DEEPCURVE
INTRODUCTION
The DeepCurve DCTL lets you shape highly precise contrast curves with ease.
Featuring a set of intuitive sliders, it gives you full control over the three key sections of the curve : the linear part, the toe, and the shoulder.
This allows you to shape shadows, midtones, and highlights independently
MAIN FUNCTIONNALITIES
NEUTRAL GRAY PRESERVATION
The curve is built around a carefully selected pivot point, tailored to the specific log curve in use. This ensures that 18% gray remains unaffected when adjusting contrast.
MID PUSH TOOL
A dedicated function designed to subtly lift the midtones, enhancing skin and faces presence without the need for secondary corrections. By introducing a controlled inflection in the curve, it acts similarly to a mask, but is integrated directly into the contrast curve.
INDEPENDENT SECTION CONTROL
Shadows, midtones, and highlights can be adjusted separately for fine-tuned contrast control, giving precise control over different tonal areas without affecting the overall balance.
CONTROLLED SAT BEHAVIOR
Unlike standard contrast adjustments that increase saturation linearly, the DeepCurve DCTL manages chroma based on luminance. This results in a more organic saturation response, preventing excessive saturation in high-contrast images.
Additionally, users can control how much contrast influences saturation, allowing for effects ranging from a natural look to a subtle bleach bypass aesthetic.
COMPARISON WITH BUILT-IN CONTRAST TOOLS
There are several ways to adjust contrast in color grading software, but most tools come with significant limitations. Here’s an overview of the most common methods and their issues:
CONTRAST AND PIVOT
LIFT/GAMMA/GAIN WHEELS
While Contrast and Pivot allows you to quickly adjust contrast, it provides no fine control over the curve's shape. Additionally, it's not color-managed—meaning there's no way to ensure the curve pivots correctly around middle gray (18%).
Lift, Gamma, and Gain are excellent for local adjustments, but they’re not designed to shape an entire contrast curve. They lack the ability to adjust specific parts of the curve independently, as their effect impacts the entire tonal range.
CUSTOM CURVES
Custom Curves provide flexibility but are labor-intensive and difficult to finesse. Adding points to adjust the curve often leads to unintended shifts in surrounding tonal ranges, complicating the process of achieving the desired contrast curve.
SATURATION BEHAVIOR
When adjusting contrast, most tools typically cause saturation to increase linearly, which can result in over-saturated colors in high-contrast images. The DeepCurve DCTL addresses this issue by carefully managing the relationship between saturation and luminance. This ensures that as contrast is adjusted, the colors evolve organically and remain within acceptable limits, without the risk of oversaturation. Additionally, DeepCurve gives you control over how much contrast affects the saturation, allowing for a more customized result.
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In the Before/After images below, you can observe how saturation (chroma) is influenced by luminance (contrast). The Before images were adjusted using Resolve's native contrast tools, while the After images were contrasted with DeepCurve. No specific saturation adjustments were made.