Photoshop Tutorials:  Changing Colors in Graphic Elements

There are two ways to adjust the colors in an image. The first method is to choose a command from the Image > Adjustments submenu. Adjustment options include hue/saturation, and brightness/contrast. This method permanently alters the color in the active layer.

The second method is to use an adjustment layer. Adjustment layers let you experiment with color and tonal adjustments without permanently modifying the pixels in the image. The color and tonal changes reside within the adjustment layer, which acts as a veil through which the underlying image appears.

Select the layer that you wish to change.  (Hold down the CTRL key and click on the area of the document you wish to change -- its layer will highlight in the Layers panel.)

Click on  the 'create new fill adjustment layer' icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Choose the layer type you want to create. Available types are: Solid color, Gradient pattern, levels, curves, color balance, brightness and contrast, Hue/Saturation, Channel mixer, selective color, gradient map, Invert, threshold, posterize.	Fig. 1
Changing the color settings using a Color balance layer Select your layer in the Layers panel Choose the type of adjustment layer you wish to create. (see Fig. 1 above) Choose color balance from the new adjustment layer menu This displays a colors options window. Click OK.	Fig. 2
In the layers panel you should see a new layer with name Color Balance1. Double click on the layer icon of CBphoto1 layer. This opens color balance window (Fig 3) Try different settings by moving the tabs back and forth and notice the different color changes on the graphic	Fig. 3
Figs 4 and 5 show the original picture and the modified one with color changes. Click OK to commit your changes. Experiment with various other options available under the adjustment layers menu. To discard changes, right click on the adjustment layer and select Delete Layer.	<<Fig 4    <<Fig.5

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