How to Isolate One Color in Premiere Pro (Beginner Guide)
Looking to create that eye-catching effect where only one color stays vibrant while everything else turns black and white? This stylistic trick is easy to pull off in Adobe Premiere Pro using the Hue vs Saturation curves in Lumetri Color. In this guide, you’ll learn how to isolate any color from your footage—like red lips, a yellow umbrella, or a green shirt—and desaturate everything else for dramatic impact.
What This Effect Does
This technique allows you to:
Keep one specific color visible (such as red)
Turn the rest of your footage into grayscale
Create a stylized, cinematic pop of color
Perfect for music videos, fashion edits, or stylized product showcases.
Step 1: Open the Lumetri Color Panel
If it’s not already open:
Go to Window > Lumetri Color
Select the clip in your timeline
You’ll now be able to edit color properties in the Lumetri Color workspace
Step 2: Use the Hue vs Saturation Curve
Inside Lumetri Color:
Go to the Curves tab
Scroll to find Hue vs Saturation
You’ll see a line graph—this is where you’ll isolate the color
Step 3: Isolate the Color You Want to Keep
To isolate red, for example:
Click three points on the Hue vs Saturation curve surrounding the red range
These act like adjustable keyframes
Drag the side points down to reduce saturation for all other colors
The area between the points (the red hue) will stay saturated
This will make only red show in the footage while everything else goes black and white.
Step 4: Fine-Tune the Effect
You may notice some bleed in similar tones (like a tongue or nearby colors):
Adjust the points on the curve to tighten the color range
If needed, add a mask around the area you want to protect for more precision
Use motion blur and fast cuts to hide imperfections in fast-moving footage
This quick method won’t be perfect for every scenario, but it works great for most standard shots.
That’s How It’s Done
You’ve just learned how to create the classic single-color isolation effect using nothing more than the Lumetri Color panel and a few curve adjustments. It’s fast, clean, and works on any footage where the color you want to isolate is clear and distinct.
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