Using Gradient Maps to Recolour Images in Adobe Photoshop
There are quite a few different ways of recolouring your images in Adobe Photoshop, and one of my all time favourite techniques is using the Gradient Map adjustment which allows you to reduce the number of colours in any image and create striking monotone, duotone and tritone images, or something a little more complex, experimental and even psychedelic, if you go for more colours!
How to Apply a Gradient Map Adjustment
To colour an image with a Gradient Map:
either go to the Adjustments panel and click on the Gradient Map adjustments icon;
or go to the Layers panel, click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the bottom of the panel and select Gradient Map from the list.
Make sure that the Gradient Map layer is above your image layer (or above all layers you have in your document which you want to re-colour the same way).
Using Multiple Gradient Maps to Recolour Separate Elements
If you have a number of elements in your document you want to recolour using different Gradient Maps, place the Gradient Map layers above the respective layers with the graphics (or groups of layers) you want to recolour in pairs, and use Clipping Masks so that each Gradient Map only affects a specific layer or group. To create a Clipping Mask, either Alt/Option+click between the Gradient Map adjustment layer and the layer/group below, or right-click on the Gradient Map adjustment layer in the Layers panel and from the menu select Create Clipping Mask.
Gradient Map Properties
After adding a new Gradient Map adjustment layer, the Properties panel should open by default, and if not, simply double-click on the Gradient Map adjustment layer’s thumbnail in the Layers panel.
In the Properties panel, you will see the gradient used to tone the image, which is by default created between the foreground and the background colours specified in the Tools panel, and a few other options, including:
Reverse tickbox which allows you to swap the colour stops around without you needing to do it manually;
Dither tickbox which allows you to reduce the colour banding and create smoother transitions;
and Method (Classic, Linear, Perceptual) which affects how the colours in the gradient map blend together.
How to Modify the Gradient Map
working with the Gradient
To modify your gradient map and change the colours, click on the gradient preview in the Properties panel. This will open the Gradient Editor, where you can adjust your gradient, pick another gradient preset from the library, or manually set up your gradients using the gradient slider.
Gradient Maps work by replacing colours from the original image based on their brightness in grayscale with the equivalent colours from the set gradient: the left stop replaces black in your image, the right one replaces white, and any additional stops replace the shades in between.
You can use just two colours to create a duotone or monotone image, or you can add more colour stops to your gradient by clicking just under the gradient slider (when you see a hand cursor appear instead of the default arrow cursor) and then assign a colour to this new colour stop. If you want to duplicate an existing colour stop, simply Alt/Option+drag it sideways to a new location on the slider. To delete a colour stop, you can either simply drag it away from the gradient slider, or select it and hit Delete.
Changing the Colours & adjusting transitions
You can change a colour of your colour stops in a few different ways, depending on where you want to source the colours from:
to select a new colour using the Colour Picker, double-click on the desired colour stop or single-click on the colour preview for the selected stop and select your desired colour;
to select a new colour from the Swatches, select the colour stop you want to assign a new colour to, go to the Swatches panel and click on your desired swatch;
to sample a colour from your artwork or from the foreground or background colours set in the Tools panel, select the colour stop you want to recolour and move the cursor to the area you want to sample a colour from and click on it (you will see the eyedropper cursor appear when you move your mouse over any area which can be used for sampling colours).
If you have more that two colour stops, additional colour stops will be used to replace certain tones in your image, and if you move the colour stop indicators around, you’ll change the way the colours are distributed in your image and how different colours transition into one another.
When you have any colour stop selected, you will also see a diamond-shaped indicator between the colour stops, which is called a midpoint. A midpoint indicates where two colours are mixed in equal proportions, and by moving it around you can adjust the colour transition between the two respective colour stops.
Saving Gradient Presets
Whilst in the Gradient Editor, you can save a new gradient preset based on the gradient you have set up. Simply give your new preset a name (or keep it named Custom to begin with as you can always rename your created presets later), and click on the New button.
Gradient presets are best organised into folders. In order to put your new presets into a new folder:
select a range of presets you want to be in the same group;
right-click on the selection and select New Gradient Group from the menu;
rename your presets group;
click OK.
When presets are organised into groups, you can easily export them in sets, if you need to, and keep everything neat and tidy in the Gradient Editor and Gradient panel which will make it easier to find the gradient presets you are looking for.
Looking for some exciting Gradient Maps to play around in your work? We’ve got you covered with our free & premium digital assets:
Duotones: Essential Collection — 30 Adobe Photoshop Toning Actions & Gradient Presets
Duotones Based on 2023 Colour Trends — 40 Gradient Presets & Colour Swatches for Adobe Photoshop
Multitones: Deep & Rich Collection — 10 Gradient Presets for Adobe Photoshop
Using Gradient Maps is a quick and easy process, which offers a lot of different creative possibilities, whether you are into toning graphics or photographs, creating striking colourful posters, animated colour transitions or abstract gradient artworks. And I hope you have picked up a few useful tips for using Gradient Map adjustment layers in Adobe Photoshop, and will have a lot of fun experimenting with them in your work!
Related Content
To get the best possible results when toning images using Gradient Maps, it is handy to adjust the contrast in your images beforehand using the Curves adjustment layer for a more precise control over different tonal areas in your images. If you want to learn more about the process, be sure to check out my blog post about Making Tonal Adjustments Using Curves.
If you want to learn all my tips and tricks for adjusting images for toning, developing interesting colour combinations and all other things related to creating duotones, don’t hesitate to check out my Skillshare class Mastering Duotones in Adobe Photoshop.
If you want to learn to create beautiful abstract gradient artworks or backgrounds in Adobe Photoshop coloured with Gradient Maps — check out my Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Organic Abstract Gradient Artworks in Adobe Photoshop tutorial on the blog and watch the related YT video tutorial to see the complete process.
