How to Change Lineart Color in Photoshop

This guide will show you how to color line art in Photoshop. It's easy to follow and great for beginners and pros alike. By following a few simple steps, you can change your line art to any color in an instant.

How to Change the Line-Art Color in Photoshop

The following steps only work if the line art is either on a transparent or 100% white background, otherwise changing the color could tint the background. Below, we'll also cover how to isolate the line art from its background.

Step 1

First, select the layer with your line art. Go to Lock in the upper Layer panel, and choose the Transparency button. This will make it so that no pixels will be added or removed from a layer.

lock the layer transparency using the layers panel — Vintage Flowers

Step 2

Next, select the Lasso tool, and create a selection around the section of line art you want to change.

using the Lasso tool to create a selection around the line art

Step 3

Change your Foreground color to whatever color you want your lineart to be.

Hit Alt-Delete to change the selected section of lineart to the chosen foreground color.

choose your foreground color and hit alt-delete to change lineart color

How to Isolate Line Art in Photoshop

Step 1

Need to separate your line art or scanned drawing from a white background? It's easy! First, select the layer that has your line art on it, and go to Window > Channels.

Hold Control/Command and click the RGB channel, which is the first channel in the channel stack. This will select the black line art in your image.

Go to Selection > Invert to Invert the selection.

Step 2

Next, create a New Layer and add a Layer Mask to the layer. The layer mask will take the shape of the selected line art.

Make sure the new blank layer is active, and fill that layer with black using the Paint Bucket tool.

Step 3

Finally, right-click on the layer mask and choose Apply Layer Mask. Hide your original line art, and create a New Layer filled with white.

apply the layer mask to the new line art and add a white background

That's How to Color Line Art in Photoshop

And there you have it! You now know how to change the color of line art in Photoshop. With this simple technique, you can add a touch of color to your sketches instantly. Whether you're a digital artist, designer, or just someone who's curious, this skill will definitely come in handy. So go ahead and try it out for yourself!