Changing clothing color in Photoshop seems like a tricky task because of the unevenness of clothes. The method you use to change the color will depend on the color of the clothes and the various shadows and tones that occur from their creases.
Black and white clothing are the trickiest to change because they are not actual colors, while clothing with colors can be adjusted using hues. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to change both colored, white, and black clothing with ease!
Video Tutorial
Method 1: Change Shirt Color In Photoshop Using A Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
Step 1: Add A Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer From The Adjustments Panel
Start by adding a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer by clicking the Hue/Saturation option in the Adjustments Panel.
Step 2: Select The Color Range You Want To Change In The Properties Panel
Once you have created the layer, open the Properties Panel. If this panel is not visible, head to Window > Properties. In the panel, you can select the color you want to change in two ways. The first is to choose a color channel to target by clicking on the drop-down menu that reads “Master” by default.
However, for a more precise selection, select the icon showing a finger with two arrows on either side. Then click on the color in the image you want to select. For this photo, I will click on his shirt.
Step 3: Adjust The Hue, Saturation, And Lightness Sliders To Change The Shirt Color
With the color of the shirt selected, adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders to the color and tone you want the shirt to be.
The shirt will change color as you move the sliders, making it easy to find the right updated color. You will now have successfully changed the color of the shirt.
Method 2: Change Shirt Color In Photoshop Using A Color Fill And Blend Modes
Video Tutorial
Step 1: Select The Clothing Using Using Any Selection Tool
When the image is open, use any selection tool to select the white shirt.
Step 2: Add A Color Fill Layer
Once the shirt is selected, add a color fill layer by selecting the new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel and selecting Solid Color from the menu.
The color picker will automatically open, where you can select the color you want the shirt to be. Click on the color of your choice in the panel on the left or add a specific color value in the color modes on the right. Pressing OK in the color picker, you will notice the color of the white shirt has changed.
Step 3: Change The Layer’s Blend Mode To Multiply
To blend the new color into the shirt, you need to change the blend mode of the new fill layer. To do this, make sure the new fill layer is selected and click on the layer blending mode at the top of the Layers Panel. Then, select Multiply from the options in the drop-down menu.
Once you select Multiply, you will notice that the new color has blended into the shirt and looks a lot more natural.
Step 4: Fix Areas That Didn’t Color Using The Brush Tool
To fix areas that still show the white shirt, select the layer mask of the fill layer, then select the Brush Tool from the Toolbar (B). Then, make sure the foreground color is set to white.
Note: When painting over a layer mask, white hides the original layer, whereas black reveals the original layer.
Resize the brush according to the size of the area you need to touch up. Brush over the areas of the image you need to touch up, and you will have successfully changed the shirt color.
Method 3: Change Shirt Color In Photoshop Using The Colorize Effect
Step 1: Select The Clothing Using Any Selection Tool
When the image is open, use any selection tool to select the black shirt.
Step 2: Create A Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
Once the shirt is selected, create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer by clicking on the option in the Adjustments Panel.
When the Hue/Saturation Properties Panel opens, your selection will automatically be applied to the mask.
Step 3: Enable The Colorize Option
Now enable the Colorize option. The colorize option adds a tinted overlay to the selection, allowing you to add a general hue and saturation to the area.
Now, when you adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness slider, the shirt will change color. Remember to only slightly adjust the sliders because changing the color too much will look unnatural.
Adjust the sliders until you have a natural-looking color added to the shirt. Since the original shirt is black, we can only realistically add dark colors in this instance.
Step 4: Add A Curves Layer To Make Dark Clothing Lighter (Optional)
To add a Curves Adjustment Layer, select the Curves option from the Adjustments Panel.
Once the Curves layer is added, you need to add a clipping mask to apply the new adjustment to the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and not the entire image. To add a clipping mask, right-click (Win) or Control + click (Mac) on the Curves layer and select Create Clipping Mask.
In the Curves Properties window, modify the curve to lift the shadows and refine the highlights. In a nutshell, dragging up the curve will lighten, while dragging down will darken. In this case, I will add an anchor point in the shadows and highlights and drag up to lighten the shirt.
Step 5: Use The Blend If Sliders To Fix Up Discolored Areas
To fix areas where the color was added where it shouldn’t be, double-click on the Adjustment layer in your Layers Panel. This will open up the Layer Style Panel.
Move down to the last section and ensure that the Blend If option is set to Gray. Then, use the bottom Underlying Layer slider and drag the highlight point to the left to remove the adjustment from the highlights (aka the blonde hair). Since the shirt is dark and the hair is light, this makes it easy to remove the adjustment from the hair.
Adjust the slider as much as you need until the hair is back to its original color. Then click OK when you are done.
You will now have an image where the black shirt has been changed to a dark color without the hair on the shirt affected by the color change.
Now, with these different techniques, you can easily change the color of clothing regardless of the environment your subjects are in.
Now that you’ve changed the color of your subject’s clothes, you may want to touch up some of the clothing wrinkles, too. I share exactly how to do that in this next tutorial on how to remove wrinkles from clothing in Photoshop.
Happy editing!