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Fix color casts

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  1. Photoshop Elements User Guide
  2. Introduction to Photoshop Elements
    1. What's new in Photoshop Elements
    2. System requirements | Photoshop Elements
    3. Workspace basics
    4. Guided mode
    5. Making photo projects
  3. Workspace and environment
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    13. Viewing images
    14. Using Windows 7 features
  4. Fixing and enhancing photos
    1. Resize images
    2. Cropping
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  6. Guided edits, effects, and filters
    1. Guided mode
    2. Filters
    3. Guided mode Photomerge edits
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    16. Noise filters
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  7. Working with colors
    1. Understanding color
    2. Set up color management
    3. Color and tonal correction basics
    4. Choose colors
    5. Adjust color, saturation, and hue
    6. Fix color casts
    7. Using image modes and color tables
    8. Color and camera raw
  8. Working with selections
    1. Make selections in Photoshop Elements
    2. Saving selections
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    4. Move and copy selections
    5. Edit and refine selections
    6. Smooth selection edges with anti-aliasing and feathering
  9. Working with layers
    1. Create layers
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    4. Adjustment and fill layers
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  10. Creating photo projects
    1. Project basics
    2. Making photo projects
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  11. Saving, printing, and sharing photos
    1. Save images
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    4. Optimizing images
    5. Optimizing images for the JPEG format
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    7. Guided Edits - Share panel
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    10. Optimizing images for the GIF or PNG-8 format
    11. Optimizing images for the PNG-24 format
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    9. Keys for the Color Swatches panel
    10. Keys for the Camera Raw dialog box
    11. Keys for the Filter Gallery
    12. Keys for using blending modes
    13. Keys for viewing images (expertmode)

Remove a color cast automatically

A color cast is an unpleasant color shift in a photo. For example, a photo taken indoors without a camera flash may have too much yellow. The Remove Color Cast command changes the overall mixture of colors to remove color casts from an image.

Original (left), and after removing the green color cast (right)

  1. Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Remove Color Cast.

  2. In your image, click an area that should be white, black, or neutral gray. The image changes based on the color you selected.

  3. To start over and undo the changes made to the image, click Reset.

  4. Click OK to accept the color change.

Remove a color cast using Levels

This technique requires color correction experience and some knowledge of the RGB color wheel.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.
    • Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, or open an existing Levels adjustment layer.
  2. Choose a color channel to adjust from the Channel pop‑up menu:
    • Red to add red or cyan to the image.
    • Green to add green or magenta to the image.
    • Blue to add blue or yellow to the image.
  3. Drag the middle input slider left or right to add or subtract color.
  4. Click OK when you are satisfied with the overall color.
Note:

You can use the gray color picker in the Levels dialog box to quickly remove a color cast. Double-click the color picker and make sure that the RGB values are equal. After you close the Color Picker, click an area in your image that should be a neutral gray.

Adjust color curves

The Adjust Color Curves command improves color tones in a photo by adjusting highlights, midtones, and shadows in each color channel. For example, this command can fix photos with silhouetted images resulting from strong backlighting, or slightly washed-out objects that were too close to the camera’s flash.

In the Adjust Color Curves dialog box, you can compare and choose different tonal presets. Select from the list of styles in the Select A Style box. To fine-tune the adjustment, adjust the highlights, midtone brightness and contrast, and shadows.

Adjusting color curves in an image

A. Select a Style (choose from presets) B. Adjust Sliders (custom options) 

  1. In Photoshop Elements, open an image.

  2. To adjust a specific image area or layer, select it with one of the selection tools. (If no selection is made, the adjustment applies to the entire image.)
    Note:

    To preserve the original photo while experimenting with tonal adjustments, adjust the color curves in a duplicate layer.

  3. Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color Curves.
  4. Select a style (for example, Backlight or Solarize).
  5. Adjust the sliders for Highlights, Midtone Brightness, Midtone Contrast, and Shadows.
  6. To apply the adjustment to your image, click OK. To cancel the adjustment and start over, click Reset. To close the Adjust Color Curves dialog box, click Cancel.

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