Quick Guide: How to Color Grade Video in PowerDirector

Use Light Adjustment in the list on the left to move brightness, contrast, and saturation together with one slider. Or click Light for manual control.

Exposure changes the whole image; Brightness works on the midtones and leaves the extremes alone. Do this before any color work, because color is judged against the brightness underneath it.

Every section in the list has a checkbox before its name and a reset arrow at the end of its row. That lets you undo one part of the grade without losing the rest.

Click Color Enhancement at the top of the list and drag its slider to lift vibrancy while leaving skin tones alone. That makes it the safe first move on any clip with a person in it.

For manual work, click Color in the list: Temperature for warm or cool, Tint for a green or magenta cast, and Saturation for intensity.

Click HSL in the list for hue, saturation, and luminance split by color. To make the reds stronger without touching the greens, click the Saturation tab at the top and drag the Red slider.

To work on an area directly, use the Targeted Adjustment Tool at the top, then click that part of the preview and drag up or down.