# False Color False Color maps brightness or saturation values to a colour overlay, making it easy to judge exposure at a glance. Every colour band and its threshold can be fully customised.

False Color scope with the R3D preset

## Display Modes | Mode | Description | | -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Luma** | Maps luma (Y') to false colour (default). Luma is the weighted sum of the non-linear R'G'B' channels; the weights follow the active colour space (Rec. 709: 0.2126 / 0.7152 / 0.0722; Rec. 2020: 0.2627 / 0.6780 / 0.0593). | | **HDR** | HDR-aware mode with dedicated, spec-aligned presets for **PQ** (SMPTE ST 2084) and **HLG** (ITU-R BT.2100 / BT.2408) signals. Scale labels are shown in display-referred nits. See [HDR Mode](#hdr-mode) below. | | **Saturation (HSL)** | Maps HSL saturation to false colour | | **Saturation (HSV)** | Maps HSV saturation to false colour | | **Hue** | Maps hue angle to false colour | ## Built-in Presets OmniScope ships with 21 built-in false colour presets covering common camera and monitor workflows: | Preset | Style | | --------------------------- | --------------------------------- | | **R3D** | Smooth — RED cameras (default) | | **R3D Legacy (v2.x)** | Gradient — older RED workflow | | **Flanders** | Gradient — professional reference | | **SmallHD (50x, 70x)** | Gradient | | **SmallHD (DPx)** | Gradient | | **ARRI** | Sharp | | **Atomos** | Sharp | | **Atomos 2** | Sharp | | **BlackMagic Video Assist** | Smooth | | **Zacuto** | Sharp | | **VideoDevices PIX-E4** | Smooth | | **VideoDevices PIX-E12** | Smooth | | **Skintones** | Smooth — skin tone reference | | **Highlights** | Smooth — highlight range focus | | **Shadows** | Smooth — shadow range focus | | **Saturation** | Gradient — saturation mapping | | **Sony Log** | Sharp — S-Log3 style | | **Canon Log** | Sharp — C-Log3 style | | **RED Log** | Sharp — IPP2 style | | **ARRI LogC4** | Sharp — LogC4 curve | | **Universal Cine Log** | Sharp — universal log standard |

Preset selection menu

Each preset defines up to 15 colour stops with configurable transition sharpness — **Smooth** (continuous gradient), **Sharp** (hard colour cuts), or **Gradient** (mixed). ## Preset Manager The Preset Manager lets you browse, import, and organise false colour presets. It lists both **built-in presets** and **user presets** stored in the application support folder. You can load presets from `.tfc4` / `.fc4` files on disk, save custom presets, rename, or delete user presets.

False Color Preset Manager

User presets are stored in `~/Library/Application Support/NobeOmniScope/presets/` on macOS. ## Scale A colour ruler displays the active preset's mapping alongside the image. The scale type determines the unit labels: | Scale | Description | | ---------------- | ------------------------ | | **IRE** | Standard broadcast units | | **8-bit** | 0–255 levels | | **10-bit** | 0–1023 levels | | **mV** | Millivolts (analogue) | | **ST 2084 (PQ)** | HDR nit levels | | **HLG** | HLG nit levels | ### Side Scale Move the scale outside the picture area so it doesn't cover the image. Toggle **Scale on side** in the scope settings.

Side scale keeps the image unobstructed

## HDR Mode {% hint style="info" %} HLG false-color support and the BT.2408-aligned HDR presets are available from version **1.11.45**. {% endhint %} Selecting **Mode → HDR** switches False Color to a pair of spec-aligned presets for HDR signals. Use the **Scale** selector to pick between **PQ** (SMPTE ST 2084) and **HLG** (ITU-R BT.2100 / BT.2408). In HDR mode the scale labels are display-referred nits: PQ labels are absolute (PQ is absolute-nit encoded); HLG labels are computed through the BT.2100 system gamma (γ = 1.2 at reference Lw = 1000 nits), so they match BT.2408 operational practice (75 % HLG → 203 nits, 38 % HLG → 26 nits, 100 % HLG → 1000 nits). ### HLG Preset (BT.2408)

