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artwork in different colours - help needed!


Joseph King

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sample-artwork.jpg

I hope someone can please help me with something I'm really struggling with.

Take the above artwork. What is the easiest way to reproduce it in other specific colours - so for example change the blue to a specific red.

The paint bucket tool does the job, but every time I use it, it takes away from the white a little.

And I've tried the color replacement tool which is great sometimes, but at other times the color is a hue of the selected color not the exact color I want.

I'm guessing there is an easy way to change the colour of simple artwork like this, but I just can't find it.

Any advice much appreciated!

I have Adobe Photohop 7 on an old computer and also CS6.
 

MrToM

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I'm assuming that the logo / text is NOT on its own layer so try this...

1. Create a new layer above the image.
2. Fill it with a colour.....doesn't really matter what colour at this stage.
3. Set the 'Blending Mode' of this new layer to 'Color'.
4. Add a 'Color Overlay' style fx and change the colour to whatever your heart desires.
5. Change the 'Blending Mode' of the style fx too to get the result you want.

With a combination of both the layer blending mode and the fx blending mode you have many different results to choose from.
Changing the original layer colour will also affect the result.....use a different fill colour if the results are not quite right.

Best just experiment with it to be honest.

color_blend_mode_A_01.png

Note:
This will work in this case as the logo / text is white.
Any other logo / text colour and you may have to find a different blending mode or better still separate the logo / text from the background and just change the background colour.

Regards.
MrTom.
 
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Joseph King

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I'm assuming that the logo / text is NOT on its own layer so try this...

1. Create a new layer above the image.
2. Fill it with a colour.....doesn't really matter what colour at this stage.
3. Set the 'Blending Mode' of this new layer to 'Color'.
4. Add a 'Color Overlay' style fx and change the colour to whatever your heart desires.
5. Change the 'Blending Mode' of the style fx too to get the result you want.

With a combination of both the layer blending mode and the fx blending mode you have many different results to choose from.
Changing the original layer colour will also affect the result.....use a different fill colour if the results are not quite right.

Best just experiment with it to be honest.

View attachment 52366

Note:
This will work in this case as the logo / text is white.
Any other logo / text colour and you may have to find a different blending mode or better still separate the logo / text from the background and just change the background colour.

Regards.
MrTom.

Thanks so much for your help MrTom.

I didn't know about the Blending Mode and adding a layer on top and using that allows me to change the colour without deterioration. A big step forward for me!

sample-artwork2.JPG

I've been able to get as far as step 3, but I don't know if you can tell from the image but I still have a problem with the hue of the pink - it doesn't match my chosen pink.

Step 4 - I don't know how to do this.

Will this allow me to enter a hex number so that the required colour I the one I get? That would be ideal.
 

MrToM

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No worries...

Color Overlay is just one of many 'Layer Styles' that you can apply to the pixels on a layer.
With the right layer selected just click the 'fx' icon at the bottom of the layers panel...

color_overlay_A_01.png

Choose 'Color Overlay' and you will get the 'Styles' window open.
Color Overlay will automatically be selected for you on the LEFT hand side of the window...
...the 'Options' for Color Overlay are on the RIGHT.

You can 'check' any fx on the left to turn it on (make active) but to change its 'options' you must click the fx text to highlight it....the options on the RIGHT will then change for that particular 'fx'.

This allows you to add more than one 'fx' from the same window at the same time.

This is Layer Dependant though so it will affect only the layer selected when you click on the 'fx' icon.
You can, once set, use 'Alt' + DRAG to copy an 'fx' from one layer to another by dragging the 'fx' icon IN THE LAYER to another.....whilst holding down 'ALT'.

This is very useful if you have a 'dropshadow' on one layer that you want to replicate on another.....just Alt + Drag n Drop....simples.

Once you have the 'Styles' window open, with the 'Color Overlay' selected you'll see a small coloured rectangle......click that and you get the colour picker window open....wherein you can choose your 'color' to overlay.

NEXT to that recatngle you'll see the 'Blend Mode' for the FX ONLY.....this is not the same as the LAYER blend mode....hence you can mix and match these to get all sorts of combinations......especially when you start changing the 'base' colour of the layer also.

Hope that makes it a bit easier for you.......its pretty simple once you know where everything is.

Regards.
MrTom.
 

Joseph King

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Thanks Mr Tom,

I've worked through that and it works, but I'm still not able to change the colour to the precise hex colour I want.

What seems to be happening is that the layer colour is combining with the base colour to chreate a third colour - almost like putting a colour filter on top of the original artwork.

I would simply like to replace the original colour completely with the new colour.
 

MrToM

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...layer colour is combining with the base colour...
Yeah, that's why I said the new colour didn't initially matter because its more than likely you'll need to change it anyway.....as you've found.

I did also suggest in post #2 changing the 'base' colour as well to get the result you want...

...Changing the original layer colour will also affect the result.....use a different fill colour if the results are not quite right...

You may find that 'White' is better....or even 'Black'....I dunno.....it's your project and I have no idea what colour you are trying to achieve.

You'll just have to try different colours and blend modes until one works.....that's what we all do. :thumbsup:

Regards.
MrTom.
 

Joseph King

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Yeah, that's why I said the new colour didn't initially matter because its more than likely you'll need to change it anyway.....as you've found.

