What Is Offset In DaVinci Resolve?

Offset is a powerful color correction tool in DaVinci Resolve that allows colorists to add a consistent color cast across an entire image. It’s essentially Resolve’s implementation of traditional “printer lights” from film processing, adapted for the digital color grading environment.

Understanding and mastering offset controls gives colorists fine-grained control over the overall color balance and mood of their footage.

Understanding Offset Controls

In DaVinci Resolve, offset controls can be found in the Primaries palette, which is the third option from the left in the menu. When working with offset, you have several ways to visualize and adjust your corrections:

• Color Wheels: Provides a clear visual representation of what offset is doing to your image. The position of the center point relative to the wheel shows the color direction of your offset adjustment.
• Color Bars: Offers an alternative view with sliders that make precise numerical adjustments easier to track.
• Log Controls: Shows a different representation of the same offset functions, useful for specific workflows.

The default offset value in Resolve is typically set at 25 across all channels, which historically was the baseline value used in film labs. Some cinematographers would request slightly different baselines (often lower than 25) for their dailies, but 25 was considered standard for most work.

How Offset Works with Color Channels

Offset affects the entire image by manipulating the primary colors of light:

• Red, Green, and Blue (RGB): These are the primary colors of light that make up all white light. Adding these colors individually creates warmer (red), more verdant (green), or cooler (blue) looks.
• Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (CMY): These are the secondary colors created by combining two primaries or, in subtractive color correction, by removing a primary color:
  • Cyan is created by adding green and blue (or subtracting red)
  • Magenta is created by adding red and blue (or subtracting green)
  • Yellow is created by adding red and green (or subtracting blue)

When making offset adjustments, you can:

• Work additively (adding color) by increasing RGB values
• Work subtractively (removing color) by decreasing RGB values
• Adjust individual channels (R, G, B) for specific color modifications
• Adjust paired channels (CM, MY, YC) when working with secondary colors
• Control overall image density (brightness/darkness) by adjusting all channels together

Printer Lights in DaVinci Resolve

The offset tool in Resolve is essentially a digital version of traditional printer lights from photochemical film processing. Professional colorists often use the numeric keypad for precise adjustments, which speeds up workflow and maintains traditional color timing techniques:

• Keys 7, 8, 9: Adjust red, green, and blue (adding color)
• Keys 1, 2, 3: Adjust cyan, magenta, and yellow (subtracting color)
• Keys 4, 5, 6: Work with secondary colors directly
• Equal/Enter key: Controls overall density (brightness/darkness)

The system is designed to work in increments, typically 0.5 points per keystroke, allowing for subtle and precise adjustments. These small changes can dramatically shift the mood of an image while maintaining a natural look.

Real-world Application of Offset Controls

When applying offset corrections, colorists typically focus on key elements in the frame:

• Skin tones often serve as a primary reference point
• Neutrals (whites, grays) help identify color casts
• Known colors (like brand colors or specific costume pieces) provide consistency references
• Background elements help establish the overall mood

For example, when adjusting a shot with a person, a colorist might focus on maintaining natural skin tones while slightly warming or cooling the overall image to match the scene’s emotional content or to maintain continuity with adjacent shots.

Benefits of Working with Offset

Using offset creates a natural, unaffected look to color corrections because it:

• Treats all values equally across the image (shadows, midtones, and highlights all receive the same adjustment)
• Applies color casts in a way that mimics analog film processes
• Produces results where “you couldn’t see the digital hand that had color corrected the material”
• Creates consistency across multiple shots when matching scenes
• Provides a solid foundation for more targeted adjustments

Many experienced colorists who transitioned from film to digital environments continue to use offset as their starting point because it feels “incredibly natural” and provides an organic baseline for further adjustments.

Limitations with Digital Footage

While offset is powerful for hue adjustments, it has limitations when working with digitally acquired footage:

• Digital footage tends to be flatter than film-acquired images, which have inherent contrast characteristics
• Offset alone cannot add sufficient contrast to digital material, leaving images looking somewhat “muddy” without additional adjustments
• For complete color grading, offset typically needs to be combined with linear primaries and other controls
• Changes to offset affect brightness as well as color, sometimes requiring compensatory adjustments

Many professional colorists combine offset with other tools, using offset to establish the overall color balance before adding contrast and more targeted corrections with other tools.

Using Scopes with Offset

The scopes display (particularly the Parade scope) is essential when working with offset as it:

• Shows the allocation of primary light channels (R, G, B) in waveform format
• Helps track changes as you adjust each channel, providing immediate feedback
• Safeguards your work by providing objective measurements of color balance
• Helps develop your color correction knowledge by showing relationships between channels
• Makes it easier to identify neutral blacks, midtones, and highlights

The parade scope displays the image from left to right for each color channel, allowing you to see exactly how your offset adjustments are affecting different areas of the frame. This is especially helpful when learning to see subtle color shifts that might be difficult to detect by eye alone.

Mastering offset controls in DaVinci Resolve provides colorists with a fundamental tool that bridges traditional film color timing techniques with modern digital color grading workflows. While newer tools offer more targeted control, the organic, whole-image approach of offset remains valuable for establishing a natural foundation for color grades.

FAQ – What Is Offset In DaVinci Resolve?