If you spend ages colour grading your YouTube videos to perfection in Davinci Resolve only for them to look like crap when you finally upload them to YouTube. This article will help explain what is happening, how YouTube deals with files, and how you can make some simple changes on your end that should get your videos to look more colour accurate when you finally upload them to YouTube.
Takeaways:
- What are the best export settings for colour matching Davinci Resolve with YouTube?
- Learn how to export videos from Davinci Resolve for YouTube with better colour grading results.
Table of Contents
Important Limitations You Cannot Fix
Unfortunately no matter how hard you try to get things to match perfectly, YouTube does not truly assume your file is Rec.709A. Instead, YouTube uses Mac default ColorSync behavior and instructs browsers to display the video as Rec.709A. As a result of this built-in platform behaviour results will vary:
- On a Windows PC, the image may look different
- On Android devices, it may look different
- On iPhone, the YouTube app behaves differently from browsers
- On TVs and calibrated reference monitors, it can look vastly different
There is currently no universal solution to this inconsistency. It is a platform level issue tied to Apple ColorSync behavior and how YouTube signals color information. But! There are still a few things you can do so follow as we show you how to get consistency between DaVinci Resolve, QuickTime, and YouTube on Mac based viewing environments.
Monitors and screen play a major role in the final results. Many professional colorists grade in darker display modes. However, most viewers watch content in bright rooms on varied screens. Using the default Mac display profile can be practical if your audience primarily watches on consumer devices. Also, working in a completely dark room increases eye strain because your pupils dilate more, making your eyes work harder to focus.
Why Colors Shift After Export
Color shifts usually happen because of gamma tagging and how different platforms interpret that tag. QuickTime reads and respects the gamma tag embedded in your file. YouTube behaves differently. It processes files using Apple ColorSync behavior and signals browsers to display the video as Rec.709A. This mismatch in interpretation is where contrast and color changes occur.
The key is to align your project, export, and tagging settings so that all platforms interpret the file in the same way.
Set Up Preferences in DaVinci Resolve
Open DaVinci Resolve Preferences, go to General and enable the following:
Viewer Settings
- Check 10 bit precision in viewers
- Check Use Mac display color profiles for viewers
- Enable Viewers match QuickTime player
These settings will make sure that what you see inside DaVinci Resolve matches how QuickTime will display your file.
Configure Project Color Settings
Now open Project Settings and go to Color Management. You can work in DaVinci Wide Gamut if you want (That is optional). But the IMPORTANT setting is the output color space.
Output Color Space
Choose one of the following:
- Rec.709 Scene
- Rec.709A
Both can work, but there is a workflow difference.
If you choose Rec.709A as your project output, you must apply a Color Space Transform to Rec.709A at the end of your node tree or timeline.
If you choose Rec.709 Scene and enable automatic tagging of Rec.709 Scene as Rec.709A in preferences, you do not need to manually add a transform. This simplifies the workflow and reduces the risk of mistakes.
Davinci Resolve Export Settings That Preserve Color
In the Deliver page:
Format and Codec
- Format: QuickTime
- Codec: H.264
- Resolution: 4K recommended, even if your footage is 1080p
- Frame rate: 23.976 or 24 fps
- Bitrate: 80,000 to 100,000 kbps
Higher resolution and bitrate give YouTube more data before compression. While it will take way longer to render it is almost always worth the extra time used.
Advanced Settings
These are super important.
- Color space tag: Rec.709
- Gamma tag: Rec.709A
This will make sure that QuickTime displays the file correctly and aligns with how YouTube signals browsers to interpret it.
Other recommended settings:
- Encoding profile: High
- Entropy mode: CABAC
- Enable multipass encoding if time allows
- Pixel aspect ratio: Square
- Data levels: Video
What About Compensating for YouTube Compression?
YouTube compression softens detail. Some creators slightly oversharpen before export to counteract this but it doesn't always work, so experiment with it a little.
- Add mild sharpening
- Reduce midtone detail slightly to avoid artificial clarity
Test carefully. Oversharpening can degrade image quality.
