How to remove color when a layer mask won't work.

[Heath2310542931nt]

I want to essentially unshade the bottom of this map and shade the top of it. To be a bit more precise, I want to remove the color from the bottom of the map and add color to the top of the map all while keeping the text as it is. I feel there has to be an easy way to do this, but I am just not familiar enough with Photoshop to use the tools efficiently. Any help or guidance or tutorial video links would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you! 

[MarekMularczyk]

Are you trying to remove the blue background colour from the bottom section but keep the text?

You can use Magic Wand tool to select the blue and either delete it or hide it inside a layer mask

[Heath2310542931nt]

I have tried the magic wand but no matter how I adjust the tool it always grabs a bit too much and makes the text look bad after you delete the color

[MarekMularczyk]

Maybe try Select > Color Range instead?

[MarekMularczyk]

I tried using Magic Wand on your image and it seems to look fine but it's hard to say as the image is very small

[Myra Ferguson]

If you select the pixels with the Magic Wand or any other tool to either delete it or hide it with a mask, the anti-aliasing might not get it all. That's why removing the color with an adjustment layer would be a better, non-destructive approach.

[Myra Ferguson · Accepted solution]

You could use a Black & White adjustment layer to remove the fill on the bottom, use a Levels adjustment layer to darken the text, and make a selection of the top to fill with the same blue. Here's how:

1. Use the Eyedropper tool to sample the blue fill for later.
2. Add the Black & White adjustment layer by either clicking on the middle icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and selecting Black & White... or by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White...
3. In the Properties panel (Window > Properies) with the black and white portion of the thumbnail (not the white thumbnail which is a Layer Mask) selected, drag the slider under Blues all the way to the right.
4. Select the Object Selection Tool (if you're not sure where it is, you can find it by going to Edit > Search and typing in Object Selection Tool in the Discover panel that appears. It'll highlight where the tool is in the Tools panel).
5. In the Options bar (Window > Options), deselect Object Finder and select Mode to Lasso.
6. Draw a rough selection around the areas you want to fill.
7. Use the Lasso Tool with the Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) modifier key or click on the Subtract from selection icon in the Options bar to remove any part of the selection that you don't want or use the Shift key or click on the Add to selection icon in the Options bar to add to the selection.
8. With the selection active, add the Levels adjustment layer by either clicking on the middle icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and selecting Levels... or by going to Layer > New Adjustment Levels... (the selection will make a Layer mask so that only the top selected part is affected)
9. In the Properties panel, drag the middle triangle under the histogram to the right.
10. Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) click on the Layer Mask from the Levels to load the selection
11. Click the + button at the bottom of the Layers panel to make a new layer.
12. Go to Edit > Fill... with Foreground Color selected for the Contents to fill the selection with the blue that you sampled in step 1.
13. On the second line from the top in the Layers panel where it shows "Normal," click on that dropdown menu and select Multiply to make the text appear through the blue fill.

[Heath2310542931nt]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out these instructions. I have learned so much from this experience.

[Myra Ferguson]

You're very welcome. 🙂

[Semaphoric]

I would just download a blank map, and color it yourself.