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How do I fill a new color in Photoshop?

By: Author Color With Leo

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image editing software that allows users to manipulate photos and graphics in many ways. One of the most common tasks in Photoshop is changing the color of objects or areas within an image. Whether you want to alter the hue, saturation, or brightness, Photoshop provides several tools to fill in new colors easily.

Using the Paint Bucket Tool

The Paint Bucket tool is one of the quickest ways to fill an area with a new color in Photoshop. Here are the steps to use it:

  1. Open the image you want to edit in Photoshop.
  2. Select the Paint Bucket tool from the Tools panel. It’s usually grouped under the Gradient and Paintbrush tools.
  3. In the Options bar at the top, choose a foreground color to fill with. You can use the color picker or eyedropper to sample a color from the image.
  4. Click anywhere inside the area you want to fill. If that area is enclosed by edges, the new color will fill it entirely.
  5. For more control, adjust the Tolerance setting in the Options bar. A lower tolerance fills pixels more similar to where you clicked. Higher tolerance fills a broader range.
  6. Use Shift-click to fill while preserving hard edges. Alt-click (Option-click on Mac) to sample color and fill based on the sampled color.
  7. You can also fill a transparent layer to colorize an image.

The Paint Bucket tool works best for filling solid color areas or backgrounds. For more precise color changes, use tools like the Brush or Gradient tools.

Using the Fill Command

Another way to fill a selection or entire layer with a new color is using Photoshop’s Fill command:

  1. First, make a selection using the Rectangular Marquee, Lasso, Quick Selection, or other selection tools. Or target a whole layer.
  2. Choose Edit > Fill from the menu bar.
  3. In the Fill dialog box, use the Use dropdown to choose Color. Then click on the color box to open the Color Picker and select a new color.
  4. Set the blending Mode and Opacity if needed. Click OK to fill the selection or layer.

The Fill command is useful for quickly replacing the color inside a selection. You can use it with layers, layer masks, or empty selections.

Using Blending Modes

Blending modes in Photoshop provide non-destructive ways to modify colors and light. Here’s how to use them to fill color:

  1. Select the layer you want to alter. For targeted changes, make a selection first.
  2. Set the layer’s blending mode to Color in the Layers panel. This will fill the selected area with the foreground color.
  3. Choose any new foreground color using the color picker or eyedropper tool.
  4. Optionally lower the Opacity to blend the effect.
  5. Try other blending modes like Hue, Saturation, Luminosity, Soft Light, Hard Light, etc. for different color effects.

Blending modes mix the layer’s colors with the layers below non-destructively. You can later tweak or remove the blending mode to revert the change.

Using an Adjustment Layer

To colorize an entire image or layer, you can use an Adjustment Layer:

  1. Select the layer you want to adjust if not coloring the entire image.
  2. Add a Hue/Saturation, Photo Filter, Black & White, or Color Balance adjustment layer from the Layers panel flyout menu.
  3. In the Properties panel, adjust the Hue, Saturation, and/or Lightness sliders or choose filter presets until you get the desired color change.
  4. Set the adjustment layer’s blending mode to Color for targeted color filling.
  5. Lower the Opacity and fill in Layer Mask to fine-tune the effect.

Adjustment Layers affect the layers below non-destructively. You can come back and edit the settings later or remove it. The changes will be reverted.

Using Color Overlay Layer Styles

If you want to permanently fill specific layers or text with color, you can use a Color Overlay Layer Style:

  1. Select the layer, vector shape, or text layer you want to colorize.
  2. Open the Layer Style dialog box and choose Color Overlay.
  3. Pick a color from the Color Picker and set the blending Mode and Opacity.
  4. You can add multiple styles like Drop Shadow, Stroke, etc. along with the Color Overlay.
  5. Click OK to apply the permanent color fill to the layer.

Layer Styles offer a fast way to colorize layers and objects non-destructively. You can later tweak or remove the styles from the Styles panel.

Using Layer Masks

To selectively color specific portions of a layer, use Layer Masks:

  1. Select the layer you want to isolate parts of.
  2. Add a Layer Mask from the Layers panel bottom.
  3. Paint black onto the Layer Mask with a brush to hide those areas.
  4. Use any of the above color fill techniques to change the unhidden layer’s color.
  5. Switch between layer and mask to refine the transition edges.

Layer Masks reveal or hide layer content selectively. Combining masks and color filling gives you ultimate control and flexibility.

Tips for Better Color Filling

Here are some tips to use color filling tools more effectively in Photoshop:

  • Use the Eyedropper tool (I) to sample colors from the image to help colors blend in better.
  • Feather your selections before filling to create smooth transitions between colors.
  • Limit adjustments with Layer Masks to avoid overediting images.
  • Try different Layer Blending Options like Multiply, Screen, etc. for unique effects.
  • Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to target color changes.
  • Adjust layer opacity instead of lower fill opacity for non-destructive editing.
  • Use Selective Color adjustment layers or Black & White adjustment layers to alter specific hues.
  • Try switching between RGB, CMYK, and Lab Color modes for more color options.

Mastering these tools and techniques allows you to fill color creatively while maintaining control and quality. With practice, you’ll gain flexibility in altering the color palette of your images.

Conclusion

Filling color in Photoshop provides endless creative possibilities for image editing and design work. Whether you want to subtly tone an image, completely change the color scheme, or isolate areas for targeted alterations, Photoshop gives you the tools. Mastering the Paint Bucket, Fill command, Blending Modes, Adjustment Layers, Layer Masks, and other color filling techniques will give you greater control over the look of your images.

Learning to properly fill color across layers, selections, and objects while maintaining quality is an important Photoshop skill. Start exploring these tools and methods today to boost your photo edits and designs to the next level.