# Neutral Scope

The Neutral Scope helps identify areas of your image that should be neutral (gray) but may have a color cast. It's particularly useful for white balance verification and color correction.

<figure><img src="/files/hzFB64Gmz1iVMUWrhBa0" alt=""><figcaption><p>Neutral Scope highlighting near-neutral pixels</p></figcaption></figure>

## Overview

The Neutral Scope analyzes your video signal to highlight pixels that are close to neutral but exhibit a slight color bias. This makes it easy to:

* Verify white balance accuracy
* Identify subtle color casts in gray areas
* Check that neutral objects (white walls, gray cards) are truly neutral

## How It Works

The scope examines each pixel's RGB values and calculates how far they deviate from perfect neutrality (where R=G=B). Areas with minimal deviation are highlighted, allowing you to see if they lean toward any particular hue.

## Settings

Access scope settings via the hamburger menu (☰) or right-click on the scope.

| Setting      | Description                                         | Default |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------- | ------- |
| Luma Range   | Limit analysis to a specific luma (Y') band         | Full    |
| Threshold    | How close to neutral a pixel must be to be included | 5 %     |
| Display Mode | Overlay or isolated view                            | Overlay |

### Luma Range

Limit the analysis to shadows, midtones, or highlights:

* **Full**: Analyse the entire tonal range
* **Shadows**: Focus on dark areas — black-level neutrality is often where camera sensor noise introduces colour bias
* **Midtones**: Focus on middle grey, where human perception is most sensitive to colour casts
* **Highlights**: Focus on bright areas — white balance is traditionally anchored here (a white card or light source)

## Use Cases

### White Balance Verification

Point the scope at a gray card or neutral reference to verify your white balance is correct. Any color bias will be immediately visible.

### Finding Color Casts

When color correcting footage, use the Neutral Scope to identify subtle casts that may not be obvious in the source viewer.

### Checking Skin Tones

While skin tones are not neutral, areas like the whites of eyes or teeth should be close to neutral. The scope can help identify unwanted color contamination.

## Tips

* Use a gray card or color chart as a reference when possible
* Combine with the Vectorscope for comprehensive color analysis
* The threshold setting lets you adjust sensitivity to your needs

## Related Scopes

* [Vectorscope](/nobe-omniscope/scopes/vectorscope.md) - Overall chroma analysis
* [Skintone Scope](/nobe-omniscope/scopes/skintone-scope.md) - Skin tone line analysis
* [Waveform](/nobe-omniscope/scopes/waveform.md) - RGB parade for balance checking


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