Back to all posts

How to Use the Temperature and Tint Sliders for Better Colour

4 min read

Why Your Photos Sometimes Look Too Blue or Too Orange

Have you ever taken a lovely photo of your grandchildren playing indoors, only to find it looks strangely orange? Or perhaps you captured a beautiful snowy scene that came out with an unnatural blue tinge? These colour shifts happen because different light sources — tungsten bulbs, fluorescent lights, overcast skies, and sunshine — all have different colour temperatures.

Your camera tries to compensate automatically, but it does not always get things right. That is where the Temperature and Tint sliders in Photoshop Elements come in. These two simple adjustments let you shift the overall colour of your photo to make it look natural and pleasing.

Understanding Temperature and Tint in PSE

Before we dive into the steps, let us understand what each slider does:

  • Temperature controls the blue-to-yellow balance. Moving it toward blue cools down a photo that looks too warm (orange). Moving it toward yellow warms up a photo that looks too cold (blue).
  • Tint controls the green-to-magenta balance. This is particularly useful for correcting the greenish cast from fluorescent lighting or the slight magenta shift you sometimes see in sunset photos.

Think of these sliders as your colour thermostat. Just like adjusting the heating in your home, you are simply dialling in the right warmth for your image.

Finding the Temperature and Tint Controls

Photoshop Elements gives you access to these controls in a few different places. The most flexible approach uses an adjustment layer, which keeps your original photo untouched.

Using the Photo Filter Adjustment Layer

  1. 1Open your photo in Advanced mode by clicking the Advanced button at the top of the workspace.
  1. 1Go to Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Photo Filter.
  1. 1In the dialog that appears, click OK to create the layer.
  1. 1The Photo Filter panel opens. Choose a warming filter (like Warming Filter 81) to add yellow-orange tones, or a cooling filter (like Cooling Filter 80) to add blue tones.
  1. 1Adjust the Density slider to control how strong the effect is. Start around 25% and increase until the colour looks natural.

This method works beautifully for quick fixes, but for more precise control, you will want to use Camera Raw.

Using Camera Raw for Full Temperature and Tint Control

Camera Raw in Photoshop Elements gives you dedicated Temperature and Tint sliders that work just like professional editing software.

  1. 1Open your photo in PSE.
  1. 1Go to File → Open in Camera Raw. Your image opens in the Camera Raw window with adjustment panels on the right.
  1. 1Look for the Temperature slider in the Basic panel. Drag it left to cool the image (adding blue) or right to warm it up (adding yellow).
  1. 1Adjust the Tint slider below it. Drag left to add green or right to add magenta.
  1. 1Watch your photo change in real-time as you move the sliders. Stop when the colours look natural to your eye.
  1. 1Click Open Image to bring the corrected photo back into Photoshop Elements for further editing, or click Done to save your adjustments.

Practical Examples for Family Photos

Warming Up a Cold Indoor Shot

You photographed your family around the Christmas tree, but the image looks flat and bluish because of the overhead LED lights. Open the photo in Camera Raw and drag the Temperature slider slightly to the right — perhaps from 5500 to 6000. The skin tones warm up immediately, and the festive atmosphere returns.

Cooling Down an Orange Evening Photo

That sunset photo of your grandchildren at the beach is beautiful, but everyone looks like they have a serious sunburn. Move the Temperature slider gently to the left — from 7000 down to 6200. The golden light remains, but skin tones look healthier and more natural.

Fixing Fluorescent Green

Photos taken under office fluorescent lights often have a sickly green cast. Open in Camera Raw and push the Tint slider slightly toward magenta — from 0 to perhaps +10 or +15. The green disappears, and faces look normal again.

Tips for Getting the Best Results

  • Look at skin tones first. If the people in your photo look healthy and natural, you have probably found the right balance.
  • Make small adjustments. Moving the Temperature slider by 200–500 degrees often makes a bigger difference than you expect.
  • Compare before and after. In Camera Raw, press P to toggle the preview on and off so you can see your changes.
  • Trust your eyes over the numbers. Every photo is different, so let the image guide you rather than trying to hit a specific value.

Photoshop Elements makes colour correction approachable even if you have never thought about colour temperature before. With these sliders, you can rescue photos that once seemed destined for the delete folder.

Continue learning