Adobe Just Made Photoshop’s HSL Tool Far More Powerful

Adobe just rolled out a significant update to Photoshop’s Hue/Saturation (HSL) adjustment tool, and it’s something you'll want to know about. 

Coming to you from Blake Rudis with f64 Academy, this practical video highlights the overhaul of Photoshop's HSL adjustment interface, making color adjustments easier and more intuitive. Rudis details how Adobe replaced the old dropdown menus with color-coded circles, clearly visible around a color wheel. This updated layout gives you direct, visual feedback about the hue shifts you're making. Rudis also explains a major bug currently affecting Photoshop 26.6, pointing out that the HSL adjustment layer from the traditional adjustment menu doesn't work correctly, and he provides a useful workaround to keep you moving without disruption. Learning about this bug and the solution provided can save you plenty of frustration while Adobe fixes the issue.

In addition, Rudis introduces the standout "prominent colors" feature, which automatically detects and allows editing of the dominant colors within your photo. Unlike previous versions that limited you to predefined colors, this feature lets you directly pick specific hues from your image using an eyedropper tool. This targeted approach not only streamlines your editing process but enhances your creative control. Rudis emphasizes the importance of the new slider adjustments that show exactly how colors transition, offering greater precision when fine-tuning your image. If you've ever struggled with tiny, cumbersome sliders in earlier versions, the improved interface now makes adjustments far more user-friendly and exact.

One practical aspect Rudis demonstrates is the necessity of balancing color saturation. Pushing saturation too far on closely related colors, he explains, can negatively impact the image, causing unwanted blending or harsh transitions. Rudis advises a more nuanced approach by slightly adjusting color brightness along with saturation to maintain natural-looking edits. This detailed explanation will change the way you approach subtle color changes, moving beyond basic editing toward a more refined skillset. He further points out the utility of having the Properties pane open during editing, something you might overlook, but that significantly increases your accuracy in adjusting colors. The update even includes a revamped color picker, enhancing your ability to precisely select and edit colors directly from your photograph, rather than relying solely on generalized presets. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Rudis.