How To Change & Adjust Colors In Photoshop

One of the greatest tools photoshop has is the ability to tweak colors. Here are a few methods for adjusting coloring on your photos, graphics, and artwork.

This post was sponsored by Graphic Stock, and affiliate links are included. All opinions are my own, because I only promote things that I love and think you will love too!

The images I’m using for this tutorial are from Graphic Stock. They have tons of really cool stock photos for this kind of effect. If you aren’t already a member, you can still get these graphics as a freebie using a 7 Day Totally Free Trial where you can download 20 images per day, and keep them even if you decided not to continue the trial. And they are royalty free!

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1. Hue Saturation.

Need to change the overall coloring to a different tone? Hue/Saturation is the most popular tool to use. Click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “Hue/Saturation.”

Move the dials until you reach your desired hue. You can really just play around with it, moving them in different combinations to see the different color options. For example, if you have a coral image, and move the dials towards the blue, the image will turn more yellow, because we are changing the color family away from it’s peachy red tones. If you just want to change a specific color, you can also select the drop down menu to adjust selective ones.

2. Color Balance.

Want to add a real punch of color to your photo? This is another widely used tool. Click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “Color Balance.”

Move the dials until you reach your desired hue. If you aren’t getting the one you want, try a combination of Hue/Saturation and Color Balance.

3. Curves.

Like the existing colors in your photo, but need to lighten them up? Curves allows you to instantly brighten things up. Click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “Curves.”

Move the line up for brighter colors, and down for darker ones.

4. Solid Color.

Want your colors muted? Use Solid color to soften things up. Click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “Solid Color.”

Pick which color you want to layer on top of your image, and then the opacity to your liking.

5. Selective Color.

Just want one specific color changed? Click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “click the adjustment layers button in the layer panel, and select “Selective Color.”

Press the drop down menu and select the color you want to adjust & then move the dials around.

Now you’re ready to create all sorts of rainbows! THIS is the image I used for the tutorial. GraphicStock has tons of other photos ideal for these projects. Give it a try today!

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