HLG preset with BT.2408 reference bands: cyan 18 % grey marker, pink skin-tone zone, green ref-white anchor, yellow/orange specular warning, red peak

The HLG preset anchors the three BT.2100 structural points — **0 % black**, **75 % HLG diffuse / graphics white (203 nits)**, and **100 % peak display (1000 nits)** — as locked indicators, and surrounds them with BT.2408-aligned reference bands: a **cyan** marker at the **18 % grey card (38 % HLG ≈ 26 nits)**, a **pink** band across the **Fitzpatrick skin-tone range (45 – 60 % HLG ≈ 39 – 85 nits)**, and a specular-highlight warning ramp above diffuse white. Cyan is chosen over green for the 18 % grey marker so it's visually distinct from the green reference-white anchor. | HLG signal % | Display nits @ Lw 1000 | Colour | Purpose | BT.2408 | | -----------: | --------------------------------: | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | 0 | 0 | black (locked) | Floor | — | | 0 → 17 | 0 → 3.8 | black → dark grey ramp | Shadow noise floor | — | | 17 → 36 | 3.8 → 23 | mid-grey ramp | Shadow | — | | **36 → 40** | **23 → 30** | **cyan band** (sharp edges) | **18 % grey marker** | **38 % = 26 nits** | | 40 → 45 | 30 → 39 | grey | Lower mid | — | | **45 → 60** | **39 → 85** | **pink band** (sharp edges) | **Skin-tone zone** | Fitz 1–6 range (Table 2) | | 60 → 75 | 85 → 203 | grey ramp | Upper mid → ref white | — | | **75** | **203** | **green (locked)** | **HLG Reference / Graphics White** | **75 % = 203 nits** | | 75 → 82 | 203 → 314 | green | Lower specular | — | | 82 → 88 | 314 → 459 | green → yellow gradient | Highlight warning | — | | **88** | **459** | **yellow (sharp)** | **Highlight alert** | — | | 88 → 95 | 459 → 722 | yellow → orange | Near peak | — | | 95 → 100 | 722 → 1000 | orange → red | Approaching peak | — | | **100** | **1000** | **red (locked)** | **Peak Display** | **100 % = L****w** | Because HLG is display-adaptive, the colour anchors are expressed in signal %, not absolute nits — they stay fixed regardless of the mastering display peak. Only the nit labels on the ruler rescale if you change the reference Lw. The **Mastering level** and **SDR white level** controls are disabled when the scale is set to HLG — BT.2100 locks HLG reference white and peak at 75 % and 100 % signal regardless of display peak. ### PQ Preset (BT.2408)

PQ preset with BT.2408 reference bands and mastering-relative highlight warnings (yellow at 0.5× mastering, orange at 0.75× mastering)

