Colors
Chooses the color representation used for matching.
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MatchColor
Three-point tonal color matching
Matches source colors to destination colors across shadows, midtones and highlights for fast shot or element balancing.
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.
MatchColor
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
MatchColor provides separate source/destination color pairs for dark, mid and bright regions, allowing a plate or element to be nudged toward a reference without building a full manual grade.
Overview
What MatchColor does
MatchColor provides separate source/destination color pairs for dark, mid and bright regions, allowing a plate or element to be nudged toward a reference without building a full manual grade.
Mental model
Give the node examples of what shadow, midtone and highlight colors should become; it builds the adjustment between those anchors.
Common uses
Match an inserted element to a plate
Balance shots with known reference colors
Align shadow and highlight casts
Quickly neutralize a mismatched graphic
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Input
Source image for the operation.
Effect Mask
Optional mask that limits where the node affects the image.
MatchColor
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Shadows Match
Enables the dark-range color pair.
Source 1
Defines the source reference color for the shadow range.
Alpha 1
Weights the Source 1/Destination 1 match, primarily shaping the shadow-side contribution.
Destination 1
Defines the target color to which the shadow reference is mapped.
Midtones Match
Enables the midtone color pair.
Source 2
Defines the source reference color for the midtone range.
Alpha 2
Weights the second source/destination match, primarily shaping the midtone contribution.
Destination 2
Defines the target color to which the midtone reference is mapped.
Highlights Match
Enables the highlight color pair.
Source 3
Defines the source reference color for the highlight range.
Alpha 3
Weights the third Match Color source/destination pair, typically affecting the brighter tonal range.
Destination 3
Defines the target color to which the highlight reference is mapped.
Super-Sampling
Improves precision for some operations at additional render cost.
Super-Sampling Filter Size
Sets supersampling quality for cleaner rendered edges.
Higher values improve quality at additional render cost.
Pre-Divide / Post-Multiply
Protects premultiplied edge colors.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Identify reliable shadow, midtone and highlight samples.
- 2
Set source colors from the image being corrected.
- 3
Set destination colors from the target reference.
- 4
Enable only the tonal anchors you actually need.
- 5
Compare the result against the reference and refine with a normal color node if necessary.
Typical node chain
Input→
MatchColor→
Output
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Element integration
Match a rendered graphic to the plate lighting.
ElementMatchColorMerge
Shot alignment
Use three tonal samples to bring one shot closer to another.
Shot BMatchColorEdit
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Sampling unstable or clipped colors
Using all three ranges when only one needs correction
Expecting a perfect grade from poor reference samples
Production notes
Practical tips
Sample neutral or representative areas instead of tiny specular highlights.
Use MatchColor as a starting point, then finish with a normal grade.
Related nodes