How do you change the color of an object in a picture on iPhone?

Changing the color of an object in a picture on an iPhone is easy with the right apps and tools. In just a few taps, you can alter the hue, saturation, brightness and other qualities of any part of an image. With the rise of social media and photo editing apps, coloring and touching up photos has become a ubiquitous part of the smartphone photography experience.

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Why Would You Want to Change Object Color in a Photo?

There are many creative and practical reasons you may want to change the color of an object in a photo on your iPhone:

Creative editing – Change colors to create an artistic, surreal or abstract look. Make a blue sky green or yellow, for example.
Correct colors – If the color is inaccurate in the original photo, you can correct it to be more realistic.
Black and white selective color – Leave an object in color while changing the rest of the photo to black and white.

Alter clothing – Change the color of clothing items, like shirts, hats or shoes.
Change hair color – Test out new hair colors before committing to a real dye job.
Make decorative edits – Change colors of furniture, wall colors or decor items in photos of your home.

Emphasize subjects – Make a focal subject stand out by changing the color.

The creative possibilities are endless when you start adjusting object colors in your iPhone photos. Whether you want to make subtle tweaks or dramatic changes, it’s a fun way to transform your images.

Steps to Change Object Color on iPhone Photos

Here is an overview of the basic steps to change the color of an object in a photo on your iPhone:

Add the photo into a photo editing app.
Select the object you want to change.
Adjust color settings like hue, saturation, brightness, etc.

Save a copy of the edited photo.

Seems simple, right? The real work happens in Step 3 where you use the color adjustment tools in the app. Let’s look more closely at how the process works using some popular photo apps for iPhone.

Using Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a full-featured photo editing app for iPhone and iPad. It provides precise selection tools and color adjustment options ideal for changing object colors.

Open the desired photo in Pixelmator.
Tap the Selection tool, then trace around the object you want to change. This isolates the object.
Tap the Adjust Color button.

Drag sliders to change hue, saturation, brightness and other color qualities.
Tap Done to apply the changes.
Export or save the photo to keep the edit.

With practice in Pixelmator, you can accurately select objects like hair, clothing, foliage or anything else. The color adjustment sliders give you nuanced control to get the new color just right.

Using Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express offers easy tools for swapping colors on iOS devices. Here are the steps:

Import a photo into Photoshop Express.

Tap the Color Replacement tool (eyedropper icon).
Tap the object whose color you want to change.
Select a new color from the palette.

Adjust the Tolerance slider to control how much gets altered.
Tap Done to make the change.
Save and export the finished photo.

Photoshop Express detects edges and makes the color swap quickly. The Tolerance slider helps refine the selection area for more accurate results. Overall, it’s an easy way to experiment with new colors.

Using Snapseed

Snapseed from Google offers filters and tools to enhance photos. To change an object’s color:

Open the photo in Snapseed.

Tap the Selective filter.
Paint over the object with the adjustment brush.
Adjust the Saturation, Brightness and other colors.

Tap the check mark to apply.
Save and export the photo.

It takes a delicate touch to neatly paint over the objects with Snapseed. But the results can look very natural. You can boost certain color shades or mute them depending on the effect you want.

Using TouchRetouch

TouchRetouch is designed to remove objects from photos by cloning over them. But you can actually use it creatively to alter colors too:

Import your photo into TouchRetouch.
Select the Clone Stamp tool.

Adjust the size to match the object.
Tap a new color you want to clone from.
Stamp over the object to transfer the new color.

Finetune with additional taps if needed.
Save the retouched photo.

It takes some experimenting to get seamless results with the clone stamp. But the tools make it surprisingly easy to replace colors in any images.

Tips for Changing Object Colors in Photos

Here are some tips to help you master the art of changing object colors in iPhone photos:

Use precise selection tools – Get clean edges around hair, feathers or foliage.
Adjust colors subtly – Small hue/saturation tweaks look more realistic.

Watch lighting – Make sure the new color has proper shadows and highlights.
Sample colors from the photo – Select a color that already exists in the image.
Work in layers – Change colors separately on different layers when possible.

Use adjustment brushes – Paint over objects smoothly by brushing color adjustments.
Zoom in – View details closely to ensure accurate selections and blending.
Undo mistakes – Don’t worry about messing up. Just tap undo!

The more you practice color changes, the better you’ll get. Don’t be afraid to try radical new colors. You can always revert to the original if you don’t like the result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about changing object colors in iPhone photos:

What apps work best?

Pixelmator, Photoshop Express, Snapseed and TouchRetouch are excellent choices. VSCO, Adobe Lightroom and Enlight also include robust color editing tools.

Does it work on live photos?

Yes, the editing apps allow you to change colors in live photos. The motion effect will be preserved on the new colored version.

Can I change skin tones?

You can adjust skin tones, but it requires careful editing to look natural. Try subtle tweaks to hue and saturation to even out skin rather than dramatically altering it.

What about black and white photos?

The same color changing techniques work on black and white photos. You can introduce new color into a black and white scene for creative effects.

Will editing degrade the quality?

As long as you save and export using a high-quality format like JPEG, there should be minimal quality loss. Avoid extreme compression when exporting the edited photo.

Conclusion

Changing object colors in photos opens amazing creative possibilities. With the right editing apps and a steady hand, you can transform images in an endless variety of ways. Pay attention to subtle details like shadows and edges for the most seamless results. Don’t be afraid to experiment — you can always go back to the original version. Unleash your creativity and make colors pop in all your iPhone photography projects.