What is HSL? If you don’t have a photography background you may be asking yourself that very question. But it’s nothing to fear. HSL stands for hue, saturation, and lightness. HSL was developed to make the RGB color system easier to visualize. Playing with the HSL color of an image can brighten or dim its hues. Unlike color filters that adjust the hue of a whole image, HSL controls a specific color in an image. It can darken the mood or it can lighten things up. It might sound quite technical, but the HSL color feature on Picsart is super easy to use. Simply adjust the hue, saturation, or lightness of your image using easy sliders until you’re happy with the results. For the maximum effect, feel free to play around with all three elements.

Transform Images With Picsart HSL Color

One of the great things about the HSL color feature on Picsart is that it’s so easy to use. All you have to do is move the HSL slider to the left or right to adjust each element until you achieve your desired outcome. And you’re always in full control of the final look. Don’t worry, your HSL edits aren’t permanent until you download your image, so you can experiment before you commit. Ready to get started? Work with an original photograph or even a photo with a filter. Upload the image, then click Adjust and scroll down to HSL. Pick a color you want to experiment with first. The hues you choose will control similar colors in your photo. For example, if your photo has orange and green elements in it, choosing orange and green will enhance those colors. Once you pick your first color, it’s time to work with the hue, saturation, and lightness sliders to transform your image.

Pick From a Variety of Bold Hues

A hue is any color on the color wheel. Like a traditional color wheel, it’s represented in 360 degrees. With the Picsart HSL color feature, you’ll discover the following color shortcuts: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, and pink. Click on a color that is represented in your image, then use the hue slider to adjust that color to your liking. Repeat the process for other colors in your picture, as you see fit. Keep going until you’re happy with the final design. Feel free to try every color if you wish, as each hue can layer a new aesthetic to your photo. Remember that unlike the Colorize filter, which layers a hue over an entire image, HSL color controls a specific color only.

Set the Mood with Saturation

Saturation is how much of a hue is present in a photo. It deals with the intensity of the color. On a color wheel, the colors become brighter as you move from the center of the circle to the edge. The saturation slider on Picsart allows you to play with the mood of your image. Highly saturated photo colors tend to be bright and happy, while less saturated colors can appear more subdued and relaxed. It’s totally up to you what aesthetic you want to achieve for your images.

Brighten or Dim the Lightness

In the HSL color feature, lightness is the amount of brightness or light in a color. As such, the lightness slider allows you to make elements in your image brighter or dimmer. There is no right or wrong way to play with lightness. It’s an entirely personal choice. You simply have to experiment to see what effect looks best on your image. Keep in mind that the lightness slider doesn’t affect the entire image, only parts of it. For example, if you’re wearing a red jacket in your photo and you’re working with the color red, it will brighten or dim the color of your jacket as opposed to the entire image. See? Simple, right?

play with lightness for your photo edits

How to Use HSL Color

1
Open the Picsart Editor
2
Upload your image and click Adjust
3
Scroll down to HSL and click the downward arrow to open it
4
Adjust hue, saturation, and lightness using the slider bars
5
Export your final image

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