Color Shift segments the color wheel into six primary color bands, allowing targeted adjustments to the hue, saturation, and luminance (HSL) of each band independently. For example, you can shift costume reds toward orange, desaturate background cyans, or brighten magenta hair highlights without affecting the rest of the frame.
This functions similarly to the HSL panel found in popular photo and color grading software, operating directly on the final image.
Color Band
The Color Band selector determines which chromatic range the controls below currently modify:
| Band | Approximate Coverage |
|---|---|
| Red | Reds, oranges, warm skin tones |
| Yellow | Yellows, golds, warm light greens |
| Green | Pure greens, emeralds, teals |
| Cyan | Cyans, sky blues, aquas |
| Blue | Pure blues, cobalts, deep indigos |
| Magenta | Magentas, purples, violets, hot pinks |
Each of the six bands maintains an independent set of four controls; switching bands alters the active editing target while preserving all adjusted parameters. Adjacent color bands blend smoothly to prevent harsh edges or banding along color boundaries.
Controls
| Control | Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hue | −180° – 180° | 0° | Rotates the selected band around the color wheel |
| Saturation | −1 – 1 | 0 | Adjusts color intensity (−1 is monochrome, 1 is vivid) |
| Luminance | −1 – 1 | 0 | Brightens or darkens the selected band |
| Luminance Saturation | −1 – 1 | 0 | Modulates color saturation relative to brightness |
All parameters default to 0, leaving colors unchanged. When all six bands remain at their defaults, no pixels are altered.
Luminance Saturation shifts color vibrance across light and dark tones: positive values boost saturation in bright areas while keeping shadows subtle; negative values saturate shadows while keeping highlights gentle. This is useful for preventing blown highlights from looking overly saturated, or adding depth to shadows.
Common Uses
- Skin Tone Refinement: Select the Red band, slightly lower Saturation, and modestly increase Luminance to create clean, luminous skin tones while preserving costume and background colors.
- Teal and Orange Look: Push the Cyan band toward deep blue and the Yellow band toward warm amber to produce the classic cinema contrast palette. Because primary skin tones reside in the Red band, facial complexions remain natural.
Processing Order
Color Shift executes after Color Wheels and before Select Colors, acting as a precision secondary grading stage following Bloom and Diffusion.
Last updated on October 11, 2026