Introduction

Bleach bypass is a film processing technique that skips the bleach bath during development.

The result is reduced saturation, increased contrast, and deep blacks with a texture that curves and LUTs struggle to replicate convincingly.

This DCTL brings that look into DaVinci Resolve Studio as a parametric tool.

Key features

Authentic silver retention simulation

The effect works through a combination of contrast lift, controlled desaturation, and black level manipulation that mirrors how silver retention actually affects the image, rather than approximating it with a generic contrast boost.

Seven parameters, full control

Effect intensity, color desaturation, black levels, contrast, Fill (controls black depth while preserving shadow detail), Shadow Protection (recovers darkened areas without breaking the overall look), and Highlights Recovery (restores bright areas without losing the signature contrast).

A Bypass toggle lets you compare the processed and original image instantly.

From monochrome to subtle desaturation

The desaturation range goes from full monochrome to a barely-visible tint, so the same plugin covers both a hard silver retention look and a softer, stylized grade.

Refined shadow and highlight control

Shadow Protection enhances darker areas by bringing back details, while keeping the bleach bypass look. The algorithm creates smooth and natural shifts without adding any unwanted noise or artifacts in the shadows.

Highlights Recovery restores brightness in very bright areas without changing the overall style.
It helps keep details clear in bright scenes while keeping the unique contrast of the bleach bypass effect.

Installation guidelines

1. Navigate to Project Settings
2. Select “Color Management” and click “Open LUT Folder”
3. Drag the DCTL file into the opened directory
4. Restart DaVinci Resolve Studio