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# How to Make a Video Black and White in DaVinci Resolve
- URL: https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-black-and-white/
- Published: 2026-10-13T05:36:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T05:35:59.000Z
- Description: The quickest black and white in DaVinci Resolve is Saturation at 0 on the Color page. The RGB Mixer's Monochrome mode lets you choose how each color turns gray. Here is where that node goes, how to convert a whole timeline or part of the frame, and how to fade from color.
- Author: Jason Miller
- Tags: Color Grading, Tutorials, Beginner Guides, #learn, #color-grading-cluster

**Quick answer:** Open the Color page, select the clip and set Saturation to 0 in the Primaries palette. That is the whole conversion. For more control, use the RGB Mixer with Monochrome turned on and change how much of the red, green and blue channels go into the gray image. Do it in a node after your color balance, then add contrast with Lift, Gamma and Gain. Resolve doesn't have a separate black and white filter; the grade does the job, and both methods work in the free version.

I checked the controls against the DaVinci Resolve 21.1 Reference Manual on October 7, 2026\. The mixing advice comes from the manual, from users on the Blackmagic forum and from an older grading guide, and I say who said what. More step-by-step guides live in the [Tutorials section](https://davinciresolveclub.com/tag/tutorials/).

[Download](https://streamly.surf/c/2ebmf2MxAg6s?ref=davinciresolveclub.com)

## The Fast Way: Set Saturation to 0

1. Open the Color page and click the clip in the thumbnail timeline.
2. Fix exposure and white balance in the first node while the shot is still in color.
3. Press Option-K (Alt-K on Windows), or choose Color > Nodes > Append Node, to add a node at the very end of the node tree.
4. With that node selected, set Saturation to 0 in the Primaries palette. The default is 50, and 0 removes all color.
5. Shape the contrast with Lift, Gamma and Gain while you watch the waveform, then play the clip through.

Saturation in the Primaries palette is a uniform control: [50 is unity and 0 is completely desaturated](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3147). That isn't a lesser method. The manual says the RGB Mixer's default Monochrome mix [produces identical results to setting Saturation to 0](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3187), because both use the standard luma weights of Rec. 709 video. What Saturation doesn't give you is a say in how each color turns gray. A red shirt and a green lawn of similar brightness can come out as almost the same gray, and the shot goes flat.

## Get More Control With the RGB Mixer in Monochrome Mode

The RGB Mixer is one of the palettes on the Color page, built for [mixing color channels into one another](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3055). Turn on its Monochrome checkbox and only three sliders stay active, one each for Red, Green and Blue, and each one sets how much of that channel goes into the gray image. Depending on your Resolve version, the checkbox sits at the bottom of the mixer or in the palette's options menu, as [Boris FX's 2024 walkthrough](https://borisfx.com/blog/make-a-clip-black-and-white-in-davinci-resolve/?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) points out.

The sliders start at the Rec. 709 luma weights, roughly a fifth red, seven tenths green and a little blue. That's the same result as Saturation 0, so turning Monochrome on changes nothing until you move a slider. Moving them is the point.

![RGB Mixer in Monochrome mode with Preserve Luminance on, beside three gray versions of one portrait: the default mix, more red for lighter skin, more blue for a darker look](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/black-and-white-rgb-mixer-monochrome-20261007.webp)

The default Monochrome mix matches Saturation 0\. Moving the Red, Green and Blue sliders changes which colors come out light and which go dark.

### Turn On Preserve Luminance

With [Preserve Luminance](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3186) on, a channel change no longer brightens or darkens the whole image, because Resolve raises or lowers the other two channels to compensate. You can then think only about which colors get lighter or darker. In [Tristan Kneschke's PremiumBeat guide](https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/better-black-and-white-in-davinci-resolve/?ref=davinciresolveclub.com), first published in 2015, he points out that with it off, you have to keep the three sliders adding up to 1.00 yourself. In a [January 2025 forum thread](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?t=214295&ref=davinciresolveclub.com), forum member shebbe\_ said Monochrome mode with Preserve Luminance on "can run in a color managed setup just fine."

