How to Enhance Colors Using the HSL Panel in Lightroom

You’ve been capturing some creative images in nature, but when you process your files in Lightroom, you are never quite satisfied with the colors. In this video, professional nature photographer Mark Denney shows you tips on how to enhance colors with the HSL panel in Lightroom.

In Photoshop Lightroom, most photographers use the Saturation and Vibrance sliders to control colors. Mark prefers the HSL panel, which allows you to carefully enhance the individual colors in your image. The HSL panel is broken down into Hue, Saturation, and Luminance, each with its own set of sliders for eight different colors. When you adjust Hue, you are manipulating the tonal values of each color. Mark demonstrates with a mountain scene, working on individual colors to augment the hues in the sky, grass, lake and rocks.

The second tool in the HSL panel is Saturation. With these sliders, you can manipulate the individual colors to increase or reduce intensity. Mark edits a waterfalls scene and adjusts the greens, yellows and oranges. The advantage of the HSL panel in Lightroom is the ability to adjust each of the eight colors compared to the standard Saturation slider that affects the entire scene.

The third tool in the HSL panel is Luminance, the lightness value of a specific color. With each color, you are working on brightness and darkness. Utilizing an image of a mountain stream in the woods, Mark works the Luminance slider in the HSL panel in Lightroom to enhance the brightness of the sunlight falling on the leaves and trees. This process creates a stunning nature photograph.

Join professional nature photographer Martin Denney in his studio for tips on using the HSL panel in Lightroom as a creative way to improve the overall colors of your nature photographs.