How to Make a Rainbow Effect in DaVinci Resolve

You can create a rainbow effect in DaVinci Resolve by using the Fusion page and some OpenFX plugins. This effect makes your text change color over time, creating a vibrant and dynamic look. You will use the Text+ title, the ResolveFX Stylize node, the Color Corrector node, and the Hue Curve option to achieve this effect. You can also animate the color change and add other effects to enhance the text.

November 9, 2023
How to Make a Rainbow Effect in DaVinci Resolve
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Rainbow Effects In Davinci Resolve

Similar to the popular RGB split effects which can be done in After Effects, you can also create a rainbow effect in DaVinci Resolve. This effect makes your text change color over time, creating a vibrant and dynamic look. You can use this effect for titles, logos, or any other text elements in your video projects. The rainbow effect can also be animated to make the color change more interesting and eye-catching.

To create a rainbow effect in DaVinci Resolve, you will need to use the Fusion page and some OpenFX plugins. The Fusion page is a node-based interface where you can create and modify visual effects and animations. OpenFX plugins are additional effects that you can apply to your images using nodes. You will use the following steps to create a rainbow effect:

  • Creating a scanline effect on the text using the ResolveFX Stylize node. This will make the text look like it is displayed on an old TV screen with horizontal or vertical lines.
  • Changing the color of the text using the Color Corrector node. You will use the Hue Curve option to create a rainbow effect, which makes the text change color based on the luminance. You can also add keyframes to the Hue Curve parameter to make the color change over time.
  • Previewing the rainbow effect in the Edit page and adding other effects such as Glow or Soft Glow to make the text more shiny and vibrant.

Creating a Scanline Effect

The next step is to create a scanline effect on the text. This will make the text look like it is displayed on an old TV screen with horizontal or vertical lines. To create a scanline effect, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Text+ title in the timeline and go to the Fusion page by clicking on the Fusion icon on the bottom of the screen. This will open a node-based interface where you can create and modify visual effects and animations.
  2. In the Fusion page, you should see two nodes: MediaIn1 and MediaOut1. These nodes represent the input and output of the Fusion composition. You can connect other nodes between them to create different effects.
  3. To create a scanline effect, you need to add a ResolveFX Stylize node between MediaIn1 and MediaOut1. This node is an OpenFX plugin that lets you apply various stylized effects to your image. You can find it in the Effects Library panel under OpenFX > ResolveFX Stylize. Drag and drop the ResolveFX Stylize node onto the node editor and connect the output of MediaIn1 to the input of ResolveFX Stylize. Then connect the output of ResolveFX Stylize to the input of MediaOut1.
  4. Select the ResolveFX Stylize node and go to the Inspector tab. You will see a list of parameters you can adjust for the node. To create a scanline effect, you need to change the Line Frequency and Angle parameters. The Line Frequency parameter controls how many lines are displayed on the image. The higher the value, the more lines you will see. The Angle parameter controls the orientation of the lines. You can set it to 0 degrees for horizontal lines or 90 degrees for vertical lines. You can also change the Line Width and Softness parameters to make the lines thicker or thinner.

Changing the Color of the Text

The final step is to change the color of the text. You can use a Color Corrector node to do this. This node lets you adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness of the image. You can also use a Hue Curve to create a rainbow effect, which makes the text change color based on the luminance. To change the color of the text, follow these steps:

  1. Add a Color Corrector node after the ResolveFX Stylize node. You can find it in the Tools menu under Color > Color Corrector. Drag and drop the Color Corrector node onto the node editor and connect the output of ResolveFX Stylize to the input of Color Corrector. Then connect the output of Color Corrector to the input of MediaOut1.
  2. Select the Color Corrector node and go to the Inspector tab. You will see a list of parameters you can adjust for the node. To change the color of the text, you need to use the Hue Curve option. Click on the Color Wheel icon on the top of the Inspector tab and choose the Hue Curve option. This will open a graph where you can adjust the hue of the image based on the luminance.
  3. To create a rainbow effect, you need to add points on the graph and drag them up or down to change the hue. You can also use the eyedropper tool to pick colors from the image. The more points you add, the more colors you will get. Try to create a smooth curve that covers the whole spectrum of colors. For example, you can start with red at the bottom left corner of the graph, then go up to orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple at the top right corner of the graph.
  4. If you want the color to change over time, you can add keyframes to the Hue Curve parameter. This will make the hue curve animate according to the frames you set. To add a keyframe, move the playhead to the frame where you want the color to change, and click on the diamond icon next to the Hue Curve parameter. This will create a keyframe at that frame. Then move the playhead to another frame and adjust the Hue Curve graph. This will create another keyframe. Repeat this process until you have the desired animation. For example, you can make the hue curve go from red to purple and back to red in a loop.

Previewing the Rainbow Effect

You have now created a rainbow effect in DaVinci Resolve. To preview the effect, go back to the Edit page and play the timeline. You should see your text changing color over time. You can also add other effects such as Glow or Soft Glow to make the text more shiny and vibrant. You can find these effects in the Effects Library panel under OpenFX > ResolveFX Light. Experiment with different parameters and settings to create your own unique rainbow effect. Have fun!