Resolve FX · Color

Split Tone

A colour-space-aware split-toning effect for placing opposing colour families into shadows and highlights, with film-oriented Natural/Strong modes, a fully custom mode, neutral protection and explicit input/output colour-space overrides.

Natural / Strong / CustomPivot + Hue AngleProtect NeutralsColor Space Overrides

Three operating models

Natural for film-like restraint, Strong for visible stylisation, Custom for exact art direction

Blackmagic introduced the dedicated Split Tone FX in Resolve 20.1. Natural and Strong were also added to Film Look Creator; the standalone effect adds the full colour-space override and Custom workflow.

Natural

A gentle film-oriented model that quickly creates classic warm/cool separation without manually building two independent colours.

Strong

A more obvious intentional look. Useful when split toning should read as a stylistic device, but easy to overdo.

Custom

Independent Shadows and Highlights with their own Strength/Hue plus extended Neutrals controls. The choice for precise art direction.

Controls

Every control has a different job — do not use Strength to solve a Pivot or signal-contract problem

Natural · Strong · Custom

Split Tone Mode

Natural is the film-oriented preset model, while Strong is a more deliberate stylised version. Custom exposes independent control of shadow and highlight colours. These are not merely three strengths of the same slider: the mode changes how the split-tone look is constructed.

Natural is the starting point for gentle film-style colour timing
Strong pushes the look into visible stylisation more quickly
Custom exposes separate Shadows/Highlights and extended neutral-range protection

See the influence first

Preview Influence · Strength

Preview Influence shows where Resolve intends to place the split colours, using their actual colours. It is the best diagnostic view before judging the look aesthetically. Strength then determines how much of the split-tone colour is mixed into the original image.

Preview Influence is a diagnostic view, not the final image
Strength controls effect amount, not the split position
Verify the influence zones before trimming or increasing the look

Where shadows and highlights diverge

Pivot · Hue Angle

Pivot sets the tonal point around which the shadow-side and highlight-side influences diverge. Hue Angle defines the split-tone colour axis and is measured as an angle on the vectorscope. Changing Pivot is therefore not a contrast adjustment; it moves the colour-distribution boundary through the tonal range.

A higher Pivot moves the split further into the bright range
Hue Angle is easier to understand on the vectorscope than as a bare number
Natural/Strong build opposing hues around the selected axis

Keep greys from being tinted unnecessarily

Protect Neutrals

Protect Neutrals helps prevent near-neutral regions from turning into a coloured wash. In the current Natural UI the toggle is available directly in the main panel. In Custom, Blackmagic additionally documents Minimum/Maximum Saturation controls for more precise definition of which neutral or low-saturation regions are preserved.

Especially useful for white walls, grey clothing and neutral props
Do not use Protect Neutrals as a substitute for balancing the shot
Skin-tone protection still needs separate visual verification

The effect's signal contract

Color Space Overrides

Input Colour Space/Gamma and Output Colour Space/Gamma let you describe Split Tone's input and output explicitly. By default, Use timeline follows the project's Colour Management settings. Overrides are not random look controls; they are for cases where the node signal state genuinely differs from the timeline contract, for example because of a CST/DCTL or a display-referred workflow.

Use timeline is correct when the timeline truly describes the signal at this node
Re-check overrides after an upstream technical transform
Do not use Split Tone to duplicate a CST/DRT

Final creative context

Output White Point · Global Blend

Output White Point defines the effect's display white point; Blackmagic lists D65 as the default and allows alternatives for creative purposes. Global Blend is the final dry/wet control for the whole FX and is best used for the last A/B after Mode, Pivot, Hue Angle and neutral protection are already tuned.

D65 is the default, not a universal creative recipe
A White Point override should be an intentional part of the display contract
Trim Blend at the end, not instead of tuning the controls

Colour-space-aware creative FX

The look is creative, but the input/output contract is technical

Use timeline follows the project Colour Management settings. That is convenient when the node truly lives in the timeline working space. If an upstream transform changes the signal, describe the actual input/output explicitly instead of forcing Split Tone to guess.

Do not duplicate theory: the fundamentals of colour spaces, gamma, white points and managed pipelines stay in the Color Management / Color Science sections. Here they are discussed only as the contract required by this FX.

Override menus

The same list can mean different things on input and output — label the signal, do not guess it

Production workflow

Six passes from the correct signal domain to a restrained split-tone look

Confirm the signal

Confirm the actual colour space/gamma entering the node. Keep Use timeline only when it matches reality.

