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Davinci Resolve
FX Oscillograph DCTL
Artistic videoscope DCTL for DaVinci Resolve Studio editors that turns footage into modulation-style waveform, stylised titles, sci-fi HUDs, and realistic camera overlays.
PLOT YOUR IMAGE
EVERYTHING IS A BRUSH IN THE ARTIST'S HANDS
Videoscopes are great for analysis – but they're also powerful for stylisation. You just need a way to draw them. Oscillograph DCTL turns your footage into graphs and waveforms. Combine them into complex compositions with layers and titles, or create simple overlays in seconds. Realistic camera overlays? Finally. (No more fake waveforms.) Or build your own HUDs.
Perfect for: Sci-Fi projects, Music Videos, Social Media, Dynamic Backgrounds, and Titles Stylisation.
Download Free TrialKEY FEATURES
Single Line Graphs form the backbone of the effect. By averaging each pixel column and plotting it across the frame, the DCTL generates those distinctive modulation‑style waves.
Choose from 10 graph types to plot the data that matters to you: RGB Combined, RGB Split, Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Maximum, Middle, Minimum, and Saturation.
Amplitude control lets you make waves taller or shorter, directly adjusting the perceived depth of the graph.
Quantization dials down resolution for a blocky look – perfect when you want your graphs to feel like pixel art or retro aesthetics.
Waveform mode – traditional videoscope view. Some parameters behave differently here – hover over a parameter name in DaVinci Resolve to learn more.
Separate transparency settings for the background and graphs let you build complex, layered compositions.
QUICK TIPS
Blur the input image to smooth out graphs and waveforms – it softens harsh edges and reduces noise.
Want square-dotted graphs? Stack 2 Oscillograph effects. Set up the first, copy it to the second node or adjustment layer, and enable Rotate. Depending on your source, you may also need to tweak Graph Type or input/output contrast.
Even though the DCTL works across Edit, Fusion, and Color, the Color page is the most convenient – especially when you're in a rush. Adjust the input image on the node before the DCTL to change the graph shapes and the data they display. Then tweak the color parameters on the DCTL node to reshape the effect's output look.
Magic Masks and Power Windows unlock creative overlays – from face obscuring and censorship to sci-fi HUDs and cyborg POVs.
Fusion Effect Idea: overlay a face with the graphs and modify Oscillograph parameters using the sound of a person's voice.
Create a camera overlay with a real waveform – use a standard DaVinci 'Video Camera' preset on the first layer, then add Oscillograph DCTL in Waveform mode on the second (you'll need to create a compound clip to resize and move the waveform properly). True art is in the details – don't miss this when you need an authentic camera view.
Title stylisation – feed the DCTL richly textured text, and watch it transform. The more gradients, shadows, and strokes you add, the more detailed the result. Works on Text+, MultiText, and other Fusion titles.
Anti-aliasing – sometimes graph lines look too pixelated. A built-in softening feature isn't possible due to DCTL API limitations (it would kill performance). Instead, grab Thatcher Freeman's open-source FXAA DCTL – pop it on the node after Oscillograph, and the default settings work great out of the box.
Experimentation is everything – pair it with plugins you already own, like Analog Damage or Find Edges. Play with composite modes, or use modifiers in Fusion to animate DCTL parameters using audio (you can access this tool, by right-clicking a fusion parameter, and selecting Modify With > Fairlight Animator from the context menu).
DONE PLOTTING? BREAK IT!
Trippy DCTL – footage-driven cyberpunk silhouette glitches, VHS‑like tearing, mirages, and more.
Learn MoreRemix DCTL – glitch and pixel-sorting DCTL for Resolve editors that generates digital decay and data-moshing.
Learn MorePLEASE NOTE
Demo version has watermarks.
Tooltips are not available on the Fusion page.
Accuracy and Density have the biggest performance impact. At Accuracy 1.0, every pixel is calculated; lower values skip pixels for speed. If Density is high, reducing Accuracy may not boost performance further beyond a threshold.
System Requirements
DaVinci Resolve Studio 19.1 and newer.
GPU: NVIDIA or Apple Silicon.
Discussions
Want to talk about it?
Head over to r/aescripts to chat with fellow users about this product.
Need Support?
Please open a support ticket to be connected directly with the author of this product
Version History
1.0.0 -
Jul 27, 2026
This major update introduces significant improvements and new features that leverage the latest DCTL API. Please review the following changes and important compatibility notice.
Key Improvements & New Features:
- Overlay instead of clipping – graphs now stack beautifully without cutting off
- UI overhaul – cleaner, more intuitive, and easier to navigate
- Output color parameters removed – use Resolve's native grading tools on the same node or downstream (more flexibility!)
- 10 graph types – from Luminance to Saturation, each also available as a Waveform
- Quantization – dial in a blocky, pixel‑art look for your graphs
- Performance boosts – under‑the‑hood optimizations for smoother playback
Changes Leveraging the Latest DCTL API:
- In-UI Tooltips – hover any parameter for a helpful explanation (Fusion page not supported)
- Color Picker – pick colors for both background and graphs with the new UI element
- Alpha Channel – build layered compositions with transparency checkboxes or use masks for creative overlays
Important Compatibility Notice!
This version and all future versions of Oscillograph DCTL require DaVinci Resolve 19.1 or later. Due to its reliance on new DCTL development features introduced in Resolve 19.1, this plugin will not function in prior versions of DaVinci Resolve. Please ensure your application is up to date.
0.3.0 -
Aug 18, 2024
- Adjust R, G, and B Gain, Hue, Saturation, and Gain of each element - Y Graph, RGB Graph, Scopes, and Background.
- Density - makes waveform ‘dots’ longer. Useful when the waveform looks like lines and you want to make these lines bolder.
CHANGED:
Background color sliders now have range from 0 to 1000.
0.2.0 -
Aug 9, 2024
— Scopes on BG — - adds waveform behind graphs: 1 - Luminance Waveform, 2 - RGB Waveform. Do not use it for color critical work, artistic use only.
- Power - changes waveform visibility
- Precision - controlling the amount of pixels to analyze image. Less is better. 1 - uses each pixel, 3 - uses each third pixel, 12 - uses each 12th pixel and so on. Use Precision to optimize real-time playback.
- Contrast - adjusts waveform appearance by changing contrast of the input image. Contrast is linear and doesn't affect the image under the waveform.
- Pivot - changes the pivot point of applied contrast.
- Add to Graph - changes composite mode of waveform to 'Add', so it will be mixed with graphs.
- Invert - inverts color of waveform 'dots'. Doesn't invert completely black pixels.
- Rotate - changes waveform to horizontal and waveform analyzes horizontal lines of pixels.
- Flip - flips waveform.
UI CHANGES:
Parameters with floating point were multiplied by 1000 and Checkboxes were changed to sliders with two values: 0 and 1. This is done to arrange parameters in a user-friendly order, since DCTLs have limitations in UI flexibility.
FIXED:
Background color sliders now have correct 8-bit precision. They had little offset before.
0.1.0 -
Jul 17, 2024
Compatibility
Davinci Resolve
21, 20, 19
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