Changing Patterned Paper to a More Pleasing Color

[LadyJaine]

I'd provide a sample, using a CS paper, but I use my CS digital kits so rarely, I don't keep them on my drive and my backups are stored in a different state right now. I'm using PSCS3, but this works with other programs.

Let us assume that you have a paper in a color you dislike, but you like the pattern on the paper. You want to make the paper a different color, but you want to keep the pattern. You've tried to 'recolor' but you just can't get it to look right.

Open a new, blank file and fill it with the color that you want. You can use the eyedropper tool to take a sample of a color that you do like, you don't have to create it from scratch. Imagine taking a sample of Fizz pink, or Serengeti green. No, Serengeti brown, the green got a few down checks...

Use the paint bucket and fill your new file with that selected color. Then drag and drop the paper with the pattern you like and the color you hate on top. I press the Shift key at the end of my drag, so the new file lands on the target file centered. I'm lazy that way.

Then I go to the Magic Wand Tool and set the tolerance between 0 and 255, but usually below 50-75.
I position the cursor on the background of my patterned layer and click. I'll have marching ants scattered all over the paper. Please realize that unless you zoom in (you don't need to) you won't see all of the ants. Have faith, they are there. Then press your delete key.

You should now be looking at the background you had created, with a pattern visible, but the background of the patterned paper, with the color that you don't like, will be gone. You can leave it like that, or you can merge the two layers.

If you have a fail, try these adjustments.

• Change the contrast of the patterned layer to be stronger before you drag it on top of your filled in layer.
• Change the tolerance of the Magic Wand Tool to be larger, which will include MORE of the background, or smaller, which will include LESS of the background. I start by halving it. Then I'll go to 75% of my first setting or 25% of that setting, depending on what I got when I halved it.
• Change the color of your filled, first layer.
• Change the opacity of the top layer, over in the layers palette.

This will also work if you want to use two papers. Start with a new, blank file and instead of filling with a color, drag your first paper in and drop it in the file. Then drag your patterned paper on top of it.

You are now able to create your own 'Remix' papers, using any color you want and any pattern you want. Collections patterns on Time and Space paper? You can do it.

[Holly]

Another great tip. Thanks Jean. I bookmark each one of these for future use.

[bethrich]

Wow, thanks, Jean. I had not yet learned this technique.