Saturation Operations Part 2 – Color Warper, ColorSlice, DCTLs & Plugins

Twelve controls. One concept. Stop guessing and start choosing the right saturation tool for the job.

Composite Saturation, Color Boost, HSV, HSL, HDR Saturation, Color Warper (HSP, HSY, HSP Log), Color Slice, Hue vs Sat, Sat vs Sat – and if we even count Camera Raw, we end up with around twelve controls for a single concept: Saturation manipulation.

It feels overwhelming, doesn’t it?

In Part 1, we explored the legacy saturation tools – HSV, HSL, and composite saturation – and built a strong foundation for understanding how each operation maps luminance and distributes saturation. In this second Insight, let’s pick up where we left off and tackle the remaining tools:

We’ll also look at how third-party DCTLs can address limitations baked into Resolve’s native tools – while keeping a firm grip on the concepts that drive them, so they never become “magic button” solutions.

Why do we need so many tools for the same idea?

As always, the devil is in the details. Is it a gain-like operation? Gamma-like? Subtractive or additive – and to what degree? These questions, carried over from Part 1, provide the framework for demystifying each tool’s behavior.

“[This series should] make you think about how saturation behaves in your luminosity…how you can replicate those behaviors whether you’re using default solutions or custom ones…so even if you jump to another software or want to tailor another tool in a different way, you know how to do that.”

Rafael Bernabeu Parreño, Colorist

Key Takeaways

Related Mixing Light Insights

Mentioned Resources