LuttieLift, Gamma, Gain
The three controls at the heart of primary colour correction. Drag each one to see the tonal transfer curve reshape, the stepped grey ramp shift, and a real image respond at the same time.
Input left to right, output bottom to top
Tonal ramp
Raises or lowers the black point. Shadows move most, highlights barely at all.
Bends the midtones without moving the black or white point.
Scales the white point. Highlights move most, shadows barely at all.
At these values the curve is a straight line and the image is untouched. Move a slider to see the effect.
What each control actually does
The maths is simpler than the interface suggests. Every pixel value between 0 and 1 is scaled between the lift and gain values, then raised to the power of one over gamma. Lift and gain set where the output range begins and ends, gamma decides how the values distribute inside it.
Lift
Moves the black point. Raise it and the darkest pixels stop reaching true black, giving the washed, matte look associated with faded print stock. Lower it and shadows compress toward black, adding density and perceived contrast at the cost of shadow detail.
Gamma
Bends midtones while leaving both ends pinned. This is where exposure adjustments usually belong, because it brightens or darkens the bulk of the image without clipping highlights or crushing shadows.
Gain
Scales the white point. Raise it and highlights brighten and eventually clip. Lower it and the whole image dims from the top down. Because it multiplies rather than offsets, brighter pixels move further than darker ones.
Reading the transfer curve
The curve beside the image is the whole grade in one picture. Input runs left to right, output runs bottom to top, and the dashed diagonal is the no-change line. Wherever your curve sits above the diagonal you are brightening, wherever it sits below you are darkening. The steeper a section, the more contrast you are giving that part of the tonal range. Flat sections are where detail disappears, which is why a curve that goes horizontal at either end means you are clipping.
A working order for primary correction
| Step | Control | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White balance | Neutralise the cast first so tonal moves do not introduce colour shifts |
| 2 | Gain | Set the white point so the brightest part of the frame sits just below clipping |
| 3 | Lift | Set the black point so the darkest part just touches black, unless you want a matte look |
| 4 | Gamma | Place the midtones where the subject reads correctly, usually driven by skin |
| 5 | Saturation | Restore or reduce saturation last, since contrast changes alter perceived saturation |
Colour balance, the other half of the wheels
This tool changes tone equally across red, green, and blue, which is what the bar under each Resolve wheel does. Dragging inside the wheel itself is a different operation: it shifts the colour balance of that tonal band, letting you cool the shadows while warming the highlights independently. That is how a split-tone grade is built, and you can experiment with it on the split-tone preview or with full colour wheels in the editor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lift, gamma, and gain?
Lift sets the black point and has most of its effect on shadows. Gain scales the white point and has most of its effect on highlights. Gamma bends the midtones between them without moving either end. Together they let you reshape the tonal range with three controls that barely interfere with each other.
Are lift, gamma, and gain the same as the colour wheels in DaVinci Resolve?
They are the tonal half of them. Each Resolve wheel has a ring you drag for colour balance in that tonal band, and a bar underneath for the tonal value, which is the lift, gamma, or gain amount. This tool covers the tonal bars. Resolve also adds a fourth wheel, offset, which moves the whole image at once.
Should I use curves or lift, gamma, gain?
Use lift, gamma, and gain for the broad tonal shape, because three predictable controls are faster than placing points. Move to curves when you need to target a narrow band, such as lowering only the upper midtones while leaving highlights alone. Most colorists set the overall range first, then refine with curves.
Why do my shadows look muddy after lifting them?
Lifting raises the black point, so nothing in the frame reaches true black any more and the image loses its anchor. It is a deliberate look for faded film emulation, but if you did not intend it, compensate by pulling gamma down slightly to restore midtone density, or lower lift until the darkest part of the frame just touches black.
Take these controls further with real colour wheels and curves.
Shadow, midtone, and highlight balance plus per-channel RGB curves, free to use in the browser.
Open the editor →