I did also suggest in post #2 changing the 'base' colour as well to get the result you want...



You may find that 'White' is better....or even 'Black'....I dunno.....it's your project and I have no idea what colour you are trying to achieve.
You'll just have to try different colours and blend modes until one works.....that's what we all do. :thumbsup:

Regards.
MrTom.

Thanks for all your help.

Yes I did experiment with changing the base colour too, but it is still hit and miss what the final result will be. It seems strange that you have to keep experimenting like this in the hope of getting the required colour!

I honestly thought there would be a very simple way of changing one colour for another by quoting a hex number for the new colour, but obviously not.
 

MrToM

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...I honestly thought there would be a very simple way of changing one colour for another...
Well, normally if you were creating this from scratch the problem wouldn't arise, you'd have the logo / text on its own layer so changing the background would be very easy, but the situation you present is changing an existing colour for another.

This means you have to somehow 'isolate' the colour you want to change OR use a blend mode that affects only NON-white pixels.

Without masking the logo / text there is not much else you can do....especially if you just want to 'dial in' a hex value.

If you let us know the specific colour you want then maybe someone can suggest a better (working) solution.....at the moment there is no specific 'result' to aim for.

Regards.
MrTom.

EDIT:
Sorry Hoogle, didn't see your post sneak in there.....missed it completely.

Yeah you could use Hoogle's solution of the Hue/Saturation layer adjustment....you can't 'dial in' a hex value mind so you'll have to get the HSB values from the colour picker......and don't forget to set that adjustment to 'Colorize'...whatever that is. LOL. ;)
 
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thebestcpu

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Hi Joseph

There are many approaches to achieve what you desire. Here is yet one more to use the exact color you want below:

- Put your artwork above a background layer
- Use magic want with antialias to create a Layer Mask for just the white area
- Change the the color of the background Layer to the color you desire from the Color Picker and fill that Layer
- Done

Just another way to consider

John

Screen Shot 2015-01-18 at 8.22.36 AM.png
 

Joseph King

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Just add a hue/saturation adjustment layer..

How would I do that?

Well, normally if you were creating this from scratch the problem wouldn't arise, you'd have the logo / text on its own layer so changing the background would be very easy, but the situation you present is changing an existing colour for another.

There is no one specific colour I need - the above artwork is just an example, but it's something I keep coming up against as I regularly have to make artwork in multiple colours.

If starting from scratch, should i have a transparent background and put white text and white logo on it and a layer and then change background colouer to the colour(s) I need?

What if the logo is already white on black for example. How would I remove the black perfectly?
 

Joseph King

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Hi Joseph

There are many approaches to achieve what you desire. Here is yet one more to use the exact color you want below:

- Put your artwork above a background layer
- Use magic want with antialias to create a Layer Mask for just the white area
- Change the the color of the background Layer to the color you desire from the Color Picker and fill that Layer
- Done

Just another way to consider

John

View attachment 52372

Thanks John, Just tried this and it works really well. It isn't 100% accurate though or at least not the way I did it. It doesn't leave the text or image as crisp as the original in the example, but I know it will work for some of he designs I do!
 

MrToM

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To add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer:

1. Select the layer you want to change.
2. Click the Layer Adjustments icon at the bottom of the layers panel....its in the middle....fourth from either end.

This is probably the simplest solution you'll get.

Anything involving separating into layers will take time and patience.....and a good image to start with.
Your example is not the best to use as its very small and any minor discrepancies will be amplified.
The bigger the image the better results you'll get.

Trying to isolate the white from that image is extremely difficult....I mean, just where is the edge?
This is why blending modes or hue/saturation are better for this as they don't need a 'selection' as such.....they work on the image as a 'whole' and its the layers either above or below (as in Johns example) that control the end result via blending or adjustment layers.

There is no 'right' way to do anything in PS, neither is there a 'magic button' that does whatever you wish for.....most of the time its down to using the tools available in the way in which gives you the results.....and that means trial and error, after all, every image is different.

As to your 'from scratch' question well yes, you have it kind of backwards but it really doesn't matter, the end result is the same.
Most of the time you would fill the background with the colour you want.
Then you would have your text (which auto creates its layer) on top of that.

If you have an image of text, as you say, white on black, then again, a blending mode will remove the black and leave the white.....the blending mode 'Lighter color' should suggest that the 'lighter' colour will prevail.....as every other colour is lighter than 'black' it will be the background colour that wins and shows through.....the black effectively will be replaced by it.

In other words....setting the image layer to 'Lighter Color' means....show me the lighter colour of this layer and the one underneath....black will be replaced by virtually every colour as no other colour is darker than black.

Regards.
MrTom.
 

thebestcpu

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Hi Joseph
If you want things very crisp, then stick Text, Shapes, or paths which are all vectors and stay sharp at any size.
Then you can use them as a Vector Mask (instead of Layer Mask) or apply strokes or fills as desired.

Trying to get back to "sharp" after you are already rasterized especially if everything is on one Layer is way more work than going back and starting with vectors to begin with. Especially if your designs are of the complexity you have shown as an example. Just a thought.
 

Joseph King

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Wow! I've learned so much from this thread and can't thank evreyone enough for taking time out to help me. It's very much appreciated.
 

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