What importing a node tree means and why you'd do it

A node tree in DaVinci Resolve is a saved color grading setup — a collection of adjustments, effects, and the connections between them that you've built in the color page. Importing a node tree means loading one of these saved setups into a new project or clip, so you don't have to rebuild the same color work from scratch.

You'd import a node tree when you want to apply the same look across multiple clips, reuse a grade you built for a previous project, or share a color setup with someone else working in Resolve. Instead of manually recreating each node and adjustment, you load the whole thing at once.

Key Takeaways

  • Node trees are saved from the Color page by right-clicking the node tree area and selecting "Export Node Tree", which creates a file you can load later.
  • To import, open the Color page, right-click in the node tree area, and choose "Import Node Tree", then select the saved file.
  • The imported nodes replace whatever is currently in your node tree, so save your current work first if you want to keep it.
  • Node trees save only the color adjustments and effects, not the clip itself, so you can import the same tree onto different footage.

How to save a node tree before you import one

Before you can import a node tree, you need one saved. Open the Color page in DaVinci Resolve and build or select the node tree you want to keep. This is the setup of nodes and adjustments you've created for a particular look or grade.

Right-click anywhere in the node tree area (the dark workspace where your nodes appear) and select "Export Node Tree" from the menu. A file browser opens. Choose where you want to save the file — your desktop, a project folder, or a dedicated color presets folder works well. Give it a descriptive name like "warm_skin_tone" or "night_scene_blue" so you remember what it does. Resolve saves it as a .nk file.

The step-by-step process for importing

Open the clip or shot in the Color page where you want to apply the node tree. If you already have nodes in this clip, understand that importing will replace them — the new tree will overwrite what's there. If you want to keep your current work, export it first using the steps above.

Right-click in the node tree area and select "Import Node Tree". A file browser opens. Navigate to the .nk file you saved earlier and click "Open". Resolve loads the entire node tree — all the nodes, their settings, and the connections between them — into your current clip.

The imported nodes now appear in your node tree area. You can see all the adjustments that were in the original setup. If the imported tree doesn't look quite right on this new footage, you can tweak individual nodes without affecting the overall structure. Adjust color values, saturation, or any other parameter to match your current clip.

What happens when you import over existing nodes

Importing a node tree replaces whatever node setup is currently in that clip. The old nodes disappear and are replaced by the imported tree. This is why saving your current work before importing matters — once you import, you can undo with Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac), but if you've moved to a different clip or closed the project, that undo is gone.

If you want to keep both your current nodes and add the imported tree to them, you have two options. You can manually rebuild the imported tree by adding nodes one at a time and copying their settings, or you can export your current tree, import the new one, then manually reconnect them by dragging node outputs to inputs. Most people find it simpler to choose one tree or the other rather than combine them this way.

Sharing node trees with other editors

Node trees are portable. You can email a .nk file to another editor, and they can import it into their own Resolve project on their own computer. The file contains only the color adjustments and node structure, not the video itself, so file size is small — usually under 100 KB.

Keep in mind that the imported tree will look different on different footage. A node tree built for a daylight exterior scene won't produce the same result on an indoor night scene, even though the nodes themselves are identical. The tree is a recipe, not a final answer. The other editor will likely need to adjust individual nodes to match their specific footage, just as you would.

Troubleshooting common import problems

If you right-click in the node tree area and don't see an "Import Node Tree" option, you may be in the wrong part of the interface. Make sure you're on the Color page, not the Edit page or Fusion page. Also make sure you're right-clicking in the actual node tree workspace (the dark area where nodes appear), not in the clip thumbnail or the timeline below.

If the imported tree looks completely wrong — colors are inverted, way too bright, or unrecognizable — the tree was likely built for a different color space or input. Check whether the original tree was built in Rec.709, DCI-P3, or another color space, and whether your current project uses the same one. You can check your project color space in Project Settings under Color Management. If they don't match, you may need to adjust the imported nodes or rebuild the tree in the correct color space.

If the .nk file won't open or you get an error, the file may be corrupted or from a much older version of Resolve. Try exporting the node tree again from the original project. If you're trying to import a tree from Resolve Studio into Resolve Free, note that some advanced nodes (like certain Fusion nodes) may not be available in the free version and will be skipped during import.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I import a node tree into multiple clips at once?

No, you import one clip at a time. To apply the same tree to many clips, import it into the first clip, then right-click that clip's node tree and export it again. Then import that exported tree into each additional clip. Alternatively, you can use the Color page's "Copy Grade" feature to copy the nodes from one clip and paste them into others without exporting.

Will importing a node tree change my original footage?

No. The node tree is an adjustment layer on top of your clip. Importing it doesn't modify the video file itself. If you don't like the result, you can delete the nodes or undo the import, and your original footage remains untouched.

What's the difference between importing a node tree and using a LUT?

A LUT (Look-Up Table) is a fixed color transformation file that applies the same math to every pixel. A node tree is a series of adjustable nodes that you can tweak. Node trees give you more control and are easier to modify for different footage, while LUTs are simpler and faster to apply but harder to adjust.

Can I import a node tree from an older version of DaVinci Resolve?

Usually yes, but not always. Older .nk files often import without problems, but if the tree uses nodes that were added in a newer version, those nodes won't appear in the older software. If you're sharing trees across different Resolve versions, stick to basic nodes like Curves, Levels, and Saturation.