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Logos are a crucial part of any brand‘s visual identity. The colors you choose for your logo can evoke certain emotions and associations in your audience. But what if you need to update your logo colors to signal a change in direction, create alternate versions for different contexts, or optimize them for accessibility?
Luckily, Adobe Photoshop makes it easy to change the colors of a logo, whether you‘re working with a logo on a transparent background or one with the background embedded. In this guide, we‘ll walk through two methods for recoloring logos in Photoshop, complete with step-by-step instructions and helpful tips. Let‘s get started!
Why Change Your Logo Colors?
There are a few key reasons why you might want or need to change the colors in your logo:
1. Rebranding or updating your visual style
As your brand evolves over time, your logo may need a color refresh to reflect your new positioning and personality. Updating logo colors is often a key part of a rebranding process.
2. Creating variations for different applications
You may need inverted or alternate color versions of your logo for things like favicons, app icons, social media, or print materials where your primary logo colors won‘t work well.
3. Improving accessibility
To be readable and visually accessible to the widest audience, your logo colors should comply with accessibility standards and best practices regarding color contrast, avoided color combinations, and more. Optimizing your logo colors is especially important for things like signage, business cards, and digital interfaces.
4. Aesthetic or seasonal changes
Sometimes you just want to experiment with how your logo looks in different color schemes, or adapt it for different seasons, holidays or campaigns. Changing colors is an easy way to get a fresh take on your core logo.
Ultimately, the colors you choose will depend on your unique brand identity, audience, and goals – but having the ability to easily modify your logo colors in Photoshop unlocks a lot of useful applications! Now let‘s look at the two main types of logo files you might be starting with.
Transparent vs. Embedded Background Logos
The specific method you‘ll use in Photoshop to change your logo colors depends on the type of file you‘re working with:
Logos on a transparent background allow you to see through the negative space around and inside the logo to whatever is behind it. These are usually PNG files with the background deleted or turned off. Logos on transparency are more versatile since they can be placed on any color background.
Logos with an embedded background have the background as part of the image itself, so you can‘t see through it. These are usually JPG files, or PNGs with the background turned on. Embedded background logos are less flexible since the background color is baked in.
Identifying which type of logo you have will determine which of the following methods to use. If you‘re not sure, look at the file extension (like .jpg or .png), or open the logo in Photoshop and see if there is a checkerboard pattern indicating transparency.
Method 1: Using Color Overlay for Transparent Background Logos
This method works best for logos that are on a transparent background, where you want to apply a new color to the entire logo shape. Here‘s how:
Step 1: Duplicate the logo layer
In the Layers panel, click on the logo layer to select it, then press Ctrl/Cmd+J to duplicate the layer. This preserves the original logo in case you want to reference or revert back to it later. You can toggle the duplicate layer visibility on/off by clicking the eye icon.
Step 2: Double-click the duplicate layer and apply a Color Overlay
Double-click on the duplicate logo layer thumbnail to open the Layer Style window. Check the box for "Color Overlay" — this will fill the entire shape of your logo with a new color.
Click on the color swatch to pick a new color from the color picker, enter specific RGB/HEX values, or sample a color from your image using the eyedropper tool. Adjust the blend mode and opacity if needed to fine-tune the color effect.
Step 3 (Optional): Use a layer mask to reveal parts of the original color
If you only want to change some parts of the logo to the new color while keeping other parts the original color, you can use a layer mask:
With the recolored logo layer selected, click the Add Layer Mask icon (rectangle with circle inside) at the bottom of the Layers panel. This adds a white layer mask thumbnail.
Ctrl/Cmd+Click the original logo layer thumbnail to select its contents, then click the layer mask thumbnail on the recolored layer to make it active. Fill the selection with black (Edit > Fill > Black) to hide the recolored areas, revealing the original color in those areas instead.
You can paint on the layer mask with a soft round brush to gradually blend between the original and new colors. Remember: black conceals and white reveals on layer masks!
And that‘s it – you‘ve now changed the color of your transparent logo using Color Overlay! This method is quick and non-destructive since it uses a layer style. Double-click the Color Overlay style any time to adjust the color.
Method 2: Using Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer for Embedded Background Logos
For logos with an embedded colored background that you want to change, you‘ll need to first separate the logo from the background, then apply an adjustment layer. Here‘s the process:
Step 1: Make a selection of just the logo
Use the Magic Wand or Quick Selection tool to carefully select just the parts of the logo you want to recolor. Hold Shift to add to the selection or Alt/Option to subtract from it. Refine the selection as needed with the Refine Edge Brush tool.
