The Best Way to Use Color in Photoshop

Ever look at a photo and can't quite explain why the colors just work? It's not luck, it's color theory, and once you understand it you can plan for it in-camera or fix it after the fact in Photoshop. In this episode we break down complementary colors and color triads, then show you how to actually pull those exact colors into an image that didn't quite nail it straight out of camera. We'll start with the free Adobe Color Wheel to find color combinations that naturally play well together, then jump into Photoshop and use Color Range selections, sampled color, and the Color blend mode to recolor a photo's skateboard, jacket, and background into a matching triad, without flattening out any of the original shading or texture. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro to Color Theory in Photography 02:00 Complementary Colors and the Color Wheel 04:48 Using Triad Color Combinations 06:37 Sampling Colors from the Color Wheel 08:26 Recoloring the Skateboard with Color Range 09:49 Painting the Jean Jacket with Sampled Blue 11:20 Adding Yellow and Masking the Background 13:03 Before and After Results THE STEPS 1. Visit color.adobe.com and choose a color rule like Complementary or Triad to find colors that naturally work together 2. Take a screenshot of your chosen color wheel and open it as a new layer in Photoshop alongside your image 3. On a new layer, go to Select, then Color Range, and use the eyedropper (plus the Fuzziness slider) to isolate the area you want to recolor 4. Hold Alt/Option with the Brush Tool to sample your target color directly from the color wheel screenshot 5. Fill the selection with your sampled color using Shift+Delete (Fill, Foreground Color), or paint it in directly with the Brush Tool 6. Change that layer's blending mode from Normal to Color so the original shading and texture show through 7. Lower the layer's opacity if the color feels too saturated or intense 8. Add a layer mask and paint black over any areas the color shouldn't touch, like skin or teeth Get the full step by step breakdown here: https://phlearn.com/tutorial/best-way... PHLEARN PRO: Want to go deeper into color grading and advanced color theory for your photos? Check out PHLEARN PRO at phlearn.com/pro ――――――――――――――― What is PHLEARN PRO? ● Instant access to over 1,000 Photoshop and photography tutorials ● New tutorials added every week ● Download sample images and project files to follow along ● Ask questions and get feedback from a community of creatives Use code PRO26 for a discount on your first month of PHLEARN PRO Follow PHLEARN: Instagram:   / phlearn   Facebook:   / phlearn   Twitter:   / phlearn   #Photoshop #ColorTheory #PhotoshopTutorial