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AdeleL1
Participant
May 3, 2020
Question

Need to be able to overlay specific colours (with RGB codes) over dark sections of images

  • May 3, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 372 views

Hi all, 

I am new to photoshop, and am teaching myself how to create a freshly painted look over an existing image of a home, for clients who want a preview of their chosen paint colour schemes. Given that the colour is what they're wanting to see, the colours that I am filling with have to be spot on.  

To date I have been creating masks for each section of the home (walls, doors, gutter etc), then adding a blank layer, filling it with the colour swatch and creating a clipping mask. I find that Colour blend mode works best in keeping the structure of the image and a true colour for the most part. If it's slightly off on colour I have been adjusting with levels, curves or channel mixer and visually matching it up. 

Where I have a problem is with a dark colour on the existing image. Say someone has a dark front door and they want to paint it in a specific shade of white, does anyone know how I can achieve this please? 

I have been trying with channel mixer to lighten the masked section, then adding that coloured layer overtop as a clipping mask, but it looks so artificial and loses all structure, and is also not a true colour as the client wants to see. 

I am going out of my mind with youtube clips,  google searches and playing around, I know this is possible as we have seen "paint overlays" in the past where the white door (for e.g.) looks perfectly painted, in the perfect colour and structure. 

Thanks in advance! 

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2 replies

didiermazier
Community Expert
didiermazierCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 3, 2020

you could

  • select dark parts of your image

  • new layer
  • mask with prev selection
  • paint

 

 

  • change blending mode

 Or you could on the same masked layer use Fx > color overlay

Derek Cross
Community Expert
Derek CrossCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 3, 2020

Unless both you and your client have perfectly matched colour managed systems I think your ambition of having spot on colours are not realistic. And even if you did this the variances beweeen your screens and the paint you've chosen might be significant. IMO aim (and agree with your client) that the images are only a rough colour guide.

A
AdeleL1Author
Participant
May 3, 2020

Hi Derek, 

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I appreciate what you're saying and agree re colours never being perfect, we have a disclaimer regarding this, I guess I just meant that for us white isn't just white, and blue isn't just any blue, therefore I can't pick a colour I like on a hu/esaturation layer, and need to use swatches. Whilst I acknowledge that no it won't be 100% perfect, I am just frustrated that I can't achieve even a remotely realistic colour over a dark base. I can get a stark horrible white, or a slight change to the dark shade, but nothing close to the RGB colour we need, yet I can achieve that on all other non-dark surfaces. 

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