Replace Color results in muddy gray

JM
Posted By
Jan_Miele
Feb 1, 2008
Views
475
Replies
4
Status
Closed
Using Photoshop CS2 on a Windows XP Professional platform.

I have a (300dpi) CMYK phhoto image of a cross section of blades of grass set against a whitish "sky."

I need that "sky" to be a shade of green, so I tried to use Replace Color to change the "sky" color from white to a dark green (C78 M41 Y81 K35). Used the eyedropper in the Replace Color tool to select that whitish sky color, and it seems to recognize the areas I want changed, then I click on the result color and use the CMYK settings in there to set up the green that I want the selected area to become…

BUT the "result" color in the actual photo image keeps ending up as a dull muddy gray. I eyedropper that and it’s not the CMYK mix I wanted at all!

Hoped to use this because of the irregular contours of the many blades of grass against that backdrop (it’d be a select/fill nightmare).

The hue of green (the actual CMYK mix) must match a solid backdrop in an area in the InDesign file into which I’m going to place the grass cross section image.

Any suggestions on why I can’t get the replacement color to actually BE that green?

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups 🔥

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

SP
Sid_Phillips
Feb 1, 2008
Works fine on my system. Do you maybe have Gamut Warning turned on?
GH
Gernot_Hoffmann
Feb 1, 2008
Jan,

please publish your photo. I’m sure you’ll
get many suggestions how to improve it.

Personally, I wouldn’t use Replace Color
for anything else than creating masks.

Best regards –Gernot Hoffmann
MD
Michael_D_Sullivan
Feb 2, 2008
Replace color only works when there is some degree of saturation, which results in an identifiable "color". Unsaturated areas — whites, grays, and blacks — have no "color" to replace.
JJ
John_Joslin
Feb 2, 2008
You could use Select > Color Range to select the sky, then apply a Solid Color adjustment layer and play with the opacity and blending mode.

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