Changing colors of semi-transparent objects can be tricky. When recoloring these types of objects, they can go from vibrant to flat easily.
This Accent is pretty, soft, and subtle pink colors.
If we want to change the color of this we could apply a color overlay, but it looks pretty flat and “muddy.”
The original accent has pretty texture and color variations, which are lost in the recolor.
You could try experimenting with a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, but if you know you want a specific color, here’s an easier way to get, as well as keep the pretty texture in the original piece. I am working in CC 2017 but this technique works in Photoshop Elements as well. (PSE instructions at the end of this tutorial).
- Add a Black and White Color Adjustment Layer to the element.
- Clip the adjustment layer to the Accent.
- Add a Solid Color Adjustment layer. The Color Picker will open. Choose the color you want to use. I chose Aqua (Hex 419e8d).
- Clip the Color Fill layer to the Black and White Adjustment Layer.
- Change the Blend Mode of the Color Fill layer until you get the look you want. The Mode you use will depend upon the color of the paper you are using as well as the color that you are using on the accent. In my example, Color Burn worked perfectly.
In our final result, we can see the texture, as well as the variations in color.
So many kits have beautiful Blendables, Accents, and/or Stamps. Sometimes they aren’t necessarily in the colors you need for a specific layout. Try recoloring them to suit your needs! Don’t forget you can also use Gradients when applying using this technique.
PSE users: You do not have a Black and White Color Adjustment so you will need to go to the top menu bar: Enhance > Convert to Black and White. Then follow the rest of the instructions as stated above.
You may download a PDF of this tutorial here: Recoloring Semi-Transparent Objects.
Well I never!, so clever. Thank you
Thank you, learned something new again 🙂
Oh, Faith, you have just given me a happy memory. My Mom used that phrase all the time! 😉 So glad you found this helpful.
And I’m glad you learned something new, Christine! Thanks for letting me know.
Thanks, Karen! Great tip. You can also (instead of a solid color adjustment layer) add a new layer clipped to the original and on top as your adjustment layer is, and paint different transparent colors onto it directly.
This is beautiful. Thanks so much.
Love it! also … thanks so much for the PDF. i do love to save the tips to return to and PDFs are just perfect! thank you! (great kit, by the way)
Learned something new again. 🙂 I was just admiring one of the layouts with your latest kit Metamorphosis, and wondered how it was done. Not sure if this is how but this gives me the idea that maybe this is partly the method. Anyway, now I can play with the effects in a way that hadn’t occurred to me before. Thank you!
Thank you.
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