RESOLVE FX · TONE + CHROMA RENDERING · STUDIO
Gamut Mapping.
Map the range.
Do not lose track of who owns the rendering.
Standalone Gamut Mapping is a Studio-only tone/gamut remapping stage. Gamma describes the signal entering the FX, Tone Mapping handles luminance/dynamic-range pressure, Gamut Mapping handles extreme chroma, and Forward/Inverse OOTF change scene↔display domain. The production problem is not choosing a “nice preset”; it is assigning those responsibilities once.
Gamma
Tone + gamut
Forward / Inverse OOTF
In the lab, turn on project tone/gamut mapping while the local FX remains active, then deliberately mismatch Gamma. The red state is the lesson: plausible-looking mapping is still wrong when the signal contract or ownership is wrong.
Teaching model only. It visualizes ownership, relative roll-off pressure, and the difference between soft chroma compression and hard clipping. It does not reproduce Resolve DRT curves, gamut boundaries, adaptation math, or OOTF implementation.
4 actual Resolve captures + independent mapping/ownership teaching model; no emulation of Resolve DRT or gamut math.
8 VISIBLE · 4 CONDITIONAL · STUDIO01SIGNAL → TONE → GAMUT → DOMAIN
One panel contains four different decisions. Treating it as one preset is the fastest way to lose control.
The standalone FX is useful precisely because it lets you separate mapping from an explicit color-space conversion. That also means you must know what the surrounding pipeline already owns.
Gamma describes the input; it is not a “nice curve” selector.
Standalone Gamut Mapping exposes one explicit Gamma field, so it must match the transfer function at this exact node. Use timeline is safe only while upstream CST/DCTL/LUT/Group/Timeline processing has not changed the encoding.
Tone mapping and gamut mapping are independent axes.
Tone Mapping Method redistributes luminance/dynamic range. Gamut Mapping Method redistributes extreme saturation/chroma. You may need one without the other; enabling both automatically just because they share a panel is the wrong model.
Mapping should have one owner in the pipeline.
RCM, ACES, an output CST, and standalone Gamut Mapping can own overlapping tone/gamut-rendering tasks. If the project/output stage already maps the signal, a second local mapper needs a clear reason and A/B verification or double roll-off/compression can result.
This Resolve FX is Studio-only. — The current Resolve 21.1 manual marks the standalone Gamut Mapping effect as Studio Version Only. Do not confuse it with similar mapping controls exposed inside other color-management paths.
02REAL RESOLVE 21.1 CONTROLS
Eight visible controls, plus four conditional controls documented by the manual.
The screenshots below are actual Resolve captures. Where the manual documents a conditional state that is not present in the archive, the guide says so explicitly instead of drawing fake UI.
A · Input signal
First describe the gamma that actually enters the FX.
- Gamma
Transfer function / encoding of the incoming signal. Use timeline inherits timeline gamma; choose an explicit option after an upstream transform has already changed the encoding.
VERIFY / WATCHAudit preceding CST, DCTL, LUT, Group/Timeline nodes, and project color management. A camera Log label is wrong if the signal is already normalized/display-referred.
B · Tone mapping
Luminance roll-off is chosen by method, then constrained by the nits context.
- Tone Mapping Method
None disables mapping; Clip hard-clips out-of-bounds values; Simple uses a simple curve; Luminance Mapping and DaVinci provide more controlled roll-off; Saturation Preserving retains more saturation in the extremes.
VERIFY / WATCHDo not choose a method as a preset. First establish whether there is a real dynamic-range mismatch between the input and intended output/display context.
- Max. Input Luminance
Peak/endpoint of the input luminance range in nits used by the tone mapper to define the scale of the remap.
VERIFY / WATCHThe value should come from source/mastering context. The manual notes that Simple maps approximately 5500→100 nits, so content above about 5500 nits may still clip with that method.
- Max. Output Luminance
Target peak display/mastering range in nits into which the input range should be fitted.
VERIFY / WATCHDo not tune this only by eye: 100, 1000, and other values are different mastering/display contracts. Verify HDR scopes and the actual delivery target.
- Avg. Input Luminance
Adaptation-aware parameter: compensates for differences in viewer adaptation between bright HDR material and a dimmer display context. The manual suggests 0–10 for most average images and higher values for very bright scenes.
VERIFY / WATCHThis is not Exposure. Adjust it after Max Input/Output and judge highlight-detail distribution rather than overall “wow contrast”.
- Sat. Rolloff Start / Sat. Rolloff Limit
Conditional controls for Saturation Preserving: Start sets where highlight saturation roll-off begins, Limit where the image becomes fully desaturated. They exist because preserving saturation in extreme highlights can look unnatural.
VERIFY / WATCHThese controls are documented in the manual but are not open in the available screenshots. Do not confuse them with gamut Saturation Knee/Max — that is a different branch.