### Which Mix Gives Which Look

Each color channel is itself a grayscale image, so the mix decides which colors come out light and which go dark. Raise a channel and the colors that contain a lot of it get lighter. Black and white photographers get the same effect with colored filters on the lens. These are good starting points:

| Look you want                     | Mix to try                                 | Where it comes from                                                  |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A neutral conversion              | Leave the default Monochrome values        | The Rec. 709 luma weights; the manual says this matches Saturation 0 |
| Lighter, more flattering skin     | Raise Red a little, or lower Blue          | PremiumBeat's 2015 guide says this tends to enhance skin tones       |
| Darker blue skies, more drama     | Raise Red, lower Blue                      | The red lens filter photographers use with black and white film      |
| Darker skin with a metallic sheen | Raise Blue, lower Red and Green            | An example in the 21.1 manual                                        |
| An old orthochromatic film look   | Red near 0, Green and Blue carry the image | The manual notes orthochromatic stocks recorded only blue and green  |

Go gently. Each slider runs from [\-2.00 to +2.00](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3184), and extreme mixes are where trouble starts. Kneschke warned that if you pull certain objects too far, you get "artifacts resembling a swarm of ants." In the 2025 thread, shebbe\_ said it is "incredibly easy to create unwanted artifacts" with the RGB Mixer by pushing colors outside the displayable range, and suggested checking shots with bright colored lights. If skin gets blotchy or a neon sign breaks up, back the sliders off.

### Adjust a Single Color With Curves

When one color still lands on the wrong gray, say a red dress that melts into a brown wall, the [Hue vs Lum curve](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3205) lightens or darkens just that hue. It needs color to work with, so put it in a node before the black and white node. The manual calls it tricky on highly compressed footage, where it can quickly reveal artifacts, so keep the moves small on phone and drone files.

## Where the Black and White Node Goes

Keep the conversion in its own node, after every node that needs color. Kneschke made the case years ago: desaturating at the start "ties our hands," while a desaturated node at the end leaves color in the earlier nodes, so you can still pull keys on things like skin. Our nodes guide explains why [a qualifier after a heavy desaturation samples a different image](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-nodes-explained/#serial-nodes-and-order-of-operations).

So the order is: balance in the first node, as in step 4 of the color grading guide on [correcting exposure and color balance](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-color-grade-davinci-resolve/#step-4-correct-exposure-and-color-balance); keys, windows and curves in the middle, such as a [clean skin qualifier](https://davinciresolveclub.com/skin-tone-correction-davinci-resolve/#step-3-build-a-clean-skin-qualifier); then the black and white node. Contrast and any tint can come after it, because they don't need color. [Option-K appends a node to the very end of the tree](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3395), and the nodes guide lists the [other ways to add and label nodes](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-nodes-explained/#how-to-add-and-label-color-nodes). If you use color management or a conversion LUT, the color management guide shows how to [choose a node order](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-color-management-rcm-cst/#choose-node-order-without-memorizing-a-template) around it.

![Node tree: Balance and Skin key nodes working in color, then a black and white node, a contrast node and an optional tint node after it](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/29/a929429b-cfab-4467-b902-a0cd9c90feac/content/images/2026/10/black-and-white-node-order-20261007.webp)

Convert after the nodes that need color, so balance and keys still see it. Contrast and a tint can follow.

Want a tint, like sepia or a cold blue? Add one more node after the black and white node and push the Gain or Offset wheel toward the color. In a node before the conversion, the tint would just be removed again.

## Add Contrast After the Conversion

A straight conversion often looks flat, because colors that stood apart can end up as similar grays. Shape the contrast with Lift, Gamma and Gain or the Contrast control, in the same node or one right after it, and judge it on the [waveform](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-scopes-explained/#waveform-exposure-and-clipping) rather than by eye: deep blacks near the bottom, highlights below clipping, and the subject where you want attention. The color grading guide covers [opening the Color page scopes](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-color-grade-davinci-resolve/#step-2-open-the-color-page-and-scopes).

The vectorscope makes a quick check. A fully desaturated image [collapses to a single point in the center](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-scopes-explained/#vectorscope-hue-saturation-and-skin). If a trace spreads out from the middle, something after your conversion is adding color.

