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Question

How do I only replace color for one area?

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
November 18, 2017
3 replies
1931 views

Hi everyone! I am trying to edit my jewelry photos for my etsy page and I am having difficulty.

I shot them in a savage luminous pro on a black background and I am trying to change the background by doing this:

>Image

>Adjustments

>Replace color

Then, I replace the color so the background is completely, perfectly white. However, all the black areas in my actual product ALSO turn white, thus making my pictures unusable.

I need to be able to replace the background color of my photograph without altering the colors on my actual product.

Is there any way I could deselect the colors in my picture so that this doesn't occur?

I am using a PC.

This topic has been closed for replies.

D Fosse

Community Expert

Just adding to what Dave said.

Always try to get as far as possible with global adjustments first. If the subject appears too dark, dirty or muddy, try to lighten the whole image up with a Curves adjustment, before doing anything else. Surprisingly often, that gets you what you want, or at least very close.

Only then, and only if absolutely necessary, use selections, masks or other targeted tools to go after specific parts.

A very common beginner's mistake is to start with a poorly exposed image, and then go right at selecting and masking. This will always, no exceptions, end up looking unnatural and artificial, or plain bad.

D Fosse

Community Expert

I'm with Trevor. This will never look good - because the black background is reflected in the object itself. You cannot "remove" that without extensive manual labor. I guarantee you, reshooting will be orders of magnitude quicker!

Also, a sharp outline is an absolute no-no here. That looks really ugly and unattractive.

Just recently, a book designer attempted something like this with a couple of my images. I went so far as to demand that they hold the presses for reasons of copyright violation. It's just unacceptable.

barbara_a7746676

Community Expert

One way would be choosing Select > Color Range. After selecting the black background and clicking OK, the back colors on your actual product will be selected. But since you have a selection you can use the selection tools, like the Lasso tool, to remove the black pixels you don't want in the selection.

If you post an example of one of your photos with a black background, I will give more precise directions.

M

mechabratAuthor

Participating Frequently

This is an example of the photographs I will be using.

barbara_a7746676

Community Expert

There are many ways you could approach this. The edges of the object are kind of blurred, which makes it more difficult. I would use the Pen tool to draw around the shapes. that would give a nice clean edges. However, it can take time to get the hang of the Pen tool.

Another option would be to look at the individual channels in the Channels panel. You would look for the one with the most contrast, which seems to be green in this case.

Duplicate the Green channel.

With the Green copy channel targeted, choose Image > Adjustments > Levels. Increase the contrast to get good black and white contrast around the objects, especially on the edges. Click OK.

Use the Brush tool, selecting a hard-edged brush (not one of the brushes with soft fuzzy edges.)

Paint with black and white to touch up the channel.

Make the RGB channel active.

Ctrl (WIndows) Command (Mac) click on the Green copy channel thumbnail. This will load a selection of the green copy channel.

In the Layers panel, click the Layer Mask icon. Then add a new layer underneath that is filled with the color you want for the background. Below I filled it with white.

Because of the fuzzy edges on the photo, a black fringe remains around the edges.

Click the layer mask. It should get a subtle double line around it when it is targeted. Choose Filter > Other > Minimum. Increase the radius until the black fringe is gone.

With the mask still active, use the Brush tool to touch up the mask: black to hide areas and white to show areas.

The job of removing the background will be easier if you take take the photo with crisper edges. Try a higher number on the F stop for more depth of field, and try getting further away from the object when you are photographing it.

If that's not possible, you could try using a darker background or gradient to try to minimize the problem edges, like this:

With a darker background it wouldn't hurt to use a Curves adjustment layer to bring out more contrast in the objects.

If you can get crisper edges on the objects in your photo, your job will be easier. Try a higher number on the F stop for more depth of field, and try getting the camera further away from the objects, and using a longer exposure. And of course use a tripod.

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