Can Real Estate Photo Editing Change House Colors?

Can Real Estate Photo Editing Change House Colors?

Does your client want to showcase a house in a different color? In this tutorial, our editors will show our process of how to edit a house color in Adobe Photoshop, so you can effectively present various color options to your clients, helping them avoid the costs of actually painting the properties.

How to Edit a House Color in Photoshop

When editing a house color in Photoshop, you can use tools like the Lasso tool to select the area, then apply Color Overlay, or make an Adjustment Layer and use the Hue/Saturation and Overlay commands. Using the Color Replacement tool and Layer Mask offers a quick fix while adjusting the color range and working on a new layer for more precise control.

Ethical rules apply when you want to change colors in an image. While an editor will do the digital exterior painting work in Photoshop, the photo still has to truthfully represent almost every aspect of the property.

A woman viewing a photo on her camera

1. Lasso Tool and Background Layer

This process mimics masking and painting a real house. Our editors can change colors digitally by manipulating selections.

We will mainly use the Lasso tool for precise selection, make separate layers for painting, desaturate to remove the original color, apply a Color Overlay for using a solid color, and adjust opacity to balance color and texture.

  • Selecting the structure: Open the image file, Use the Polygonal Lasso tool (L). Select the siding, then avoid the windows or chimneys. Form a selection by clicking around the perimeter.
  • Refining the selection: Use "Subtract from Selection" for chimneys and windows. Expand the selection by 2 pixels and the Feather selection by 1 pixel.
  • Preparing the layer: Double-click on the Background Layer to unlock it and rename it to Layer 0. Create Layer 1 via cut, then Toggle off Layer 0 temporarily.
  • Applying new colors: Double-click on Layer 1, toggle Layer 0 back on, then open the Layer Style dialog for Layer 1. Apply Color Overlay effect and reduce Opacity to 75% for texture visibility.

2. Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, Eyedropper Tool, and Overlay Commands

Using Hue/Saturation and Overlay commands is another way to choose a solid color for replacement. This method allows our editors to duplicate the base layer to preserve the original image. The Eyedropper tool can select colors and add swatches for later use.

  • Select the color: Pick a color from the drop-down of the Hue/Saturation panel. For example, choose green. Launch the Eyedropper tool and click on different sections of the color to darken the shadows of the green color. 
  • Apply a Color Overlay layer style: Use Overlay Blend Mode and choose the Normal Blend Mode for an opaque paint look.
  • Apply Gradient Overlay: To add shading, use Black and White preset. Set the Angle down to the left to form a shadow. Drag the Opacity levels around 69%, Scale at 81%, and then drag the gradient onscreen to suit your preference.
  • Remove bright spots: Do this when you notice a bright halo around the paint. From the color swatch, click on the colorized wall to get a sample of the hue. From the drop-down menu, set the Position to Outside and the Blend Mode to Overlay.
  • Remove stains in the paint: Select Layer 0 and use the Lasso tool to draw a selection around the stain. Choose Content-Aware from the drop-down menu. Click OK, and press CTRL/CMD + D to deselect.
  • Preserve details: Suppose you don't want to change the color of the window trim or a table. Use a black brush to paint over those areas in the layer mask. Look for the white canvas on the Hue/Saturation layer's right-hand side.

A house with pink wall on the stairs and some furniture

3. Layer Mask and Color Replacement Tool

Using the Color Replacement tool is a clean solution to replace sampled colors while preserving shadows and structure. The tool is located with the Brush Tool in the left-hand panel. Our editors will use it to sample a color with adjustable tolerance.

Access tool options through the drop-down menu or by double-clicking the tool icon. Combining these tools makes it easy to deal with a low-contrast image. With this tool, editors can easily pick a color from Photoshop's color palette.

  • Form the color selection: Hold the Alt key with the tool selected and click on any area of the photo. The cursor should appear as a circle with a central mark, indicating the color to be replaced.
  • Adjust tool settings: Go to the options bar to modify the Radius and Tolerance values. Opt for a large Radius of 1170 px and a high Tolerance of 80%. You can lower the Tolerance for certain areas like the door handle, window trim, or table.
  • Refine the edits: Create a new layer for non-destructive editing and use a layer mask to correct any overpainting. When the image has a lot of contrast, paint with a small brush to reveal the original colors. Adjust the intensity using the layers panel.

A living room with a blue sofa and two frames hanging on the wall

 

Is Changing Colors of a House the Right Thing to Do?

It's yes and no! The answer lies in the context of the situation. In real estate image editing, increasing a property’s value through perception and marketing is a common practice.