C · Gamut mapping
Saturation is either left alone, smoothly compressed, or hard-clipped.
- Gamut Mapping Method
Live Resolve 21.1 UI: None, Saturation Compression, Clip. None leaves extreme chroma unmapped; Saturation Compression is the smooth option; Clip hard-clips out-of-gamut values.
VERIFY / WATCHWhen LED/neon/graphics color separation matters, compare Saturation Compression with Clip on CIE/Vectorscope and the real display. Hard Clip can collapse separation.
- Saturation Knee / Saturation Max
The manual documents conditional controls for the branch it calls Saturation Mapping: Knee sets where remapping starts and Max defines the new maximum saturation level. In the live 21.1 UI, the corresponding method is labeled Saturation Compression.
VERIFY / WATCHTreat the naming difference as a UI/manual mismatch. Do not invent the unseen state: use the actual panel in your 21.1 build and verify the conditional sliders that appear.
D · Advanced / OOTF
OOTF changes the scene↔display relationship and requires clear ownership.
- Apply Forward OOTF
Per the manual: scene-referred → display-referred color management. This is a technical domain transition, not a creative contrast switch.
VERIFY / WATCHIf RCM/ACES/an output CST already performs display rendering, another Forward OOTF can duplicate system-gamma behavior.
- Apply Inverse OOTF
Per the manual: display-referred → scene-referred color management. This is the inverse domain operation.
VERIFY / WATCHDo not enable Forward and Inverse together without a rigorously explained round-trip. In an ordinary production node that is a strong signal to audit pipeline ownership.
03NODE / PROJECT OWNERSHIP
Map once, in the place that actually owns the rendering decision.
Use the graph to compare a manual YRGB chain with an RCM/ACES project. The node count is illustrative; the durable part is the responsibility order.
Use standalone Gamut Mapping for one clear job
Set Gamma from the actual node input. Decide tone and gamut mapping independently. Treat Max/Avg luminance as technical context, not creative exposure knobs.
The graph is decision order, not mandatory node count. The durable rule is one owner per rendering responsibility: describe the local gamma, solve luminance and chroma deliberately, assign OOTF only where the scene/display transition belongs, then verify final output.
04FOUR PRODUCTION EXERCISES
Practice luminance, chroma and OOTF as separate variables.
HDR/PQ → SDR 100 nits: start with the luminance contract
Understand tone mapping separately from gamut mapping.
SETUPThe material already arrives in the expected gamma/domain; the target is a controlled SDR display/master.
- 01
Confirm Gamma and the actual node input; do not choose PQ merely because the source was HDR if upstream processing already changed the signal.
- 02
Compare None/Clip/DaVinci with the same Max Input/Output; observe clipping, roll-off, and highlight saturation.
- 03
Refine Avg. Input Luminance only after the endpoints, then verify Waveform/HDR scopes.
- 04
Keep Gamut Mapping Method = None on the first pass so luminance and chroma diagnosis remain separate.
Every visible change can be explained as dynamic-range mapping rather than an accidental look.
Mixed cameras: DaVinci tone mapping as a common roll-off
Test the scenario the manual specifically calls useful for mixed wide-gamut camera media.
SETUPMultiple cameras are already in a compatible working/output context; differences remain in highlight behavior.
- 01
Align the signal contract first; Gamut Mapping should not repair an incorrect decode.
- 02
Set Tone Mapping Method = DaVinci and compare highlight roll-off between cameras.
- 03
Stress-test bright saturated sources; if color is lost, compare Saturation Preserving.
- 04
Check that a second DRT/output mapper is not already enabled in project color management.
Tone mapping aligns rendering behavior without masking an incorrect input transform.
LED / neon: Saturation Compression before a hard limit
Preserve hue/chroma separation before the final compliance boundary.
SETUPA frame with multiple saturated LED/neon colors approaching the delivery-gamut boundary.
- 01
Leave Tone Mapping Method unchanged and compare only Gamut Mapping Method.
- 02
Compare None → Saturation Compression → Clip on CIE/Vectorscope and the Viewer.
- 03
If your build exposes Saturation Knee/Max, move Knee so mid-saturation colors remain untouched.
- 04
If a strict QC boundary is required, verify a separate late Gamut Limiter after mapping.
Mapping preserves differences between saturated colors better than hard clip while the limiter remains a separate compliance guard.
OOTF ownership: scene ↔ display without double rendering
Understand exactly where the pipeline changes signal domain.
SETUPA manual YRGB or managed project where output CST/RCM/ACES ownership can be traced explicitly.
- 01
Record the domain before the FX: scene-referred or display-referred.
- 02
For a scene→display test enable only Apply Forward OOTF; for the reverse enable only Inverse.
- 03
A/B against the project/output stage that already performs the same transition.
- 04
If two owners perform the same rendering role, keep one and document it.
