Let’s review

TARGET SKILLS
By the end of the meeting, the learners should be
able to:

▶ Use the Paintbrush Tool to change the color of

an object.
▶ Use the Hue Layer Mode to selectively color
the object.
Have you ever wanted to change
the color of an object?
CHANGING THE COLOR OF AN OBJECT
There are different ways to change the
color of an object using an image editing
software; most of them require the use of
selection tools or masking. In this meeting,
however, you will learn how to change the
color of an object using a layer mode. Take
note that this method is best used for
objects with bright colors.
STEP 1:
Open the image file, Red Sports Car.jpg.
Change the color of the red sports car in
the image.
STEP 2:
First, create a new transparent layer.

STEP 3:
Use the Paintbrush Tool to paint the object
with the new color. To use this tool, go to the
Toolbox and click on the Paintbrush Tool or
press the shortcut key, P.
STEP 4:
Select the color that you want to use in the
Foreground Color Selector. In this example,
the color yellow-green with the HTML
notation cce918 was used.
STEP 5:
In the Layers Dialog, create a
new layer and select HSV
Hue as the Mode. This step is
crucial so you can effectively
paint the new color on the
car. By using HSV Hue mode,
GIMP can easily distinguish
the color of the car from the
background color, allowing
you to paint on the car easily.
Make sure that the subject
has a bright color compared
to the background.
STEP 6:
Also make sure that there is no selection
before brushing. Otherwise, the paintbrush
will not work. Right-click on the image and
click on Select ► None or press the shortcut
keys, Shift + Ctrl + A.
STEP 7:
Go to the Paintbrush or Tool
Options to adjust the brush
settings. (1) Make sure the
value of Opacity is 100.
Otherwise, the color you will
paint will look different from
your chosen color. (2) Use a
soft brush like 2. Hardness
075. Finally, (3) set the brush
size to a medium size, and just
decrease its size when painting
on the edges of the car.
STEP 8:
Use the Paintbrush Tool to color the entire car. In the
example, only red was affected by the brush—not even
the windows and wheels—because it is the only bright
color in the image. When you paint over the edges, use
smaller brush sizes to make sure that parts of the
background are not colored.
STEP 9:
The car should now be painted with a different color.
Notice how the details like the shadow in the car hood
is still present. This is because you used HSV Hue
mode, which paints only on the car (bright color) and
not on the background.
STEP 10:
No matter how carefully you brush inside the car, it is
still possible to paint on some areas of the background.
STEP 11:
The Alpha to Selection command creates a selection
where you brushed on. This visible selection path will
be the guide to where you can erase the excess color.
STEP 12:
To use the Eraser Tool, go to the Toolbox and select the
tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + E. Zoom in on
the problem areas and erase them with the Eraser Tool.
Use a small brush size to do this.
STEP 13:
Below are the before and after images of the car.
Notice how the yellow-green car still looks realistic.
ACTIVITY:

How is this process different from using

the selection tools previously
discussed?