How to Fill & Color a Picture in Adobe Photoshop

Scan in and color your artwork in Photoshop.

Adjusting photos isn't the only thing you can do in Photoshop; you can also create or scan in artwork. If you scan in artwork, take the time to clean up the lines with the eraser tool and then add the color. Color in Photoshop can be changed easily with the fill command or add an artistic touch with the paintbrushes. When coloring in Photoshop, it helps to stay organized by creating layers of each section, such as for a present, you would have a layer for the box and a layer for the bow.

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop, and then open the image you want to color.

2. Click on the "Polygonal Lasso" tool from the toolbar and draw a selection around the part you want to change in your image.

3. Click on the foreground color on the toolbar and choose a color.

4. Click on the paint bucket on the toolbar. Click on "Foreground" from the main menu and then click a mode option, such as "Overlay," from the "Mode" pull-down menu.

5. Hold the mouse over the selection, and click to fill.

Brush

1. Click on the "Brush" tool on the toolbar. Click on a brush size and style from the main menu.

2. Click on a mode option, such as "Normal," from the "Mode" pull-down menu.

3. Hold the mouse and drag over the image to paint. Hold down the mouse without dragging to create an airbrush effect.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the magic wand to make (select) your selection; adjust the tolerance level to select more or less.

• To show the original art line, lower the opacity or copy and paste the outline on the top layer.

• Use lighter colors to show light source, and use darker colors to show shadows.

References

• Adobe Photoshop CS3: Fill With the Paint Bucket Tool
• Adobe Photoshop CS3: Paint with the Brush tool
• Elfwood: Coloring with Photoshop