Step 2: Copy the logo to a new layer
With the logo selected, press Ctrl/Cmd+J to duplicate the selection to a new layer. This puts the logo on its own layer, separate from the background.
Step 3: Apply a clipped Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
Click the Create New Fill/Adjustment Layer icon (half-black/half-white circle) at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Hue/Saturation.
To clip the adjustment layer so it only affects the logo below it, hover between the two layers until you see the clipping icon (square with down arrow) and click. The adjustment layer should indent and an arrow should appear.
Step 4: Adjust the hue, saturation and lightness
In the Properties panel, check the box for "Colorize" then adjust the Hue slider to change the overall color, and the Saturation and Lightness sliders to fine-tune the intensity and brightness.
Step 5: Expand the selection if needed
If you see any edges or artifacts from the original logo color, you may need to expand the selection slightly:
Ctrl/Cmd+click the logo layer thumbnail to re-select it. Go to Select > Modify > Expand and enter 1 or 2 pixels.
With the expanded selection active, click the layer mask thumbnail on the Hue/Saturation adjustment to make it active, then press Alt/Option+Backspace to fill it with white and reveal the adjustment.
You‘ve now changed the color of an embedded background logo using an adjustment layer! This method takes a bit more setup but gives you lots of control.
Choosing Accessible, Aesthetic Logo Colors
Now that you know how to technically change logo colors in Photoshop, how do you decide what colors to actually use? Here are some tips:
Consider color psychology and meanings
Colors communicate different qualities and elicit certain emotional responses. For example, blue evokes trust and competence, red passion and excitement, green growth and health. Think about what traits you want to convey through your color choices.
Evaluate competitors‘ colors
Do some research to see what colors are already being used in your industry and by your competitors. You can choose to align with established color conventions, or intentionally subvert them to stand out.
Create a cohesive color palette
Don‘t just change your logo to a random color in isolation. Choose logo colors that work harmoniously with the rest of your brand‘s color palette for a polished, intentional look.
Use accessible color contrast
Make sure there is sufficient contrast between your logo color and any text or background color it appears on. You can use online contrast checker tools to ensure your color combos meet WCAG accessibility guidelines.
Keep cultural context in mind
Be aware of any cultural implications of color in your target markets. A color that‘s positive in one country might have negative connotations in another.
Test colors in situ
Mock up your logo in your brand‘s common color environments like your website, packaging, signage, etc. to see how the colors work in context. You may need to adjust them for balance and consistency.
When to Use Adobe Illustrator Instead of Photoshop
We‘ve covered how to change logo colors in Photoshop, but in some cases you may want to use Adobe Illustrator instead:
For vector logos
If your logo is in vector format (EPS, AI, SVG or PDF file), it‘s best to edit it with Illustrator, which is a vector graphics program. Vector logos can scale to any size without losing quality. Photoshop is better for raster graphics (like JPEGs or PNGs).
For more precise color control
Illustrator gives you more options for specifying exact colors using Pantone (PMS) or CMYK color codes, which is important if you need to match logo colors precisely across different media, or adhere to brand guidelines.
For more advanced recoloring
Illustrator has a few tools specifically for recoloring vector graphics, like the Recolor Artwork tool, that let you apply and test out entire color schemes at once. This is more precise than than the raster-based color editing in Photoshop.
So if you have an Illustrator-compatible version of your vector logo file, that‘s the way to go for professional logo color editing and exporting. But if you‘re working with a rasterized logo and just need to make some color changes, Photoshop can certainly handle it!
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
To sum up, there are two main ways to change logo colors in Photoshop:
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For logos on a transparent background, duplicate the logo layer and apply a Color Overlay layer style to fill the logo with a new color. Use a layer mask to reveal parts of the original color if desired.
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For logos with an embedded background, select and copy the logo to a new layer, then clip a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to it and adjust the hue, saturation and lightness. Expand the selection slightly and fill the layer mask if needed to hide any remnants of the original color.
When choosing new colors for your logo, consider color psychology, competitor colors, accessibility, cultural meanings, and design fundamentals to create an intentional, appropriate and polished palette. Test your colors in different contexts to make sure they work.
For vector logos or more advanced color editing and management, use Adobe Illustrator instead of Photoshop if you can. But Photoshop is still a quick and powerful tool for updating colors in raster logo files.
Hopefully this guide has given you the knowledge and steps you need to take control of your logo colors in Photoshop! Experiment with different options to find the right color combination that makes your brand shine.