How to select by color in Photoshop

Photoshop is packed with tools that let you play with color in your projects. If you are not happy with the result of a color or if a particular color does not fit the aesthetics of the image, you can easily get rid of it. Read on to learn how to select a color in Photoshop and seamlessly change it to a better option.

How to Select by Color and Change It in Photoshop on a PC

Working in photoshop on a PC opens up a world of possibilities for editing your image. Among the many options, there are a few tools at your disposal that you can use to select a color and change it to match your artistic vision.

How to select by color and change it using the color range option

Color gamut is probably the most obvious choice when it comes to selecting and changing colors in Photoshop. This simple tool will help you achieve your goal quickly and without complications.

1. Navigate to the “Layers” panel on the right side of your screen.
   
2. Click the “New Layer” button in the lower right corner.
   
3. Go to the “Select” tab at the top of the screen.
   
4. Select the “Color Range” option.
   
5. In the Color Range panel, drag the Blur slider to 0.
   
6. Set the “Range” slider to 100%.
   
7. Click on the middle “Eyedropper” icon that has a “plus” sign.
   
8. Plot the color you want to change by left-clicking and dragging as necessary.

Once you are happy with the selection, you can change the color by following these steps.

1. Go to the “Layer” tab at the top of the screen.
   
2. Select the “New Adjustment Layer” option.
   
3. Click on the “Hue/Saturation” option.
   
4. Tap “OK.”
   
5. Use the “Hue” slider to change the selected color accordingly.
   
6. Optionally, drag the “Saturation” and “Lightness” sliders to make further adjustments.
   

The Color Range option will work perfectly for simpler projects or when you’re in a hurry. However, this option may not be the best route if the pixels you want to change are not adjacent in the image. If that is the case, we suggest using the Magic Wand Tool.

How to select by color and change it using the Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand tool is ideal for more complex jobs and allows you to produce professional-looking results. It may take a little more time than the previous tool, but the results are worth it.

1. Navigate to the “Tools” panel on the left side of the screen.
   
2. Go to the “Quick Selection Tool” icon (a brush next to a dotted circle).
   
3. Select the “Magic Wand Tool” from the drop-down menu.
   
4. Uncheck the “Contiguous” checkbox in the top menu.
   
5. Click on the desired color.
   

The Magic Wand Tool will now select all pixels similar to the ones you clicked on. The selection range depends on the tolerance level.

By default, the tolerance level is set to 32. This means that the Magic Wand tool will select a range of 32 levels brighter and 32 levels darker than the pixel you selected.

Increasing the tolerance level will include more color pixels, resulting in a smoother selection. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for what tolerance level you should use. The best way is to experiment with different values ​​until you find the number that best suits your image. Simply type a value in the Tolerance field at the top and see if that value works. You can go up to 255.

Sometimes the color you want to select is present in the form of a gradient. As a result, selecting the color will only work for the pixels closest to the one you clicked on. This time, increasing the tolerance level may lead to selecting a wider range of pixels than intended.

You can do the following instead.

1. Hold down the “Shift” key to switch to the “Add to Selection” tool.
   
2. Click the areas you want to include in the selection.

If you notice that the tool has selected areas that you didn’t want to include, you can easily delete them. Simply hold down the Option key on Mac or the Alt key on Windows and click the area you want to subtract from the selection.

Once you are happy with the color selection, it is time to change it to the color of your choice.

1. Go to the “Layers” panel on the right side of the screen.
   
2. Click the “New Fill or Adjustment Layer” icon in the bottom right corner.
   
3. Select the “Hue/Saturation” option.
   
4. Tap the “Properties” panel.
   

Once you’re in the Properties panel, you can change the selected color in several ways.

• Drag the “Hue” slider to change the color completely.
  
• Adjust the “Saturation” slider to change the intensity of the color.
  
• Play with the “Lightness” slider to darken or lighten the color.
  

How to Select by Color and Change It in Photoshop on an iPad

Photoshop application for iPad does not have all the selection tools available in the PC version of this popular software. Still, there is a great tool you can use to select a color and change it.

To get started, follow these steps to reveal layers in your image.

1. Tap the “Detail View” icon in the top right corner of your screen.
   
2. Press the “Layer Properties” icon just below the “Detail View” icon.
   
3. If necessary, double-tap the percentage displayed in the field at the top of the screen to make your image fully visible.
   

Now you are ready to get to work. To make a selection in Photoshop on an iPad, do the following.

1. Double-tap the “Selection Tools” icon (a brush next to a dotted line) in the left panel to display all tools.
   
2. Select the “Quick Selection Tool” option.
   
3. Press the “Add to Selection” tool at the top of the “Properties” mini panel next to the main panel on the left.
   
4. Using the selection tool, display different values ​​of the color you want to change.
   
5. Navigate to the “Selection Tool” action bar at the bottom of the screen.
   
6. Tap the three dots icon.
   
7. Choose the “Select similar” option.
   

This option will automatically select all color tones similar to the one you initially selected. There is nothing left to do other than change the selected color to a more suitable one.

1. Tap the “Add” trimmed adjustment button inside the “Layer Properties” panel on the right.
   
2. Select the “Hue/Saturation” option.
   
3. Navigate to the “Hue/Saturation” p.
   

You can now change the selected color in three ways.

• Adjust the “Hue” slider to completely change the selected color.
  
• Use the “Saturation” slider to change the intensity of the color.
  
• Drag the “Lightness” slider to lighten or darken the color.
  

How to select a transparent color in Photoshop

While most Photoshop users are looking for a way to make the background color of their image transparent, you may have different plans. Learning how to select a transparent color is the springboard to all the other options Photoshop offers. This is what you should do.

1. Click the “Select” tab in the top menu.
   
2. Go down to the “Load selection” option.
   
3. Navigate to “Layer 0 Transparency”.
   
4. Enable the “Invert” checkbox.
   

All transparent areas of your image will now be selected and ready for your changes.

Tell stories with color

Color is a crucial element in visual storytelling as it can be used to effortlessly convey different emotions. If a color is off, it can ruin the entire artistic concept of the image. Photoshop makes it easy to select and change the misbehaving color, allowing you to get only the results you want.