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How to Invert Colors on Photopea?

Published in Photopea Tutorials 2 mins read

Inverting colors on Photopea is a straightforward process achieved by adding an "Invert" adjustment layer. This method is non-destructive, meaning it doesn't permanently alter your original image layer.

Here's how to invert colors in Photopea, based on the provided reference:

Step-by-Step Guide to Inverting Colors

Follow these simple steps to invert the colors of a layer or the entire image in Photopea:

  1. Select Your Layer: First, make sure you have selected the specific layer in the Layers panel that you want to apply the color inversion to. If you want to invert the entire image, you can select the top layer or ensure no specific layer is targeted (though an adjustment layer typically affects all layers below it unless clipped).
  2. Access Layers Menu: Go to the menu bar at the top of the Photopea interface.
  3. Choose New Adjustment Layer: Click on Layers, and then from the dropdown menu, hover over New adjustment layer.
  4. Select Invert: From the submenu that appears for "New adjustment layer," click on Invert.
Layers
  -> New adjustment layer
    -> Invert

As seen in the reference (0:04-0:26), the path is clearly shown: Layers -> New adjustment layer -> Invert.

What Happens When You Invert Colors?

Inverting colors replaces each color with its complementary color. For example:

  • White becomes Black
  • Black becomes White
  • Red becomes Cyan
  • Green becomes Magenta
  • Blue becomes Yellow

This creates a negative-like effect often used for artistic purposes or sometimes to analyze image details.

Why Use an Adjustment Layer?

Using an Invert adjustment layer offers several benefits:

  • Non-Destructive: It doesn't permanently change your original image data. You can hide, delete, or modify the adjustment layer at any time.
  • Flexible: You can change its blending mode or opacity, or apply a mask to control which parts of the image are affected.
  • Editable: You can double-click the adjustment layer thumbnail to potentially access options (though the Invert adjustment is simple and has no further settings).

This method is the standard and most flexible way to invert colors in Photopea and similar image editors.

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