Lock Horizontal/Vertical
Keeps directional width controls linked.
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Contour
Threshold-based contour line extraction
Extracts contour lines from image changes using threshold, levels, width and supersampling controls.
This tool belongs to the Krokodove set integrated into DaVinci Resolve 21 and Fusion Studio 21. See the complete Krokodove node list and the comparison with native Fusion tools.
Contour
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Contour analyzes image values and produces line-like contour structure for graphic stylization, technical masks and edge-driven design.
Overview
What Contour does
Threshold determines which value changes become contours, while Levels controls how many tonal contour bands are generated.
Width controls the apparent line thickness, and horizontal/vertical locking can keep width behavior consistent.
Supersampling is useful when fine contour lines are animated, scaled or used as high-contrast overlays.
Mental model
Think of Contour as drawing map-like lines through the image wherever selected tonal boundaries occur.
Common uses
Graphic outline looks
Technical edge maps
Animated contour overlays
Mask preparation
Posterized motion graphics
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Input
Source image used to calculate contours.
Effect Mask
Limits contour extraction or the final contour result.
Contour
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Width
Sets contour-line thickness.
Lock Threshold
Links Threshold so they change together.
Threshold
Controls sensitivity to value changes.
Lock Levels
Links Levels so they change together.
Levels
Sets the number or density of contour levels.
Super-Sampling
Improves thin-line rendering.
Pre-Divide / Post-Multiply
Helps preserve premultiplied-alpha correctness when processing transparent imagery.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Start with a clean source.
- 2
Set Threshold until important boundaries appear.
- 3
Adjust Levels for the desired contour density.
- 4
Set Width for readability.
- 5
Use supersampling when thin lines shimmer.
Typical node chain
Image values→
Contour→
Line map
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Neon contour overlay
Extract contours, glow them and composite over the source.
MediaInContourGlowMerge
Contour matte
Convert contour output into a mask branch.
MediaInContourBitmapEffect
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Using a noisy source and extracting every compression artifact
Making lines too thin for delivery resolution
Ignoring premultiplication on transparent graphics
Production notes
Practical tips
Denoise or blur very slightly before Contour when the source is noisy.
Use downstream ColorMap to recolor contour lines.
Glow works best after line extraction, not before.
Related nodes