Color
Color of the generated image.
Used for solid plates, branding, light sources and technical maps.
← Fusion node reference
Core 2DBeginner
Background
Solid color and graphic source
Generates a solid color, transparent plate or masked graphic element for compositing and motion design.
Background
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Background is a generator node used for everything from a full-frame color to title plates, masks, glow sources and technical utility passes.
Overview
What Background does
Background is more than a plain color card. In practical Fusion work it is a universal source that can become a lower-third plate, a masked shape, a light pass, a matte or a procedural building block.
The most common setup is Background plus Rectangle, Ellipse or Polygon. The mask cuts the background into a shape and Merge places that result over the video.
Alpha matters. A Background can be partially or fully transparent and still remain useful as part of a technical branch that is later masked, blurred, glowed or combined.
Mental model
Imagine a sheet of colored material: the mask cuts its shape, Alpha controls transparency, and Merge places the result into the scene.
Common uses
Create a title plate
Build a full-frame color wash
Generate a transparent utility layer
Create a masked shape
Feed a bright source into Glow
Build displacement or matte maps
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Effect Mask
Restricts the generated image to a mask such as Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon or Bitmap.
Background
Fusion node
Output
The generated image with its color, alpha and optional mask.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Alpha
Transparency of the generated image.
1.0 is opaque and 0.0 is transparent. Alpha is often animated or combined with masks.
Gradient Type
Switches from a flat color to a gradient.
Useful for subtle lighting, backgrounds and stylized graphic cards.
Start / End
Controls the positions and colors of a gradient.
The exact controls depend on gradient mode and can be animated.
Use Frame Format Settings
Uses the composition frame format for the Background canvas.
This is the normal choice for full-frame plates and graphics.
Width / Height
Canvas dimensions when the node is not inheriting the comp size.
Usually leave these aligned with the composition unless a special technical plate is required.
Pixel Aspect
Sets the pixel aspect ratio of the generated Background.
Leave it aligned with the project unless you are deliberately building for a non-square-pixel format.
Depth
Sets the processing precision of the generated image.
Higher precision is useful for HDR values, strong glows and repeated color processing.
Effect Mask
Limits the Background to the connected mask.
Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon and Bitmap are common ways to turn a full-frame Background into a graphic shape.
Mask Soft Edge
Controls edge softness through the connected mask.
The actual feather is normally adjusted on the mask node itself, not on Background.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Create Background.
- 2
Choose the color and alpha you need.
- 3
Connect a mask if the background should become a shape.
- 4
Add Blur, Glow or Transform if the shape needs styling or motion.
- 5
Merge the result over the main image.
Typical node chain
Background→
Merge→
MediaOut
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Lower-third plate
A masked Background becomes a clean graphic plate behind text.
Background + RectangleTransformMerge
Soft light pass
A bright Background is masked and blurred before being composited with Screen/Add.
Background + EllipseBlurMerge
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Leaving Alpha at 0 and wondering why the plate is invisible.
Creating a full-frame Background when a mask would be cleaner.
Using the wrong frame size for technical maps.
Animating several shape controls when a Transform after the Background would be easier.
Production notes
Practical tips
Keep brand colors in a small set of clearly named Background nodes.
For reusable title systems, separate shape generation from motion and compositing.
A white Background with masks is a simple way to create utility mattes.
Related nodes