Highlighted black and white mask next to the duplicate layer and the ‘Add a mask’ icon on the bottom. The area of color that you initially selected is black. Your image does not change, but a mask appears next to the duplicate layer. Step 4: Create a Mask on Duplicate LayerĬlick the ‘Add a mask’ icon below the layers panel (a white rectangle with a grey circle). Inverting the selection in Photoshop and marching ants highlighted around the image.
The marching ants should appear around the edges of your picture. The pixels you want to change are now selected. To do this, go to Photoshop’s drop-down menus at the top and choose Select > Inverse (Shift+Ctrl or ⌘Command I). In Step 2, you selected the pixels that you do not want to change. Comparison of Color Range preview options: Greyscale, Black Matte, White Matte, and Quick Mask all highlighted. When you’re satisfied with your selection, click OK. Change the selection preview to Greyscale, Black Matte, White Matte, or Quick Mask, whichever helps you see the selected areas. The selection preview box lets you see the selected area. The Range slider tells Photoshop how close you want the selected colors to be to the chosen area. If you want to include more colors like the one you clicked, raise the Fuzziness number by moving the slider to the right. Lowering the Fuzziness by moving the slider to the left only selects hues close to the ones chosen. The Fuzziness slider tells Photoshop how precise you want the color selection to be. Checking the box tells Photoshop to look for the selected hue only around the area you have clicked. When the Localized Color Clusters box is unchecked, Photoshop looks across the entire image for the color you clicked. Select > Color Range, Default: Sampled Colors, Localized Color box unchecked, Fuzziness and Range sliders all highlighted. To remove colors from the selection, hold the Option key while clicking. You can add to the selection by holding the Shift key and clicking on another shade. Use the eyedropper to click on the color you want to keep. Go to Photoshop’s drop-down menus at the top and choose Select > Color Range. In the Color Range window, Sampled Colors is the default. It is more difficult to select the color precisely. Also, the shape of the handrail includes a lot of twists and turns. The color is not as distinct against the greys and neutral colors of the stairs. For example, highlighting the yellow handrail in the opening image is more difficult. If your color selection is more complicated, use the Color Range tool. Then press the Option key and click on the area that you want to de-select. To remove some of the selection, first, make the tool smaller. You can add to the selection by clicking again on an unselected area. You should see marching ants around the edges of the colored area to show that it is selected. Marching ants surround the selected area highlighted. Using the Quick Select tool to select a red lear. You can also click and drag to select a larger area or make the tool bigger by using the right bracket key ( ] ). Then click on the color you want to select. If the color you want to select is distinct against the background, use the Quick Selection tool. There are many selection tools you can use in Photoshop. On the copied layer, select a color or a colored object that you want to keep. Step 2: Select a Color or Object Option 1: Quick Selection Tool Layer > Duplicate Layer (new layer highlighted). To do this, go to the layer drop-down menu and select Layer > Duplicate Layer (Ctrl or ⌘Command J). Open an image in Photoshop and duplicate your background layer. We will use Photoshop selection tools and layer masks.
Let’s start with a step-by-step process highlighting one color in a black and white image. Creating Selective Color in Black and White After Photoshop’s Selective Color tool is applied. You can use this to create a split-toning effect or subtly change color to draw the viewer’s eye.īefore Photoshop’s Selective Color tool is applied. But it is a powerful tool for changing individual colors. It will not highlight color in a black and white image. This tool allows you to change the colors in your image.
Adobe Photoshop also has a tool called Selective Color.You can also use this technique to bring out a subtle color that otherwise would be lost in the image. You can highlight one color and desaturate the others. You may want to use this process for artistic reasons or when your image includes many competing colors. Selective color is a photo editing process that highlights one color or a colored object in an otherwise black and white image.