---
title: "How to Read Video Scopes: Waveform, Parade and Vectorscope"
description: "A colour chart on the waveform, RGB parade and vectorscope. Watch the grey wedge form a staircase, a warm cast split the parade, saturation stretch the…"
url: https://colorgrade.video/videos/how-to-read-video-scopes
---

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3. How to Read Video Scopes: Waveform, Parade and Vectorscope

# How to Read Video Scopes: Waveform, Parade and Vectorscope

* Duration:  0:44
* Published: November 5, 2026
* English captions

Your browser can't play this video. [Download the MP4](https://colorgrade.video/media/videos/how-to-read-video-scopes/video.mp4); the full transcript is below.

A colour chart on the waveform, RGB parade and vectorscope. Watch the grey wedge form a staircase, a warm cast split the parade, saturation stretch the vectorscope, and false colour and clipping show where levels sit on the picture.

[ Color grading tutorial · chapter 1 How to Read Video Scopes Read the waveform, RGB parade, vectorscope and histogram, and check levels with false colour and clipping views.  Read the chapter ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/video-scopes) 

## Key moments

1. [ Waveform and vectorscope , starts at  0:00 ](#t=0)
2. [ A cast on the parade , starts at  0:08 ](#t=8)
3. [ Saturation and false colour , starts at  0:19 ](#t=19)
4. [ Clipping , starts at  0:31 ](#t=31)
5. [ Try it yourself , starts at  0:42 ](#t=42)

## Transcript

### Waveform and vectorscope  0:00

1. [ 0:02 The test chart with the Waveform and Vectorscope: the grey wedge forms a staircase from black to white. ](#t=2)
2. [ 0:05 On the vectorscope, every neutral patch sits on the centre dot and the faces lie along the skin tone line. ](#t=5)

### A cast on the parade  0:08

1. [ 0:08 Warming the shot splits the parade: red rises, blue drops, and the neutral dot slides towards orange. ](#t=8)
2. [ 0:15 Back at neutral, the three traces line up again over the grey wedge. ](#t=15)

### Saturation and false colour  0:19

1. [ 0:19 Saturation pushes every patch outwards on the vectorscope while the levels stay where they were. ](#t=19)
2. [ 0:25 False colour paints levels on the picture: green is mid grey, yellow near white, purple crushed black. ](#t=25)

### Clipping  0:31

1. [ 0:31 Pushing Whites too far flattens the top of the waveform, and the Clipping view stripes the clipped patches red. ](#t=31)
2. [ 0:36 Reset Whites and the scopes confirm the chart sits inside 0 to 100% again. ](#t=36)

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