Replace colors doesn't truly replace the selected color with the specified color?

[TipK]

I am creating pixel art in photoshop and I am switching color palettes. I want to just easily replace every individual color in the whole image to a color from the new color palette. But when I replace the color, it doesn't change to the exact color I specified. It looks a bit more like an off-set variant of the color that I want it to be. How do I fix this? I sure hope I don't have to use the fill bucket everywhere because that would be a waste of time.

Thanks in advance!

[Test Screen Name]

What is the original colour, replacement colour you intend and actual colour you want to use in the document colour space (RGB, CMYK or Lab?)

[Semaphoric]

You could work in Indexed Color, and then edit the Color Table.

[Norman Sanders]

Replacing one color with another is a process affected by Tool, Command, Blending Mode and other options. Please provide details regarding your current method, include all or part of the image you are working on and the changes you want to make. Anything less puts any advice in wild guess territory.

[rayek.elfin · Accepted solution]

For exact colour changes and pixel art, avoid the color replacement tool. That tool is not meant for that type of work, and will not work for exact pixel art colour palette control.

Instead, use the Magic Wand, turn off Contiguous and Anti-alias, set the tolerance to 0 (zero), and select the colour to replace. It will select all pixels with that colour. Then change the foreground colour to the colour you need, and hit ALT-DELETE (win) / OPTION-BACKSPACE (mac).

Ideally work in indexed mode as Semaphoric suggested, but unfortunately Photoshop doesn't allow working with layers in that mode. If indexed colour palette control is important, and you still wish to work in layers, consider the switch to a dedicated pixel art tool like Pro Motion NG or AseSprite, which do support layers and have a plethora of dedicated pixel art tools. It will save you a lot of time and hairs (i.e.: you won't have to pull them out while working on your pixel art ;-).

Or work on your art in Photoshop, and as a very last step switch to index colour mode before switching colour palette and exporting.

[shaunaj88562795]

As a person that is not an expert yet has gone through Adobe Creative Cloud training, none of these answers are helpful. Color replacement should be as easy as the original Corel Paintshop Pro functions were. In that program, Color Replacement actually means "color replacement" on an image. I really wanted to stay with my Creative Cloud membership which I have paid a decent amount for over the last few years, but every time I try to do a basic function like a color change, finding the answers on the Adobe Community Sites does nothing to help provide a straight forward answer. Unless I can start finding answers to the functions I'm trying to do with having to jump through fiery hoops, I'm going to consider switching photo editing tools for my business. This is just FAR TOO MUCH WORK! 

[FirebrandX]

The voted correct answer didn't work at all when I tried it. What the OP missed is the Tolerance needs to set to zero, and right next to the tolerance entry is an icon called "replace all pixels". So the step is actually simple since the replace all pixels button does it for you:

1. Set the background color to the color you want to replace and the foreground color to the color you want to use.
2. Select the Color Replacer tool (not the Color Changer tool).
3. Set tolerance to Zero in the toolbar option for Color Replacer.
4. Click the "Replace All Pixels" button (right next to the tolerance entry)

It will instantly ONLY change the pixels that match the selected background color.

[FirebrandX]

Sorry about the above, was for a different paint program. Seems I cannot delete it either.