What are the steps to use the HSL Secondary tool in Premiere Pro?

March 6, 2026 · caitlin

The HSL Secondary tool in Premiere Pro allows you to isolate and adjust specific color ranges within your video footage. You can easily target hues, saturation, and luminance values to fine-tune your color grading and achieve a professional look. Mastering this tool can significantly enhance your video’s visual appeal.

Understanding the HSL Secondary Tool in Premiere Pro

The HSL Secondary tool is a powerful feature within Adobe Premiere Pro’s Lumetri Color panel. It enables precise color correction by letting you select and modify specific color ranges. This means you can change the color of a subject’s shirt without affecting the rest of the scene, or adjust the brightness of a specific sky.

Why Use HSL Secondary for Color Grading?

This tool is invaluable for advanced color grading and video finishing. It moves beyond basic adjustments, offering granular control. You can correct skin tones, enhance specific elements, or create stylistic color shifts. For instance, you might want to make blue eyes pop or desaturate a distracting background.

Key Components of the HSL Secondary Tool

The HSL Secondary tool works by targeting three main color properties:

Hue: This refers to the pure color itself, like red, green, or blue.
Saturation: This measures the intensity or purity of a color. A highly saturated color is vivid, while a desaturated color is closer to gray.
Luminance: This is the brightness of a color.

By adjusting these properties within a selected color range, you gain incredible control over your footage.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using HSL Secondary

Let’s break down the process of using the HSL Secondary tool effectively in Premiere Pro. It’s a straightforward process once you understand each step.

Step 1: Accessing the Lumetri Color Panel

First, ensure your video clip is on the timeline. Then, navigate to the Lumetri Color panel. You can find this under Window > Lumetri Color. If you don’t see it, you may need to enable it.

Step 2: Locating the HSL Secondary Section

Within the Lumetri Color panel, scroll down until you find the HSL Secondary section. It’s usually located towards the bottom. Click on the arrow to expand it if it’s collapsed.

Step 3: Selecting Your Target Color

This is where the magic begins. You have a few ways to select the color you want to adjust:

Eyedropper Tool: Click the eyedropper icon, then click and drag on the color in your program monitor that you want to target. This is the most intuitive method for beginners.
Color Wheel: You can also manually select a hue using the color wheel provided.

Once you click on a color, the tool will automatically generate a mask based on that hue.

Step 4: Refining the Color Selection (Keying)

After selecting a color, you’ll see sliders for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. These sliders allow you to fine-tune the selection.

Hue Slider: Adjust this to broaden or narrow the range of hues included in your selection.
Saturation Slider: Use this to include or exclude colors with similar saturation levels.
Luminance Slider: This controls the brightness range of your selection.

Tip: Enable the "Show Color Mask" option. This will display a black and white mask, where white areas are affected by your adjustments and black areas are not. This visual feedback is crucial for precise keying.

Step 5: Making Your Adjustments

Once you’re satisfied with your color selection, you can start making adjustments. You’ll see three sets of sliders:

Hue Shift: This allows you to change the actual hue of the selected color. For example, you could shift a green shirt to a blueish hue.
Saturation: Increase or decrease the intensity of the selected color.
Luminance: Adjust the brightness of the selected color.

These adjustments are applied only to the masked color range.

Step 6: Feathering and Matting

To ensure smooth transitions and avoid harsh edges, use the Feather, Choke, and Blend sliders.

Feather: Softens the edges of your mask.
Choke: Contracts or expands the mask.
Blend: Controls how the masked area blends with the rest of the image.

These sliders help create a natural-looking effect.

Practical Applications and Examples

The HSL Secondary tool is incredibly versatile. Here are a few common use cases:

Skin Tone Correction: Isolate specific skin tones and subtly adjust their hue or saturation for a more flattering look. This is a very popular application for video editing professionals.
Enhancing Specific Objects: Make a product in a commercial stand out by adjusting its color or brightness.
Creative Color Grading: Create dramatic effects by desaturating everything except a specific object or by changing the color of the sky.
Removing Color Casts: Correct unwanted color casts by targeting and neutralizing specific hues.

Case Study: Enhancing a Product Shot

Imagine a commercial featuring a bright red product. To make it even more vibrant and eye-catching, you could use the HSL Secondary tool.

Select the red color of the product.
Refine the mask to ensure only the product’s red is selected.
Increase the saturation of the selected red.
Slightly boost the luminance to make it "pop."

The result is a more visually appealing product that draws the viewer’s attention.

Tips for Mastering HSL Secondary

To get the most out of this powerful tool, keep these tips in mind:

Work in a Controlled Environment: Ensure your monitor is calibrated for accurate color representation.
Use the Mask Preview: Always use the "Show Color Mask" option to verify your selection.
Start with Subtle Adjustments: It’s easier to add more effect than to fix overdone adjustments.
Combine with Other Lumetri Tools: HSL Secondary works best when used in conjunction with other Lumetri Color controls like basic correction and curves.
Practice Regularly: The more you use the tool, the more intuitive it will become. Experimenting with different footage is key to developing your skills.