The E-commerce world is dependent on photography in many ways. Professional photography can boost the sales and at the same time, poor quality images can ruin the brand reputation. 75% of the online buyers rely on images while deciding to buy a product. So, it’s essential to make the product images look like the original product.

To keep the original color of the product in product photography, one needs to have a clear idea on how to do color correction in photoshop. This is one of the most essential post processing works of e-commerce product photography, because the product has to look like the original piece, no matter what.

How to Color Correction in Photoshop – Step by Step Tutorial

Color correction means restoring the original color of an image. The original color of a product or subject might often change because of the lighting condition, camera settings or other effects. In those cases one must have to correct the color in post processing. 

Here, we’re going to explain a very easy and quick method of correcting color in photoshop – using Color Balance. So, to correct the color, one needs to understand where it went wrong in the first place. If you can identify the problem, your job is half done! 

In this process, you’ll have to identify which color is not in the correct amount. Then you’ll have to increase or decrease the amount of the opposite color of that. This will balance the previous color in the image. For that, first check the list of complementary colors –

Red – Cyan

Green – Magenta

Blue – Yellow

If one image has a Green color cast (excessive green color), you’ll have to increase the Magenta in the image, as Magenta is the opposite color of Green.

Let’s dive deeper into the process –

Step 1: Open

Go to File from the top menu and click on Open to open the file you want to work on.

Step 2: Duplicate Layer

For safety, we’ll make a copy of the main layer. Right-click on the Background Layer and select Duplicate Layer. Or you can just press Ctrl+J (Command+J on Mac) on your keyboard.

Step 3: Color Balance

Click on the Adjustment Layer menu (right beside the Layer mask icon) and select Color Balance.

Step 4: Change Slider

Now, understand the color condition of your image. In this image, it looks like there is a red color cast in this image.

So, to correct that, we’ll have to increase the Cyan color. Now, the color cast is most visible at the face, which is the highlight area. So, we’ll first select Highlights as our working area and then shift the slider.

Now, it looks like there is a yellow cast. So, we’ll increase the blue color too.

After doing the color correction, you can adjust the light from the Curves menu if you need. 

Step 5: Save

Go to File and select Save As to save the image.

Key Shortcuts

Here’s a list of key shortcuts of photoshop for Windows and Mac for a faster working experience –

Result	Windows	Mac
New File	Ctrl+N	Command+N
Open a File	Ctrl+O	Command+O
Open As	Alt+Shift+Ctrl+O	Option+Shift+Command+O
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Command+Z
Redo	Shift+Ctrl+Z	Shift+Command+Z
Cut	Ctrl+X or, F2	Command+X or, F2
Copy	Ctrl+C or, F3	Command+C or, F3
Paste	Ctrl+V or, F4	Command+V or, F4
Level	Ctrl+L	Command+L
Curves	Ctrl+M	Command+M
Color Balance	Ctrl+B	Command+B
Select and Mask	Alt+Ctrl+R	Option+Command+R
Zoom Ou	Ctrl+-	Command+-
Invert	Ctrl+I	Command+I
Free Transform	Ctrl+T	Command+T
New Layer	Shift+Ctrl+N	Shift+Command+N
Group Layers	Ctrl+G	Command+G
Ungroup Layers	Shift+Ctrl+G	Shift+Command+G
Layer via Copy	Ctrl+J	Command+J
Layer via Cut	Shift+Ctrl+J	Shift+Command+J
Zoom In	Ctrl++	Command++
Lock Layers	Ctrl+/	Command+/
Select All	Ctrl+A	Command+A
Deselect	Ctrl+D	Command+D
Save	Ctrl+S	Command+S
Save As	Shift+Ctrl+S	Shift+Command+S
Close	Ctrl+W	Command+W
Close All	Alt+Ctrl+W	Option+Command+W

You can customize your keyboard shortcuts too. Check out here.

Color Grading vs Color Correction

Many beginners have a confusion about Color Grading and Color Correction. Though both of them change the color of the image, the working purpose is totally different. Even the same tools can be used to do these works, but they create different effects on images.

Color Grading is creating certain kinds of color tone for aesthetic reasons. Different tones create different moods in the image. There are no particular rules of color grading. It depends on the taste of the creator. This is more like individual aesthetic styles which they implement on their images.

On the other hand, color correction is bringing back the original color of the image. Because of so many factors, the original color of a product might change. In product photography, this is a serious issue, as this changes the information of the product. Through color correction, editors and photographers bring back the original color of the product.

Where to Outsource Color Correction Service If I Need?

Now you know how to do color correction in photoshop. You can do it easily all by yourself. But when you deal with bulk images, it consumes a lot of time to edit all on your own. A much easier, hassle free, and quick solution is to reach out to the professionals. 

You’ll find many professional photo editing services that are available online. Clipping Path Studio offer the best photo color correction services to reach out. We have trained team who are now professional with years of experience. Our first priority is the satisfaction of our clients. This is why they keep coming back to us.

Before relying on us, we offer you to go for the free trial to be sure of your decision. Only after that, you can give us the responsibility of your images.

Final Thought

In e-commerce photography, 22% of the return happens because the product doesn’t look like the image in real. This creates distrust among customers. Photography is the most powerful way to connect with buyers in e-commerce photography. No amount of compromise can be considered here as the quality of your photography represents the quality of your business.