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Resolve FX Stylize · DaVinci Resolve 21

Edge Detect

A configurable contour-extraction effect for monochrome or RGB edge maps, graphic outlines, technical analysis and stylized line-art treatments.

RGB / GrayscaleEdge MaskHalf-EdgesPreprocessNormalize

Edge-map anatomy

Detect, shape, filter, then composite

Edge Detect is useful because each stage is explicit: choose color or grayscale edges, shape the contour response, preprocess or isolate one edge polarity, then stabilize and blend the result.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

  • RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
  • Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
  • If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.
Edge Width · Brightness · Gamma · Blur

Detection

The Detection section shapes the actual contour image. Edge Width controls the visible thickness of detected lines: small values create a thin technical outline, while larger values push the pass toward heavier graphic styling. Brightness scales the intensity of detected edges. Gamma reshapes the brightness distribution inside the edge response and can pull weaker contours forward without simply raising everything equally. Blur softens the edge map and removes brittle pixel-level harshness. Edge Mask Overlay is the diagnostic preview for seeing exactly where Resolve is finding edges relative to the source image.

  • Tune Edge Width at the final delivery scale because very thin lines can disappear in a reduced Viewer.
  • Brightness and Gamma complement each other: Brightness is overall gain, while Gamma redistributes weaker and stronger edge values.
  • A little Blur often makes a stylized edge pass much cleaner on skin, noise and fine texture.
Preprocess + Half-Edges Only

Filters

Preprocess determines how the image is prepared before edge detection. None leaves the source without extra preprocessing. Filter is useful when you want to reduce the influence of fine texture and make contour extraction more selective. Flatten more strongly simplifies tonal variation before boundary detection and can produce a more graphic, poster-like response. Half-Edges Only controls edge polarity: None keeps both sides of the edge response, Keep Light Side keeps the light side of the transition, and Keep Dark Side keeps the dark side. This is especially useful when a double contour around an object feels too heavy and you want a more one-sided drawn line.

  • If the edge pass is noisy, try Preprocess before aggressively raising the detection threshold.
  • Keep Light Side / Keep Dark Side can radically change the visual character without changing the Detection controls.
  • For clean line art, one half-edge is often more useful than a bright double outline on both sides of a transition.
Normalize · Clamp · final mix

Advanced Options + Global Blend

Normalize Per Frame automatically rescales the edge-brightness range independently for every frame. That can help on strongly changing material, but on video the per-frame normalization should be checked for temporal stability because contour intensity can change with the image content. Clamp Brightness limits excessively bright edge values and keeps the graphic response inside a more controlled range. Global Blend mixes the complete Edge Detect result with the original node state, which is useful for subtle embossed or outlined looks when a full-strength edge map is too aggressive.

  • Normalize Per Frame acts like an auto-level for edges, but always check playback for pumping or flicker.
  • Clamp Brightness is useful around strong highlights and contrasty sources where the edge response can become excessively hot.
  • Use Global Blend last; it does not replace correctly tuned Width, Brightness, Gamma and Filters.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Edge Width · Brightness · Gamma · Blur

Detection

The Detection section shapes the actual contour image. Edge Width controls the visible thickness of detected lines: small values create a thin technical outline, while larger values push the pass toward heavier graphic styling. Brightness scales the intensity of detected edges. Gamma reshapes the brightness distribution inside the edge response and can pull weaker contours forward without simply raising everything equally. Blur softens the edge map and removes brittle pixel-level harshness. Edge Mask Overlay is the diagnostic preview for seeing exactly where Resolve is finding edges relative to the source image.

Tune Edge Width at the final delivery scale because very thin lines can disappear in a reduced Viewer.
Brightness and Gamma complement each other: Brightness is overall gain, while Gamma redistributes weaker and stronger edge values.
A little Blur often makes a stylized edge pass much cleaner on skin, noise and fine texture.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Normalize · Clamp · final mix

Advanced Options + Global Blend

Normalize Per Frame automatically rescales the edge-brightness range independently for every frame. That can help on strongly changing material, but on video the per-frame normalization should be checked for temporal stability because contour intensity can change with the image content. Clamp Brightness limits excessively bright edge values and keeps the graphic response inside a more controlled range. Global Blend mixes the complete Edge Detect result with the original node state, which is useful for subtle embossed or outlined looks when a full-strength edge map is too aggressive.

Normalize Per Frame acts like an auto-level for edges, but always check playback for pumping or flicker.
Clamp Brightness is useful around strong highlights and contrasty sources where the edge response can become excessively hot.
Use Global Blend last; it does not replace correctly tuned Width, Brightness, Gamma and Filters.

Color or monochrome edge map

Mode: RGB Edges / Grayscale Edges

Mode defines how the detected contours are rendered. RGB Edges preserves channel-specific color differences, so an edge can become colored when the transition differs across R, G and B. That is useful for stylized neon/comic looks and for examining chromatic transitions. Grayscale Edges collapses the result into a neutral luminance edge map, which is usually cleaner for graphic outlines, mattes or a general monochrome contour pass.

RGB Edges is usually more expressive when the edge image itself is the creative look.
Grayscale Edges is easier to use as a technical basis for further compositing or blending.
If colored contours feel too chaotic, compare the same setup in Grayscale Edges before changing every threshold.

Practical workflow

A clean five-step Edge Detect workflow

1. Choose Mode

Start with RGB for creative colored contours or Grayscale for cleaner line art and technical mattes.

2. Shape detection

Tune Width, Brightness, Gamma and Blur until important contours are readable without noisy micro-detail.

3. Use the overlay

Enable Edge Mask Overlay to see what Resolve is actually classifying as an edge before styling further.

4. Refine Filters

Try Preprocess and Half-Edges Only when the raw double contour is too busy or texture-heavy.

5. Stabilize and Blend

Use Normalize/Clamp only when needed, then set Global Blend for the final integration with the source.

FAQ

Practical Edge Detect questions

How are RGB Edges different from Grayscale Edges?

RGB Edges preserves channel color differences and can create colored contours. Grayscale Edges produces a neutral monochrome edge map.

What does Half-Edges Only do?

It keeps only the light or only the dark side of the edge response, which can remove double contours and create cleaner line art.

Why use Preprocess?

It changes the image preparation before contour detection. Filter reduces the influence of fine texture, while Flatten more strongly simplifies tonal variation before detection.

When should Normalize Per Frame be enabled?

Enable it when edge brightness varies strongly from frame to frame and you need automatic per-frame rescaling, but always check motion for pumping.

Resolve FX Stylize

Edge Detect adds contour-driven styling

Previous FX

Drop Shadow

Return to shadow design for titles, graphics and cut-out elements.

Next FX

Emboss

Continue from contour extraction into directional relief, Sobel and Laplacian edge styling.

Creative use

Use RGB edges for neon/comic looks, or grayscale edges as a cleaner matte for compositing.

Design rule

Build the contour cleanly before raising Brightness. A noisy edge map only becomes noisier when amplified.