Solid Black to a Color in Photoshop

How can I change the solid black to another specified color

Rebecca from United States, using 7.0 with mac 0sX, writes in with:

[Quote:] I am trying to find out how to do something in Photoshop. Is it possible to take an object, that basically a solid black line art image, in a jpeg file, and change the solid black to another specified color?

Photoshop 911:

Of course.

Start a new layer over the line-art layer

Fill the layer with the desired color.

In the Layers Palette Blending modes pull-down, select:
* Lighten
* Screen
* Linear Dodge

and the image will take on that color.

Experiment with the other blending modes to see if it can be improved upon.

Once you've achieved the look, simply flatten and save.

This is a very basic technique, but it's just one of hundreds you could have picked up in Ben Willmore's Adobe Photoshop CS2 Studio Techniques

So, If you're ready to go from blindly following step-by-step instructions to "Aha, I finally GET Photoshop!" this is the place to start. In these pages, you'll get, crystal clear, and in-depth understanding needed to master Photoshop's most essential features.

If you can help, just comment below! Thank you!

PLEASE don't post new questions here! POST QUESTIONS at the Photoshop 911 EMERGENCY ROOM

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Comments

[Fred Showker]

Thanks for posting help here, Ben -- we really appreciate your stopping by.

Folks, in the future, you can also post at:

http://www.dtg-forums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5

The Photoshop 911 Discussion Forum, and more appropriately,
in the "COLOR" forum:

http://www.dtg-forums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=24

[Barry McKay]

This is exactly what I want to do - convert black line art in a photoshop document into another colour, without having to select the line art with the magic wand tool, which actually selects more than just the black line art.
The above method didn't work on my Mac, although I am using Photoshop 7.0 on MAC OSX. "Replace colour" also does not work, as you can't change black into a colour. Basically I just want to change every pixel that is R:0 G:0 B:0 to another colour (eg. such as an orange: R:255 G:173 B:58)

How do I do it?
You'd think this'd be such an easy thing to do - but it's not!

Barry McKay
Sydney Australia

[Ben Willmore]

If it's line art that you're working with you can try to first convert the image to RGB mode (via the Image>Mode menu), then type Option-Command-` (the ` key is to the left of the number keys at the top of your keyboard) and then type Option-Command-I and you'll end up with a selection of the text. Create a new, empty layer, set your foreground color to the color you desire, then type Option-Delete to fill the selection, type Command-D to get rid of the selection and then trash the layer that contains the original line art. This is assuming that the orignal line art has BLACK lines on WHITE. If it's gray line art on almost white, you'll have to first adjust the image with Brightness/contrast or levels to force the background to white and the text to black.

If you're using Windows, then replace Option with Alt, Command with Control and Delete with Backspace.

That should do it.

-Ben Willmore
www.whereisben.com