Choose the model

Start with Natural. Move to Strong for a more obvious stylisation, or Custom when independent colours are required.

Preview influence

Enable Preview Influence and inspect where shadow/highlight colours land. Do not grade the look blind.

Set Pivot + Hue

Place Pivot according to the shot, then set Hue Angle for the intended colour axis. Read the vectorscope together with the image.

Protect neutrals

Remove unwanted tint from grey/white regions. In Custom, refine the neutral saturation range when necessary.

Trim Strength / Blend

After a proper A/B, trim Strength or Global Blend until the look supports the shot rather than announcing itself.

Common failures

Most ugly split toning comes from distribution or signal-state errors, not from a lack of stronger colour

Всё серое стало цветным / Every neutral is tinted

Cause: Protect Neutrals is off or the split influence is reaching too many low-saturation regions.

Fix: Enable neutral protection; in Custom refine the saturation thresholds and re-check Preview Influence.

Кожа стала чужого цвета / Skin turns unnatural

Cause: Hue Angle/Strength are too aggressive, or Pivot sends the relevant skin luminance to the wrong side of the split.

Fix: Lower Strength first, then verify Pivot and the vectorscope; use a separate skin-protection node if needed.

После CST look резко изменился / The look changes after a CST

Cause: The FX moved into a different signal domain while the Colour Space Overrides stayed unchanged.

Fix: Lock the placement and explicitly match Input/Output Colour Space/Gamma to the node's real input/output.

Split tone выглядит как дешёвый teal-orange preset / It looks like a cheap teal-orange preset

Cause: Strong/Strength are too high and Pivot/Hue were chosen without reference to the shot content.

Fix: Return to Natural, use Preview Influence, place Pivot for the scene, and reduce the final Blend.

Tonal colour distribution, not a global tint

Split Tone: the signal-level model

The most useful mental model for Split Tone is controlled distribution of two colour directions across the tonal range. Mode defines the model, Pivot defines where shadow/highlight influence diverges, Hue Angle defines the colour axis, Strength controls the total amount, and Protect Neutrals limits unwanted tinting of near-neutral regions.

Blackmagic introduced the standalone Split Tone effect in DaVinci Resolve 20.1. Natural targets film-oriented split toning, Strong produces a more pronounced stylisation, and Custom exposes independent Shadow/Highlight colours. Preview Influence shows, in the true split colours, where they will be applied. Colour Space Overrides explicitly define Input/Output Colour Space/Gamma; Use timeline follows Project Settings Colour Management by default.

Split Tone is a creative colour effect, but its colour-space overrides are a technical signal contract. Do not choose Input/Output values simply because they look nicer. And do not move the node across a CST/DRT expecting identical Pivot/influence: the transform changes signal-value distribution.

Use it when

film-style warm/cool separation after the base balance
quick cinematic colour contrast without manually building multiple qualifier/curve branches
a precise Custom split with independent shadow/highlight hues and neutral protection
look development where split toning should remain portable and easy to A/B through Strength/Blend

Choose another tool when

the source white balance/exposure needs repair — balance the shot first
a specific object/skin region needs selective correction — use qualifier/window/parallel logic
the Input/Output signal state is unknown and overrides are being guessed by eye

Control → signal meaning → verification

Layer	What it means	How to verify
Mode	Natural = film-oriented, Strong = stylised, Custom = independent shadow/highlight colours.	A/B Natural/Strong at the same Strength; in Custom verify both colour branches separately.
Preview Influence	Diagnostic view showing the true split colours and their influence zones.	Enable it before aesthetic judgement; look for unwanted influence on skin/neutrals/background.
Strength	Total amount of split-tone colour added to the original image.	Compare 1.0, the working value and bypass; do not use Strength to fix a wrong Pivot.
Pivot	Tonal point where highlight and shadow influence diverge.	Inspect distribution across faces, practical lights and deep shadows with Preview Influence.
Hue Angle	Split-tone colour axis measured as an angle on the vectorscope.	Watch the vectorscope and skin-tone line, but make the final decision from the image.
Protect Neutrals	Limits tinting of neutral/low-saturation regions; Custom is additionally documented with Minimum/Maximum Saturation controls.	White/grey objects should retain intentional neutrality without a halo-like colour wash.
Colour Space Overrides	Explicit Input/Output Colour Space/Gamma and Output White Point for the effect's signal contract.	Cross-check against actual node placement and Project Colour Management; Use timeline is not magical auto-detection.

