We’ve been spotlighting some of the more useful features in the latest version of Photoshop but here’s an intriguing new way that Adobe’s image editor processes color. Using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that’s baked into Photoshop 2022, you can make flat color in your unprocessed photos truly pop with just a couple of clicks.
The key is get Photoshop think you are working with a black-and-white image instead of a color photo. In the below tutorial from Unmesh Dinda of PiXimperfect, he explains how to use filters in Photoshop “that are made for something else but work unusually very well for adding vibrant colors to your photos.”
“Have you ever wondered about the colorize feature in Photoshop, the brand-new feature inside of Neural Filters that uses AI and machine learning to colorize black-and-white photos?” Dinda asks. “Did you really think we could limit that only to black-and-white photos? Maybe Photoshop was created that way, but you and I are Photoshop enthusiasts and we’re going to press every button there is.”
In the video at the bottom of this post, Dinda shows you how to “hack” the colorize feature and leverage Photoshop’s AI to get the color you want in your images every time. You can download the photo he works with in the demo below for free here so you can follow along with the editing process.
To start, open your image and make a copy of the background layer by pressing Control or Command + J. Then go to filters in the dropdown menu and select Neural Filters. Then pick the Colorize filter. And yes, as mentioned earlier, the new Photoshop feature is designed to colorize black-and-white images but “it also works on color photos” to make them pop, as Dinda explains.
While he’s successful with augmenting the color in the previously flat portrait in the demo by just clicking the Colorize filter, there are ways to get even more out of the effect as he explains in the tutorial below. After you watch it, you should also check out this Photoshop tip from last week, where Dinda explains how to use the new Depth Blur tool in Photoshop 2022.
