Chroma
Chroma describes the color values in your clips, ranging from the absence of color to
the maximum levels of color that can be represented. Chroma has two properties, hue
and saturation.
Hue
Hue describes the actual color itself, whether it’s red or green or yellow. Hue is measured
as an angle on a color wheel.
Saturation
Saturation describes the intensity of a color, whether it’s a bright red or a pale red. An
image that is completely desaturated has no color at all and is a grayscale image.
Saturation is also measured on a color wheel, but as the distance from the center of the
wheel to the edge.
As you look at the color wheel, notice that it is a mix of the red, green, and blue
primary colors that make up video. In between these are the yellow, cyan, and
magenta secondary colors, which are equal mixes of the primary colors. These colors
are most intense at the outer rim of the wheel and gradually desaturate to pure white
at the center, indicating the absence of color.
0°
Magenta 29°
Blue 103°
Cyan 167°
Green –151°
Yellow –77°
Red –13°
Colors toward the outer
edge of the color wheel
are more saturated.
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Part III
Color Correction and Video Quality Control