Color Replacement Tool

The Color Replacement Tool allows you to replace the color of specific areas in your image with a new foreground color while preserving the original texture, shading, and highlights. It works by sampling the colors under the cursor and replacing only those within a defined tolerance range.

This tool is ideal for tasks like changing the color of a car, swapping the color of a shirt in a photo, or recoloring specific elements without affecting the rest of the image. It offers much more natural results than simply painting over an area because it maintains the underlying luminosity and texture.

Where to Find It

The Color Replacement Tool is nested under the Brush Tool in the toolbar. Click and hold the Brush icon to reveal the flyout menu, then select Color Replacement Tool. Press Shift+B to cycle through the Brush group.

How to Use

• Set the foreground color: Pick the new color you want to apply from the Color Picker.
• Select the Color Replacement Tool: Press Shift+B until the tool is active.
• Adjust brush size: Set a brush size that covers the area you want to recolor using [ and ].
• Paint over the target area: Drag over the color you want to replace. The tool changes the color while maintaining the original shading and texture.
• Choose sampling mode: In the Options bar, select Continuous (samples colors continuously as you paint), Once (samples only the first color clicked), or Background Swatch (replaces only the background color).

Settings & Options

• Sampling: Continuous, Once, or Background Swatch — determines how colors are sampled during painting.
• Limits: Discontiguous replaces the sampled color anywhere under the brush; Contiguous replaces only adjacent areas of the same color.
• Tolerance: Controls the range of colors replaced (1%–100%). Lower values replace colors very close to the sampled pixel; higher values replace a broader range.
• Anti-alias: Smoothes the edges of the replaced color for more natural transitions.

Pro Tips

• For precise color replacement, set Sampling to Once and click directly on the exact color you want to change. This prevents accidental color changes as you paint.
• Use a low Tolerance value (15–30%) when working on areas with subtle color variations to avoid replacing unintended colors.
• For complex recoloring that the tool can't handle, use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer with a masked selection for more control.

Common Mistakes

• Using too high a Tolerance: A high tolerance value replaces too many colors, often spilling into areas you didn't intend to change.
• Not using Contiguous limits: When working on a colored object against a similar-colored background, set Limits to Contiguous to avoid replacing background colors.