For colorists and editors in DaVinci Resolve
Check skin, neutrals and clipping on the picture.
M3 Balance is an OpenFX effect for DaVinci Resolve. Drop it on your last node and it paints the problems: skin off the skin line, highlights that aren't neutral, exposure, saturation, clipping. It checks the grade. It isn't a look.
$15 once Mac and Windows. Your download email has both installers.
Why not just watch the vectorscope?
Today
The vectorscope tells you skin is near the line. It doesn't tell you which part of the face drifted, or that one window just clipped.
With M3 Balance
M3 Balance puts the answer on the picture. Yellow means skin is on the line, green means it leans yellow, magenta means it leans red. Red means clipped. Turn it off before you render.
How does M3 Balance work?
- 01
Install the package
Run the Mac or Windows installer, then open Resolve. It shows up in the OpenFX panel under Monolith 3.
- 02
Put it on the last node
After your output transform, so it reads the same display values you're looking at.
- 03
Pick a mode
Eight checks in one effect. Split the frame to see the picture and the check side by side.
- 04
Turn it off to render
It's a checker. Disable the node and the grade underneath is untouched.
What does each mode check?
| Mode | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Skin Tone Indicator | Skin on the line in yellow, leaning yellow in green, leaning red in magenta |
| Highlight Neutrals | Bright areas that are truly neutral, in green |
| Exposure Heatmap | Crushed blacks to clipped whites in fixed bands, with middle gray and skin marked |
| Saturation Heatmap | Blue for flat, red for loud |
| Monochrome | The frame in luma only, to judge contrast |
| Clipping | Clipped highs in red, crushed lows in blue |
| Isolate Highs | Only what's above the threshold keeps its color |
| Isolate Lows | Only what's below the threshold keeps its color |
How does it compare to Resolve's own scopes?
| M3 Balance | Resolve's scopes | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows where on the frame | Painted on the picture | A graph beside it |
| Skin line check | Per pixel, in three colors | One line on the vectorscope |
| Split frame: picture and check | Built in | No |
| Cost | $15 once | Included |
What do you get?
- The M3 Balance OpenFX effect for DaVinci Resolve on Mac
- All eight checks, with a split view
- The same math as our Balance Tool DCTL, matched on all 26 test cases
- The Windows installer too, in the same email
- Setup steps by email, and a person to write to if you get stuck
Who isn't it for?
- Making a look. It checks one.
- Anyone not grading in DaVinci Resolve
What does M3 Balance cost?
Pairs with: M3-Film · M3 Glass · M3 Diffusion
Or get all four in M3 Coloring Tools.
Questions
What do I need to run it?
DaVinci Resolve on a Mac with macOS 11 or later, Apple silicon or Intel, or on Windows. We test it in Resolve Studio.
How do I check skin tones in DaVinci Resolve?
Start with the vectorscope. Skin should sit near the skin tone line, the diagonal that runs from the center toward yellow-red. That tells you the whole frame is close. It doesn't tell you which part of the face drifted. M3 Balance paints the same check on the picture: yellow where skin is on the line, green where it leans yellow, magenta where it leans red. Put it on your last node, split the frame, and turn it off before you render.
Is it a LUT or a look?
No. It changes nothing in your grade. It paints the checks over the picture while it's on, and you turn it off before you render.
Where do I put it?
On the last node, after your output transform, so it reads the display values you're judging.
Is it the same as the Balance Tool DCTL?
Same math. We check the effect against the DCTL and it matches on all 26 test cases. The effect adds a proper panel and shows up in the OpenFX browser.
Does it run on Windows?
Yes. Your download email has a Mac link and a Windows link. The Windows version is new. If anything looks off, write to info@monolith3.studio.
The installer won't open. What do I do?
It isn't signed, so macOS may block it the first time. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. On Windows, click More info on the warning, then Run anyway.
What happens after I buy?
Stripe sends the receipt. The download link and the setup steps follow by email a few minutes later.
Is M3 Balance made by Blackmagic Design?
No. M3 Balance is an independent OpenFX effect from Monolith 3. DaVinci Resolve is a trademark of Blackmagic Design, which doesn't make or endorse it.