> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://comfytv.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# CDL Grade
> An ASC-CDL primary grade — slope, offset, power per channel plus saturation, the portable grade format every finishing suite understands.
## What this node does
**CDL Grade** applies an ASC Color Decision List grade: the standardized `slope / offset / power` model used across on-set and post color pipelines. For each RGB channel you set a **slope** (gain — multiplies the value, like lift on the highlights), an **offset** (adds a constant — shifts the whole channel), and a **power** (gamma exponent — bends the midtones), then an overall **saturation**. The math is the industry-standard `(pixel × slope + offset) ^ power`.
It takes `COMFYTV_VIDEO` in and out and renders on a torch backend (`cdl`), so it has a **▶ Run** with a live preview on the card. A fully neutral setting (all slopes/powers/sat = 1, all offsets = 0) passes the clip through untouched.
To interoperate with native ComfyUI nodes, add a **Bridge** (see the [Bridge guide](https://github.com/jtydhr88/ComfyTV/blob/main/docs/bridges.md)).
## When to use it
* Apply a grade in the same numeric language a colorist or on-set DIT uses
* Match a look defined by CDL values from another stage of the pipeline
* Do a clean primary balance (slope/offset/power) before creative grading
* Keep a grade portable — CDL is just ten numbers, not a baked LUT
## Parameters
### slope\_r / slope\_g / slope\_b
Per-channel gain, each default 1.0, range 0.0…4.0. Multiplies the channel; raising slope brightens and adds contrast toward the highlights. 1.0 is neutral.
### offset\_r / offset\_g / offset\_b
Per-channel offset, each default 0.0, range −1.0…1.0. Adds a constant to the whole channel, shifting it up or down (mostly visible in shadows). 0.0 is neutral.
### power\_r / power\_g / power\_b
Per-channel power (gamma), each default 1.0, range 0.1…4.0. Applies an exponent to bend the midtones — below 1.0 brightens mids, above 1.0 darkens them. 1.0 is neutral.
### cdl\_sat
Overall saturation applied after slope/offset/power, default 1.0, range 0.0…4.0. 1.0 leaves saturation unchanged; 0.0 is fully desaturated; above 1.0 boosts it.
## Outputs
| Output | Type | Meaning |
| --------- | --------------- | ---------------------------- |
| **video** | `COMFYTV_VIDEO` | The CDL-graded clip snapshot |
## Tips
* If nothing changes on Run, at least one value must be off neutral (slopes/powers/sat ≠ 1 or an offset ≠ 0).
* Order matters in CDL: slope and offset act first, power last, then saturation — set your balance with slope/offset before shaping mids with power.
* For hands-on slider grading with wheels and levels, use **Video Color**; reach for CDL when you specifically want the SOP model.
## Related nodes
* **Video Color** — slider-based primary grade with three-way wheels
* **Video Curves** — freeform tone curves instead of the SOP model
* **Video LUT** — bake a finished look as a `.cube` table