Creating Custom False Color for Logarithmic Color Spaces

Fusion: A stops-based false color LUT for both grading and in-camera monitoring

This Insight comes from a very specific but common need among colorists and filmmakers: the lack of precision in the default false-color tools found in many cameras and even in some post-production tools when working in logarithmic color spaces.

Most of those false colors are based on IRE values, which makes sense in display-referred workflows but becomes far less useful when working in logarithmic spaces like DaVinci Wide Gamut or SLog-3, where middle gray sits in different locations.

There is also no native false color tool in DaVinci Resolve’s OFX library that works properly in DaVinci Wide Gamut / DaVinci Intermediate. While it would be ideal to build one directly in the Color page, the only way to gain precise control over input and output values is by using Fusion, since it allows for detailed curve adjustments through the Spline Editor.

There is one more practical limitation worth naming up front.

Traditional false color overlays display the entire image at once, which can make it harder to focus on specific exposure areas. In both cinematography and color grading, the need is usually to evaluate specific zones – the key side of a face, or shadow regions. Having greater separation between stops and avoiding showing every value simultaneously allows for more precise, controlled adjustment of the areas you actually care about.

The custom false-color tool we create will center on middle gray and extend 1 stop above and below. It gives you a clearer view of the parts of the image you are managing at that moment, with less visual noise than a traditional whole-image false color overlay.

Key Takeaways

By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:

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