How to Change the Hair Color to Blonde in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop gives a digital artist the ability to change the color of a person's hair in just a few steps. The technique consists of first selecting the hair so that it can be manipulated while the rest of the photograph remains untouched. Photo editing techniques like this can be used just for fun, to apply paint-like approaches to an otherwise straight photograph, or to digitally "try on" different hair colors before going to the salon. Additionally, only small portions of the hair may be selected so the artist can apply highlights.
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Instructions
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Open the image you wish to edit, and then open the Channels palette. Press the q key to create a new channel called "Quick Mask."
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Select the brush tool and paint over the hair. As you paint, the area will turn red. This is showing you where the mask is and will not turn the image red. Use a broad brush on large areas to save time and switch to a smaller brush to paint in some of the detail work.
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Switch to the eraser tool to remove any parts of the red quick mask if you accidentally paint over an area that you don't want to change. Try to be neat and get as detailed as you can. The success of your final image depends on how carefully you create your mask.
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Press the q key again to toggle off the quick mask mode. You will now see a series of short, white animated lines called "marching ants," which should surround the area you just painted. The red mask will be invisible. If the marching ants do not surround the hair, go to the Select menu and choose "Inverse" until only the area you painted is selected.
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Go to the Image menu, select "Adjustments," and then select "Hue/Saturation." Make sure to check the box marked "Colorize." Move the Hue slider until you are satisfied with the color. The numbers in the box will be approximately in the 45 to 60 range for blonde hair color. Use the Saturation slider to bump up the color, but be careful: Numbers above 50 tend to be garish and generally look unreal. Adjust the Lightness slider to make the hair uniformly lighter or darker. Use the Lightness slider sparingly because it will also wash out details.
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Save the file in Photoshop's native file format in order to preserve the Quick Mask. If you want another file format, save a copy in your preferred format and keep the original Photoshop file in case you want to reuse the Quick Mask later.
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Tips & Warnings
Work on a copy of your image.
Take your time and don't worry about messing up.
Make small adjustments to avoid weird colors.
There are several ways to select an area with Photoshop; Quick Mask is one of the easiest.
