How to Color Grade in Photoshop (5 Powerful Methods)
This tutorial walks through five effective ways to color grade in Photoshop. You’ll enhance colors with adjustment layers, blend them more naturally using Apply Image on layer masks, and finish with Camera Raw for an all-in-one approach. Mix and match methods to create cinematic, moody, or vibrant looks.
Step-by-step instructions
Color Balance with Apply Image for natural blending
Create a Color Balance adjustment: Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Color Balance…
Adjust Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights (e.g., add Blues/Cyans/Greens for a cool grade).
Select the Color Balance layer mask thumbnail.
Go to Image → Apply Image… → Blending: Normal → Layer: Merged → OK.
Refine sliders again; compare with/without mask for a smoother, less “filter-like” look.
Selective Color with Apply Image
Create a Selective Color adjustment: Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Selective Color…
From Colors, adjust Blacks, Neutrals, and Whites; tweak Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black to shape hue and contrast.
Select the layer mask, then Image → Apply Image… → Blending: Normal → Layer: Merged → OK.
Optional: Add a Curves adjustment (Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Curves) and create a subtle S-curve for extra drama.
Hue/Saturation to enhance existing colors
Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment: Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Hue/Saturation…
Choose a color range (e.g., Yellows); temporarily set Saturation to +100 to preview affected areas, then reset.
Shift Hue and increase Saturation to intensify foliage; nudge Lightness to taste.
Use the on-image tool (hand icon) to sample Greens; expand the color range using the bottom sliders to include Cyans/Yellows; adjust Hue/Saturation/Lightness.
Gradient Map color grade with blending modes
Create a Gradient Map: Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Gradient Map…
Click the gradient to open the Gradient Editor; set Shadows (left swatch) to a dark blue and Highlights (right) to a brighter cyan; optionally add a midtone stop.
Click OK; change the layer’s Blend Mode to Overlay (or Soft Light/Hard Light/Vivid Light).
Lower Fill to taste.
With the mask selected, go to Image → Apply Image… → Layer: Merged → Blending: Normal → OK; fine-tune Fill again.
Camera Raw Filter for an all-in-one approach
Convert your image layer to a Smart Object: right-click layer → Convert to Smart Object.
Go to Filter → Camera Raw Filter…
In Color Mixer (HSL), adjust Hue/Saturation for specific colors.
In Color Grading, drag the Shadows/Midtones/Highlights wheels to add hues; adjust Luminance sliders.
Click OK; double-click the Camera Raw Filter smart filter later to re-edit or use the Smart Filters mask to limit the effect.
