How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

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pauliesheehy

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How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostSat Jun 14, 2025 2:30 pm

Hi,

I am new to DaVinci Resolve and I am using it to put together a new demo reel. However when I bring in my images, some are not behaving properly when I layer them up in the edit page. In this case, it is just a Solid Colour generator for my background with the CG render placed on top of that. But I am getting a bad looking darkened edge around my image. This was using the default Straight Alpha but even when I right click on the image on the timeline, the go to Clip Attributes and change this to Premultiplied, it does not look right. I downloaded Nuke just to compare the process and have included the comparison below.

In the cropped image if you look closely, even the tips of the hair look more like they should in Nuke compared to DaVinci Resolve.

It would be awesome if anybody can offer some insight or advice on this please?
Thank you,
Paul.
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pauliesheehy

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostMon Jun 16, 2025 9:55 pm

Hi again. Any takers on this?

I am new on the forum so not too sure of what the response time usually is for posts but hopefully somebody on here has an answer for this.

Thanks!
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Peter Chamberlain

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostTue Jun 17, 2025 2:15 am

Post a link to a full res source frame so someone has a chance to examine
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Hendrik Proosa

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostTue Jun 17, 2025 6:14 am

Alpha handling in Resolve is wonky, there’s bazillion threads about it with ample examples, and example frames.

Try Fusion Standalone, I bet it works fine there.
I do stuff
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pauliesheehy

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostWed Jun 18, 2025 4:31 pm

Peter Chamberlain wrote:Post a link to a full res source frame so someone has a chance to examine

Here's a sample frame. I don't have permission to post the full frame and the full res 4K frame was too big to attach also.

But this will show the exact same issue, but is just HD instead of UHD.
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pauliesheehy

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostWed Jun 18, 2025 4:33 pm

Hendrik Proosa wrote:Alpha handling in Resolve is wonky, there’s bazillion threads about it with ample examples, and example frames.

Try Fusion Standalone, I bet it works fine there.


When you say standalone, do you mean it is a fully separate program to Davinci Resolve and not the built in Fusion?
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Jim Simon

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostThu Jun 19, 2025 2:30 am

My Biases:

You NEED training.
You NEED a desktop.
You NEED a calibrated (non-computer) display.
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Steve Alexander

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostThu Jun 19, 2025 12:48 pm


Note: You can use the standalone Fusion if you pay for the Studio license of Resolve...

I should add that I brought your sample PNG into LumaFusion on my iPad just for fun and I see the same dark fringe on it that you show in your first Resolve image (straight alpha). Not sure what this data point means but thought I'd share.
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Hendrik Proosa

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Re: How DaVinci Resolve handles alpha channels

PostThu Jun 19, 2025 2:19 pm

Sample image is perfectly fine. Are you in a color managed project or doing any kind of manual color management? That can mess with colors in semitransparent regions.
I do stuff

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