How do I adjust specific colors in Photoshop?

To adjust specific colors in Photoshop, you'll primarily use adjustment layers accessible through the Adjustments panel.

Steps to Adjust Specific Colors

Here's a breakdown of how to make color adjustments, incorporating information from the provided reference:

Access the Adjustments Panel: Locate and open the Adjustments panel in Photoshop. Typically, it is found on the right-hand side of your workspace, or under the Window menu.
Select an Adjustment Tool: In the Adjustments panel, choose a tool suited for color manipulation, as outlined in the reference:
- Color Balance: Ideal for modifying the overall balance of colors. You can adjust the Red, Green, and Blue tones in shadows, midtones, and highlights.
- Hue/Saturation: This tool lets you adjust the hue (color), saturation (intensity), and lightness of specific color ranges. This is particularly useful for targeting specific colors in an image.
- Levels or Curves: While primarily for tonality, they also affect color. These can be used to adjust color channels separately.
Adjust the Tool Settings in the Properties Panel: Once you've clicked on your chosen adjustment tool, the Properties panel will open where you can make specific edits.

If you selected Color Balance: You will see sliders to adjust Red/Cyan, Green/Magenta and Blue/Yellow for Shadows, Midtones and Highlights. Experiment with these sliders to change color casts.
If you selected Hue/Saturation:
- Master: This allows general changes to all colors.
- Individual Colors: Use the drop-down menu (e.g., Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, Magentas) to select a color range you wish to adjust. Then, manipulate the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders for that range. You can even expand or shrink the selected color range using the color swatch bars.
If you selected Levels or Curves: Choose specific color channels (Red, Green, Blue) from the channel drop-down menu and adjust the levels or curves accordingly, impacting individual color components of your image.

Here are some scenarios:

Scenario 1: Correcting a Green Cast: If your photo has a green tint, use Color Balance. You would move the Green/Magenta slider towards Magenta to balance it out.
Scenario 2: Boosting a specific color: If you have a flower that is a dull red and want it to be more vibrant, use Hue/Saturation. Select the 'Reds' in the dropdown menu and increase the Saturation slider to intensify the color.

Tool	Use	Specificity
Color Balance	Adjusts the overall balance of colors, impacting shadows, midtones and highlights.	Broad, specific shadows/midtones/highlights
Hue/Saturation	Adjusts hue, saturation, and lightness of specific or overall color ranges.	Very specific
Levels/Curves	Adjusts the tonal range and color channels separately, affecting the mix of colors.	Channel Specific

By using these tools and techniques, you can effectively adjust specific colors in Photoshop to achieve your desired results.