The difference between Saturation and vibrance in Photoshop. How to use both together for the best results

Colin Smith

Difference between Vibrance and Saturation in Photoshop, Lightroom and ACR

 

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48 comments

  1. Kevin King

    Loved it. I had not learned the difference between Vibe and Sat, or how they work together. Very valuable. Thank you.

  2. Ken Stickrod

    Thanks, I am primarily a Lightroom user and I’ve used these two together but never tried the Saturation negative to control the blowout of colored objects…. this tip will allow an even finer control of my photos…. thanks again and Happy Holidays

  3. Jerre Paquette

    I appreciated this simple, basic, and clear explanation of vibrance/saturation–something I played with without understanding. I’ll likely go back and play with some pictures I thought I had completed 🙂 You’re a fine teacher, Chris–this coming from someone with over 50 years in education! Thank you.

  4. Torben Papillon

    It was really a great video.
    learned a lot of how they work especially in combination.
    Will try asap

  5. Ashton Braithwaite

    Thank You! I didn’t really know how to use them in this way. These are the kinds of tips that are seriously useful. Not just what a tool does, but how to use it and when to use it compared with other tools that can accomplish similiar tasks.

  6. Patrick LaCroix

    Hey Colin
    I have been trying to find the LIKE button to no avail. I wanted to let you know that your tutorials have been extremely helpful to me.
    So where’s the like button.
    Cheers
    Pat

  7. Dennis Zito

    Hi Colin. Good explanation of the two. Also, I knew about the Vibrance slider work with unsaturated colors, but I like your idea of working them both together. Thanks
    Dennis

  8. John Pascucci

    Great video. Learned a lot how they work together. Have a merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
    Johnny

  9. Bill Gardner

    Well done! Your videos are appreciated and educational. You are like a personal mentor.

  10. Rick Dott

    I’ve seen tutorials about this before BUT there’s so much to remember. I enjoy being able to refresh my knowledge and you do a good job of that. Do you have a tutorial on when or why it is best to use either Lr, Ps, or ACR?

  11. Bill Phillips

    Hi Colin.
    I have learnt so much from you tutorials and it is tips like this one that really are so helpful in getting the best out of my pictures

  12. John Jasmin

    Learned some very useful information about saturation and vibrancy. I have used both before but now I see how they can be used effectively, and I see the ways to measure each one for the optimal image.

  13. George Davison

    Thank you. I now have a better knowledge of the use of the vibrance and saturation sliders and hope to put them to better use than I have done in the past

  14. Stephen H A Hollingshead

    Another excellent and practical lesson – thank you Colin I have learnt so much from your videos!

  15. Joseph Caruana

    As usual very interesting and enlightening. This tut gave me a new perspective on the vibrance slider. Thanks Colin and happy Christmas.

  16. Arnold Dubin

    Yes, I really like your explanation using these two sliders. It will help me in the future in dealing with adjusting colors in my photos.

  17. Christine Cook

    Excellent video. You are very informative and an excellent teacher. With my short attention span, the short ones are perfect! I usually experiment with these two sliders but didn’t recognize how they work together. Thank you.

  18. Jim Solomon

    Really informative. I’ve just been using vibrance and rarely doing anything with saturation. This is a real game changer for me. Thank you, Colin. I always look forward to your videos.

  19. Frank Burhenn

    Thanks Colin, As always, I enjoy your clean presentation of the tools we can use in editing images.

  20. Great video! I never used the saturation slider, just the vibrance. Now I will use them both.

  21. Hanan Baradon

    Very useful. ihave being doing things wrongly in the past but look forowardto improving some of my images now!

  22. Hanan Baradon

    Very useful. I have being doing things wrongly in the past but look forowardto improving some of my images now!

  23. Great job, you made it so clear. And I didn’t know about resetting them with the double click, that will be helpful.

  24. Thanks Colin vibrance finally makes sense. Using both together makes a great tool.

  25. Terry Syndergaard

    Hello Colin,
    Clear explanation, a good job as always.
    Terry from OCMMA

  26. Norman Wolfish

    Colin, you make using common sliders into new and creative ways of dealing with colour. You have taught me more unique ways of using Lightroom and Photoshop than any other online teacher. Kudos to you !!

  27. planejane5

    Hi Colin. I like how you explain in basic terms for newbies like me. However, I am feeling quite confused about the layers and masks and how to use them. I also wonder which plug-ins I need. Mobile photography is strictly a new hobby for me and I do not intend to create a business with my photos.

    1. Colin Smith Author

      I have made a beginners tutorial on layers and another on masks. Look at the Photoshop basics category here at the CAFE and ou can easily find them/

  28. O.K. that finally helps me to use these tools properly. Before I would use one or the other and then try and use brushes to adjust to where I wanted to be. thanks for keeping it simple

  29. another excellent video as always, I’ve learnt much more since watching the videos

  30. Kim Moline

    Is this how portraits can almost look B&W except for the eye color? BTW, I just purchased your drone photography book (and can’t wait to utilize some of the ideas) and that’s what brought me here!

    1. Colin Smith Author

      This is one way of achieving that effect. I have other tutorials on partial color, check those out too. Welcome to the CAFE

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