Changing the Color of a Car

1. crisderaud17 August 2011, 23:47 GMT +02:00

Deke McClelland shows you how to change the color of a car in Photoshop. I know what you're thinking (if you're a seasoned Photoshop user and/or classic car online sales guru): "Targeted adjustment tool plus Hue/Saturation, and I can change anything that's not the same color as anything else." But how often does that work? According to Deke, it often leaves something to be desired. So in this week's technique, Deke gives you a nuanced approach for changing that car from everyday, empty-calorie-candy-apple red to rich, worth-its-weight-in gold. The key is making a quick, but essential, mask.

And in this case, the key to the mask is the impeccably named but often overlooked Color Range command. If Photoshop can "see" what's red, then you can use Photoshop's "vision" to create a mask that lets you apply your hue adjustment in a more controlled way. Then you can colorize the isolated red of the car and change it to a purer gold. In the end, your custom set of wheels goes through this transformation:

http://www.deke.com/content/dekes-techniques-033-changing-color-a-car