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Learn how to effortlessly transform black clothing and objects into any color in Photoshop! Discover a unique method for recoloring by extracting the original highlights and shadows, then seamlessly blending them with a new solid color or even gradients. Perfect for giving your images a fresh, vibrant look!
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- Tochukwu Ekeh
Images sourced from Pexels.
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Recolor Black, The Easy Way
It can be tricky to change the color of black clothing or objects in Photoshop because black doesn’t contain the color information that tools like Hue/Saturation need. In this tutorial we’ll show you an ingenious method that makes transforming black to any other vibrant color as easy as ever, giving you complete control over your image’s aesthetic.
Getting Started
1. Open the image you want to edit in Photoshop.
2. select the black clothing or object you want to recolor. Use the Object Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut “W”) and leverage its “Select People” feature to quickly isolate the clothing.
3. After the initial selection, fine-tune the mask on the solid color fill layer using the Brush Tool (keyboard Shortcut “B”) to ensure only the desired area is selected.
4. With your selection active, create a Solid Color Fill Layer. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Choose your desired color.
Don’t worry about perfection now, as you can easily change it later! This layer will serve as the base for your new color, and the selection will automatically become its layer mask.
Isolate Texture Details
5. Next, extract the highlights and shadows from the original black clothing. Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click on the layer mask of your new color fill layer to reactivate the selection.
6. Then, with your background layer selected, press Ctrl/Cmd + J to duplicate only the selected clothing onto a new layer.
7. Rename this new layer something descriptive like “clothing highlights and shadows” and ensure it’s positioned above your solid color fill layer.
Blend and Refine
8. Convert your “clothing highlights and shadows” layer into a Smart Object (Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object). This allows for non-destructive edits.
9. Change its blend mode to Multiply.
10. Apply a Levels adjustment (Ctrl/Cmd + L) to this Smart Object.
By adjusting the white, black, and midtone sliders, you can precisely control how the original highlights and shadows blend with your new color, making the transformation seamless and realistic. You can double-click on the color fill layer’s swatch to change the hue at any time.
Bonus Gradient Effects
For an even more dynamic look, you can apply a gradient instead of a solid color. To do so, simply create a new Gradient Fill Layer (or switch your Solid Color Fill Layer to a Gradient Fill Layer). Then, hold Alt/Option and click and drag the layer mask from your “clothing color” layer to the new gradient layer. This will copy the mask, allowing the gradient to beautifully fill the shape of the clothing.
This powerful technique ensures your recolored black objects retain all their original texture and depth, making the changes appear natural and professional. Experiment with different colors and gradients to achieve stunning results every time!
