Color Wheels

Color wheels are the visual interface for three-way grading, presenting lift, gamma, and gain (and sometimes offset) as circles you drag toward a hue to tint that tonal range. Pull the shadow wheel toward teal and blue creeps into the blacks; push the highlight wheel toward orange and the brights warm up. A center ring or slider under each wheel controls brightness for that range. Colorists reach for wheels because they are fast and intuitive for balancing a shot and crafting stylized looks like the popular teal-and-orange split. The skill is restraint and reading scopes alongside the wheels, since a small drag goes a long way and overcooked wheels muddy skin tones. They pair naturally with a control panel for tactile, simultaneous adjustment.