Production workflow

01Establish the base balance first: exposure, white balance and overall contrast should be intentional before the creative split.
02Confirm the node signal domain and keep Use timeline only if it truly matches the working state.
03Start with Natural; enable Preview Influence and inspect the actual distribution of both sides of the split.
04Set Pivot for the shot content, then Hue Angle for the desired colour axis; read the vectorscope together with the viewer.
05Enable Protect Neutrals; if an art-directed split is required, switch to Custom and tune Shadows/Highlights independently.
06Perform a bypass/A-B and only then trim Strength/Global Blend until the look is felt without shouting.

Diagnostics: symptom → cause → fix

White and grey surfaces are visibly tinted

Likely cause: Protect Neutrals is off or the neutral range is insufficiently protected.

Fix: Enable Protect Neutrals; in Custom refine Minimum/Maximum Saturation and re-check Preview Influence.

Skin becomes excessively teal/orange or magenta/green

Likely cause: Hue Angle/Strength are too aggressive or Pivot sends too much skin luminance to the wrong side of the split.

Fix: Lower Strength first, then adjust Pivot; protect skin on a separate node if necessary.

Split Tone looks different after a CST/DRT

Likely cause: The signal domain and value distribution relative to Pivot/Hue logic changed.

Fix: Return the effect to its original placement or retune explicit Input/Output overrides and creative controls for the new domain.

The look reads as a generic preset

Likely cause: Strong/Strength are being used instead of intentional Pivot/Hue placement and influence inspection.

Fix: Return to Natural, enable Preview Influence, tune Pivot/Hue for the scene and trim Blend.

Node placement

A practical starting point is a dedicated look node after the base balance/contrast and before final finishing/output operations. Split Tone should not repair camera-level technical errors. If Film Look Creator already provides Natural/Strong Split Tone, do not duplicate the standalone effect without a deliberate reason.

Scopes / validation

Preview Influence is the FX's primary diagnostic view. The vectorscope helps interpret Hue Angle and watch skin-tone drift; RGB Parade helps with overall channel balance but does not replace visual judgement of colour separation. Validate the final look on calibrated monitoring and across several representative shots.

Managed-pipeline warning

According to the official documentation, Use timeline follows the project's Colour Management settings. In RCM/ACES this is often correct when the node operates in the timeline working space. In manual YRGB or after an upstream CST/DCTL, explicit overrides must describe the actual Input/Output. D65 is the default Output White Point, not a reason to change the project white point arbitrarily.

Do not confuse the roles

Split Tone versus the neighbouring Color FX

Color Space Transform

explicit conversion between colour-space/gamma descriptions, including tone/gamut mapping

Split Tone

Natural for film-like restraint, Strong for visible stylisation, Custom for exact art direction

Natural

Strong

Custom

Every control has a different job — do not use Strength to solve a Pivot or signal-contract problem

Split Tone Mode

Preview Influence · Strength

Pivot · Hue Angle

Protect Neutrals

Color Space Overrides

Output White Point · Global Blend

The look is creative, but the input/output contract is technical

The same list can mean different things on input and output — label the signal, do not guess it

Six passes from the correct signal domain to a restrained split-tone look

Confirm the signal

Choose the model

Preview influence

Set Pivot + Hue

Protect neutrals

Trim Strength / Blend

Most ugly split toning comes from distribution or signal-state errors, not from a lack of stronger colour

Всё серое стало цветным / Every neutral is tinted

Кожа стала чужого цвета / Skin turns unnatural

После CST look резко изменился / The look changes after a CST

Split tone выглядит как дешёвый teal-orange preset / It looks like a cheap teal-orange preset

Split Tone: the signal-level model

Use it when

Choose another tool when

Control → signal meaning → verification

Production workflow

Diagnostics: symptom → cause → fix

Node placement

Scopes / validation

Managed-pipeline warning

Split Tone versus the neighbouring Color FX

Primary references used for this technical layer

Practical Split Tone questions

Does Split Tone replace Curves or Color Wheels?

Are Natural and Strong just different Strength values?

Why use Preview Influence?

When should I use Custom?

Keep creative toning separate from balance, transforms and integrated film emulation

Halation

Film Look Creator

Color Management

Vignette