Changing a colour

[Ricardo]

Hi guys. Could you please give me some advice on how to change the colour of this red flannel to a beige (or any other colour) colour. Thanks in advance.

[Ricardo]

Re: Changing a colour

Sorry forgot to attach the pic. Here you go.....

[Wolfman]

Re: Changing a colour

Make a duplicate layer and open hue & saturation and pick the color red in the drop down where it says master.... then take the + eye dropper and click on various parts of the red cloth until you have sampled enough.... then slide the hue slider until you get the desired color.... in thi case dark beige as you asked.

[Ricardo]

Re: Changing a colour

Thanks Wolfman. That seems to work really well. Especially after applying a bit of Sat and brightness variation. I've tried to make them white as well but this method doesn't seem to work as well. It goes a grey colour. What would you recommend for turning the flannel white (but keeping the detail)?

[crazyfly1]

Re: Changing a colour

I'd be curious too. I tried several different ways. Black and white filter was as close as I got and that wasn't even close.

[jklier]

Re: Changing a colour

The best way I have found for changing colors of an object:

1) Have an image of the target color (in this case a beige/brown towel)
2) Sample both a highlight area and a shadow area, and note the colors in HSB mode (you can change the sample color mode in the info panel); preferably use a 5x5 or 11x11 sample area.
3) Create a mask of the area you want to change (the red towel in this case), and apply it to a basic curves layer, do not modify curve, this is just a masking layer.
3) Create a 'lights' luminosity mask and apply it to a hue/sat layer. Set new color samples in the target image - one for highlights and one for shadows. Change samples to HSB mode. Now modify the HSB sliders in the hue/sat layer until the shadows color sample matches your target color shadows sample. The sliders do interact with each other, so it takes a bit of practice. Apply this layer as a clipping mask to the layer applied in step 2.
4) Duplicate the layer from step 3, invert the mask. Modify the slider in the hue/sat until the highlights color sample is matched. Apply as a clipping mask.

Done. I've done this many times, and is the most accurate way to match a new target color in a believable way.

[Tony W]

Re: Changing a colour

For this type of colour change I find working in Lab usually gives a good result and often without much in the way of masking required

For the beige towel adjusted the a and b channels to get an acceptable biege shade then adjusted the L curve shape to requirements. Using the blend if sliders brought the background back no masking required

The white towel a little more difficult but similar principle a and b adjusted to near neutral and L adjusted for density and contrast. Blend if options used to bring background back. This still leaves an outline which will need to be dealt with

[Ricardo]

Re: Changing a colour

I'll give these other methods a go.

Thanks guys. You've all been most helpful.

[crazyfly1]

Re: Changing a colour

Tony, wow, nice job. I hadn't thought about trying LAB. I'll have to give it a go just to see if I can do it.

[Ricardo]

Re: Changing a colour

Hi Tony,

Could you elaborate more on the method the described. I've never worked in Lab mode before so it's ne w to me. What do you adjust for the a/b/L channels?

[Tony W]

Re: Changing a colour

Ricardo the attached may make it easier than an explanation only.

1. Convert image to Lab Color
2. Add a Curves adjustment layer
3. Adjust the a and the b channels to approximate my sample. This will effect the colour only
4. Adjust the L channel to effect overall density and contrast
5. Now you need to bring the background back by using Blend if
6. Either double click the layer or use the drop down to open the Blend if dialogue and adjust the channels as required to bring the background detail back.

To get it just right on your original image may require a little more play with the adjustments and in the case of the white towel the colour fringe around the towel will need to be removed and also IMO you will need to adjust the shadows to match the values of the other white towels

[Flotsam2]

Re: Changing a colour

This is how I would do it.

[jklier]

Re: Changing a colour

There haven bee quite a few helpful techniques posted here. Which one fits your needs depends a bit on your workflow, and your specific needs. Do you just need to change the feel of the image, or do you need to match an exact palette? How realistic does your new color have to be? Do you need to remain in a specific color space, or can you play?

Lab color space is very cool. But working with it can bring some limitations along (some photoshop tools don't work in Lab - you can convert back and forth, but that's not ideal).

Some of these methods get you in the ball park very quick, but may not be as consistent if you have to shoot a whole series, or if you have to match existing products. Since time is money, if all you need to do is remove a distracting color from the composition, but beyond that the object is not the purpose of the shot, the quicker methods are definitely called for. If you have to replace the colors of a hero object, different story.

I have had catalog shoots where the client didn't have samples in every color/sku combination; or where after the shoot something was found off with one of the samples. Color replacement can help out in those cases, but it has to be spot on accurate.

[Brandon McCann]

Re: Changing a colour

Personally, I would just add a hue/sat layer set to colorize. Then maybe manipulate it with a blank layer at low opacity or an overlay layer, maybe a soft light layer as well.