## Make a Whole Video or Several Clips Black and White

Converting clip by clip gets old fast. You have three better options:

- **Timeline grade.** Switch the Node Editor from Clip to Timeline mode with the dropdown at its top right or the two dots in its toolbar, and the grade [applies to every clip in the Timeline](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3404). The manual's own example is clip grades for balancing and a Timeline grade for the style of the whole piece, which is exactly the split a black and white film needs.
- **Adjustment clip.** On the Edit page, put an adjustment clip on the track above a section and grade it on the Color page. Its grade [applies to all the clips underneath](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3376), so you can trim it to a single scene. The adjustment clip guide covers [grading a monochrome passage this way](https://davinciresolveclub.com/adjustment-clips-davinci-resolve/#color-grading-with-an-adjustment-clip).
- **Groups or shared nodes.** For a handful of shots from one scene, the copy grade guide explains [grading many clips through a group](https://davinciresolveclub.com/copy-color-grade-davinci-resolve/#copy-a-color-grade-to-many-clips-with-groups).

In a [2021 forum reply](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?t=141197&ref=davinciresolveclub.com), Lychon called Color Boost at -100 "probably the quickest way" to get a black and white look. Be careful with that one. The manual describes Color Boost as [a vibrance control](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3147) that lowers the low-saturation parts of the image more aggressively, and it doesn't say -100 removes all color. Saturation at 0 is the documented full desaturation, and the vectorscope dot will tell you which one you got.

## Keep One Color or Turn Only Part of the Frame Black and White

For a section of time, the simplest answer came from Jim Simon in the same [2021 forum thread](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?t=141197&ref=davinciresolveclub.com): "Cut it up. Or Adjustment Clip." Cut the clip where the black and white part starts and ends and grade only that piece, or cover the section with an adjustment clip.

For part of the frame, or the classic look where one color survives, isolate the area first and desaturate around it:

- **Qualifier plus an Outside node.** Key the color you want to keep with the qualifier, then add an Outside node with Option-O and set its Saturation to 0\. An [Outside node adjusts everything outside the key](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3263), and the nodes guide explains [how Outside nodes and the Key Mixer work](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-nodes-explained/#outside-nodes-and-key-mixer).
- **Hue vs Sat curve.** The curve can [lower the saturation of specific hues](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3204), so you can pull down every hue except the one you keep. It is quick, but it catches that color everywhere in the frame.
- **Power window.** Draw a window around the area, desaturate inside or outside it, and track it if the subject moves. The color grading guide covers [using qualifiers and windows only where needed](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-color-grade-davinci-resolve/#step-7-use-qualifiers-and-power-windows-only-where-needed).
- **Magic Mask.** It selects and tracks a person or object, so you can [grade the subject and background separately](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-magic-mask/#grade-the-subject-and-background-separately), but [Magic Mask is a Studio feature](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3280).

If you only want colors weaker rather than gone, the Color Warper can [pull hues toward the white point](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-color-warper/#chroma-warp) instead.

## Fade From Color to Black and White

A slow drain of color is a dynamic keyframe job. The manual suggests [keeping keyframed changes in a separate node](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3458), so add one just for the fade:

1. Add a node at the end of the tree and select it.
2. Open the Keyframe Editor, move the playhead to where the fade should start, and choose Mark > Add Keyframe (Command-\[ on a Mac, Ctrl-\[ on Windows). Leave Saturation at 50.
3. Move the playhead to where the shot should be fully black and white, add a second keyframe the same way and set Saturation to 0.
4. Play it back. Resolve [animates between the two dynamic keyframes](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3456).

For a curve on the fade itself, the keyframes guide helps you [choose the control that matches the job](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-keyframes-curve-editor/#choose-the-control-that-matches-the-job).

## Add Film Grain and a Film Look

A clean digital black and white can look like desaturated video rather than film. Two built-in effects help, and both are [Studio-only](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3553):

- **Film Grain.** Set its [Saturation to 0 for monochrome grain](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3559).
- **Film Look Creator.** It has subtractive saturation and a [Bleach Bypass control](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3562) that lays a desaturated, higher-contrast version of the image over itself. The Film Look Creator guide explains how to [add texture only where it helps the shot](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-film-look-creator/#add-texture-only-where-it-helps-the-shot).

