Monitor Calibration for Davinci Resolve | Tutorial

[@AMattBlackFilter]

4:12 I just re-ran everything and I got it wrong: don't set your Viewing Monitor (mine out of a DeckLink) to Gamma 2.2 and INSTEAD set "Gamma: Rec709" in DisplayCal. I didn't see a huge shift from 2.2 to Rec709 (since it's just telling DisplayCal that's what the monitor is starting with) but simply setting Rec709 is easier anyway. My current best (best guess really) settings in DisplayCal's "Calibration" tab are: White Point: As Measured, White Level: Custom 100cd/m2, Tone Curve: Rec709

[@markamarkam]

Thanks for putting this out here. I don't have a separate reference monitor, just a BenQ PD2700U that I use to grade and edit. I used the latest Calibrite software to calibrate the monitor outside of Davinci to create an icc profile. But I've read that Davinci Resolve ignores system icc profiles so I would still need to calibrate within Davinci and create the calibration lut and apply it while working in DR. Does this make sense? That may explain the shift you saw in the two monitors. Would love to see a YT video on this - the few that are out there are all over the place in terms of what to do and settings to apply when calibrating a monitor set to Rec 709 in DR.

[@ValleyFPV]

Thanks for taking the time and showing the overall work flow, the general steps. I was looking for this. I agree, that the varied parameters to select in DisplayCal, plus in DR, for each output pipe, that is the really confusing stuff. Without being an expert in color science, seems the point in calibrating is futile, as we could be putting in the "wrong" inputs. But this video was helpful, as I realize how much I dont know.

[@AMattBlackFilter]

Yeah. Agreed. I still think it's useful to calibrate (even if it's not perfect) because it still tends to be more accurate than the factory monitor color settings. As far as trusting monitors: that's what video scopes are for. The scopes in Resolve are reading the Data Itself and are accurate even if the viewing monitor isn't. This is especially important for things like Skin Tone which the Vectorscope has a Skin Tone Line Function where you can see where your Subject's skin lands -- and can correct from there -- I tend to use scopes when I'm Balancing the footage and then the Viewing Monitor for Making a Look (a Later Step)

[@MePeterNicholls]

I got this odd thing. When I set monitor to the LUT and timeline to no lut, the timeline is totally too bright. Except when I go in to the Color page and then it matches monitor out.

[@AMattBlackFilter]

Yep - I've noticed that too. I hope Resolve fixes that because I've been doing a lot of back and forth from timeline to reference monitor only to go into the color page and have it match - super annoying and confusing in an already super confusing workflow Good Looking Out!

[@icontentacademy]

So it looks like displayCal no longer works with Sonoma 14.3.1. It keeps quitting unexpectedly. Do you know of any other app I can use to do the same?

[@AMattBlackFilter]

light illusion but i've never used it and i'm not sure the cheap version is compatible and the professional version is way too expensive to do it as a private person. i think your best bet is calibrating the desktop only

[@Farisdaniiel]

Much needed video for me. Im going crazy tryna figure it out. Does this applies with the video clean feed without the decklink card?

[@AMattBlackFilter]

No it doesn't. The "Video Clean Feed" function that you can select your 2nd monitor is controlled by the OS and not Resolve -- so in that case your best chance is calibrating the 2nd monitor via the OS (and not thru Resolve) but it can't be guaranteed to have correct colors the way the Decklink would

[@ozzythemighty2767]

I'm new at this. Your setup is the closest to mine. My question is since Display cal on M2 Ventura is not functioning.. Can i take my Calibrite monkey & use the calibrite profiler to calibrate my viewer the way your doing it? Instead of using the Display Cal ?

[@AMattBlackFilter]

probably. not sure. this is a walk-through for PC. my current version of resolve 18.5 on Mac M1 (that I've never bothered to calibrate) only supports Light Illusion or Calman(DisplayCal). you could probably be okay just using Calibrite to calibrate the desktop (and not davinci resolve in software) to rec 709 but unless your have Light Illusion or Calman Davinci Resolve won't display the color samples in the Davinci Resolve Viewer/Monitor - and it does seem like there is some kind of color difference between what Resolve shows and what the regular desktop color profile shows. my best guess: go ahead and use Calibrite's software and wait for Calman to support M1/2/3 hardware. Also: make sure you're using your scopes (should be doing that anyway) when working to make sure that even if red is not red to your eyes - it reads "red" on the scopes -- especially for skin tone. TO ANYONE: please reply to this comment if/when Calman/DisplayCal

[@escapekayak]

Thanks - very helpful!

[@AMattBlackFilter]

right on

[@joshpickup2581]

was the decision to make this look like it was shot in the 90's a creative choice or just a really ironic choice for a video about colour grading haha

[@AMattBlackFilter]

do you mean the thumbnail looks like it's out of the 90s?

[@macseeking]

Dear... how can i know what my iP adress is? im using DR on a Mac. Thanks!

[@AMattBlackFilter]

best I can figure: you have to use a virtual machine as windows and configure from there (almost more trouble than it's worth but my setup is Windows): www.portrait.com/resource-center/using-davinci-resolve-with-calman/

[@SSU14]

Great tutorial buddy... now get some sleep for god's sake!

[@AMattBlackFilter]

ha! cheers

[@markandrews9000]

You forgot to tell people to then go into Resolve color management and select the 3D LUT viewing. If you dont, this LUT YOU CREATED IS DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG NOTHING

[@AMattBlackFilter]

Just updated Resolve to check if anything's changed. What you're asking is at 12:45 . If you mean the Desktop Color Calibration: no point in setting the LUT for the Color Viewer because the desktop is calibrated to the color viewer monitor in DR so taking that already activated profile (in the PC's desktop color settings) and layering it on again in DR would change the color information. For calibrating just the desktop: just make sure you run the calibration program in DR in order to have the Color Viewer as the display but since this is to calibrate the desktop the final step is to assign the desktop profile (in the Window's Display Settings) at the end of the calibration. The Desktop Calibration Method is definitely less color trustworthy than the external monitor using a DeckLink but it's better than no calibration (or if you're using a Mac as I've discovered just now)

[@viciouseyemedia6650]

Where is the 3D Lut viewing option in resolve color management? My issue is, if I apply the LUT in video monitor lookup table, the LUT applies to the gui monitor as well, not only to my reference i/o box monitor.

[@reformedtech]

Given the Filename of the generated lut, now im confused if it generated a 2.2 Gamma Lut or 2.4. Which is the case ? The filename has both mentioned Resolve 2023-05-15 00-41 2.2 F-S XYZLUT+MTX.Rec709.B0.0,2.4Gawn65.A2B0.CLUT.png

[@AMattBlackFilter]

Yeah. Good catch. I just re-ran everything and I got it wrong: don't set your Viewing Monitor (mine out of a DeckLink) to Gamma 2.2 and INSTEAD set "Gamma: Rec709" in DisplayCal. I didn't see a huge shift from 2.2 to Rec709 (since it's just telling DisplayCal that's what the monitor is starting with) but simply setting Rec709 is easier anyway. My current best (best guess really) settings in DisplayCal's "Calibration" tab are: White Point: As Measured, White Level: Custom 100cd/m2, Tone Curve: Rec709 ////// Good looking out