The PQ preset shares the HLG preset's visual grammar — the same BT.2408 reference bands (18 % grey and skin-tone), the same green-locked HDR reference-white anchor at 203 nits, and a specular warning ramp that **rescales with the user's mastering level**. Because PQ is absolute-nit encoded, all thresholds below 203 nits are expressed in absolute nits (they don't move with the mastering slider); the specular ramp above 203 nits tracks the mastering level so a 4000-nit Dolby Vision master puts the warnings in the right place automatically. The table below assumes the default mastering level = 1000 nits. The two "mastering-relative" rows (highlight warn and near peak) move proportionally when the slider changes — e.g. on a 4000-nit master, highlight warn lands at 2000 nits and near peak at 3600 nits. | Nits @ 1000 mastering | PQ signal % | Colour | Purpose | BT.2408 | | ------------------------: | ----------: | --------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | | 0 | 0.0 | black (locked) | Floor | — | | 0 → 4 | 0 → 23 | black → dark grey ramp | Shadow noise floor | — | | 4 → 23 | 23 → 37 | mid-grey ramp | Shadow | — | | **23 → 30** | **37 → 39** | **cyan band** (sharp edges) | **18 % grey marker** | **26 nits ≈ 38 % signal** | | 30 → 40 | 39 → 42 | grey | Lower mid | — | | **40 → 85** | **42 → 49** | **pink band** (sharp edges) | **Skin-tone zone** | Fitz 1–6 range (Table 2) | | 85 → 203 | 49 → 57.5 | grey ramp | Upper mid → ref white | — | | **203** | **57.5** | **green (locked)** | **HDR Reference / Graphics White** | **203 nits = 58 % signal** | | **500** (0.5 × mastering) | ≈ 67 | **yellow (sharp)** | **Highlight warn** (tracks mastering) | — | | **900** (0.9 × mastering) | ≈ 74 | **orange** | **Near peak** (tracks mastering) | — | | **1000** (mastering) | **74.7** | **red (locked)** | **Mastering level** (user-configurable) | — | | 10000 | 100.0 | red (locked) | ST 2084 ceiling | — | The **Mastering level** slider (1000 – 10000 nits) lets a colourist change their grade target on the fly — the red anchor, the yellow highlight warn, and the orange near-peak indicator all shift together, keeping the warnings proportional to the deliverable. The **SDR white level** combo (100 / 203 / 300 nits) moves the green locked anchor, which is useful when conforming to non-BT.2408 ingest styles (e.g. 100-nit SDR-pass-through material). Unlike HLG, PQ absolute nits differ from PQ signal-%: the PQ curve allocates more of the scale to shadows (10 nits = 38 % signal; 100 nits = 51 % signal). That's why the 18 % grey and skin-tone bands end up proportionally narrower on the PQ scale than on HLG — both are BT.2408-correct in nits; they just land differently on the signal axis. ## Opacity & Blur * **Opacity** (0–100 %) — blend the false colour overlay with the original image for a semi-transparent view. * **Blur** — soften the false colour output to reduce noise in the mapping. ## Custom Range Enable **Custom Range** to override the full preset with a simple two-colour gradient between a minimum and maximum level. Set the min/max percentages and pick the start and end colours. ## Ranges {% hint style="info" %} Available from version **1.11.33**. {% endhint %} The **Ranges** tab in False Color settings provides numerical editing for every range point in the active preset. Each range boundary is displayed as a slider with its current IRE value. **Cmd-click** (macOS) or **Ctrl-click** (Windows) a slider to turn it into an edit box and type an exact value.

Ranges tab — fine-tune each preset range with precise IRE values

The **Minimum** and **Maximum** range points are locked to 0 and 100 IRE respectively. All other range boundaries can be adjusted freely within their allowed range (constrained by neighbouring points). This is the same set of range points you can drag directly on the false colour scale — the Ranges tab simply gives you precise numerical control. ## Color Picker Hold **Alt** and click on the image to sample a colour and create a **colour pin**. Pins display the sampled value in your chosen format: | Format | Example | | ------------- | ---------------- | | **RGB 8-bit** | R:255 G:128 B:64 | | **HEX** | #FF8040 | | **RGB Float** | 1.0, 0.5, 0.25 | ## Zoom & Pan Scroll to zoom in (up to 15×) and drag to pan across the image. A **zoom preview** thumbnail appears in the corner showing the full frame with a yellow rectangle indicating the current viewport. The preview can be toggled off in settings. ## LUT Export Export the current false colour mapping as a standard **3D LUT** (`.cube`) or **VLT** format for use in external applications or on-set monitors. ## Keyboard Shortcuts Assign shortcuts via the [Action Editor](/nobe-omniscope/action-editor.md) to any of the actions below. ## StreamDeck Actions | Action | Description | | --------------- | ------------------------------------- | | **Toggle Solo** | Fullscreen the False Color scope | | **Pause** | Freeze the scope at the current frame | --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.timeinpixels.com/nobe-omniscope/scopes/false-color.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.