How to Change White Into Any Color in Photoshop

Being able to change colors in post can give you a lot of creative control and save a headache when shooting. One difficulty, however, is changing anything that's white. In this video, you'll learn you how to do that quickly and easily.

As a commercial photographer, I often change colors of elements of my image to either attain a true-to-life representation or to achieve complementary colors. This can be done a number of ways, but even the most basic methods can be effective. That said, if something is white, the simple methods of color alteration won't work and most people won't know how to make a change. The method I use for this is similar to Phlearn's, but Aaron Nace explains it beautifully.

The image Nace uses in this video shows not only how quickly and easily this dramatic change can be done, but just how much of an impact you can have on your image. A simple white dress on a white studio backdrop can be turned into a vibrant editorial with perfectly matching colors. I've never much been one for the plain backdrops; I don't see the appeal. However, a block color backdrop that perfectly matches the subject's garment has a strong, glossy feel to it and is making me rethink my position!

Do you have any tips for color manipulation in Photoshop? Share in the comments below.

Robert K Baggs's picture

Robert K Baggs is a professional portrait and commercial photographer, educator, and consultant from England. Robert has a First-Class degree in Philosophy and a Master's by Research. In 2015 Robert's work on plagiarism in photography was published as part of several universities' photography degree syllabuses.

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2 Comments

I think you have a typo in your first paragraph: "One difficulty, however, is changing anything that's why."

No. I think he meant the reason it's difficult to change colors is because *everything* is difficult to change. ;-)