Saturation Operations Part 1 – HSL/HSV + Primary Wheels Tab

Why legacy saturation tools deserve another look

Have you ever wondered why most colorists avoid using the default saturation knob? You’ve probably already noticed that it doesn’t look very good. Today, you’ll learn what process Resolve uses to apply that operation and, more importantly, what other tools you can use to achieve the same idea in a cleaner way.

The Legacy Tool Dilemma

This Insight is about getting back to fundamentals. We tend to have a love-hate relationship with our tools. When we discover subtractive saturation, we toss out classic saturation. When a new DCTL – or some shiny tool from the latest Resolve update – comes along, we ditch the old one.

Over and over again, ditching one set of tools for shiny new ones.

But what if the simplicity of those “legacy” tools is precisely what makes them powerful? In this Insight, we’ll explore how to take full advantage of Resolve’s HSV, HSL, and composite saturation controls – tools that many have already written off for more complex options.

We’ll compare how the default saturation knob operates versus HSL and HSV models, revealing that the standard control uses composite saturation (not HSL or HSV as you might expect). You’ll discover why HSV behaves completely opposite to the default control, making colors darker as you increase saturation.

More importantly, you’ll learn how to create custom saturation tools using the legacy controls in Resolve’s Primary Wheels tab; build operations that won’t boost the noise in your image; and understand what’s happening under the hood so you can replicate these concepts using more advanced tools or models in the future.

“The further I progress… the more I realize [chasing new tools] no longer makes sense. I keep going back to tools I had written off, because their simplicity is precisely what gives me the answers I need… that simplicity makes them adaptable to pretty much anything I’m trying to do.”

Rafael Bernabeu Parreño, Colorist, Finisher

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand:

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