What Does the Hue Saturation Adjustment Do in Photoshop? – Beginners Tutorial

The Hue/Saturation adjustment in Photoshop is a powerful tool that lets you manipulate colors in your images with ease. Whether you want to change the hue to alter a color, adjust the saturation to make it more vibrant or muted, or tweak the lightness for brighter or darker tones, this feature gives you full control. In this beginner’s tutorial, we’ll explore how to use it effectively to enhance or completely transform your photos.

These videos are from our Change Color of Anything in Photoshop Course.

Part 1

This video introduces a tutorial section dedicated to mastering the Hue/Saturation tool in photo editing. The instructor demonstrates a technique using the tool’s range sliders to improve color adjustments in an 8-bit image, achieving results closer to those in a 32-bit image. This preview emphasizes the tool’s power for precise color control.

Part 2

This video explains the Hue/Saturation tool’s range sliders using strawberries. The colored bar shows the selected color range (e.g., reds with some magenta/yellow). Adjusting the large markers expands or contracts this selection. The bottom bar shows the new “target” color after the hue shift. This demonstrates precise color control.

Part 3

The video explains the small “feathering” indicators in the Hue/Saturation tool. Moving them closer to the main color creates a hard, abrupt color change. Moving them apart creates a soft, gradual transition, allowing intermediate colors to show. This is similar to feathering a layer mask. Proper use depends on the image and desired effect.

Part 4

This video revisits the initial example to fix a color problem. The dress had unwanted colors after a hue shift. The issue wasn’t the main color range, but the soft “feathering” transition. The presenter identifies that the blue-to-purple side was too soft, causing magenta/red tones. Moving the small indicator closer to the main color creates a hard, sudden transition, fixing the issue.