Steal Colour Grading from Any Image in Photoshop

stealing colour grading in photoshop

Steal Colour Grading from Any Image in Photoshop

I tell my children that stealing is bad, this tutorial makes an exception to that rule. I often look at my own images and think, could this be improved by a colour adjustment. Then I am cautious and reluctant to change the colors and risk changing the image too much. I’ve also stared at other photographers images in envy, and have sought to replicate their work. Finding an image that has stunning color grading and being able to transfer that to your own images can be a real game-changer. This Tutorial will give you the confidence to venture and explore experimenting with your color grading, to make your photos really stand out from the crowd.

httpv://www.youtube.com/epPOrHG6SnE#stepSize=+2


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I have used these techniques whilst playing around to great effect. This is such a beautiful way of transferring a colour range into a photo that might have otherwise been left a bit flat. Having the correct color tones in your image can make all the difference. And, by stealing or borrowing colour gradients from other images can really help you achieve the wow factor. This tutorial was brought provided by PiXimperfect, possibly the largest providers of Photoshop Youtube tutorials with over 2 million subscribers. You should check out their Youtube channel.

There’s quite a lot of stages in this process. So, we’ve highlighted some key areas in the video for you. Just in case you get a little lost along the way.

  • 0:40 – Where to get your pallet from, Save to Web.
  • 1:35 – How to save your pallet as a colour table.
  • 2:00 – How to create a gradient map.
  • 2:20 – where to find color swatches.
  • 3:25 – How to map your Gradient Map to your color swatches.
  • 4:30 – Change the blend mode to blend your color pallet.
  • 5:00 – How to find the darkest and brightest points in your image.
  • 6:22 – How to isolate and find a balanced midtone.
  • 8:03 – Replicate and replacing color tones.
  • 10:40 – Compensating.
  • 11:18 – Add some finishing touches to make your image pop.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and that it has inspired you to try something different with your images. 


You can see the effect is warming and dramatic. Just think of all of the other places where colour grading can be applied. Why not give it a try and compare your before and after images.

colour grading in photoshop

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Enter your email below and join our community of more than 100,000 photographers who have also
Subscribed to our newsletter.
Downloaded our FREE Photoshop Course.
Got our FREE Easy Panel for Photoshop.
And, have our FREE Essential Guide To Luminosity Masks E-Book.

Additional Resources

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn more about colour grading, we produced an earlier article on Color Grading and LUT’s Explained that you might like.


Online Colour Grading Resources


Unmesh Dinda is the master behind PiXimperfect. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he shares for free. Please visit his website www.piximperfect.com and show your support by signing up to become a patreon. 

As always in phohotshop, there are multiple routes you can take to achieve a similar outcome. This post offers an alternative method to A Quick and Easy Way to Color Grade Images in Photoshop.


Steal Colour Grading from Any Image in Photoshop
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