Resolve FX used to adapt an image from one illuminant or white point to another. It belongs to colour science and pipeline control, not to quick creative tinting.
This page focuses specifically on the node-level effect: Method, Source Illuminant, Target Illuminant, Current Color Space and Gamma. Broader project colour-management topics remain on the Color Management page, while ACES Transform stays a separate FX reference so the articles do not duplicate each other.
Controls
Choose the adaptation method, define the source white, define the target white and then tell the effect which colour space and gamma the current signal uses. Random presets are less reliable than a clear technical description of the material.
Method defines the chromatic-adaptation model. Resolve 21 includes Bradford, Bradford (Linear), CAT02, CMCCAT2000, CMCCAT97, Sharp, von Kries and XYZ Scaling. This is a technical decision that determines how the image is translated between the source and target illuminants.
Source Illuminant describes the original lighting condition or reference white point. The Illuminant Type menu allows Standard Illuminant, Color Temperature or CIE 1931 xy Chromaticity. If this is wrong, the adaptation starts from the wrong state.
When Illuminant Type is set to Standard Illuminant, Resolve exposes preset white points such as A, ACES, B, C, D50, D55, D60, D65, D75, DCI and others. The same logic is used for both Source and Target illuminants, so the page focuses on choosing the correct reference point rather than creative tinting.
Target Illuminant defines the destination white point. In the shown panel, Target uses the same selection modes and the same Standard Illuminant list. In practice, you tell the effect which white world the image comes from and which white world it should end up in.
Current Color Space tells Chromatic Adaptation which colour space the current signal is in. You can leave it at Use timeline or explicitly select ACES AP0/AP1, Adobe RGB, Apple Log 2, ARRI Wide Gamut and many others. This control affects the correctness of the calculation, so it is not decorative.
Gamma complements Current Color Space and tells the effect which transfer function the current signal uses. The panel shows Use timeline, ACEScc, ACEScct, Adobe RGB, Apple Log, ARIB STD-B67 HLG, ARRI LogC3, ARRI LogC4 and more. For technically correct adaptation, Colour Space and Gamma should always be considered together.
Node workflow
Decide whether the source should be described by a standard illuminant, a colour temperature or xy chromaticity.
The target should reflect the actual display or pipeline context you need to adapt to.
Current Color Space and Gamma define the math context for the adaptation, so treat them as technical settings, not cosmetic ones.
The goal is a technically coherent white point. If you want a stylised mood, add it later with dedicated grading tools.
Chromatic Adaptation vs neighbouring tools
Use it when the central problem is a white-point or illuminant translation inside an already defined colour context.
Primary controls are better for broad visual balancing and creative image preparation. They are not explicit source-to-target illuminant conversions.
ACES Transform and broader colour-management tools solve larger colour-space and pipeline conversions. Keep those topics on their dedicated pages so this article stays focused on chromatic adaptation itself.
Common mistakes
If Current Color Space or Gamma do not match the actual signal, the adaptation math is built on the wrong assumptions.
Choosing illuminants because one option looks more pleasing can hide the real technical problem instead of solving it.
Chromatic Adaptation should establish a coherent white-point basis. Stylisation is safer later with dedicated grading tools.
Chromatic Adaptation is not an ordinary Temp/Tint adjustment. It models a conversion from one illuminant/white-point state to another so the neutral axis aligns while saturated colours follow the selected CAT model.
| Layer | What it means | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Selects the CAT matrix/model: CAT02, Bradford, von Kries and others. Blackmagic notes that methods differ mainly in how saturated colours are transformed. | Inspect saturated blues, cyan, skin and product colours — not only neutrals. |
| Source Illuminant | Defines the source white-point/illumination assumption through a preset, Kelvin or CIE 1931 xy. | Source must describe the signal’s current state, not the desired result. |
| Target Illuminant | Defines the target white point/illuminant to which adaptation is built. | Target should match the downstream colour-space/display assumption. |
| Current Colour Space + Gamma | Tells the effect how to interpret the current RGB values before XYZ/LMS calculations. | Use timeline is valid only in a correct managed context; set explicit values in a local branch when needed. |
Likely cause: The selected CAT method behaves less favourably on that saturated-colour set; Blackmagic explicitly notes this for some methods.
Fix: Compare CAT02 with Bradford/other methods on the real shot; do not choose the method from a grey chart alone.
Likely cause: Current Colour Space/Gamma does not match the actual signal.
Fix: Confirm the node state and temporarily set explicit current space/gamma instead of Use timeline.
Likely cause: Source and Target are close/identical or the neutral has already been adapted upstream.
Fix: Check the actual xy/standard illuminants and upstream transforms; do not force a stronger effect artificially.
Chromatic Adaptation should sit where the current signal state is explicitly known. If a following CST/ACES stage expects a specific white point, the source→target adaptation must be part of the documented transform chain rather than an accidental creative node.
RGB Parade helps reveal neutral channel balance, while vectorscope/CIE shows hue movement in saturated colours. For method comparisons, inspect a neutral object and saturated blue/cyan/red samples together.
White-point adaptation is often already embedded in a broader colour transform. If CST with Use White Point Adaptation or an ACES output already performs the required adaptation, a separate Chromatic Adaptation can become a second conversion.
explicit conversion between colour-space/gamma descriptions, including tone/gamut mapping
node-level input/output through the standardised ACES transform set
compressing hue/saturation/luminance variation around a selected Target Color
XYZ/LMS, CAT and why adaptation is not the same as a white-balance slider.
D50, D60, D65 and white-point coordinates.
Why RGB must first be related to a CIE system.
When a full gamut/gamma conversion is required instead.
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
Chromatic Adaptation is a Resolve FX that adapts an image from one illuminant or white point to another, with explicit controls for the adaptation method, source, target, current colour space and gamma.
Not exactly. Both touch colour balance, but Chromatic Adaptation is framed as a technical white-point conversion tool with explicit source/target illuminants rather than a simple temperature/tint adjustment.
Method selects the chromatic-adaptation model. Resolve 21 shows Bradford, Bradford (Linear), CAT02, CMCCAT2000, CMCCAT97, Sharp, von Kries and XYZ Scaling.
Because the effect needs to know the signal context it is operating in. If colour space or gamma are wrong, the adaptation is calculated from the wrong assumptions.
Use timeline is convenient when the project or timeline context already describes the current signal correctly. If the local node context differs, an explicit choice can be safer.
ACES Transform and CST handle broader colour transforms and pipeline conversions. Chromatic Adaptation focuses specifically on adapting between illuminants or white points inside that wider colour context.
Related Color pages
The canonical page for project-level colour management, managed workflows, ACES setups, CST and delivery logic.
Return to the previous transform-focused Resolve FX page in the ordered catalog.
Continue to the next Color Resolve FX: Target Color with separate Hue, Saturation and Luminance compression controls.
