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Color effects allow you to adjust the visual properties of your video clips. MovieLite provides six color effect classes: Saturation, Brightness, Contrast, BlackAndWhite, Grayscale, and Sepia.

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Saturation

Adjust the color saturation of the clip.

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Constructor

Saturation(factor: float = 1.0)
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factor
float
default:"1.0"
Saturation multiplier. Values:
  • 1.0 = no change
  • 0.0 = completely desaturated (grayscale)
  • >1.0 = more saturated colors
  • <1.0 = less saturated colors
Minimum value is 0.0 (automatically clamped).

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Examples

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

# Increase saturation
clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(factor=1.5))

# Reduce saturation
clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(factor=0.5))

# Completely desaturate (equivalent to grayscale)
clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(factor=0.0))

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Technical Details

  • Converts frame from BGR to HSV color space
  • Multiplies the S (saturation) channel by the factor
  • Clamps values to valid range [0, 255]
  • Converts back to BGR
Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:7-43

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Brightness

Adjust the brightness of the clip.

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Constructor

Brightness(factor: float = 1.0)
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factor
float
default:"1.0"
Brightness multiplier. Values:
  • 1.0 = no change
  • >1.0 = brighter
  • <1.0 = darker
Minimum value is 0.0 (automatically clamped).

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Examples

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

# Increase brightness
clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.Brightness(factor=1.3))

# Decrease brightness
clip.add_effect(vfx.Brightness(factor=0.7))

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Technical Details

The Brightness effect uses Numba JIT compilation for optimized performance. Each pixel’s RGB values are multiplied by the factor and clamped to [0, 255].
Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:45-79

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Contrast

Adjust the contrast of the clip.

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Constructor

Contrast(factor: float = 1.0)
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factor
float
default:"1.0"
Contrast multiplier. Values:
  • 1.0 = no change
  • >1.0 = more contrast (darker darks, brighter brights)
  • <1.0 = less contrast (more washed out)

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Examples

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

# Increase contrast
clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(factor=1.4))

# Decrease contrast
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(factor=0.6))

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Technical Details

The Contrast effect uses Numba JIT compilation for optimized performance. It adjusts each pixel relative to the middle gray value (128).
Formula: new_value = (old_value - 128) × factor + 128 Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:81-115

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BlackAndWhite

Convert the clip to black and white (grayscale).

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Constructor

BlackAndWhite()
No parameters required.

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Example

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.BlackAndWhite())

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Technical Details

  • Converts frame to grayscale using OpenCV’s cvtColor
  • Converts back to BGR (3-channel) format for consistency
  • Uses standard RGB→Gray conversion weights
Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:117-136

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Grayscale

Alias for BlackAndWhite. Functionally identical.

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Constructor

Grayscale()

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Example

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.Grayscale())  # Same as BlackAndWhite()
Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:138-141

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Sepia

Apply a vintage sepia tone effect to the clip.

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Constructor

Sepia(intensity: float = 1.0)
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intensity
float
default:"1.0"
Intensity of the sepia effect. Values:
  • 0.0 = no effect (original colors)
  • 1.0 = full sepia tone
  • Values between 0 and 1 blend between original and sepia
Automatically clamped to [0.0, 1.0].

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Examples

from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

# Full sepia tone
clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")
clip.add_effect(vfx.Sepia(intensity=1.0))

# Subtle sepia effect
clip.add_effect(vfx.Sepia(intensity=0.5))

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Technical Details

Applies a sepia transformation matrix to convert RGB values: 
B = 0.131×R + 0.534×G + 0.272×B
G = 0.168×R + 0.686×G + 0.349×B
R = 0.189×R + 0.769×G + 0.393×B
When intensity < 1.0, blends between original and sepia using cv2.addWeighted. Source: src/movielite/vfx/color.py:143-188

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Combining Color Effects

Multiple color effects can be combined for creative results: 
from movielite import VideoClip, vfx

clip = VideoClip("input.mp4")

# Cinematic look
clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(1.3))  # Boost colors
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(1.2))    # Increase contrast
clip.add_effect(vfx.Brightness(0.9))  # Slightly darker

# Vintage look
clip.add_effect(vfx.Sepia(intensity=0.7))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(0.8))    # Reduce contrast

# High-contrast B&W
clip.add_effect(vfx.BlackAndWhite())
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(1.5))

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Color Grading Workflows

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Warm and Vibrant

clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(1.4))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Brightness(1.1))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(1.2))

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Cool and Muted

clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(0.7))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Brightness(0.95))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(1.1))

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Vintage Film

clip.add_effect(vfx.Sepia(intensity=0.8))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Contrast(0.9))
clip.add_effect(vfx.Saturation(0.8))

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Performance Considerations

Brightness and Contrast use Numba JIT compilation for optimized pixel-level operations. The first frame processed will compile the function, which may add a small delay. Subsequent frames will be very fast.
Saturation and Sepia use OpenCV’s color space conversions and matrix transformations, which are highly optimized but slightly slower than pixel-level operations.

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See Also

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