Luminance Steps
Controls the number of tonal levels retained.
← Fusion node reference
Painterly
Brush-like tonal stylization
Simplifies luminance and rebuilds local image regions into brush-like shapes for painterly, mosaic or illustrated looks.
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.
Painterly
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Painterly converts fine pixel detail into broader local strokes or patches controlled by luminance steps, neighborhood mode, brush shape, radius and aspect.
Overview
What Painterly does
Luminance Steps controls how many tonal levels survive the simplification. Fewer steps create a more graphic, poster-like result.
Mode chooses how the local neighborhood contributes to each stylized mark, while Type chooses square, circle or a custom shape.
Radius and Aspect define the apparent brush footprint and have a major influence on whether the effect feels like paint, mosaic or texture reduction.
Mental model
Think of Painterly as replacing fine pixels with larger brush decisions: quantize the tonal structure, choose how local values are sampled, then choose the shape and size of each stroke.
Common uses
Digital-paint looks
Mosaic-style transitions
Illustrated backgrounds
Texture simplification
Stylized portrait treatments
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Image
Source image for the operation.
Effect Mask
Optional mask that limits where the node affects the image.
Custom Shape / Auxiliary Input
Shape data processed or combined by this node.
Painterly
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Mode
Chooses how the local value is selected, including Peak, Minimum or Maximum.
Mode: Peak
Uses Peak for mode.
Mode: Minimum
Uses Minimum for mode.
Mode: Maximum
Uses Maximum for mode.
Type
Chooses Square, Circle or Custom brush geometry.
Type: Square
Uses Square for type.
Type: Circle
Uses Circle for type.
Type: Custom
Uses Custom for type.
Radius
Controls brush or neighborhood size.
Aspect
Stretches the brush footprint.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Choose a moderate luminance-step count.
- 2
Select a sampling Mode.
- 3
Choose the brush shape.
- 4
Set Radius and Aspect.
- 5
Blend or mask the result when critical details need to remain photographic.
Typical node chain
Image→
Painterly→
Brush-like image
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Digital painting
Use broad circular marks and a controlled grade.
MediaInPainterlyColorCorrectorMediaOut
Graphic mosaic transition
Animate Radius or blend into the effect.
MediaInPainterlyDissolve
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Using a huge Radius before choosing tonal steps
Flattening faces into unreadable blocks
Expecting the effect to preserve fine typography
Production notes
Practical tips
Protect text and faces with masks.
Color-grade after the stylization rather than before when you want a unified painted palette.
Custom shapes can make the look much less generic.
Related nodes