Photoshop How To

Most photographers are familiar with using Vibrance, Hue/Saturation, and White Balance tools to adjust or enhance the colors of an image. The interesting video below takes a different approach, with a little-known Color tool that’s available in Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw.

In this tutorial, image-editing expert Matt Kloskowski explains how to first locate this “mystery Color tool," before taking a deep dive into how it works. He also illustrates the benefits of this technique, instead of other methods you may be using.

As you’ll see, this approach works great for everything from landscape photos to portraits, and it enables you to make refined, selective color adjustments that can’t be achieved using other tools. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to either warm up or cool down tones in a photo, or change them completely to achieve a unique effect.

Another advantage of this technique is that it enables you to modify colors without changing the overall brightness of an image, as often happens with other color-enhancement methods. Kloskowski illustrates the power of the Color tool when editing skies in landscape photos, but after watching the video you’ll be able to make precise color adjustments to just about any photograph you shoot.

There are more helpful tips on Kloskowski’s YouTube channel. And be sure to look at another tutorial we posted recently, explaining how to use Photoshop’s powerful color dodge-and-burn blending capabilities when editing nature and portrait photos.