Each scene/display transition has one clear owner.
05TOOL BOUNDARIES
Gamut Mapping FX, CST, Gamut Limiter and project color management are related — not interchangeable.
| Tool | Owns | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Gamut Mapping FX | Tone/gamut remapping without an explicit input/output color-space pair. | You need a dedicated local mapping stage in a known signal context. |
| Color Space Transform | Explicit Input Color Space/Gamma → Output Color Space/Gamma plus optional tone/gamut mapping. | You need an actual conversion between named signal states. |
| Gamut Limiter | Hard compliance boundary for a specific target gamut. | The specification requires strict clipping beyond the boundary after appearance-preserving work. |
| RCM / ACES | Project-level ownership of input/working/output transforms and display rendering. | The pipeline is centralized and mapping should already belong to the project/output stage. |
06TROUBLESHOOTING
Most failures are contract or ownership failures before they are “bad settings”.
01The image became too contrasty / highlights collapsed.+
Bypass the FX. Check whether RCM/ACES/an output CST already performs tone mapping. Then compare None with the current Tone Mapping Method using the same luminance endpoints.
02Everything looks too muted after Saturation Compression.+
First confirm the problem is genuinely out-of-gamut. If Saturation Knee/Max are available, move the onset so mid-saturation colors are not remapped. Check for duplicate gamut mapping in the project/output stage.
03Use timeline looks wrong after a CST/DCTL.+
Check the actual Gamma entering the FX. An upstream transform may already have changed the encoding, so the timeline label no longer describes the local signal state.
04Saturation Preserving creates unnaturally colorful highlights.+
That is an expected risk of the mode, which is why the manual provides Sat. Rolloff Start/Limit. Shape saturation roll-off in the brightest regions or return to DaVinci.
05Forward/Inverse OOTF changes the image unpredictably.+
Determine whether the FX receives scene- or display-referred data and who already performs OOTF/system rendering. Do not use these switches as creative contrast controls.
06Clip looks “legal on scopes” but colors lost separation.+
Hard clipping and appearance-preserving mapping are different jobs. Return to Saturation Compression upstream and leave the strict boundary to a late Gamut Limiter/QC stage.
Tone first, gamut second
When debugging, hold one axis constant. Solve luminance roll-off with Gamut Mapping Method = None, then stress-test chroma with Tone Mapping held fixed.
UI name versus manual name
The live 21.1 menu says Saturation Compression while the manual text describing Knee/Max still says Saturation Mapping. Treat this as terminology drift, not as evidence of two separate algorithms.
Scopes do not replace ownership
A legal-looking waveform can still come from a double-rendered pipeline. Verify who owns DRT, gamut mapping and OOTF before trusting the final picture.
07BEFORE DELIVERY
A correct mapping stage should be explainable in terms of signal, range, chroma and domain.
08FAQ
Practical Gamut Mapping questions
Is Gamut Mapping the same as Color Space Transform?+
No. CST explicitly defines input/output color space and gamma, while standalone Gamut Mapping focuses on tone/gamut remapping inside an already understood signal context.
Why does the UI say Saturation Compression while the manual says Saturation Mapping?+
This is a real terminology mismatch between the current Resolve 21.1 UI and the manual text. The guide uses the UI label for the menu and the manual term only when explaining the documented Saturation Knee/Max controls.
Which Tone Mapping Method is “best”?+
There is no universal best. The manual describes DaVinci as a practical smooth roll-off for mixed wide-gamut camera media, Luminance Mapping as more accurate with uniform standards-based input, and Saturation Preserving as useful when color retention in the extremes matters.
Is Max. Input Luminance the camera peak?+
Not necessarily. It is a technical endpoint that must match the signal/mastering context at this point in the pipeline. Its source depends on what upstream processing has already done.
Can I use Gamut Mapping only for saturation?+
Yes, if Tone Mapping Method = None and the actual job is only gamut/chroma mapping. That makes one responsibility at a time easier to diagnose.
Should I enable both Forward and Inverse OOTF?+
Usually no. They describe opposite scene↔display transitions. Enabling both requires a specific, explainable round-trip; in an ordinary output node it is a reason to audit the pipeline.
Should I use Saturation Compression or Gamut Limiter?+
If preserving color separation matters, map/compress first. If the specification requires a strict boundary, add a separate limiter afterward. They are different roles.
Does standalone Gamut Mapping work in Resolve Free?+
The current Resolve 21.1 manual marks this Resolve FX as Studio Version Only.
Sources and verification boundaries
Control names were verified against the actual Resolve 21.1 captures in this project and the current Resolve 21.1 manual. The teaching lab is deliberately qualitative: it models contract, ownership, relative range pressure and soft-vs-hard chroma behavior without claiming to reproduce Blackmagic’s internal DRT, gamut-compression or OOTF mathematics.