Back to all posts

How to Use the Replace Color Tool in Photoshop Elements

4 min read

Why Change Colours in Your Photos?

Sometimes a photo is almost perfect, but one colour throws everything off. Maybe your grandson wore a bright orange shirt that clashes with the autumn leaves behind him. Perhaps you want to change the colour of a car in the background, or transform pink flowers to purple for a more dramatic effect.

The Replace Color tool in Photoshop Elements lets you swap one colour for another without affecting the rest of your image. It's surprisingly easy to use and opens up creative possibilities you might not have considered.

What the Replace Color Tool Does

Unlike painting over an area with a brush, the Replace Color command intelligently targets a specific colour throughout your photo. You click on the colour you want to change, adjust how much of that colour range to include, and then shift it to any new colour you choose.

This works beautifully for clothing, flowers, painted surfaces, and any object with a fairly consistent colour. It's less effective on complex textures or colours that appear throughout the entire image, but for targeted changes, it's a real time-saver.

How to Access Replace Color in PSE

You'll find this tool in Advanced mode, where you have access to all of Photoshop Elements' powerful features.

  1. 1Open your photo in Photoshop Elements.
  2. 2Click Advanced at the top of the screen to enter Advanced mode.
  3. 3Go to Enhance → Adjust Color → Replace Color.
  4. 4The Replace Color dialog box opens, showing a preview of your selection.

Step-by-Step: Changing a Colour

Let's walk through changing the colour of a sweater in a family portrait.

Select Your Target Colour

  1. 1In the Replace Color dialog, make sure the Eyedropper tool is selected (it's the default).
  2. 2Click directly on the colour you want to change in your photo — for example, click on the blue sweater.
  3. 3Watch the preview window in the dialog box. White areas show what's selected; black areas are protected.

Refine Your Selection

  1. 1Adjust the Fuzziness slider to include more or less of that colour range. A higher value selects more similar shades.
  2. 2If you need to add more of the colour to your selection, click the Add to Sample eyedropper (the one with a plus sign) and click on missed areas.
  3. 3Use the Subtract from Sample eyedropper (minus sign) if you've accidentally included colours you want to keep.

Choose Your New Colour

  1. 1In the Replacement section at the bottom, drag the Hue slider to shift the colour. This is where the magic happens — watch your photo change in real time.
  2. 2Adjust Saturation to make the new colour more vivid or more muted.
  3. 3Use Lightness to make the replacement colour darker or lighter.
  4. 4Click OK when you're happy with the result.

Tips for Better Results

Work on a Duplicate Layer

Before using Replace Color, duplicate your background layer by pressing Ctrl+J (Windows) or Cmd+J (Mac). This gives you a safety net — if you don't like the change, simply delete the duplicate and start fresh.

Start with Lower Fuzziness

Begin with a Fuzziness value around 40 and increase gradually. Too high a value can affect colours you didn't intend to change, like skin tones that share warmth with a red shirt.

Make Multiple Passes

For complex colour changes, you might need to apply Replace Color more than once. Each pass can target slightly different shades within the same object.

When to Use Replace Color

This tool shines in specific situations:

  • Changing clothing colours that clash with backgrounds
  • Transforming flower colours for seasonal greeting cards
  • Adjusting wall or furniture colours in real estate photos
  • Creating colour variations of craft projects you want to share
  • Experimenting with different looks before printing

Limitations to Keep in Mind

The Replace Color tool in Photoshop Elements works best on solid, distinct colours. It struggles with:

  • Colours that appear throughout the image (like blue sky and blue clothing)
  • Very textured or patterned areas
  • Colours that blend gradually into other colours

For those situations, you'll have better luck making a selection first with the Quick Selection Tool and then adjusting only the selected area.

A Creative Project to Try

Pull up a family photo where someone is wearing a bright, solid-coloured shirt. Use Replace Color to experiment with three or four different colour options. You might discover that changing a distracting red to a calm navy blue suddenly makes the faces in your photo pop the way you always wanted.

Continue learning