Color Slider DCTL 2.0 is a color-separation and manipulation tool for DaVinci Resolve Studio from Passion Fuels Ambition (PFA). Instead of relying entirely on qualifiers, power windows, or multiple secondary nodes, it uses mathematical color separation to provide direct control over six major color groups: Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow within a single node.

The workflow is designed around speed and repeatability. Individual color groups can be adjusted directly, the Precision Range Slider can expand or tighten the affected color range, and the built-in Mask Tool provides visual feedback showing exactly where an adjustment is landing. Version 2.0 also introduces Film Processing and Global Saturation controls for finishing the overall image without leaving the DCTL.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• 1 Color Slider DCTL
• .dctl format
• Commercial License
• Access to future updates according to PFA's update policy

FEATURES

• 6-channel color control in one node
• Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow separation
• Mathematical color separation instead of traditional qualifier-based pixel selection
• Per-channel hue and saturation manipulation
• Precision Range Slider
• Built-in Mask Tool
• Film Processing Slider in version 2.0
• Global Saturation Slider in version 2.0
• Stackable DCTL workflow
• Real-time feedback
• GPU-accelerated processing
• 32-bit floating-point precision
• Non-destructive workflow
• Broad color-space and Log workflow support
• ACES compatibility
• HDR support
• Designed for color correction, look development, and targeted color refinement

6-CHANNEL COLOR CONTROL

Color Slider separates the image into six primary and secondary color groups:

• Red
• Green
• Blue
• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow

Each group can be manipulated directly without building an individual qualifier for every color adjustment.

RED

Provides direct control over red regions, including red objects, warm accents, and portions of the skin-tone spectrum.

GREEN

Targets vegetation, environmental elements, and other green regions.

BLUE

Provides control over blue elements such as skies, water, and cool-toned objects.

CYAN

Separates cyan and teal regions from the broader blue range, providing additional control over colors that conventional tools may group together.

MAGENTA

Provides dedicated adjustment of pink, purple, magenta, and related hues.

YELLOW

Targets yellow and golden regions, including warm highlights, sunset colors, and other yellow-toned elements.

MATHEMATICAL COLOR SEPARATION

Color Slider avoids traditional qualifier-based pixel selection and instead uses mathematical color separation to identify color components.

The approach is designed to:

• Reduce reliance on qualifiers
• Simplify complex node trees
• Improve repeatability
• Better distinguish Cyan from Blue
• Better distinguish Yellow from Red
• Maintain a responsive grading workflow

PRECISION RANGE SLIDER

The Precision Range Slider expands or tightens the boundaries of the selected color range.

It can be used to:

• Focus an adjustment on a narrower hue range
• Extend an adjustment into neighboring colors
• Refine boundaries between color groups
• Reduce unwanted influence on surrounding colors

MASK TOOL

The built-in Mask Tool provides a visual representation of where a color adjustment is being applied.

This makes it possible to inspect the selected region before refining the final color adjustment.

FILM PROCESSING – V2.0

Version 2.0 introduces a Film Processing Slider designed to add film-inspired tonal and density characteristics to the image.

It serves as a global finishing control after individual color channels have been refined, providing additional depth and character without leaving the Color Slider interface.

GLOBAL SATURATION – V2.0

The Global Saturation Slider provides overall saturation control after individual color-channel adjustments.

It can be used to:

• Refine overall color intensity
• Reduce saturation across the finished look
• Increase saturation after channel-specific work
• Balance the final image without adding another dedicated saturation node

STACKABLE WORKFLOW

Color Slider is optimized for repeated use within a node tree.

For example, one instance can refine skin-related colors, another can target vegetation, and another can control skies or specific color accents.

This provides an alternative to building a large collection of complex qualifier-based secondary nodes.

RECOMMENDED WORKFLOW

PFA demonstrates Color Slider as part of a broader DCTL pipeline:

1. Input Color Space Transform
2. Color Slider DCTL
3. Movie Density DCTL
4. SkinMatch DCTL
5. Output Color Space Transform
6. FilmFade DCTL

This is a reference workflow rather than a mandatory node structure. Actual placement can be adapted to the project's color-management pipeline and grading strategy.

COLOR PROCESSING

According to PFA's technical specifications, Color Slider supports:

• Rec.709
• P3
• Rec.2020
• ACES
• Camera Log workflows
• HDR10
• Dolby Vision
• 32-bit floating-point processing

The DCTL performs mathematical color transformations rather than relying on a fixed LUT grid, allowing its parameters to remain adjustable throughout the grading process.

VERSION

Current Version: Color Slider DCTL 2.0

Major additions in version 2.0:

• Film Processing Slider
• Global Saturation Slider

The core toolset remains centered around:

• Six-channel color separation
• Precision Range Slider
• Mask Tool
• Single-node color manipulation
• GPU-optimized processing

COMPATIBILITY

• DaVinci Resolve Studio 17 or later
• DaVinci Resolve Studio 18
• DaVinci Resolve Studio 19+
• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• CUDA
• OpenCL
• Metal
• DaVinci Resolve Free is not compatible

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• DaVinci Resolve Studio 17 or later
• CUDA, OpenCL, or Metal-capable GPU
• PFA recommends at least 4 GB of GPU memory
• 8 GB or more GPU memory is recommended for 4K/HDR workflows

NOTE

Color Slider DCTL 2.0 is primarily designed for mathematical color separation and color-specific adjustments. It does not eliminate every use case for spatial power windows, tracking, or qualifiers when a correction must be isolated to a particular object or physical region of the frame.

The DCTL requires DaVinci Resolve Studio and is not compatible with the free edition.