As part of image editing, sometimes it can be necessary to modify specific colors by replacing or removing certain hues from an image. Photoshop makes this task easy with its range of tools for color adjustment.
As the first step, select a color sample from an image using any selection tool and adjust its Fuzziness slider accordingly to refine this process.
1. Use the Color Range Tool
Photoshop offers several methods for you to remove certain colors from an image. One is by using the Color Range tool, which uses clever masking and desaturation techniques to select all instances of one particular hue from an image and desaturate them completely. Another way is using Hue/Saturation tool: it lets you select specific tones (Reds, Greens or Yellows etc) then change hue or desaturate completely based on their selection; or use Select and Replace Color tool manually painting over it with another hue. Finally you could also use Select and Replace Color to manually paint over one color with another hue manually by painting over it manually using select and replace Color tool – both options will do exactly the job!
To use the Color Range tool in Photoshop, first open your image in layers so you can easily undo any mistakes made during editing. Next, select the Select Tool and then the Color Range option from its drop-down menu; once selected, the Color Range tool will ask you to sample some colors from your image in order to form a grayscale selection that later turns into all pixels that contain that particular hue. You may adjust various View settings of the tool before beginning work in your image.
Fuzziness slider controls how lenient or strict the tool is in its selections. By sliding it rightwards, more pixels may be included within its selection; by moving leftwards, only pixels that closely resemble your selected hue will be included.
2. Use the Eye-Dropper Tool
No matter if you are editing photographs, creating graphic designs or web development – finding the ideal colors is of utmost importance. Photoshop makes this task effortless with its Eyedropper Tool; simply click and use this handy feature to sample an exact pixel value from your image to save in its Color Palette for later reference. Besides providing easy color matching services, the Eyedropper also comes equipped with various parameters that enable finer control over its results.
To access the different options of an Eyedropper Tool, simply click and hold on its icon. A menu will pop up that contains multiple tools relating to that specific tool; such as being able to reset all presets for all tools at once if a specific tool proves problematic. This could prove particularly helpful if there is trouble using one specific tool.
As soon as you click into an image with the Eyedropper Tool, a preview of what selection will be made is shown in a preview box. This includes black areas which represent pixels that have been selected; white areas which indicate unselected pixels; and gray areas which will be partially masked by their proximity. Using the Fuzziness slider you can control how broad or narrow of a selection is made.
If you click a foreground color in the preview box, the Color Picker will open for you to select an alternative shade. In addition, you can modify or expand an area selected in the preview box by using either add/subtract capabilities in the tool menu. Once you have an area selected in either fashion, if converting to mask mode be sure to create a new layer and add inverted selection(s) prior to making further adjustments or modifications.
3. Use the Hue/Saturation Tool
Color changes are one of the best ways to add visual interest to an image, and using the Hue/Saturation Tool gives you complete flexibility and precision when doing this task. For instance, you could transform a magenta rose into an eye-catching crimson red rose using this tool. Furthermore, it can also be used to modify an intensity level such as lighter or darker.
To use the tool, select one or more colors from your image and click on the Hue/Saturation icon in the Properties Panel. A grey area with tabs at either end will then appear, with Fuzziness slider allowing you to control how much a range of colors will be affected by your selection.
Once you’ve selected a color, click on the Adjustment sliders to modify them. Drag either Hue or Saturation right or left for changes; Hue increases hue while right will decrease it, while Saturation increases saturation of selected pixels while left decreases it.
Once your changes are in place, click OK to apply them and replace the original color with the new one. If you don’t like how things turned out, simply undo (Ctrl+Z) or use the Magic Eraser tool to undo changes.
Alternative: Create non-destructive changes with a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer instead of replacing colors directly, and easily alter later if necessary. You can apply it across your entire image or just to selected areas with masking; to give an overall tint add the Solid Color or Gradient Fill fill layers for additional tinted highlights.
4. Use the Levels Tool
Though it may seem complex, removing specific colors from images in Photoshop is doable with just a bit of practice and patience. Therefore, next time your image contains distracting colors try one of these techniques to get rid of them – you won’t regret it!
Our first method for eliminating color from an image will involve the Levels Tool. This powerful tool enables you to select specific areas based on their brightness of pixels, and also features fine-tuning features such as the Tolerance and Contiguous settings that allow for further control over selections.
To use the Levels Tool in Photoshop, first open your image. To activate it, use either Quick Selection Tool in the toolbar or press W to activate it. Adjust Tolerance so it is roughly half as high as your image’s saturation level for more accurate selections.
Once you’ve made your selection, click the Create a New Mask button in the Layers Panel to save it as an inverted selection on a separate layer, enabling further modification and refinement later. Alternatively, non-destructively you could add it as an adjustment layer using Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels.
Once you’ve added your Levels adjustment layer, locate the graph at the center of the dialog box. This graph displays information about shadows, highlights and midtones of your image while its outer two input sliders map black and white points to Output Levels slider settings ranging between 0-255; moving these Output Levels sliders will increase tonal range while making it easier to isolate one color at a time from an image.
5. Use the Color Picker Tool
Sometimes images contain colors that stand out too much and detract from their overall look, distracting the eye and detracting from the overall appeal of an image. When this occurs, Photoshop offers several tools for masking unwanted colors – these include the Magic Wand Tool, Magic Eraser Tool and Color Range Tool – in order to remove or mask them.
The Color Range Tool is an excellent way to remove specific colors from images in Photoshop, enabling you to make selections based on specified ranges of hues. Simply click on an area where desired hue is located before adjusting Fuzziness slider for best results when it comes to removing particular hues from images.
Eye-Dropper Tool in Photoshop is another powerful way to remove specific colors from images. Specifically useful when dealing with complex image elements, simply click and adjust its tolerance until you find your ideal selection – then you have two choices for removal or replacement: either delete it entirely or change its hue with one of your own choosing.
When editing images with Photoshop, the Hue/Saturation Tool should be your go-to for eliminating specific colors from images. With it you can both reduce and increase saturation levels within an image; particularly useful for increasing or decreasing magenta in CMYK pictures. Simply select your target color before adjusting its saturation slider until reaching your desired level.
