(Archives) Adobe Photoshop
CS3: Working with Colors
Last Modified on 06/07/2016
This article is based on legacy software.
With Photoshop, you can alter the appearance of an image by changing the colors that make up
the image. Photoshop allows you to work with the Foreground color and the Background color.
These color choices also correspond to the various drawing tools included with Photoshop (e.g.,
the Paint Bucket tool and Brush tool).
Selecting Colors
You can move between two color options at a time, the Foreground and Background colors.
The Background and Foreground colors are used differently by each tool. For example,
the Brush tool uses whatever color is in the Foreground box.
The Background and Foreground colors can be switched at any time.
The Color Picker Dialog Box
The Color Picker dialog box allows you four options to set the color: the color field, the color
slider, numeric values, and hexadecimal values. The Color Picker opens when you go to select a
color using the Toolbox
Opt ion Def init ion
Identify which color will be added by moving a small
Color Field
circle which appears in the Color Field.
Change the color tone by moving the arrows along the
Color Slider
bar or by clicking inside the Color Slider.
Select a color by typing the numeric value in the group
of text boxes.
Four groups of text boxes appear:
Numeric
a. HSB (hue, saturation, brightness)
Values
b. RGB (red, green, blue)
c. Lab (lightness, green-red axis, blue-yellow axis)
d. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
HexadecimalEnter a six digit hexadecimal value representing the
Values color you want.
Using the Color Picker Dialog Box
HINT: The Toolbox is located at the left hand side of the work area by default. If the Toolbox is not
visible, re-select it in the View menu.
1. From the Toolbox, click the Foreground or Background color square.
The Color Picker dialog box appears.
2. Using the Color Picker dialog box, select the desired color.
Your selection appears in the Color Preview box.
3. When you have decided on a color, click OK.
Your new color now appears on the Toolbox in the color square that you clicked in step
one.
Moving Between Foreground and
Background Colors
The Color Selection box on the Toolbox contains a toggle switch to alternate between
the Foreground and Background colors.
1. In the Color Selection box, click the Toggle Swit ch.
The background color has now moved to the foreground color.
Using the Foreground and Background
Default Colors
In addition to your Foreground and Background colors, the Color Selection box on
the Toolbox also contains default black and white colors.
1. In the Color Selection box, click Def ault Colors.
The default black and white colors have now become
your foreground and background colors, respectively.
NOTE: Any custom colors you previously selected will disappear.
Recoloring Graphics
Photoshop allows you to recolor images. For example, if you wish to change the color scheme of
a document, you can recolor related images in Photoshop. The
active Foreground or Background color can be applied to any selected area of the image. For
information on how to select an area, refer to Selecting an Area.
Recoloring Graphics: Using the Fill
Command
One way to change the color of an image is by using the Fill command. The Fill dialog box allows
you to fill with either the Foreground or Background color, or with black, white, or gray.
1. If you will be using the Foreground or Background color, verify that the color is correct.
2. Select the area you wish to apply color to.
For information on how to select an area, refer to Selecting an Area.
3. From the Edit menu, select Fill...
The Fill dialog box appears.
4. From the Use pull-down list, select the desired option.
5. (Optional) In the Blending section, make any necessary changes to
the Opacity and/or Mode setting.
6. Click OK.
Your selected area is filled with the color you chose.
Recoloring Graphics: Using the Paint
Bucket
You can use the Paint Bucket tool to change the color of an image. The Paint Bucket tool does
not require you to select the area to be filled. The Paint Bucket tool, like the Magic Wand, selects
like-colored pixels to fill. You can affect which pixels are filled by adjusting the tolerance.
NOTE: The Paint Bucket command will not work on a bitmap image. If this tool is not available,
check your image mode. For additional information on image modes, refer to Special Terms:
Image Modes.
1. From the Image menu, select Mode.
2. Select RGB Color.
NOTE: The option is selected if a checkmark appears before it.
3. Select your desired Foreground color.
4. From the Toolbox, select the Paint Bucket Tool.
NOTE: If it is not visible, it is hidden behind the Gradient Tool.
5. To display the Paint Bucket Tool, click and hold the mouse over the Gradient Tool.
OR
Right click the Gradient Tool and select Paint Bucket Tool.
6. Position the Paint Bucket Tool over the area you would like to color.
7. Click the mouse.
The area you pointed to is now filled with the Foreground color.
