The Node system, in essence, is an additive flowchart that describes your grade step-by-step. It’s absolutely terrifying if you’ve never used it before, but once you learn the way of the warrior, there will be no turning back.
What Is a Node in DaVinci Resolve?
First things first: we should clarify just what exactly a Node is in Resolve. They’re not really layers, and they’re not really LUTs, either (although you can create a LUT from a Node if you need to).
Nodes exist in Resolve exclusively—they don’t ever leave the application themselves. Instead, the Nodes panel is a graphic representation of all of the elements that make up your grade. Each Node represents a discrete step forward; each subsequent operation is applied to the composite linked just before it directly.
There is so much to know about Nodes in Resolve, but the entire system can be boiled down to:
The Input Clip: The left-most element in the Nodes panel, a little green dot. This is the input that all of those to follow will be modifying. Usually, this input will be your source clip. Your Corrective Nodes: Each Node exists as a complete layer of color correction, as opposed to representing an individual effect (like a simple adjustment in saturation). There are other types of Nodes aside from the ones that you use to adjust the grade—some of them act as a checkpoint where several Nodes come together, for example. Links Connecting Every Node: These cables control the flow of Nodes from left to right. These are the miniature superhighways that determine what happens to the image and in what order. The Output Image: Finally, the right-most green dot. This element represents the output image after all is said and done.
In addition to corrective Nodes, there are a few other flavors that you’ll be working with in the intermediary. You can check them out by right-clicking into any empty area in the Nodes panel.
What are all of these? What do they do?
Corrector: A Corrector is what the beginner is likely to think of first when considering Nodes in a generic sense. Whenever you adjust any of your parameters—gamma, hue, anything at all—any changes made are stored in a Corrector Node. Parallel Mixer: Parallel Mixers are used when you need two Correctors to refer to the same input image, as opposed to being applied additively and on top of each other, one after the other. This type of Node allows you to take both of these individually-adjusted images and mix them down into one single layer. Layer Mixer: These look a lot like Parallel Nodes, only with one added bonus; you can control the order in which these layered Nodes take effect. Key Mixer: This tool helps you refine a key, the professional term that describes the process of removing something like the green or the blue of a greenscreen or a bluescreen. Splitter: This function splits the Node immediately preceding it into three channels for the next Nodes to contend with—you can choose between RGB, YUV, HSL, and even LAB. Combiner: The opposite of the above. This is the end cap for an accompanying Splitter, bringing the image back together again.
All of the above can be used to customize your grade. You can use these tools when keying, adding effects, or when creating compound grades in cascading layers. You’ll also use this context menu to create an additional Source or Alpha Output, two other important options.
Different Types of Node Sequences in DaVinci Resolve
So we’ve got our ingredients laid out above. What are all of the ways that we can put the pieces together? There are a few common ways of working with Nodes in DaVinci:
Serial Nodes: A simple, linear, single-file chain of Correctors, applied one after another. Parallel Nodes: This is where the Parallel Mixer mentioned previously comes into play. Your two parallel Correctors come together in unholy unity after modifying the same input image. Layer Mixer Nodes: Consider these arrangements to be something like Parallel Nodes, only with the extra degree of control mentioned above (the order of each Node layer is preserved in the final mix). You can convert a Parallel Mixer into a Layer Mixer easily; right-click on the Parallel Mixer and select Morph Into Layer Mixer Node. Splitter-Combiner Sequences: Anything sandwiched between a Splitter and a Combiner falls under this category, including anything weird that you have going on in between. Compound Nodes: This feature feels uncannily similar to nesting sequences in Premiere. You can select multiple Nodes and reduce them graphically to a single unit on the Nodes flowchart.
You’ll notice a recurring theme here; sequence, precedence, and order all reign supreme. This incredibly logical system allows you to do things like bypass individual Nodes within the progression as a whole without tampering with the rest of the look. You have so much control over your process and your grade.
Creating a Node in DaVinci Resolve
In this introductory explainer, we’re not going to delve too deeply into specific scenarios or configurations of Nodes. We would, however, like to show you how to create a basic Node, at the very least.
To begin, pull up a project with a clip already in the timeline. Click into the Color workspace. You should already have one Node hanging out in your Nodes panel.
This original Node is nothing special—it’s simply a Node created by default, somewhere to begin correcting immediately upon launch. You can delete this starter Node, add a Power Window, lock it, or do anything else with it, just like with any other Node.
Click and drag it around; the Nodes panel is a sandbox, and you’re free to arrange your setup as you prefer.
Right-click into the panel and create a new Corrector Node. You can modify the Node all you want—no matter what you do, though, the image in the viewport won’t change to reflect what you’ve done. In fact, this Node isn’t even wearing a thumbnail from the input image.
There’s a good reason for this: the Node is not actually connected to anything yet. In order for these Nodes to interact with one another, we’ll need to link them up first.
How to Connect Nodes to One Another in DaVinci Resolve
Pick up the Node that you’ve just created with your cursor. Click and drag it so that it’s hovering on top of the linking line between the original Node in your project and the Nodes panel output. It’ll glow yellow—that’s when you’re ready to release the mouse.
And, voila. The Node is now included in this Node progression; when you have a Corrector standing in between your input and output, any changes that you make to it will be taken into account.
You can also perform this task manually by clicking on the little green RGB Output square on the first Node and dragging it so that it meets the green RGB Input triangle on the back-end of the second one.
You’ll notice that this has not redirected our Node flow entirely—instead, we’ve just taken a little detour. This second Node isn’t connected to the output image at all. It’s a total dead-end.
Right now, that’s not what we’re after. In order to create a linear Serial Node sequence, we’ll need to remove this link between the output image and the first Node in our sequence.
Right-clicking on any of these connections gives you the option to Delete the link. Now, the path between the input and output image is continuous and complete.
Two whole Nodes, all to yourself? They may not look like much, but there’s plenty that you can do in Resolve, even with something as basic as this arrangement. You can continue to work from here, gradually building up the look into something truly extraordinary.
The Road to the Perfect Node
That was a lot of information to digest, and we haven’t even colored a single thing. As with any other professional creative app, we do believe in the power of knowledge—dropping a beginner straight into the ball pit is the perfect way to get nowhere fast.
Once you’ve gotten a handle on the lingo and the method of working with Nodes in DaVinci Resolve, learning the rest will come naturally.
