--- title: "How to use professional scopes for color grading in DaVinci Resolve" author: "Cutsio Team" date: "2026-05-15" lastmod: "2026-05-15" category: "DaVinci Resolve Advanced Workflows" excerpt: "DaVinci Resolve includes five professional scopes: parade, waveform, vectorscope, histogram, and CIE chromaticity. This guide covers how each scope works and how to use them for accurate color grading." tags: ["DaVinci Resolve","Color Page","Scopes","Parade","Waveform","Vectorscope","Histogram","CIE Chromaticity"] --- ## How do professional scopes work in DaVinci Resolve? Professional scopes in DaVinci Resolve provide objective measurements of image data for consistent color evaluation. The scopes palette at the bottom right of the Color page features five scope types: parade, waveform, vectorscope, histogram, and CIE chromaticity. Each scope shows different aspects of the image's color and luminance information. ![Scopes](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/scopes/scopes-lg@2x.jpg?_v=1601271534) Scopes eliminate the subjectivity of judging color on a monitor. Room lighting, monitor calibration, and viewing angle all affect how you perceive color on screen. Scopes give you the same objective data regardless of your viewing environment. ## How does the parade scope work in DaVinci Resolve? The parade scope displays the red, green, and blue channels as separate waveforms side by side. It helps you see if one color channel is stronger than the others, indicating a color cast. Each waveform shows the luminance of that channel across the image from left (left side of frame) to right (right side of frame). ![Parade Scope](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/five-scopes/parade@2x.jpg?_v=1601271868) To balance a shot using the parade, look at the three waveforms and check if they have similar shapes and levels. If the red waveform is shifted higher than green and blue, the image has a red cast. Adjust the lift, gamma, and gain using the primary wheels until the three waveforms roughly align. The parade can also be set to display YRGB or YCbCr signals for different analysis purposes. ## How does the waveform scope work in DaVinci Resolve? The waveform scope displays luminance and color values overlaid on top of each other. When the colors line up at the same level, they combine to appear white on the waveform, indicating that each channel has equal intensity. The waveform shows the image signal from black (bottom) to white (top). The waveform is useful for checking exposure levels across the image. Skin tones should typically fall between 60-70% on the waveform for standard Rec. 709 delivery. Highlights should approach 100% without clipping. Shadows should reach 0% for full contrast but not remain at 0 across large areas, which indicates crushed blacks. ## How does the vectorscope work in DaVinci Resolve? The vectorscope displays a circular graph of hue and saturation. Hue is represented by angle around the circle — red at 90 degrees, green at 180 degrees, blue at 270 degrees. Saturation is represented by distance from the center — closer to center means lower saturation. ![Vectorscope](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/five-scopes/vectorscope@2x.jpg?_v=1642983114) The vectorscope is commonly used to check skin tones. Skin tones fall along a specific line between yellow and red, regardless of ethnicity. If the skin tone trace shifts toward green or magenta, adjust the tint control to bring it back to the skin tone line. The vectorscope also shows the color gamut limits for your project's delivery format. ## How do the histogram and CIE chromaticity scopes work? The histogram shows the tonal distribution of each channel from shadows (left) to highlights (right). Tall spikes in the histogram indicate where most of the image's data is concentrated. A well-exposed image typically has data distributed across the full range without large gaps at either end. ![Histogram](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/five-scopes/histogram@2x.jpg?_v=1642983114) The CIE chromaticity scope shows the color gamut of your image plotted on a CIE 1931 color space diagram. The triangle overlay shows the gamut boundary of your project's output color space. Colors outside the triangle exceed the delivery format's gamut and will be clipped. Use this scope when working with wide gamut footage destined for Rec. 709 or DCI-P3 delivery to ensure all colors are within the target gamut. ![CIE Chromaticity](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/color/five-scopes/chromaticity@2x.jpg?_v=1642983113) ## FAQ ### Which scope should I use for color balancing? Start with the parade scope to see individual RGB channel balance. Use the waveform for exposure, the vectorscope for skin tones, and the histogram for tonal distribution. ### How do skin tones appear on the vectorscope? Skin tones cluster along a line between yellow (around 0-15 degrees) and red (around 75-90 degrees). The exact line depends on the subject's complexion. ### Can scopes be customized in DaVinci Resolve? Yes. Right-click on a scope to change its display options — scale, transparency, color mode, and grid overlays. ### Are scopes available in the free version of Resolve? Yes. All five scopes are available in both free and Studio versions. ### What is the difference between waveform and parade? The parade separates the RGB channels into three distinct displays. The waveform overlays them. The parade is better for identifying color casts. The waveform is better for evaluating overall exposure.

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