Users in the January 2025 thread shared other routes. Dermot Shane said he graded a black and white show with a DCTL that emulated Tri-X film, and that the DP shot some scenes through a deep red filter; his advice was to test any filter package all the way through to post. roger.magnusson said the FilmBox plug-in has a mode that emulates Double-X stock and suggested a node after it to remove any coloration from the print emulation. For a gentle highlight bloom, shebbe\_ suggested the Glow effect with a very low threshold, the soft light blend mode and a low opacity. Those are third-party tools and forum recipes, so try them on a copy of your grade before you commit.

## Black and White Photos on the Photo Page

Resolve 21 adds a Photo page for stills, with [RAW and node-based grading](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-21-photo-page/#raw-photo-and-node-based-grading). Its Inspector has a Photo tab whose [Saturation works the same way](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=610): 50 is unity and 0 is completely desaturated. The RAW tab has its own Saturation control on a different scale, so use the Photo tab, or grade the still with nodes as above. The Photo page guide lists [which photo features need Studio](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-21-photo-page/#which-photo-features-require-studio).

## Is There a Black and White Filter or LUT?

Not as a separate effect. The Resolve FX chapters of the 21.1 manual don't list a dedicated black and white effect, and you don't need one: a single node with Saturation at 0 or a Monochrome mix does the job. To reuse it, save a still of the grade in the Gallery and apply it to other clips. A creative LUT can also turn an image black and white, but it bakes in one fixed mix; the LUT guide explains [technical and creative LUTs](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-use-luts-in-davinci-resolve/#technical-lut-vs-creative-lut). For the wider workflow around this, start at the [color grading hub](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-color-grading/).

## Fix Black and White Problems

### The Image Still Has a Color Tint

A node, LUT, print emulation or Timeline grade after your conversion is adding color back. Check the vectorscope, then move the black and white node to the end, or add another one after the effect that adds color, as roger.magnusson suggested for FilmBox.

### Only One Clip Turned Black and White

A clip grade only affects that clip. Use the Timeline grade or an adjustment clip for the whole piece. If you applied a Gallery still, note that it applies either the Clip or the Timeline grade, [depending on the Node Editor mode](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3405).

### The Viewer Is Black and White but the Export Isn't

You're probably looking at a highlight view, not a grade. [Highlight BW (Option-Shift-H)](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3252) shows the qualifier key as a high-contrast black and white matte in the viewer. Turn the highlight off and make the conversion with Saturation or the RGB Mixer.

### Skin Looks Blotchy or Colors Break Up

The mix is too extreme for the footage. Bring the sliders back toward their defaults, keep Preserve Luminance on, and make curve moves smaller. Highly compressed footage gives you less room.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Does DaVinci Resolve have a black and white filter?

Not as a separate effect. The Resolve FX chapters in the 21.1 manual don't list a dedicated black and white effect. You make the conversion on the Color page instead, with Saturation at 0 or the RGB Mixer in Monochrome mode, and both are in the free version.

### How do I turn a video black and white in DaVinci Resolve?

Open the Color page, select the clip, add a node at the end of the node tree and set Saturation to 0 in the Primaries palette. For the whole video, put the same node in the Timeline grade or on an adjustment clip that covers every clip.

### What is the difference between Saturation 0 and Monochrome in the RGB Mixer?

With its default values, nothing: the manual says Monochrome mode produces identical results to Saturation 0\. The difference starts when you move the Red, Green and Blue sliders, which changes how light or dark each color turns out in the gray image.

### How do I make only part of a video black and white?

For a section of time, cut the clip at the start and end of that section, or cover it with an adjustment clip, and grade only that part. For part of the frame, key the area with a qualifier or a power window and desaturate it, or everything outside it with an Outside node.

### Can I make a video black and white in the free version of DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. Saturation, the RGB Mixer, qualifiers, power windows and adjustment clips are all in the free version. Film Grain, Film Look Creator and Magic Mask are Studio-only.

### Why does my black and white video still look tinted?

Something after the conversion is adding color back, usually a later node, a LUT, a print emulation or a Timeline grade. A fully desaturated image shows as a single dot in the middle of the vectorscope. Move the black and white node to the end, or add another one after the effect that adds color.