The NOIR Generator DCTL for DaVinci Resolve, which was made by colorist Sven Hegen, has been updated. The DCTL is a versatile, free tool used for generating video patterns that help with color grading and signal testing.
This utility DCTL provides a collection of patterns that are not only useful for testing purposes. Besides the classic ramps, you get patches for 0%, 18% grey, 50% grey, and 100% white. The Cube patch is able to create every color possible in the current working color space and can be used for stress testing LUTs as well as other color grades in combination with the vectorscope. A really useful test pattern for analysing spatial effects in your color grade is the Frequency Ramp that generates low, mid, and high frequency detail.
While some of the patterns are already available with Resolve’s native generator tools, this DCTL allows you to place them anywhere in the node tree and also comes with a few additional patches like the Hue Ramp and the Vector Boundaries. All the patches also adapt to the timeline resolution, so you will always see the full patch without letterboxing or cropping.
New Updates & Features
Pattern Improvements
- The Four-color Gradient and Vector Boundaries (which now correctly show 50% intensity) both gain support for the stepped ramp mode.
- Ramp and Exposure Patches: This feature received a major overhaul, now displaying multiple patches simultaneously for various intensities (e.g., 18% mid-gray, 100% white, up to 10,000 nits) to help with curve anchoring and exposure reference.
- Color Exposure Patches: A brand-new pattern based on primary colors, useful for evaluating how a Display Rendering Transform (DRT) handles saturated colors at different brightness levels.
Adjustments & New Patterns
- The Frequency Ramp now defaults to five rows instead of eight.
- Hue Ramp now features a horizontal rotation slider and improved pre-post gamma functionality.
- Hue Borders: A new pattern split into three saturation levels to help visualize edge cases in color spaces.
- Elizabeth: A composite patch combining grayscale, skin tones, and primary color ramps for testing LUT behavior on skin.
- Checkerboard: A new tool for testing spatial effects like grain and blur.
Workflow Enhancements: The “Show on Top” feature now allows users to overlay these patterns onto their actual footage for easier analysis.
