The HSL color model is one of the most popular and widely used color representation methods in the world of video editing and production. HSL stands for hue (H), saturation (S) and lightness (L).
It is quite similar to the HSV color model, but has one major difference. In HSV, lowering the saturation to the minimum implies a completely white color, while HSL gives a gray result. Nevertheless, the two systems are quite similar, but cannot be confused because of this important nuance.
On a graphical level, it is represented by a double hexagon or a double cone, representing black and white at its two vertices. The angle gives rise to hue, the distance on the black and white axis shows lightness, and the distance to the central axis shows saturation.
The HSL color model is a nonlinear deformation of the RGB color space. Let’s look at some applications that use it in their processes:
- MSPaint and Paint Shop Pro.
- Inkscape.
- Adobe Photoshop (also incorporates HSV).
