Saturation USA - Photography Terms & Glossary

Glossary Of Photography Terms [1]

Saturation Saturation, also known as chroma or intensity, refers to the purity or vividness of a color, representing the degree to which it appears rich, vibrant, or intense. Highly saturated colors appear vivid and distinct, while desaturated colors appear duller or washed out. HSL, which stands for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance, is a color model used in digital image processing and editing to manipulate and adjust the colors within an image. Each component of the HSL color model represents a different aspect of color:

Hue: Hue refers to the pure color of an object, represented as a point on the color wheel. It defines the specific wavelength of light that is perceived by the human eye, ranging from red to orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet.

Saturation: Saturation determines the intensity or purity of a color. A fully saturated color appears vivid and vibrant, while a desaturated color contains more gray and appears dull or muted.

Luminance: Luminance refers to the brightness or lightness of a color. It represents the amount of light reflected by an object or surface, ranging from black (0% luminance) to white (100% luminance).

By adjusting the values of hue, saturation, and luminance independently, photographers and digital artists can fine-tune and manipulate the colors within an image to achieve desired visual effects, correct color casts, or enhance the overall color balance.