Orange and Teal Colour Tone in Adobe Lightroom,
Therefore, The Orange and Teal color grading effect is one of the most popular looks in photography and cinema, as orange (often found in skin tones and warm light) and teal (often found in skies, water, and shadows) are complementary colors, creating a striking contrast.
Therefore, You can achieve this effect in Adobe Lightroom using several methods. Here are the most common and powerful ones:
Orange and Teal Colour Tone in Adobe Lightroom,
🎨 Method 1: The Color Grading Panel (Newer Lightroom)
Therefore, This is the most direct and modern way to apply a color cast to different tonal ranges.
- Open the Color Grading Panel: Navigate to the Color Grading panel in the Develop module.
- Adjust Shadows (Teal):
- Therefore, Click the color wheel for Shadows.
- In other words, Drag the selector to a Teal/Blue color (usually around the Hue of 180 to 230).
- Therefore, Increase the Saturation slightly until you see the desired effect in the darker areas of your image.
- Adjust Highlights (Orange/Warm):
- Therefore, Click the color wheel for Highlights.
- In other words, Drag the selector to an Orange/Yellow color (usually around the Hue of 30 to 60).
- Therefore, Increase the Saturation slightly to enhance the warmth in the bright areas.
- Balance: In other words, Use the Blending slider to control how the two colors transition, and the Balance slider to shift the dominance between shadows (teal) and highlights (orange).
Orange and Teal Colour Tone in Adobe Lightroom,
🛠️ Method 2: The Camera Calibration Panel (Lightroom Classic)
In other words, This method shifts the primary color values in the image, often creating a very cinematic look.
- Open the Camera Calibration Panel: Scroll down to the Camera Calibration panel (Lightroom Classic only).
- Adjust Blue Primary:
- In other words, Move the Blue Primary Hue slider significantly to the left (towards -100). This pushes the blue tones (skies, water, shadows) towards Teal.
- Adjust Red Primary:
- In other words, Move the Red Primary Hue slider to the right (often around +50). This shifts the red/warm tones (skin tones, sunlight) towards Orange.
- Fine-tune: Adjust the Saturation of the Red and Blue primaries to control the intensity of the new colors.
Orange and Teal Colour Tone in Adobe Lightroom,
🌈 Method 3: HSL / Color Mixer Panel:
In other words, This is great for fine-tuning colors already present in the photo.
- Open the HSL / Color Mixer Panel: Go to the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) or Color Mixer panel.
- Adjust Blues/Aquas (Teal):
- However, Select the Hue tab.
- Above all, Move the Blue and/or Aqua Hue sliders to the left to push these colors toward Teal.
- Adjust Reds/Oranges/Yellows (Orange):
- However, Move the Red, Orange, and/or Yellow Hue sliders slightly to the right to push them toward a warm, strong Orange.
- Luminance: You can also adjust the Luminance of the Orange slider to make skin tones brighter and the Blue slider to darken the blues/teals for more drama.
Orange and Teal Colour Tone in Adobe Lightroom,
✨ Pro Tip: Adding the Cinematic Feel:
However, The orange and teal look is often paired with a low-contrast, ‘filmic’ aesthetic:
- Tone Curve: Use the Point Curve (in the Light or Tone Curve panel) to create a subtle “fade”. Lift the bottom-left point of the curve up to raise the black point, making the darkest areas not truly black.
- Contrast/Tone: In the Basic panel, slightly reduce Contrast, lower Highlights, and raise Shadows for a flatter look.
