Subtractive saturation

Subtractive saturation is creating richness by removing or holding back color rather than cranking it up — desaturating parts of the image so the colors you keep are the ones that dominate. It is the opposite instinct to pushing the saturation knob, and it is closer to how film behaves, since film mixes color subtractively where digital adds. A common move is a saturation curve that lifts the low and middle saturations while leaving the already-strong colors alone, so skin and muted tones bloom without the whole frame turning garish.

First used in: 2.9 · Look development I — analysis