How to Change the Hair Color and Make it Look Completely Natural – Demonstrative Photoshop Lesson

November 22, 2008

You are doing an ad campaign wherein you are promoting a hair dye. So, for example, a model who is originally a brunette will be transformed into a blonde, then to red, then to green then to ala-X-Men Storm’s black hair with a gray streak. Facing all these requirements in your print, magazine and billboard ad, what should you do to the original brunette hair of your model? Simple, use Photoshop and your model can change her hair color and still make it completely look natural.

This step by step instruction will demonstrate ways of transforming hair color to whatever color that you want.

1. Select a picture in which you like to change its hair color.

2. Put on a Solid Color by clicking “Layer” then “New Fill Layer” then “Solid Color”. From here, choose your desired new hair color.

3. After selecting color mask, click “Invert” which is “Control” button plus “I” button then select another blending mode of the present color by clicking “Soft Light”.

4. While the color is still chosen, utilize Brush tool by clicking “B” to apply the new color on the hair.

5. Then apply the chosen layer mask by clicking “Control” plus “Click” on the mask.

6. As the choice is loaded, utilize the tool “Apply Image” by clicking “Image” then “Apply Image” to utilize these properties:

• Merged Layer
• RGB Channel
• Unchecked Invert
• Normal Blending
• One Hundred Percent Opacity

7. As the choices are loaded, utilize the tool, Brightness/Contrast by clicking “Image”, then click “Adjustments”, then click “Brightness/Contrast” in order to change the magnitude of the hair color.

8. If the altered hair is white, gray or black, move on to step number ten. Reproduce the present layer by clicking “Control” plus “J” and drag the latest layer over the background layer.

9. After selecting the layer in the middle, transform the type of the layer into “Hue/Saturation” layer by clicking “Layer”, then click “Change Layer Content”, then click “Hue/Saturation” then adjust the saturation to minus one hundred.

10. Flip the picture to check the image if this Photoshop technique is not applied.

11. Flip the picture to check the image using the usual process of hair dying being done.

Now you know that transforming the color of the hair does not simply mean dipping one’s hair into a container full of hair dye. You can avoid this messy step through Photoshop. Here now are simple instructions on how to transform a brunette to blond.

As shown in the first part of the article, transforming the color of one’s hair digitally is as simple as putting on a “Hue/ Saturation” on the layer that needs adjustment. Although, when it comes to making the hair color lighter, like changing a brunette to a blond, it will be more effective to use the command, “Selective Color”.

Beginning with blond, an easy “dye effect” can be given through the adjustment layer, “Hue/Saturation”. Review the colored boxes and select the color that you desire.

Changing from a darker hair to a lighter one may give more challenges. There are times that the slider’s Lightness of the Hue/Saturation is enough. But there are times when better results come with the adjustment layer, Selective Color.

When the dialog box for the Selective Color opens, press on the radio icon “Absolute” below then, move to the top, change the pop-up menu. This will transform the color from Reds to Neutrals. Lessen the content of the Magenta and Cyan appropriately then compare the look of the Black and Yellow sliders. Change from Neutral to Black then go over the process again.

The right color all depends on both the initial picture and your desired final output. An authentic black hair can be transformed into a wide array of lighter shade through this Photoshop hair coloring technique.

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