3 Ways to use the Color Replacement Tool in Photoshop

I’m always looking for new ways to use the tools in Photoshop as well as new ways to make editing easier.

To use the color replacement tool, you sample the color you want to copy and then paint over an area that needs a color change. The best part about it is that unlike painting with the standard brush tool, the Color Replacement Tool retains the texture in the image.

Here are quick and easy ways I use the Color Replacement Tool in Photoshop to enhance an image.

1. Match colors

We’ve all had someone show up with a bow or other accessory that just doesn’t quite match the main tones in the wardrobe. Using the color replacement tool to sample the good color, simply paint over the object that needs some adjustment.

If there’s nothing to sample in the image and you just need to change a color, you can simply change your foreground color using the swatches or by entering a specific color and paint over the object that needs to be changed.

2. Correct color casts or other skin blemishes

Using the Color Replacement Tool, sample an area of skin without any casts and simply paint over the problem areas. I always do this on a duplicate background layer as sometimes it looks a bit unrealistic but as long as it’s on a separate layer, you can lower the opacity and blend the adjustment.

You can also clean up acne quickly using the tool. By sampling a clean area of skin, paint over the areas with blemishes and see how they vanish. You may still need to do some cleanup with the spot healing tools but it will speed up the process tremendously.

3. Hide unwanted objects

The theory behind frequency separation is that if you remove the color from a blemish on the face then it often disappears without having to alter the texture at all. But we’re talking about the color replacement tool, right?

You can apply this same theory using the Color Replacement Tool to hide objects in plain site. If you have an object in the background that is drawing attention, often by merely changing the color to match the surroundings, it will vanish without actually having to remove the object using the clone or heal tools. This is really great for areas where cloning may be difficult due to surrounding textures.

Check out the short video where I show you how I use the Color Replacement Tool in my workflow.