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How to use power windows and the tracker in DaVinci Resolve Color page

DaVinci Resolve power windows let you draw shapes around objects for targeted color grading, while the tracker animates windows to follow moving subjects. This guide covers shapes, pen tool, gradients, and tracking workflows.

How do you use power windows for targeted grading in DaVinci Resolve?

Click the Power Window icon in the Color page toolbar to open the palette. Choose from geometric shapes — circle, square, or curve — or use the pen tool for custom shapes. Click on the viewer to place the window, then drag the on-screen controls to adjust its size, position, rotation, and softness. The window defines an area where color corrections are applied, leaving the rest of the image unaffected.

Power windows work like physical masks in traditional photography. A circle window can isolate a face for skin tone grading. A gradient window can darken a sky while leaving the foreground unchanged. A custom curve drawn with the pen tool can follow the outline of a product or vehicle.

Each window includes edge softness controls that determine how gradually the correction fades at the window boundary. Low softness creates hard edges for precise selections. High softness creates gentle transitions that blend naturally with the surrounding image.

For more DaVinci Resolve tips, read our guide on DaVinci Resolve AI Tools for Colorists and Editors.

Perfect your color grade with How to use the node editor for color grading in DaVinci Resolve.

How do you create gradient power windows in Resolve?

The gradient power window creates a linear or radial falloff across the image instead of a defined shape. Place the gradient window and rotate it to match the direction of the falloff you want. The gradient transitions from fully corrected at one end to completely unaffected at the other.

Gradients are ideal for darkening overexposed skies, adding vignette effects to corners, or lighting adjustments across a scene. A top-to-bottom gradient can darken the sky while leaving the ground at full brightness. A radial gradient centered on the subject can subtly vignette the edges of the frame.

How does the tracker work with power windows?

After positioning a power window, open the tracker palette by clicking the crosshair icon in the toolbar. Choose tracking options that match the camera movement — pan, tilt, zoom, rotation, and 3D perspective. Move the playhead to the start of the clip and click Track Forward. Resolve analyzes the clip and animates the power window to follow the object automatically.

The tracker analyzes the pixels within the power window and tracks their movement across frames. For best results, make sure the tracked object has sufficient contrast against the background. A subject standing against a plain wall tracks more reliably than a subject against a busy background.

If the tracking drifts, you can adjust keyframes manually. Scroll through the clip, stop at frames where the window has drifted, and reposition it. The tracker uses these corrections to refine its track for subsequent frames.

What are the recommended tracking settings for different shots?

| Camera movement | Tracking mode | Notes |

|---|---|---|

| Static camera, moving subject | Pan/Tilt/Zoom | Standard mode for most shots |

| Handheld or gimbal | Pan/Tilt/Zoom/Rotation | Adds rotation tracking |

| Dolly or crane shot | Perspective | Analyzes scale changes |

| Drone footage | Perspective | Handles complex movement |

| Zoom lens adjustment | Zoom | Tracks focal length changes |

For the most reliable tracking, start with the simplest tracking mode that matches your camera movement. Adding unnecessary tracking dimensions can reduce accuracy. If Pan/Tilt alone works for a simple interview shot, do not enable Rotation or Perspective.

How do you use the tracker to attach effects to moving objects?

Beyond grading, the tracker can attach effects such as lens flares, graphics, or blur to specific objects. Create a power window around the object, track it forward through the clip, and apply any grade or Resolve FX inside the window. The effect stays locked to the object for the duration of the clip.

For example, to add a lens flare to a moving light source: position a power window around the light, track it, and apply a Resolve FX lens flare inside the window. The flare follows the light as it moves across the frame. This works with any Resolve FX or Open FX effect.