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Adjust hue and saturation

Learn how to adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness of colors in an image using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.

Apply a Hue/Saturation adjustment

Try out the latest features and enhancements.

  1. Open your image in the app and select the layer to be adjusted.

  2. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation to create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of the colors in an image.

  3. In the Properties panel that appears, adjust the following sliders: 

    • Hue: Changes the color tones.
    • Saturation: Adjusts the color intensity.
    • Lightness: Modifies the color brightness.

    Check the Colorize box to add a single, uniform color to your image.

  4. You can also use the Adjust Colors capability in the Contextual Task Bar to change the prominent colors. 

  5. Finetune the adjustment as needed and watch the image update in real time on the canvas.

    Note:

    Select Reset to adjustment defaults to undo a Hue/Saturation adjustment.

Adjust Colors capability and Improved Hue/Saturation Adjustment Panel

Use Adjust Colors ( ) to detect and modify the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of the most prominent colors in your image, directly from the Contextual Task Bar.

Adjust colors is shown in the Contextual Task Bar in Photoshop
Adjust Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of your image with the Adjust Colors feature in Photoshop

Select a color, and a window will appear on canvas with the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders. You'll see the colors change in real time on the screen. You can also select the eyedropper tool (  ) from the Contextual Task Bar and Properties panel to select and edit another specific color.

Select a Preset in the Properties panel clearly marked in the image.
Adjust the Hue, Saturation, Lightness sliders, view the color thumbnails, and make changes in the Properties panel

The Hue/Saturation adjustment panel has also been redesigned to show larger color swatches and sliders, making it easier to change colors more precisely and with greater control.

When a color is edited, the swatch will display a before-after comparison for easy visual reference. Additionally, use the color range tool to refine the color adjustment to specific targeted areas.  

Use the eyedropper from the Contextual Task Bar to select a color range
The image is updated with the adjusted colors and the changes are reflected in the thumbnail colors in the Contextual Task Bar and the Adjustments panel.

Note:

The adjustment sliders and their corresponding color wheel values (in degrees) appear between the two color bars. The inner vertical sliders define the color range and the outer triangle sliders show where the adjustments on a color range "fall off".

Fall‑off is a feathering or tapering of the adjustments instead of a sharply defined on/off application of the adjustments.

Follow the steps to learn how to adjust color for hue, saturation, and lightness.

Colorize a grayscale image or create a monotone effect

  1. Select Image > Mode > RGB Color if your image is in grayscale or non-RGB mode.

  2. Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation to apply a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.

  3. Select Colorize from the Properties panel to apply a single hue across the entire image, creating a monotone or colorized effect.

  4. Adjust sliders for HueSaturation, and Lightness to adjust the color applied, and its intensity and brightness.

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