To change the color of an element in Procreate, you generally need to isolate the area you want to recolor and then apply a new color or adjustment. The method you use depends on whether you want to fill an area with a new color, change the hue of existing color, or recolor a specific object.
Isolating the Area
Often, the first step to changing the color of a specific object or area is to select it. Procreate offers several ways to do this:
- Using the Selection Tool (S icon): Draw around the area you want to select using Freehand, Rectangle, Ellipse, or Automatic modes.
- Selecting an Existing Shape or Object: Based on the reference, you can select an existing shape or object. The reference mentions, "Tap on our cookie cutter [shape/object], and use the option of select that will have selected the shape that we just Made then go to your layers." This indicates a process where an element, perhaps on a separate layer or created using a specific tool, can be selected directly.
- Selecting Layer Content: You can select the opaque pixels of an entire layer by tapping the layer thumbnail and choosing Select.
Once the area is selected (indicated by diagonal lines), you can apply color changes only within that selection.
Applying a Different Color
After isolating the area or selecting the layer, you can change its color using various methods:
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ColorDrop:
- Select your desired new color from the color palette.
- Drag and drop the color swatch from the top-right corner onto the selected area or the layer thumbnail. This will flood the selection or the entire layer content with the new color. If you're filling an unselected area, drag the color swatch onto that area.
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Fill Layer / Fill Selection:
- Ensure your desired color is selected.
- Tap on the layer thumbnail you want to change.
- In the layer options menu that appears, select Fill Layer. If you have an active selection, this option might appear as Fill Selection.
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Adjustments (Magic Wand Icon):
- Tap the Adjustments icon (the wand).
- Choose Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Color Balance, or Recolor.
- Hue, Saturation, Brightness: This lets you shift the existing color (Hue), make it more or less vibrant (Saturation), or lighten/darken it (Brightness).
- Color Balance: Allows more fine-tuned adjustments across shadows, midtones, and highlights.
- Recolor: A powerful tool that quickly replaces a specific color with your currently selected color. Tap the area with the color you want to replace, and it will change to your new color. You can adjust the threshold.
By combining selection techniques with color application methods, you can easily make specific parts of your artwork a different color in Procreate.
