How to Adjust Colors in GIMP

This guide will walk you through the process of modifying colors in any part of an image using GIMP on your computer. GIMP is a free, open-source image editing software designed for desktop use. You can create multiple layers and utilize tools like Bucket Fill or Paintbrush to alter colors in specific areas, attributes, or objects within your image.

Launch GIMP on your computer. The GIMP icon resembles a cartoon animal holding a paintbrush. You can locate this icon in the Start menu on Windows or the Applications folder on Mac.

Select the File tab in the top-left corner. This button is located in the tab bar at the top of the application window (on a PC) or in the menu bar at the top of the screen (on a Mac). This step opens the file options.

Click on Open in the File menu. This step opens a new pop-up window where you can select the image you want to open.

Choose the image you want to edit. Search for and click on the file name in the pop-up window.

• You will see a preview of the image on the right side of the pop-up window when you select it.

Click the Open button. This step opens the selected image in GIMP.

• If prompted to convert the image profile to a GIMP-compatible color scale, click Convert for the best results.

Click on the Layer tab at the top. You can find this button in the tab bar at the top of the application window (on a PC) or in the menu bar at the top of the screen (on a Mac).

Select New Layer from the Layer menu. This step creates a new layer for the image, which you can use to adjust colors.

• This option will open a new "Create a New Layer" pop-up window.

Choose Transparency next to "Fill with." In the "Create a New Layer" pop-up window, ensure that the "Transparency" option is selected as the fill type at the bottom.

• In some versions of GIMP, you might see "Layer Fill Type" instead of "Fill with."
• If you see "Layer Type," you can set this option to "Normal."

Click OK in the "Create a New Layer" pop-up window. This step creates a new, transparent layer on the image.

Click on the Free Select (Lasso) tool in the toolbox. This button resembles a lasso icon located in the toolbox section at the top-left corner. It allows you to select a specific area within the image.

Select the edges of the area you want to adjust. Use the Free Select (Lasso) tool with your mouse to draw a border around the area you wish to modify.

• Ensure that the new, transparent layer is selected on the right, not the original image.
• Once the border is drawn, you will see a dashed line around the selected area.

Click on the "Bucket Fill" tool in the toolbox. This button looks like a paint bucket and is located in the toolbox section at the top-left corner.

Click on the foreground color below the toolbox. This action opens a color selection window in a new pop-up.

Choose the color you want to use. You can select any color from the newly opened color selection window.

Click on the bordered area within the image. This step fills the selected region with the chosen color.

• Again, ensure that the new, transparent layer is selected on the right, not the original image.

Click on the drop-down menu labeled Mode at the top of the layer list. You can view all image layers on the right side of the application window.

• By default, the layer mode is set to "Normal".

Select Color from the Mode drop-down menu. This step changes the transparent layer's mode to "Color," allowing you to adjust the color of the selected area in the original image.

Select the Eraser tool from the toolbox. This button resembles a rectangular eraser icon located in the toolbox section at the top-left corner.

Erase the color around the adjusted area. You can use the Eraser tool to manually refine the edges and remove the adjusted color around the selected region.

Create a new, transparent layer. Follow the steps outlined in Part 2 above to create a new, transparent layer on the image without filling it with color.

• Ensure this is a separate layer from the "Color Mode" layer you may have used with the Bucket Fill tool earlier.

Choose the "Paintbrush" tool from the toolbox. This button looks like a paintbrush icon in the toolbox at the top-left corner of the application window.

• This tool allows you to manually apply new colors to the image.
• You can also adjust the size, angle, hardness, and other properties of the brushstroke in the bottom-left corner.

Click on the foreground color layer below the toolbox. On the left, click on the foreground layer of the two color layers to open the color selection window.

Choose the color you want to use for the paintbrush. You can select any color from the newly opened color selection window or enter RGB/HTML values for precise color selection.

Click on the drop-down menu labeled Mode at the top of the layer (Layer). This drop-down menu is located at the top of all image layers on the right and is typically set to "Normal" by default.

• Ensure that the new, transparent layer you created for the paintbrush is selected in the layer list. Do not select the original image here.

Select Hue from the Mode drop-down menu. This step allows you to change the color of the areas you paint with the brush.

Paint over the image to adjust colors. You can use your mouse to paint over the image and alter the color of any region.

• You should paint on the transparent "Hue" layer, not directly on the original image.

Right-click on the original image in the layer list (Layer). This layer is located on the right side of the application window.

• This action opens a menu with various options.

Select Flatten Image from the menu. You will find this option at the bottom or top of the menu.

• This step merges all layers into a single layer, displaying the complete edited image with all color adjustments.

Click on the File menu in the top-left corner. You can locate this option at the top of the application window (on a PC) or in the menu bar near the top-left corner of the screen (on a Mac).

Choose Export As from the File menu. This step opens a new dialog box, allowing you to save the edited image as a separate file on your computer.

Choose the location to save the new image. Navigate and click on the folder where you want to save the edited image within the dialog box.

Click on Select File Type at the bottom. You can find this option at the bottom of the dialog box. This step opens a drop-down list of all the image file types you can export.

Select the format for the new image. You can choose popular image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, or PNG here.

Click the Export button. This button is located at the bottom-right corner of the dialog box. This step exports and saves the new image to the selected folder.

• Some image formats, such as JPEG, may prompt you to select the image quality in a pop-up window. If you see this prompt, you can adjust the settings as needed and then click Export to complete the process.