How To Change Color In Photoshop
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- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:33 HSB Explanation
- 2:03 How To Change Color in Photoshop - Basic Example
- 5:40 How To Change The Color of a Shirt in Photoshop
- 7:05 Make a Shirt Black or White
- 7:48 The MSI Creator Z16
- 9:35 Targeted Color Changes with the Hue Saturation Adjustment
- 12:20 Advanced Color Targeting with Blending Modes and Masks
- 16:38 How To Change Color in Photoshop with
- 17:26 Final Thoughts
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Change the color of an object in Photoshop with this simple yet powerful technique.
To change the color of an object and get professional results, you must control three essential components of color: hue, saturation, and brightness. Hue is the color itself, saturation is its intensity, and brightness is how light or dark it is.
The techniques described in this tutorial will help you understand and manipulate each component to get the best color changes possible.
This tutorial focuses on one precise, non-destructive method for changing an object’s color. For a few faster techniques, see How To Select and Change Colors In Photoshop.
Key Takeaways
- A Color blending mode applies a fill layer’s hue and saturation while keeping the object’s original brightness underneath it.
- Masking the whole Layer Group instead of each layer individually lets one mask control every adjustment layer inside it at once.
- A flat color fill alone removes an object’s shading, texture, and highlights, since it applies all three color components at once.
- A Levels adjustment layer brings back that lost shading by adjusting brightness separately from hue and saturation.
- The Hue/Saturation adjustment layer’s Lightness slider washes out shadow detail. That is why this technique splits color and brightness into two layers instead.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- How to Change the Color of an Object in Photoshop
- Step 1: Select the Object Whose Color You Want to Change
- Step 2: Create a Group
- Step 3: Apply the Selection as a Layer Mask to the Group
- Step 4: Create a Solid Color Fill Layer
- Step 5: Change the Color Fill Layer Blending Mode To Color
- Step 6: Create a Levels Adjustment Layer to Finish the Color Change
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to select an object with the Quick Selection Tool.
- How to mask a Layer Group so one mask controls several adjustment layers at once.
- How to apply a flat color with a Solid Color fill layer and the Color blending mode.
- How to restore realistic shading with a Levels adjustment layer.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2022 (version 23.0 or later) or the current version
- A photo with a distinct object to recolor
- Comfort with the Layers panel and layer masks helps, but is not required
Practice Files
Download the files used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Subtract from a selection (Quick Selection Tool) | Alt | Option |
| Load a layer mask as a selection (click the mask thumbnail) | Ctrl | Command |
How to Change the Color of an Object in Photoshop
Step 1: Select the Object Whose Color You Want to Change
Start by selecting the object whose color you want to change. You can enable the Quick Selection Tool from the Toolbar. Then drag over the object you would like to select. Remember that you can hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as you drag to subtract from the selection.
Tip: For a faster first pass, try Select Subject instead, then refine tricky edges in Select and Mask.
Step 2: Create a Group
After you create your selection, go to the Layers Panel, click the Create New Group button to create a Layer Group.
Step 3: Apply the Selection as a Layer Mask to the Group
With the selection still active, click the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers Panel to create a mask in the shape of the selection around the object. Adding a Layer Mask to the group will allow you to use one mask to affect multiple adjustment layers in the following steps.
Step 4: Create a Solid Color Fill Layer
Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers panel, and select Solid Color. This adds a Color fill layer inside the layer group. The mask on the layer group limits the solid color to the object.
Select the new color that you want to apply to the object and click OK. The object now appears to be filled with that solid color.
Step 5: Change the Color Fill Layer Blending Mode To Color
With the Color fill layer still selected, open the Blending Mode dropdown menu in the Layers panel, and choose the Color blending mode.
The Color blending mode applies the hue and saturation of the new color but retains the brightness of the original color of the object. This adjustment layer will control the first two components of a color: hue and saturation.
Step 6: Create a Levels Adjustment Layer to Finish the Color Change
Click the Create New Adjustment Layer button in the Layers panel, and choose Levels. Use the five Input Levels sliders in the Properties panel to adjust the object’s brightness.
These five sliders affect the third component of color, brightness, giving the object with its new color the appearance of texture and shading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Select the object, then group it with a mask. Add a Solid Color fill layer set to the Color blending mode for hue and saturation, then add a Levels adjustment layer to restore the object’s brightness and shading.
Its Lightness slider washes out the object’s shadows and highlights, leaving a flat result. Splitting color from brightness across two layers keeps full control over both, though Hue/Saturation is still useful for other jobs.
One mask on the Layer Group controls the Solid Color fill layer and the Levels layer at the same time. Refining the mask later only takes one edit instead of two.
It applies a layer’s hue and saturation to the layers below while leaving their brightness untouched. That is why it works for recoloring without flattening the object.
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag over the extra area to subtract it from the selection before you continue. You do not need to be precise, since you can always refine the selection edge afterward.
No. The Quick Selection Tool, layer masks, Solid Color fill layers, blending modes, and Levels adjustment layers have all been in Photoshop for years. Any current version works.
Yes. Repeat the whole process in a new Layer Group for each object, since every group holds its own mask and its own pair of adjustment layers.
Conclusion
Change the color of an object in Photoshop by keeping hue, saturation, and brightness under separate control.
A Solid Color fill layer on the Color blending mode handles hue and saturation, and a Levels adjustment layer brings the object’s original shading back.
Watch the video above for the full walkthrough, 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.
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Next, learn the difference between Saturation and Vibrance in Photoshop.