Colors are one of the tempting aspects to play around with in real estate photography editing. Editors can correct the image's color cast and hue. However, there are some nuances you must consider:

  • Changing colors for merely aesthetic purposes online and attracting people without any intention to bring an accurate representation of the property is deceitful.
  • People drawn into the photo may start fuming when they see that the property up front is not what it was advertised in the images. 
  • The real estate company will see its credibility go down the drain. 
  • A potential buyer who had an unpleasant visit because of an unmet expectation can spread the news to a network of people.
  • Real estate agents and companies will look to professional photographers to answer for the atrocious changes that happened without their consent.

Some scenarios call for changes in the color of properties. Make sure every move is aligned with them. With our editors, rest assured boundaries define the ethical changes.

What Triggers Changes in House Colors?

There are specific instances that might merit the changes in property colors. Keep your clients informed of these salient and sensitive changes.

Time Constraints

Actual house exterior paint jobs will normally take days. Image editing can take just hours to a couple of days. People won’t wait for houses to have a newly painted wall before they are sold.

These properties need to be listed ASAP to get a critical mass of viewers and potentially land a handful of prospective buyers. Our real estate photography editors can step in to change the color, creating the promised painted state.

A luxurious living room with glass walls overlooking the outside view

Advertorial and Imaginative Purposes

Catalogs, brochures, or any promotional materials that may want to show how one specific property can look charming in different colors can attract people to come and buy it. 

These are merely visualizations and ideas rather than actual physical photos. It can help you creatively portray the property in different colors that future owners can use.

What Is Hue in Photography?

While hue and color are often used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings in art and photography. Hue refers specifically to the pure colors on the color wheel, while color encompasses visual perceptions, including shade and tint. Meanwhile, tone affects the combination of gray and a certain color.

Understanding these differences makes sense for editors who want to paint effectively using various techniques involving a Layer Mask and Blend Mode.

  • Hues are limited to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet on the color wheel.
  • Each color has a dominant hue. For example, violet is the dominant hue of lavender, whereas green is the dominant in sage green.
  • Shades are created by adding black to a hue, like navy blue.
  • Tones result from mixing gray with a hue.
  • Tints are formed by adding white to a hue, such as pink from red.

When working on dark areas of windows or lighting fixtures, you can use layer masks to control a specific hue on the left side of a digital canvas in Photoshop Elements.

Hue Slider in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop's Hue/Saturation adjustment layer enables our editors to adjust all the colors in images using the Hue Slider, accessible through the Enhance menu. This tool provides precise control over color adjustments, including the ability to modify specific hues or apply changes across the entire image. 

Our editors can fine-tune their edits as they drag the Saturation or Lightness slider to the left to add more black or to the right to add more white. The Layers Panel and Blend Mode offer additional flexibility for color manipulation. This lets our editors produce custom tints and enhance their digital house painting techniques using Photoshop.

  • Access the Hue Slider by selecting Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation or double-click the adjustment layer in the Layers panel.
  • Drag the Hue Slider left or right to move counterclockwise or clockwise on the color wheel.
  • Use the drop-down menu to select a specific color range (for example, green or blue) or choose ‘Master' to adjust colors simultaneously.
  • Use the Eyedropper tool to select, add, or subtract colors from the image for precise editing.
  • Drag the Saturation or Lightness slider to adjust hue and brightness in the selected color range or the entire image.
  • Utilize blend modes and the Colorize option to create unique effects, such as tinting grayscale images while preserving black and white pixels.

A light blue living room with a television and a sofa

Related Questions

How Do You Edit Colors in Photoshop?

When editing colors in Photoshop for the whole photo, use Hue/Saturation or Color Balance, which allows non-destructive color modifications. These tools enable you to alter the color tone of the entire image.

How Do I Change the Color of a Specific Area in Photoshop?

To change the color of a specific area in Photoshop, select the desired area using tools like the Lasso, then apply a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. This approach allows you to modify colors within a confined area without affecting the rest of the image.

How Do I Selectively Recolor in Photoshop?

To selectively recolor in Photoshop, use the Brush tool with the foreground color of your choice and set the blending mode to Color. Paint over the areas you want to recolor, then drag the Brush Opacity levels to control the intensity of the new color.

Conclusion

While it is tricky, real estate photo editing must represent the property in its most accurate and truthful form - even if it involves changing the color of a property. As our editors change colors in your images, your client can save time and money on renovations, which means you get to impress them and their potential buyers with realistic previews.

 

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