Drawing, Painting, and Retouching Tools in Photoshop

1. Setting the Current Foreground and Background Colors

 Foreground/Background Colors:
o In the toolbar, you'll see two overlapping boxes at the bottom. The top box
represents the foreground color, and the bottom represents the background
color.
o Default Colors: Press D to reset to black (foreground) and white
(background).
o Switch Colors: Press X to toggle between the foreground and background
colors.

Visual Cue: The boxes will show the current colors, which can be clicked to bring up the
color picker.

Photoshop is an efficient tool for adjusting the colors of an image. It is a leading photo
manipulation tool. Colors are an integral part of the image, which completely defines the
view of the image or object.

Sometimes, while working with images, several images may not have the color pattern
that you want to have. No matter what colors you have in your graphics, we can change
them in any pattern using Photoshop.

Change Object Color Using Hue/Saturation

The Hue/ Saturation tools allow us to adjust the colors of the image. The Hue is meant
for the color, and saturation is for the purity. It is one of the finest tools to colorize an
image in Photoshop quickly. It also provides an option to control the brightness of the
image. One of the best things about this tool is that it is very easy to use. We can play
with colors by sliding the hue and saturation slider.

To apply the hue saturation effect to the image. Open the image by pressing
the Ctrl+O key combination. Now, select the Hue saturation tool by navigating to
the image-> Adjustments-> Hue/Saturation menu or press the Ctrl+U key
combination.

Now, the Hue/Saturation window will be opened as follows:

Now, drag the Hue/ Saturation sliders to adjust the colors. The changes on the image
will be live, which means we can see a preview of the changes. Also, we can adjust the
brightness of the image by sliding the Lightness slider.

Consider the below image:

In the above image, the first image is the original image and the second image is after
the Hue/Saturation effect. Here, we can see that the colors of the image are manipulated
by just changing the Hue/Saturation value.
Change Object Color by Adding a Color Layer
The Color layer is a great alternative to the Hue/Saturation tool. It is useful to fill the
specific color that may not be found in the Hue/Saturation tool. However, it is not as
straightforward as Hue/Saturation tool, but it can be used in two easy steps.

To create a new color layer, navigate to Layer-> New Fill Layer-> Solid Color. It will
open a popup menu for creating a new layer click ok to continue:

Now, it will open a color picker choose the required color that you want to fill in the
image. We can also choose the gradient or pattern fill option instead of the solid color.

Now, our color layer is created, but to apply this layer in the image, we have to switch
the blending mode from normal to color. Thus the color effect will be applied to the
image by using the color layer.

Consider the below image:

As we can see from the above image, the applied color effect is similar to the
Hue/Saturation tool.

One great thing about the color layer is that it automatically creates a layer mask for the
layer. We can click on this mask and paint the areas that we don't want to colorize. Also,
at any moment of the editing, we can easily change the color of the layer.

Change Object Color Using the Color Replacement Tool

The color replacement tool is also a fantastic tool to colorize a picture with realistic
colors. But, it is a kind of brush tool, so we have to paint over the region to change the
color of the specific region.

The color replacement tool can be found under the brush tool section in the toolbar. We
can activate this by pressing the B key.

It works like a brush tool. Just drag the brush to the region where you want to change
the color. By default, it uses the active foreground color to paint.

Consider the below image:

We can see we have painted half of the image using the color replacement tool from the
above image.

Change Object Color Using the Layer Style

We can also change the image's color using the layer style options. It is useful for
changing any icons color. We cannot change a specific region's color using this method.
It will entirely change the image's color. It may cover our images canvas, so it is useful
only for png images.

First, to change the color using layer style, unlock the background layer by double-
clicking on the image layer, then right-click on the image layer and select Blending
Options. Here, we can find different options for styling our layer, choose the color
overlay, then click on the color box to select the desired color. Click Ok to apply it.

Using the above method, we can change any image's color.

Change Object Color Using Quick Selection Tool or Magic Wand

Tool
The Quick selection tool or magic wand tool is one of the finest tools in Photoshop to
choose a similar color region automatically. So using these tools, we can precisely select
an object and change the color. To activate the quick selection tool, press the W key or
select it from the toolbox given at the left of the workspace. Both tools are available in
the same tool category; hold this in the toolbox to select any one of them.

Now, precisely select the image region for which you want to change the color after
making a selection, press Ctrl+J key combination to cut it into a new layer.

Now, our selection is moved into a new layer; we can change the color of this selection
using any of the methods like blending options or gradient. Select any color style and
apply it.
Consider the below image:

In the above image, we have applied a gradient overlay. To apply any color or gradient,
right-click on the layer and select the blending options. Here, we can find different layer
style options. We can choose any of the styles as per our need.

Change the Background Color Using Photoshop

We can easily change the background color of an image using Photoshop. Changing
background color is not a piece of cake, but we can make it easy by using multiple tools
in Photoshop. The first thing to change the background color is selecting the background
precisely because the image may contain blurry background, inexplicit colors, or multiple
colors.

