--- title: "Basic Properties" url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/PVFILTER-ID_VIDEOPOSTPROPERTIES.html" section_path: "Render Menu > Render Setting > Post Effects > Color Correction > Gradient Curves" element_id: "PVFILTER" group_id: "ID_VIDEOPOSTPROPERTIES" description: "Defines the amount of hue in a given color or in the colors of an image, i.e., how brilliant a color, or colors, will appear. A Saturation value of 0 will …" --- ## Basic Properties ### Tone Mapping Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_TONEMAPPING` · Range: [0..+∞%] See [Tone Mapping](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/5878.html.md). ### Saturation Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_SATURATION` · Range: [-100..100%] Defines the amount of hue in a given color or in the colors of an image, i.e., how brilliant a color, or colors, will appear. A **Saturation** value of 0 will result in an image being reduced to grayscale values. ### Brightness Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_BRIGHTNESS` · Range: [-100..100%] Makes an image evenly brighter or darker. ### Contrast Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_CONTRAST` · Range: [-100..100%] Higher **Contrast** values will darken dark regions and brighten bright regions of an image, which will amplify the differences between regions with different brightness values. Lower **Contrast** values will lighten dark regions and darken lighter regions of an image, which will result in a optical "flattening" of the image. ### Exposure Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_EXPOSURE` · Range: [-10.00..10.00] **Exposure** is used to adjust the brightness of HDR and also normal images. ### Gamma Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GAMMA` · Range: [0.10..10.00] The **Gamma** value defines how the brightness values will be displayed (e.g., a bright pixel can be made much brighter or darkened). Basically the **Gamma** value is used to adjust brightness values. ### Red Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_RED` ### Green Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GREEN` ### Blue Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_BLUE` Use these options to enable or disable each color channel. ### Invert Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_INVERT` Inverts the image’s color values. Black regions are made white and vice-versa. RGB images are inverted by subtracting the maximum pixel color value (i.e., from 255 for 8-bit color depth) for each channel (red, green, blue). ### Black Point Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_BLACKPOINT` · Range: [0.00..100.00] ### White Point Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_WHITEPOINT` · Range: [0.00..100.00] These values define the darkest and brightest points, respectively. If one of the values is modified the tonal value will be scaled accordingly. # Gradient Curves ![Image: 035571.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/035571.jpg)\ The gradient curves can be used to brighten, darken or color specific brightness regions. The gradient curves can be used to precisely modify brightness and color regions of original image. For example, only the dark regions of an image can be brightened or brighter regions can be colored. This can also be done for individual color channels using the separate red, green and blue gradient curves. In the Picture Viewer's filter settings you will find a color correction setting that can be used to affect the image interactively. ### Grading Intensity Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_INTENSITY` · Range: [0..100%] Here you can steplessly define the intensity of the Color Correction effect during rendering. A value of 0% disables the effect; a value of 100% maximizes the effect. ### Curve Min Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_MIN` · Range: [-∞..+∞] ### Curve Max Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_MAX` · Range: [-∞..+∞] Use these settings to define the brightness region within which the gradient curves should unfold their effect. This is not important for 8-bit or 16-bit images since they have a range of 0 - 255 and 0 - 65535, respectively, and therefore use the default values of 0 and 1. These settings are, however, relevant for use with HDR images. As you know, HDR images can contain an almost infinite amount of brightness. Using the **Min** and **Max** values you can more precisely restrict the brightness range within which the gradient curves should unfold their effect. Brightness values less than **Min** and larger than **Max** (values greater than 1000 can be entered) will remain constant (Attention: This means that all brighter regions will be omitted if the default **Max** value of 1 is used! The **Max** value must be adjusted manually). The gradient curve will then unfold its effect within this value range. ### Curve Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_SPLINE_RGB` Use this curve (in addition to the RGB curves) to define the overall brightness. How the **Curve** works is explained below. ![Image: subgroup.gif](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/subgroup.gif)\ RGB Curves ### Red Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_SPLINE_R` ### Green Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_SPLINE_G` ### Blue Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_GRAD_SPLINE_B` ![Image: 035572.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/035572.jpg)\ The gradient curve is applied to the linear grayscale at the left. The result is shown on the right. A gradient curve defines where a new brightness value will be assigned along the X axis. This is easy to recognize in the image above. The Curve applies a brightness value of 0 to the first third, i.e., black. The second third has a linear gradient that assigns proportional brightness values to the region. The last third has a maximum value, which means it appears white. This can also be done separately for each color channel, red, green, and blue. This makes it possible to color dark or bright regions only (the histogram in the Picture Viewer shows where which color dominates in the image): ![Image: 035573.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/035573.jpg)\ Dark regions in the center were colored red and bright regions at the right blue. ### Reset Values Parameter ID: `ID_PV_FILTER_RESET` Clicking on this button will set all color correction values back to their original states, which has the same effect as not having a post effect at all.