--- title: "How to auto balance and match shots in DaVinci Resolve Color page" author: "Cutsio Team" date: "2026-05-15" lastmod: "2026-05-15" category: "DaVinci Resolve Advanced Workflows" excerpt: "DaVinci Resolve auto balance and shot matching tools quickly balance color and contrast across clips from different cameras. This guide covers auto color, shot match, and color chart matching workflows." tags: ["DaVinci Resolve","Color Page","Auto Balance","Shot Matching","Color Chart","Shot Match","Color Correction"] --- ## How do you auto balance shots in DaVinci Resolve? Click the auto color button at the left of the color wheels palette to automatically balance a shot's color and contrast. Resolve analyzes the image and adjusts lift, gamma, and gain to create a neutral starting point. This is the fastest way to prepare footage for creative grading. Auto balance works by analyzing the distribution of color and luminance in the image and making intelligent adjustments to remove unwanted color casts and set proper contrast. It is most effective on well-exposed footage with a natural range of colors. Extremely underexposed, overexposed, or monochromatic footage may produce less reliable results. For the fastest workflow with large projects, balance one representative clip from each camera or lighting setup, then use Shot Match to apply that balance to all similar clips. ## How does Shot Match work in DaVinci Resolve? Shot Match matches the color, contrast, and brightness of one clip to another. Select the clip you want to adjust, right-click on the reference clip, and select "Shot Match to This Clip" from the context menu. Resolve analyzes both clips and applies corrections to make the selected clip match the reference. ![Shot Matching](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/matching/matching-xl@2x.jpg?_v=1775608409) Shot Match is essential whenever you have footage from multiple cameras or varying lighting conditions within a scene. Interview shoots with two cameras of different brands, event footage mixing main camera and audience shots, and documentary footage compiled over multiple days all benefit from Shot Match. After applying Shot Match, review the result and make manual adjustments if needed. Shot Match handles the broad color and contrast differences. You may need to fine-tune the match with the primary wheels for exact consistency. ## How do you match shots using a color chart in Resolve? If a shot contains a color chart (such as a ColorChecker or DSC Labs chart), click the color match icon in the toolbar, select the type of chart used, line up the chart reference overlay on the image, and click match. Resolve analyzes the chart patches and applies precise color corrections to neutralize the image. The color chart workflow is the most accurate way to match shots because it uses known reference values. It compensates for lighting color temperature, camera sensor differences, and lens characteristics simultaneously. For high-end commercial and narrative work where color accuracy is critical, shooting a chart on set and matching in post produces the most consistent results. For multi-camera shoots where each camera has a chart reference, match all clips to the chart and they will all share the same colorimetry. This eliminates the need for manual shot matching between cameras.

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