Web Development: How to match color in photo manipulation

How to match color in photo manipulation

In this easy tutorial, you'll learn how to use color check layers to color match in Photoshop.

If you prefer video tutorials, check out the complete Photo Manipulation for Beginners course from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel, and if you want to know more about using Photoshop to match color, check out this great tutorial on Color Theory for Beginners.

You'll find all the Photoshop resources you need for this tutorial at Envato, as well as tutorials on how to create a Photoshop composite and cool Photoshop photo effects.

Match color in Photoshop: Color check layers

Trying to guess things like color, contrast, and saturation by eye when working in Photoshop isn't the best option. Instead, create "color check" layers that simplify your image so you can pinpoint and adjust the different settings more precisely, without having to guess.

Step 1

Create a new layer at the top of your layer stack and go to Edit > Fill > 50% Gray.

Step 2

Change the Layer Mode to Luminosity, which will show the colors of your image.

In this example, some aspects of the milk are red, while other aspects have a lot of blue in them, and others still, like the middle batch, have touches of both red and blue. The milk bottle, on the other hand, is very yellow.

Step 3

To get an even clearer picture, go to the Adjustment panel and create a Vibrance Adjustment Layer. Move it above the gray layer and set it to 100% Saturation. Now we can clearly see the different hues.

Step 4

Group these two layers using Control/Command-G. You can also lock this layer by hitting this icon so that you can freely click on your different layers without this one getting in the way. This is a good idea for all your check layers.

Step 5

Now let's fix this milk situation. There are many different options for adjusting colors. This time, let's choose Image > Adjustment > Hue and Saturation in Photoshop. Because milk is white, any color it has would be the colors being reflected from its environment for the most part.

Step 6

When turning an image into one consistent color, check Colorize. That's what it does. Now dial in the hue setting so that the blue shade matches the blue in the sky, which is what that milk would be reflecting. Lower the saturation because milk is a white object. Repeat this step with each milk splash and the bottle of milk, turning them all into a consistent shade of blue.

Step 7

Now use this layer to dial in any other color. For instance, the bananas in our example are leaning towards red, so tweak those using a Hue/Saturation layer to bring in a bit more yellow.

Step 8

Use a Selective Color adjustment layer to make the grass greener, which will play off of the reds and the strawberries. Selective Color is a great adjustment when you want to pinpoint and tweak a very specific use in an image.

Before

After

This is just the first of three check layers, and while we'll be going through each one by one, in a more realistic scenario you'd create all three at once and then just switch between them, turning them on and off as you go. These layers are here to remove some of the guesswork with photo compositing. They're not telling you what to do—just giving you a more simplified view.

Discover more Photoshop resources and tutorials

In this tutorial, we covered how to color match in Photoshop. To learn more about color psychology and colour photo effects with Photoshop actions or to read tutorials on Photoshop techniques like photo manipulation in Photoshop, head over to Envato Tuts+ and the Envato blog. And for premium digital resources to cover all your creative needs, be sure to visit Envato.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

Web Development

Wednesday, August 14, 2024