Essential Masking Techniques #7 - Color Range Dialog Box

This is part 7 of a series of 10 masking techniques that I will be explaining. The color range dialog box is a superb tool. It helps us select similar color pixels inside an image. You can select any range of colors within seconds! This tool is like the magic wand tool however it creates a much smoother selection by factoring in transparent pixels.
Makes a selection based off of color.


Good for: Good for: Almost anything with high contrast with background. Simple hair.

Settings

• Select: The type of selection you will make
• Detect faces: detects skin tones, this is especially useful for selecting ultra red skin and toning it down.
• Localize Color Clusters:  will focus in a specified range of pixels from where you click
• Fuzziness: will maximize the selection if increased
• Range: will increase the range of color selection
• Selection/Image:
• Selection preview: lets you preview the selection you made
• invert: Select the opposite of the selection made
• load: loads a color range preset
• save: saves a color range preset
• new/add/subtract: tools that allow you to create a new mask or add/subtract from an existing one

Technique

1. Open the color range box. Select > Color Range
2. Click on color pixel that you would like to select in the document. This will select a portion of pixels.
3. To complete the selection simply holy SHIFT and drag across the colors that you want to select. This should accurately select the are you want. Adjust using the fuzziness and range sliders.
4. Click OK when you are satisfied with the selection you made.
5. Refine the edge with the refine edge dialog box (I go over Refine Edge tool here)
6. Create adjustment layers with masks from the selection you made and adjust the colors.

Technique

1. To fix skin tones. Go to the Select pull down menu and choose skin tones. 
2. Make sure detect faces is checked. 
3. Click OK once you are happy with the selection. 
4. Click on the Hue/Saturation adjustment and choose 'Reds' and then you can desaturate the reds in faces.

Tips

• The larger the range the more area will be selected. 
• Fuzziness brings in more pixels as well. 
• This is best used for selection specific colors and modifying them after.
• Click the canvas first, then hold shift, this tool works best in combination with other masking techniques

Sample

So there you have it. If I was not clear enough or I missed something let me know in the comments below!

Do you have any questions? comments? tips? I would be happy to hear from you! Get in touch through michaeljphotography.ca contact form. I would appreciate your follow @Jonssononline

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