Bevel

In Resolve 21, Bevel belongs to the integrated Krokodove toolset under Image Pixel Tools. Blackmagic describes it as creating an internal bevel around an image to simulate depth.

Keep the data-domain boundary explicit: Bevel remains a 2D processor. It does not build a mesh, create extrusion depth, participate in a 3D lighting scene, or require Renderer3D. Use a 3D workflow when real parallax, camera interaction or actual geometry is required.

Bevel is easiest to evaluate on Text+, logos, icons and graphics with a clean silhouette. On detailed photographic footage, texture and internal edges can compete with the bevel and make diagnosis less direct.

The bundled Controls capture confirms four primary controls: Bevel Filter, Lock X/Y, Bevel Size and Height. The same Inspector also shows separate Shape, Light and Settings tabs.

The captured Bevel Filter menu confirms four labels: Box, Soften, Bartlett and Gaussian. Treat them as four edge-construction/filter choices that should be compared with identical Size/Height rather than as a built-in best-to-worst quality ladder.

Bevel Filter is an algorithmic choice. Changing Filter, Size and Height at the same time destroys the A/B because you can no longer tell which variable changed the edge profile.

Lock X/Y is enabled in the captured Controls state. It keeps the bevel-size behavior linked across axes. When unlocked, the exact target-build labels for any separate axis controls must be captured live rather than guessed from older versions.

Bevel Size controls the width of the internal bevel zone. It should not be described as light intensity or 3D extrusion depth; it is a 2D edge-width decision.

On small typography, Bevel Size quickly collides with stroke thickness. Once the bevel approaches the width of a thin stroke, counters and small corners can lose shape before Height becomes visually strong.

Height controls the apparent strength of the simulated relief. A useful diagnostic order is to establish a suitable Size first, then raise Height rather than using excessive Height to compensate for a poor width choice.

The captured baseline shows Bevel Size = 5.0 and Height = 0.100000 with Soften and Lock X/Y enabled. Those values document the current UI state, not a universal production preset; source scale, resolution and stroke thickness change the appearance substantially.

Shape is present as a separate Inspector tab, but the bundled package does not contain an opened capture of its internal controls. This article therefore records the tab as a distinct profile stage without inventing slider names, ranges or formulas.

Light is likewise visible as a separate tab but is not expanded in the supplied captures. Exact labels, angles, units and shading math remain a target-build live-verification boundary instead of being copied from an unrelated or older implementation.

Settings is the normal Fusion tool settings tab. It does not turn Bevel into a 3D node or create additional geometry; Bevel-specific creative work remains primarily in Controls plus the separate Shape and Light tabs.

Input is a normal 2D RGBA image stream. Text+, Loader/PNG, MediaIn, a Background/Merge result or another rasterized 2D processor can feed Bevel directly without conversion to Shape or scene3d.

Effect Mask is a separate blue mask input. It limits the spatial contribution of the effect; it is not a second image, does not replace Input and does not define the bevel profile. Validate Bevel unmasked before debugging mask coverage.

Output remains a normal 2D image stream. Bevel can feed Color Corrector, Glow, Transform, Merge or MediaOut directly; its presence does not create a requirement for Merge3D or Renderer3D.

For a fair filter A/B, lock the source frame, Viewer zoom, Bevel Size, Height and Lock X/Y. Otherwise differences among Box, Soften, Bartlett and Gaussian become mixed with a changing edge scale.

On alpha-bearing sources and semitransparent edges, inspect alpha as well as RGB. An oversized or harsh bevel can create a dirty fringe on antialiased edges even when a zoomed-out Viewer looks acceptable.

For animation, first establish a clean static bevel, then animate one control at a time. Playback can reveal edge shimmer, stair-stepping and changing apparent stroke thickness that a single still hides.

If the job only needs an outline or glow, Bevel may be unnecessary. If it needs real extrusion, materials, camera response and scene lighting, use Text3D/Extrude3D/Shape3D instead. Bevel is most useful as a compact internal 2D bevel inside an image pipeline.

If the source edge is noisy, compressed or poorly prepared, Bevel tends to emphasize that defect. Repair the source/alpha first; do not use a larger filter or wider bevel merely to hide an upstream problem.