How to Easily Change Colors in Photoshop

Photoshop Post-processing

Changing specific colors in Photoshop can dramatically transform the look and feel of your images, giving them a fresh, polished, or even completely new aesthetic. While there are many ways to adjust colors, the latest updates have introduced a powerful new tool: the Contextual Task Bar. It now includes a new function called "Adjust Colors," which can automatically detect the most prominent colors in your image and lets you modify them easily using HSL values. With just a few clicks, you can achieve precise, professional results without complex selections, masks, or additional layers, making color editing faster and more intuitive than ever.

Step 1

Open your image in Photoshop.

Step 2

Go to Window > Contextual Task Bar.

Step 3

Click on the "Adjust Colors" button. This action will create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and also show you the 6 prominent colors on your image.

Step 4

In this image, I will show you how you can change the pants, shirt, and background colors easily. First, click on the color wheel icon, and set the Saturation to +10.

Step 5

Now, click on the color icon you want to change; in this case, I will select the pants color.

Step 6

In the HSL panel, set any value that you wish or drag the sliders until you find a color that you like. Note: You may see the colors change live as you drag the sliders.

Step 7

Next, click on the shirt color icon. Again, drag the slider until you find the exact color you wish to apply.

Step 8

Lastly, click on the background color icon and change the HSL values to any color you wish.

A Final Note

Now that you’ve learned how to quickly change colors in Photoshop using the new "Adjust Colors" function in the Contextual Task Bar, you can simply keep adjusting the HSL values until you find a combination that you like. Experiment with different settings to refine the look and achieve the exact color balance and mood you want for your image.