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Key Takeaways

  • Use the Color Range tool to easily select and remove specific colors in Photoshop.
  • Take advantage of the Remove Background tool in the Properties menu for quick and effective color selection.
  • The Sky Select tool allows for easy color selection, particularly for images with blue skies.

If you want to select all the same color in Photoshop, you have plenty of options available to you. Including some methods you might not have previously thought about.

1. Using the Color Range Tool to Select Color in Photoshop

We’ll begin with the most obvious choice. The Color Range tool in Photoshop is one of several selection tools in the Select menu. We will use it to simply remove all the cyan and blue from the background.

  1. Once the image is loaded into Photoshop, go to Select > Color Range.
    Select Color Range
  2. In the Color Range menu, make sure it says Sampled Colors in the dropdown menu. Set the Fuzziness slider to 0, and set Range to 100 percent (you'll need to tick Localized Color Clusters first). Click to select the Invert option, and set the Selection Preview to None.
    Color Range Values
  3. Click on the +Eyedropper icon, which represents the Add to Sample tool. While left-clicking your mouse, trace around all the cyan in the image. You can also simply click in areas that you’ve missed. Everything colored Black is your selection.
    Add to Sample
  4. Next, let’s clean up any black specks from everything that is not cyan or blue in the image. To do this, select the -Eyedropper icon, which is the Subtract from Sample tool.
  5. As before, left-click and hold while tracing your mouse wherever you see black that isn’t part of the sky. Also, be sure to click inside the umbrella and on the subjects. You want this selection to be all White, as shown below. Then, click OK.
    Subtract from Sample
  6. Your selection will now be highlighted. Next, go to Select > Select and Mask.
    Select Select and Mask
  7. At the bottom of the Properties menu, change Output To to New Layer with Mask. Then, click OK.
    New Layer with Mask

The cyan and blue colors have been fully removed from the image.

Color Range After

You can also use the Fuzziness and Range sliders in tandem with the sample tools to select the color(s), but for this example, it was more straightforward to use a more hands-on approach.

2. How to Use the Slightly Hidden Remove Background Tool

For this particular image, removing all the cyan and blue is very easy when using the Remove Background tool, which is nestled in the Properties menu. You'll need a duplicate layer for this tool to be accessible. As you will see, it's an effective way to use Photoshop to select colors.

Here’s how it works:

  1. With your image loaded into Photoshop, press Ctrl + J to duplicate the layer (Command + J if you're on a Mac).
    Duplicate Layer
  2. Go to Window > Properties.
    Window Properties
  3. Under Quick Actions, click Remove Background.
    Remove Background
  4. Deselect the Background layer (bottom layer) by clicking the Eye icon so that only the selection is revealed.
    Deselect Background Layer
  5. Toggle the X key until white is the foreground color. Then, press B for the Brush tool.
    Toggle X Key B Brush Tool
  6. With the layer mask selected on the duplicate layer (top layer), paint White over everything except for the sky. Make sure Opacity and Flow are at 100 percent and a Round Brush is selected.

When painting with the Brush tool, keep these tips in mind:

  • The Brush options are located in the top menu bar in Photoshop.
  • Use the [ ] bracket keys to make the brush larger or smaller for better control.
  • If you paint on the sky, toggle the X key so that the foreground is Black, and simply erase the sky.
  • Use Ctrl + + and Ctrl + - to zoom in and out.

What we end up with should be the exact same result as the previous method, with both the sky’s cyan and blue hues completely removed. If you want to change the color of your image in Photoshop for more areas, check out our guide on how to change the color of an image in Photoshop.

3. Using the Sky Select Tool in Photoshop to Select Color

One of the quickest methods for selecting all the same color in Photoshop, at least for an image with a blue sky, is the Sky Select tool. You can manually modify this section, but it's also possible to use Generative Fill to allow AI to do the work for you.

Here’s how it works:

  1. With your image loaded into Photoshop, go to Select > Sky.
    Select Sky
  2. Since we want to save everything but the sky, go to Select > Inverse.
    Select Inverse
  3. Go to Select > Select and Mask.
    Select Select and Mask
  4. Choose the middle brush, the Refine Edge tool, and paint red over the area next to the subject’s neck (on the left side). Also, paint red over the cloud to select it.
    Paint Red over Cloud
  5. Change the Output To to New Layer with Layer Mask and click OK.
    New Layer with Layer Mask

The end result is two layers with the sky completely removed. If there are touch-ups needed, you can click on the layer mask and paint in black or white to fill in the details. It's also a good idea to understand the other essential tools you need for editing colors in Photoshop.

Sky Selection After

4. Using the Magic Background Eraser Tool to Select the Same Color

Technically, this method isn’t instructing Photoshop to select the same color as much as it's simply erasing the cyan and blue manually. You may laugh at how ridiculously simple and effective this tool is compared to the other methods so far.

Keep in mind that this is a destructive editing workflow. Therefore, depending on how you intend to use the image, you may want to duplicate the layer first by pressing Ctrl + J to save your original layer.

  1. With your image loaded into Photoshop, click on the Eraser tool menu or Press E for the standard Eraser tool. Select the Magic Eraser Tool.
    Magic Eraser Tool
  2. Click all around the sky regions of the image until most of the color is gone. Don’t worry if you can’t select all the sky. We will address that next.
    Click Around the Sky
  3. From the Eraser tool menu, select the Eraser tool.
    Eraser Tool
  4. Simply paint over the rest of the sky to make the selection completely transparent.
    Paint Over Remaining Sky

The resulting image should look exactly like (or very similar) to the rest of the examples we’ve covered so far.

If you have made a mistake or want to redo something, read our guide to undoing and redoing changes in Photoshop.

5. Using the Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop

If you want to select all the same color in Photoshop for a subject, you can use the Quick Selection Tool. Here's how to do that:

  1. In the left-hand toolbar, press control and select the fourth icon from the top.
  2. Choose the Quick Selection Tool.
    Choose the Object Select Tool in Photoshop
  3. Select the parts of the image that you want to adjust.
  4. Tap the icon with half of a shaded-in circle to reveal the Adjustments Panel. Here, you can make any edits you feel are required.
    The toolbar that appears after you've used the Object Selection Tool in Photoshop

Once you've edited one color with the Quick Selection Tool, you can do the same for everywhere else that you feel it's necessary.

There isn't a singular way to select all the same color in Photoshop and edit it, and you'll need to call on different methods in varying situations.

For example, Quick Selection works better if you have only a few colors in your background, whereas you may need something more specific for pictures with multiple colors. Experimenting with and learning how to use each of these is the best way to ensure that you always have access to the tools and features you need.