Using Color Palettes Part 1
With the unlimited possibilities of color selection in Photoshop, it’s really easy to get lost. I start with only about 3-4 colors (I personally mix colors directly on whatever I’m working on). I limit the colors for two reasons:
It keeps me from going too color-crazy.
When done right, it forms a subtle sense of unity between the colors.
Unless it’s a black and white or 2-color image, I use a variation of each primary color. The specific choices come down to the mood I want to communicate.
Here’s an example palette. Feel free to use!
–
I bring my brush opacity down, usually anywhere between 12% and 56%. Using my base colors, I go over one color with another.
–
I then go over these new colors with each other and the original colors, varying in brush opacity.
–
Eventually, I have a palette like this.
It’s an interesting and diverse range of colors without fumbling around the color picker.
–
As an example, in How Cats Find Their Way Home, you can see the amount of base colors compared to a selection of all of the colors.
