Color wheels split the frame into three tonal bands and tint, lift or lower each one independently. These are the three wheels every grading desk puts front and centre, and they are where the overall look gets set — cool shadows against warm highlights, and so on
Mode
Mode chooses how the three controls divide the tonal range. Each division comes with its own set of controls
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Lift, Gamma, Gain | Three smoothly overlapping bands with no hard boundary. The default, and the conventional grading model |
| Shadows, Midtones, Highlights | Three bands separated by two adjustable limits, for more explicit reach |
Lift, Gamma, Gain
| Control | Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers the darkest tones |
| Gamma | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers middle-tone brightness |
| Gain | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers the brightest tones |
| Lift Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints the darkest tones, fading out toward brighter areas |
| Gamma Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints the middle tones while preserving both endpoints |
| Gain Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints the bright tones, fading out toward darker areas |
The three fall off gradually and overlap: Lift is strongest at pure black and fades as the image brightens, Gain does the reverse, and Gamma sits between them without moving either endpoint. This is exactly how the three wheels behave in a grading application
Shadows, Midtones, Highlights
| Control | Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadows | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers shadow brightness |
| Midtones | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers midtone brightness |
| Highlights | −1 – 1 | 0 | Raises or lowers highlight brightness |
| Shadows Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints areas below the shadow limit |
| Midtones Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints areas between the two limits |
| Highlights Color | Hex | #ffffff | Tints areas above the highlight limit |
| Shadow Limit | 0 – 1 | 0.3 | Where shadows blend into the midtones |
| Highlight Limit | 0 – 1 | 0.7 | Where midtones blend into the highlights |
This mode adds Shadow Limit and Highlight Limit, which set how much of the range each band claims. Move the two limits together to narrow the midtones, keeping shadow and highlight adjustments clear of each other; move them apart and the midtones cover most of the frame
Processing Order
Color wheels run after levels and before color shift. The whole colour block sits after bloom and diffusion, so the glow gets tinted along with everything else
Last updated on September 19, 2026