How do I use the Vectorscope to guide saturation adjustments in Lumetri Color?

March 12, 2026 · caitlin

The vectorscope is a powerful tool in Lumetri Color for precisely adjusting color saturation. It visualizes the hue and saturation of your image, allowing you to see how colors are distributed and make targeted adjustments to bring them into balance or achieve a specific look.

Understanding the Vectorscope in Lumetri Color

The vectorscope displays color information as a graph. Each point on the graph represents a color in your image. The distance from the center indicates saturation, while the angle indicates hue. A healthy, balanced image will have its colors clustered around the center, with saturation increasing as points move outward.

What is a Vectorscope and How Does it Work?

A vectorscope is a specialized waveform monitor used in video and audio production. For color grading, it specifically visualizes chrominance, which is the color information in a video signal. It maps out the hue and saturation of all the pixels in your frame.

The center of the vectorscope represents neutral gray or white. Colors move away from the center as their saturation increases. The direction from the center indicates the specific hue. For example, reds will appear in one direction, blues in another, and so on.

Key Components of the Lumetri Vectorscope

When you open the Lumetri Color panel in Adobe Premiere Pro, you’ll find the vectorscope under the "Scopes" section. You can choose different vectorscope displays, but the most common for saturation adjustments is the chroma vector display.

Chroma Vector Display: This is the standard vectorscope view. It shows a circular graph with eight main color points (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta) and their intermediate hues.
Saturation: The further a color cluster is from the center, the more saturated it is.
Hue: The angle of the color cluster from the center indicates its specific hue.

Guiding Saturation Adjustments with the Vectorscope

Using the vectorscope effectively means understanding what a well-balanced image looks like on the graph and how to push or pull colors to achieve your desired aesthetic.

Identifying Over- and Under-Saturation

Over-saturated images will have color information pushed far out towards the edges of the vectorscope. Under-saturated images will have their color information clustered very close to the center.

Too Saturated: If your reds are way out on the red line, or your blues are pushing beyond the blue point, your image is likely too saturated in those areas. This can make colors look unnatural and garish.
Not Saturated Enough: If all your colors are bunched up tightly around the center, your image may appear dull or washed out. You’ll want to pull those color clusters outwards.

Using Lumetri Color’s Saturation Controls

Lumetri Color offers several controls to adjust saturation, and the vectorscope helps you use them with precision.

Basic Correction Saturation Slider: This is the most straightforward control. Sliding it to the right increases overall saturation, while sliding it to the left decreases it. Watch the vectorscope as you adjust.
HSL Secondary (Hue, Saturation, Luminance): This powerful tool allows you to target specific color ranges. You can select a color (e.g., blues) and then adjust its saturation independently. The vectorscope will show you precisely how your selection affects the color distribution.
Curves: Lumetri’s curves can also be used for saturation. By manipulating the saturation curve, you can selectively increase or decrease saturation for different color ranges.

Practical Examples of Vectorscope Saturation Adjustments

Let’s say you have a video clip with a vibrant sunset, but the oranges and reds are a bit too intense, looking almost neon.

Observation: On the vectorscope, you’ll see a tight cluster of color points far out along the orange-red axis.
Action: You’d go to the Basic Correction tab in Lumetri and slightly decrease the Saturation slider. As you do this, watch the orange-red cluster move closer to the center.
Result: The sunset will look more natural, with rich but believable colors.

Alternatively, imagine a portrait where the skin tones look a bit pale and washed out.

Observation: The skin tones, which should have a subtle warmth, are clustered very close to the center of the vectorscope.
Action: You could use the HSL Secondary tool to select the skin tone range. Then, you’d increase the saturation for that specific color range. Alternatively, you might use the Basic Correction Saturation slider carefully, or even boost the saturation of the red/yellow hues.
Result: The skin tones will gain a healthy, natural warmth and vibrancy.

Advanced Vectorscope Techniques for Saturation

Beyond basic adjustments, the vectorscope can help you achieve more nuanced color grading.

Balancing Colors with the Vectorscope

A balanced image typically has its colors distributed relatively evenly around the vectorscope. If one color dominates too much, it can throw off the overall feel.

Example: If your footage has a strong green cast, you’ll see a prominent cluster of color points along the green axis. To correct this, you might use the HSL Secondary to desaturate the greens or use the color wheels to push the color balance away from green.

Maintaining Skin Tones with the Vectorscope

Skin tones are particularly sensitive to saturation. The vectorscope has a dedicated skin tone line (often a subtle line running from the center towards the yellow-red area) that helps you keep skin tones looking natural.

Goal: Ideally, skin tones should fall along this line, indicating a healthy balance of red and yellow.
Adjustment: If skin tones are too far off this line (e.g., too green or too magenta), you can use the HSL Secondary or color wheels to nudge them back into place.

Achieving Specific Looks with Saturation

While balance is often the goal, sometimes you want to create a specific mood.

High Saturation Look: For a vibrant, energetic feel, you might push colors further out on the vectorscope, especially in areas like skies or foliage.
Low Saturation Look: For a more muted, dramatic, or vintage feel, you would pull colors closer to the center.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Even with the vectorscope, it’s easy to overdo saturation adjustments.

Over-Saturation: The most common mistake. Always refer back to the vectorscope and trust your eyes. If it looks unnatural, it probably is.
Ignoring Hue: Saturation is only part of the equation. Ensure your hue adjustments are also correct.
Not Using Scopes in Conjunction: Don’t rely solely on the vectorscope. Use it alongside the waveform monitor and RGB parade for a complete picture.