How to Create Dynamic Photos Using the HSL Sliders in Your Photo Editor
Reading Time: 4 minutesBy only toggling the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance sliders in your photo editor, you can completely transform your images.
HSL sliders (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) are found in many photo editors. They’re usually featured as an option when you’re editing RAW files, although they can be accessed as a filter in programs like Photoshop.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the HSL sliders to create dynamic photos, regardless of what photo editing software you use.
What Are HSL Sliders?
The Hue Saturation Luminance sliders are found in many photo editing programs. If they’re not located together as dedicated HSL sliders, then they’re almost always found as separate sliders in one form or another. Here’s what the HSL sliders do.
Hue
The Hue sliders can change the colors in the image when adjusting them by a few degrees to the left or right on the color wheel. While it’s not possible to custom-color a hue, like changing red to green, you can shift them for dramatic results.
Using the Reds Hue slider, we’ll shift all the colors containing red to the left (-100) in the above image.
Still using the Reds slider, we’ll shift it all the way to the right (+100).
As you can see, it’s possible to completely transform an image rich in color with just one Hue slider.
Saturation
Saturation is the amount of color in any given hue. Toggling the Saturation sliders will increase or decrease the amount of color.
Let’s move the Yellows slider to -100.
And here’s the image with Yellows increased to +100.
Notice how the saturation is neither completely removed nor pushed too far? There’s a set limit so that the values aren’t pushed too far in relation to the rest of the colors.
Luminance
Luminance is the brightness of a color. For this example, we’ll push the Blues slider to -100 to darken them.
Now, let’s change the Blues to +100 to brighten them.
The HSL sliders are a great way to make dramatic changes without going too far over the top.
Using the HSL Sliders
The HSL sliders can be daunting for beginners because there are so many options. Even photo editing pros may skip HSL sliders initially when they’re working on RAW files because they do color grading in the last stage of their workflow.
For the purpose of our tutorial, we’ll approach the subject in very broad terms. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re working with a RAW or JPEG file (or something else) or where you are in your workflow when you begin using the HSL sliders.
There’s nothing wrong with editing images without an overall strategy. Sometimes, it can be quite liberating not to think about it beforehand and just edit as you go. But if you want to have a basic strategy going in, consider a subject-orientated approach.
Portraits
The goal of editing a portrait is usually to make the person really stand out from the background. For the below image, you could color-correct the subject using HSL and adjust the background separately.
To change the color of an object in Lightroom, for example, there are several ways to make the selections, so you can work on different regions of your photo separately.
But for this photo, we used HSL globally (affecting the entire image) to target the reds, oranges, and yellows, lowering the Saturation values while raising the Luminance of each color. Instead of blending in with the background, the subject appears more natural and stands out.
Let’s use this same subject-orientated approach and see how the HSL sliders can be used strategically to enhance any of your photos, taking examples from several popular photography genres.
Landscapes
If you’re not showcasing people in your photos, then it might be a little more confusing as to what the subject actually is, if any exist at all. But with certain genres, like landscapes, there are common scenes that the HSL sliders are perfect for.
Skies are very important to a lot of landscape photographers and many typically edit them or replace them completely. You can replace any sky in Photoshop, but for our image, we’ll keep the sky and use the HSL sliders to darken it and add more blue.
Grasses, trees, and greenery are common scenes in many landscapes. We can use the HSL sliders to completely alter the yellows and greens. We shifted the greens and yellows with the Hue sliders, added Saturation, and lowered the Luminance values.
You can also use Luminar AI to create magical landscapes.
Product Photography and Objects
Product photography and objects in general are great for HSL slider manipulation because there’s a higher chance that global adjustments will work for the entire image with little or no masking. By using all three HSL slider groups, you can completely change the colors and overall vibe.
If you shoot objects on the regular, our guide on how to make multiple copies of an object in Photoshop might come in handy.
Fashion and Editorial Photos
What often differentiates fashion and editorial photos from other photography genres with people is the color coordination between wardrobe, makeup, and the background scene. In the above photo, the model’s lipstick matches her outfit as well as the background color.
If you’re careful with the reds, oranges, and yellows for skin tones, you’ll be able to adjust the HSL sliders to instantly change the entire color scheme. Keep this in mind whenever there are people in your images.
Sports and Outdoor Photos
Sports and general outdoor photos can literally contain any color under the sun. We used the HSL sliders to create contrast and drama, essentially making the surfer stand out more in the photo.
We adjusted all the hues that are present but only slightly. Then we increased the saturation of the blues and aquas, and lowered the luminance values of these too. We also brightened the skin tones of the surfer to help him stand out.
You can also create custom vignettes in Photoshop to draw attention to a subject.
Incorporate the HSL Sliders Into Your Workflow for Dynamic Photos
The HSL sliders found in many photo editors are effective tools to help create dynamic photos. Many of your images can be enhanced or completely transformed using just the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance sliders. Give them a try!
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-create-dynamic-photos-with-hsl-sliders/
Ref: makeuseof
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