DaVinci Resolve Power Windows Explained

Ever needed to adjust just one specific part of your shot in DaVinci Resolve? Maybe make the sky more dramatic without affecting the landscape, or perhaps apply that classic blurred face effect for privacy? That’s exactly where Power Windows shine.

In the video above, I give a quick, 3-minute overview of this incredibly useful feature. If you want the visual deep dive, hit play now! For those who like a quick read alongside the video, let’s break down what Power Windows are and why they’re essential for targeted color grading and effects.

What Exactly Are DaVinci Resolve Power Windows?

Think of Power Windows as sophisticated masks. They allow you to isolate specific areas of your image so that any color correction, grading, or effect you apply only impacts that selected region. This gives you pinpoint control over your image adjustments. As shown in the video, common uses include:

• Enhancing specific elements (like skies, logos, or products).
• Selectively blurring or obscuring parts of the frame (like faces or license plates).
• Creating vignettes or targeted lighting effects.

Getting Started: The Window Types and Controls

DaVinci Resolve offers five primary Power Window shapes to start with, found in the ‘Window’ panel on the Color Page:

1. Linear: A simple square/rectangle.
2. Circle: An ellipse or perfect circle.
3. Polygon: Allows you to draw custom straight-edged shapes.
4. Curve: Lets you create custom shapes with smooth Bezier curves.
5. Gradient: A linear gradient mask, great for simulating graduated filters.

You can use these individually or combine multiple windows on a single node for complex selections.

Most adjustments like position, rotation, size, aspect ratio, and softness can be done directly in the viewer window once a Power Window is active. If the on-screen controls disappear, just re-enable them using the dropdown menu in the bottom-left of the viewer.

In the Window panel itself, you have crucial options:

• Labeling: Give your windows descriptive names (highly recommended!).
• Invert: Flips the selection, affecting everything outside the window shape.
• Subtract: Useful when combining multiple windows.

Making Power Windows Move: Tracking!

Since video involves movement, your Power Windows usually need to follow elements within the shot. Resolve’s built-in tracker is incredibly powerful for this.

1. Navigate to the ‘Tracker’ panel.
2. Ensure you’re in ‘Window’ mode.
3. Select the Power Window you want to track.
4. Use the track forward/backward buttons.

If you encounter tracking issues:

• Adjust Parameters: You can disable tracking for Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Rotate, or Perspective 3D if the movement is simpler.
• Try Different Trackers: Resolve offers the Cloud Tracker, Point Tracker, and the advanced IntelliTracker. Experiment to see which works best for your specific footage.
• Manual Keyframing: For tricky sections, switch the tracker panel to ‘Frame’ mode. This allows you to manually adjust the window’s position, size, or shape frame-by-frame where needed, creating keyframes for those adjustments.

Working with the Opposite: Outside Nodes

What if you’ve perfectly selected an object, but you want to adjust everything except that object? Instead of inverting the window, you can create an Outside Node. This special node inherits the alpha (mask) channel from the previous node but inverted.

• Shortcut: Select the node with your Power Window and press Alt + O (Windows) or Option + O (Mac).
• Menu: Right-click the node -> Add Node -> Add Outside Node.

Bonus Tips for Custom Shapes

• Polygon to Bezier: Started with a Polygon but need curves? Select the Polygon window, click the three-dot menu in the Window panel, and choose ‘Convert to Bezier’.
• Adding Bezier Handles: To add curve handles to an existing point on a Bezier or converted Polygon window, hold Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and click the point.
• Drawing Curves Directly: When using the Curve window tool, click and drag to create a point with Bezier handles immediately.