Trick To Change Specific Colors in Photoshop!
164K views 10.6K likes 409 comments
Jump to a step in the video (11)
Click a time to play the video from there.
- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:59 The Hue and Saturation Adjustmen Layer
- 1:22 The Targeted Adjustment Tool
- 3:01 Make a Layer Mask from The Adjusted Pixels
- 4:50 Apply Colororize on The Hue and Saturation Adjustmen Layer
- 5:00 Layer Mask Explination
- 5:25 Adjust the Layer Mask with Levels
- 5:49 Adjust the Layer Mask with Dodge Tool
- 6:32 Adjust the Layer Mask with the Brush Tool
- 7:01 Make Final Color Adjustments
- 8:15 Final Thoughts
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Learning the trick to change specific colors in Photoshop is one of the most useful skills you should acquire since it’s very useful in photo manipulation!
If you want to follow along with the tutorial, Download Tutorial Image Here.
Note: Current versions of Photoshop show this targeting with clickable color swatches pulled from your photo, instead of the plain Master text menu shown here. The workflow and the result are the same.
Key Takeaways
- The Targeted Adjustment Tool only affects the color range you click on, not the whole image.
- The Add to Sample icon expands how many shades of a color the adjustment layer targets.
- The Colorize feature removes banding, but it also removes your color targeting unless you mask it first.
- Setting a duplicate layer’s blending mode to Difference turns matching pixels black, which is exactly what a mask needs.
- Ctrl-clicking (Command-clicking on macOS) a channel thumbnail loads its bright pixels as a selection you can turn into a mask.
- Once the mask exists, Levels, Dodge and Burn, and the Brush tool all let you fine-tune exactly which areas change color.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Change Specific Colors in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
- The Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer
- The Targeted Adjustment Tool
- Make a Layer Mask from The Adjusted Pixels
- Apply Colorize on The Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer
- Adjust the Layer Mask with Levels
- Adjust the Layer Mask with Dodge Tool
- Make Final Color Adjustments
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to change specific colors in Photoshop with the Targeted Adjustment Tool.
- How to expand your target range with the Add to Sample tool.
- How to build a custom layer mask from the Difference blending mode and the Channels panel.
- How to fine-tune that mask with Levels, Dodge and Burn, and the Brush tool.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0 or later) or the current version
Change Specific Colors in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate the layer | Ctrl J | Command J |
| Load the channel as a selection | Ctrl click channel thumbnail | Command click channel thumbnail |
| View the layer mask alone | Alt click mask thumbnail | Option click mask thumbnail |
The Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer
With a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, you can shift the hues of the entire image by dragging on the Hues slider. This is a global adjustment and it affects all the colors in the image.
The Targeted Adjustment Tool
To target only one color or a range of colors, click on the hand icon beside the Master drop-down. Then click over the image on the colors you want to adjust.
In this example, I clicked on the blue couch. Notice that the drop-down switched from Masters to Blues because we are now targeting pixels in this range. Also, notice the sliders over the gradient, they are targeting the blue pixels.
As you drag on the hue slider you will notice that not all the blues were selected. But you can add to the targeted colors selected by using the Add to Sample tool.
Click on the Add to Sample icon to add a hue to your targeted colors.
Tip: The same targeted-adjustment idea works in Camera Raw and Lightroom too. See SUPERCHARGE Your Targeted Adjustments With Range Masks to try it there.
Click-and-drag over your image and you will see that more blue areas will change color.
Warning: However, this technique might cause banding issues or other imperfections. Enabling the Colorize feature fixes the banding, but it also removes your targeted colors.
Make a Layer Mask from The Adjusted Pixels
To solve this issue, you can create a mask from the pixels you adjusted, then apply the colorize feature.
To do so, duplicate the image layer and place the duplicated layer at the top of the Layers panel.
Tip: Press CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS) to duplicate the layer instead of dragging it to the New Layer icon.
Set the Blending Mode to Difference. This Blending Mode looks at both layers. If the pixels on the layer on top and the layer below are the same, the resulting color will be black. If they’re different you will see another color.
Since the resulting colors are black and a brighter color, we can turn this information into a mask using the Channels panel.
From the Channels panel, select the channel that shows a starker contrast between the black and the lighter colors.
Then, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) as you click on the channel thumbnail to load the lighter pixels as a selection. Click on the RGB to return to the composite view and delete the duplicate layer since it’s no longer needed.
On the Layers panel, delete the Hue/Saturation’s Layer Mask.
Then, create a new Layer Mask, which will take the current selection and apply it as a Layer Mask.
Apply Colorize on The Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer
With the Layer Mask selected, return to the Hue/Saturation Properties panel and enable the Colorize feature once again.
Adjust the Layer Mask with Levels
Choose Image > Adjustment > Levels to control the mask’s brightness, to fine-tune any imperfection. Remember, making pixels darker will hide the colorizing effect while making pixels brighter will reveal it.
Adjust the Layer Mask with Dodge Tool
You can also use the Dodge and Burn tool to selectively brighten or darken areas of your mask.
Note: The Dodge tool brightens pixels while the Burn tool makes them darker.
Make Final Color Adjustments
Back on the Layers panel, select the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer thumbnail and apply final color adjustments for the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, click the Targeted Adjustment Tool, and click the color you want to change. This is the fastest way to change specific colors in Photoshop without affecting the rest of the image.
The Add to Sample tool, the eyedropper with a plus icon, expands your targeted color range. Click and drag over more of the color you want to include, and Photoshop adds those pixels to the range the Targeted Adjustment Tool already selected.
Colorize applies one color to every pixel on the layer, which fixes banding but overrides your targeting. Masking the adjustment layer first lets you apply Colorize only where the mask is white.
Duplicate the image layer, place the copy on top, and set its blending mode to Difference. Matching pixels turn black and changed pixels turn a bright color, and Ctrl-clicking (Command-clicking on macOS) the clearest channel in the Channels panel turns those bright pixels into a selection.
Open the Channels panel and click through the individual channels. Pick whichever one shows the starkest contrast between black and the lighter pixels, since that channel makes the cleanest mask.
Open Image > Adjustment > Levels and drag the sliders to hide or reveal more of the effect. You can also use the Dodge and Burn tools, or paint directly on the mask with the Brush tool.
This technique works in Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0) or the current version. The Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, layer masks, and the Channels panel have not changed in any way that breaks this workflow.
Yes. Click the Targeted Adjustment Tool on whatever color you want to change, whether that is a couch, a pillow, or a wall. The rest of the steps, the mask, Colorize, and the fine-tuning, work the same regardless of the color.
Conclusion
You now know how to change specific colors in Photoshop without touching the rest of the image. The Targeted Adjustment Tool narrows your color range, and a mask built from the Difference blend mode lets you apply Colorize without losing that targeting.
Once the mask exists, Levels, Dodge and Burn, and the Brush tool give you full control over exactly which pixels change color.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, see how the modern Hue/Saturation panel makes this even faster with the new Hue/Saturation color swatches.
Related Links
Final Image
Drag the slider to see before and after
![How To Remove a Background In Photoshop [For Beginners!]](https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/How-To-Remove-a-Background-In-Photoshop-For-Beginners-768x432.jpg)