To select similar color pixels, activate the magic wand tool or quick selection tool and
start selecting the background by pressing the Shift-drag keys. After selecting the color,
pixels press the Ctrl+J keys. It will cut the selection to a new layer. In this layer, apply
the layer style and change the color of this layer. But, there may be a chance that we
have missed some pixels or copy some extra pixels for that use the brush, heal, or clone
stamp tool to fix the damaged pixels.

Consider the below image:

In the above image, we have first changed the color using the magic wand tool; after
that, we have used the brush tool to fix the background because the background has
multiple colors.

2. Color Picker Dialog Box

 Accessing the Color Picker:

o Click on the foreground color box in the toolbar.
o The Color Picker dialog box will open, allowing you to select a color.
 Choosing a Color:
o Use the sliders to adjust hue, saturation, and brightness.
o Click OK to apply the selected color.

3. Eyedropper Tool

 Using the Eyedropper:

o Select the Eyedropper Tool from the toolbar or press I.
o Click anywhere on the canvas to sample a color, which will become your
foreground color.

Visual Cue: The cursor will change to an eyedropper icon when active.
4. Color Palette and Swatches Palette

 Color Palette:
o Open it via Window > Color. This palette allows you to adjust and see a range
of colors.
 Swatches Palette:
o Open it via Window > Swatches. You can save frequently used colors and
choose from preset colors.

Visual Cue: Both palettes provide quick access to colors, with the Swatches palette
showing a grid of colors.

5. Drawing Tools

A. Using the Rectangle Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Rectangle Tool in the toolbar (or press U).
 Draw a Rectangle: Click and drag on the canvas to create a rectangle. Hold Shift to
make it a square.

B. Using the Custom Shape Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click on the Rectangle Tool to choose the Custom Shape Tool.
 Choose a Shape: In the options bar, click the shape thumbnail to select from a
library.
 Draw a Shape: Click and drag on the canvas to draw the selected shape.

C. Pen Tool

 Select the Pen Tool: Click the Pen Tool in the toolbar (or press P).
 Creating Paths: Click to create anchor points. Click and drag for curves.
 Convert Points: Use the Convert Point Tool to adjust curves and angles.

6. Painting Tools

A. Gradient Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Gradient Tool (or press G).
 Apply Gradient: Click and drag across your canvas. Adjust the gradient in the
options bar.

B. Paint Bucket Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click on the Gradient Tool and choose the Paint Bucket Tool.
  Fill Areas: Click on an area to fill it with the foreground color. Adjust tolerance in the
options bar for similar colors.

C. Brush Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Brush Tool (or press B).
 Choose a Brush: In the options bar, select a brush tip and adjust size and hardness.
 Painting: Click and drag to paint on the canvas.

D. Pencil Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click on the Brush Tool and select the Pencil Tool.
 Drawing: Use it like the brush, but with hard edges.

E. Color Replacement Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click the Brush Tool to find the Color Replacement Tool.
 Replace Color: Click and drag to paint over areas with a new color.

7. Retouching Tools

A. Spot Healing Brush Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Spot Healing Brush Tool (or press J).
 Retouching: Click on blemishes or spots to automatically remove them.

B. Healing Brush Tool

 Select the Tool: Same as above.

 Sample Source: Hold Alt (or Option) and click to sample a source area, then paint
over the area to heal.

C. Patch Tool

 Select the Tool: Found in the same menu as the Healing Brush.
 Retouching: Draw around the area you want to fix, then drag it to a clean area to
patch it.

D. Clone Stamp Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Clone Stamp Tool (or press S).
 Sampling Source: Hold Alt (or Option) to select a source point, then paint over the
area.

E. Pattern Stamp Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click the Clone Stamp Tool to find it.
 Using Patterns: Paint using a pattern instead of a solid color.
F. Eraser Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Eraser Tool (or press E).
 Erase: Click and drag to erase parts of the layer.

G. Background Eraser Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click the Eraser Tool to find the Background Eraser Tool.
 Erase Background: Click and drag to remove background areas while keeping
foreground objects.

H. Magic Eraser Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click the Eraser Tool to find it.

 Erase Similar Colors: Click on an area to erase all adjacent pixels of similar color.

8. Blur, Sharpen, and Smudge Tools

A. Blur Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Blur Tool (or press R).
 Apply Blur: Click and drag over areas to soften them.

B. Sharpen Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Sharpen Tool (or press R).
 Enhance Details: Click and drag to sharpen edges in an image.

C. Smudge Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Smudge Tool (or press R).
 Smudge Pixels: Click and drag to push pixels around, creating a smudge effect.

9. Dodge, Burn, and Sponge Tools

A. Dodge Tool

 Select the Tool: Click on the Dodge Tool (or press O).
 Brighten Areas: Click and drag over areas to lighten them.

B. Burn Tool

 Select the Tool: Right-click the Dodge Tool to find the Burn Tool.
 Darken Areas: Click and drag to darken areas.

C. Sponge Tool
 Select the Tool: Right-click the Dodge Tool to find the Sponge Tool.
 Saturation Control: Click and drag to desaturate or saturate areas of the image.