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Color Range


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Hi all. I’m still trying to learn the basics of digital scrapping. I have PhotoShop 7.0. I’m trying to learn how to use the paper templates. I can get one color just fine (one color of my choice and black). But I’ve been trying to learn how to make them have two colors. I’ve been playing around with color range. I went to play with it some more yesterday, but I think I’ve messed something up. When I use my paint bucket tool on the gray parts of the template they just turn a darker shade of gray or black depending on which color I’m trying to fill it with. It was working fine before I started playing around in color range. I’ve tried closing out the program and restarting my computer in hopes that it would go back to normal settings. But no such luck. I can still fill the white part of the template with the color I want, just not the grey parts. Any ideas on what I did wrong and how to fix it? Any good pointers on how to use the color range once I have the problem fixed. Thanks for the help.
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Thanks for the help Betsy. I checked and I am in RGB color. Any other ideas? I can change the color of the transparent part of the paper templates. Just not the design (well it changes to a different shade of grey or black). If I open up papers or embellishments I can use the paint bucket to fill it will a new color, just fine.
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When you're using color range, you may be selecting the transparent part of the templates and not the black design. Try inverting your selection. Go to the top of Photoshop and press "Select", then scroll down and choose "Invert". This will change the marching ants (your selection) to the reverse, or the black areas. Now you should be able to color the design.

When you use your color range tool, use your eyedropper tool and select the black from your paper template file. That way you know you're selecting the black and not the transparent part of the file.

I hope that answers your problem.

Sometimes instead of using the color range tool on templates, and if the design is solid black, I'll select the layer, lock the pixels (by clicking on the little square), and then hit option delete with the color I want to fill the design with. I have a mac though. Maybe it's a different shortcut on a pc. Here's a screenshot of how to lock your pixels and fill the layer. Sorry if this is redundant or if you know how to do this already.

Erica
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Thanks Erica. I didn’t know that I could lock a layer and use alt/delete to fill it. That is awesome! That is so much better then trying to fill in each one by hand. I’m able to fill in the paper template with the colors I want that way. (The short cut was the same in windows.)

I tried checking the “invert” button in color range. But the same this is still happening. And I made sure that the marching ants are around the part I want to color. Well as close as I can get them. If I’m using a template that has 2 or 3 shades of grey, it will only let me select the medium shade. I’ve tried clicking on the other shades, but it won’t me. (Granted I can’t zoom in, so I could be missing the part I want with the eye dropper. But I’ve tried a bunch of times. And two days ago I was able to do it just fine.)

Even if I try to color the gray part with out using the color range, it just turns a different shade of grey or black.

Any thing else I should try?
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I'm thinking that the gray you are trying to select has transparency to it. If that's the case, the marching ants won't select up to its edges. You are actually selecting those transparent grays when you are selecting the "black".

Try this... make your selections as you have in the past. Copy the selection. Create a new document based on the size of the clipboard selection. Color the background any color (just not black, gray or white). Paste your selection. Do you see those gray shapes. If so, then you have transparency in your shapes.
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Thanks dinny. I tried what you said to do. When I copy and pasted onto a red background, I was able to see the grey. So that means I have transparency in the shapes? Which means what?

I’ve noticed the problem goes further than just paper templates. I tired to color the background on LO templates. And it will only turn grey. So then I tried to color a black embellishment and the same thing. I can color papers or embellishments as long as they are not black or grey to start with. This will teach to play around with setting to try to learn how to use the program. I know I had to of changed something when I was playing around because it worked 3 days ago. But I don’t know what I changed. Any ideas?
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If a shape is transparent, the color beneath it will show thru.

You will not be able to select the gray color (with color range) and expect the color to change , you will need to change the colors a different way.

There are many ways to get things done in Photoshop. One way is by using hue/saturation. Select your layer, go to Image>Ajustments>Hue/Saturation. Play around with the sliders and select a color you desire.

Hue - changes color
Saturation - changes brightness (adds more color)
Lightness - makes it lighter or darker (adds more black or white)

If you are changing the color of something that is black... you may need to go to Hue/Saturation and and make it lighter. Then the color will show.
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