Black Point

The black point of an image, color space or display is the darkest reproducible value — the luminance level at which signal can go no darker, corresponding to the deepest shadow detail before crushing into pure black. In display calibration, the black point is the actual luminance of the display when receiving a signal value of 0 (theoretically zero, but in practice 0.05-0.3 nits for OLED, 0.5-3 nits for LCD due to backlight bleed). In color grading, the black point parameter on a primary color corrector sets the signal level mapped to the darkest displayed value — pulling black point up creates a 'lifted' look with elevated shadow brightness, pushing it down crushes shadows into clipped black. The ASC CDL (Color Decision List) standard includes Slope, Offset and Power parameters; the Offset parameter is equivalent to adjusting black point. Black point manipulation must be done carefully: too high a black point washes out the image (no true darks anywhere), too low crushes shadow detail irreversibly in delivery files. PQ HDR mastering uses 0 nits as the absolute black point reference, whereas SDR Rec.709 grading typically targets a black point of 0.1-0.2 nits on a reference monitor in a controlled grading suite. Tools like Resolve's Primary panel, Baselight's Base Grade and the FilmLight Truelight Color Space all expose black point as a fundamental control alongside white point and gamma.