vectorscopes

A vectorscope is a video monitoring tool used to visualize a signal’s chrominance, the color information, separate from brightness. It presents color as a two-dimensional polar diagram where each point encodes a hue (angle) and saturation (distance from the center). The display typically includes reference markers for the primary and secondary colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow) and may show target ranges for common standards.

The device receives the chrominance components of a video signal, such as U and V or Cb and Cr, or the R-Y and B-Y components in composite video. The resulting plot shows how much of each hue and how saturated the colors are in the image. Hue accuracy corresponds to the angle around the circle, while saturation corresponds to how far from the center the trace lies. A stable skin-tone cluster within a defined region, for example, indicates plausible human skin coloration under the chosen lighting and gamma.

Common uses include color balance and grading, ensuring broadcast compliance, and diagnosing hue shifts or saturation clipping. Vectorscopes are often used alongside waveform monitors to separate color analysis from luminance evaluation, aiding precise color corrections and white balance adjustments.

In modern workflows, vectorscopes are integrated into digital production and post-production tools, including software-based scopes in editing suites and digital broadcast monitors. While they excel at chroma analysis, they do not convey luminance information, requiring complementary tools for a full signal assessment.