1. BeFunky Help Center
  2. Photo Editor
  3. Edit

Using the Color Mixer

Avatar
BeFunky Team
Updated:

The Color Mixer tool, in our Edit tools, can quickly change the color profile of an image. If you have an image that’s too warm and you want cooled down, or you want to make a custom photo filter to apply a signature look, the Color Mixer is a great option. Further refine your images and style by adjusting the red, green, and blue color channels for shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. Using the Color Mixer you can restore or enhance colors, or switch to black and white to increase contrast and intensity.

This tool is only available for BeFunky Plus subscribers. Upgrade your subscription here!

 

Pro Tip: You can use the Color Mixer for cross-processing, which is how filters are created for apps like Instagram. By crossing several different color channels, you can get unique effects that create specific moods or aesthetics.

Step 1: Start by opening an image in the Photo Editor.
Step 2: Go to the Edit menu then choose Color Mixer under the Color Enhancements section.
Step 3 (optional): Toggle the Black & White button to turn your image into a greyscale image. Use the color channel adjustment sliders in the Balance and Adjust panels to change the value of the black and white areas by selecting a color swatch and/or dragging the sliders right or left.
 

Adjust and Balance

The Balance and Adjust sections work together to affect the overall result. Move between the Adjust and Balance sections to adjust as needed.

Pro Tip: Adjust panel can also be used as an alternate and/or enhancement to the Replace Color tool when adjusting a color or hue. 

Step 4: Select the Adjust section.  Select the desired color spectrum swatch (reds, oranges, yellows, greens, cyans, blues, purples, and magentas) you wish to edit.

Drag the sliders or input the number amount to continue to make changes to the various color spectrums in the image.  Drag left to decrease, or right to increase the amount. Inputting the number zero will reset the slider(s).

  • Hue - The dominant color family. Dragging the slider will isolate and change the selected color spectrum swatch to the selected Hue.
  • Saturation -The boldness of the color.
  • Luminance - How brightly a color is perceived.
  • Contrast - The amount of difference between the lightest and darkest hue of the color. 

Pro Tip: This can be a nice place to do a quick save if you are using the tool with Select Mode so that only the edits made with Adjust will be applied to the image at this point. 

Step 5: Select the Balance section. Select the tone range that you would like to edit. Drag the color adjustment sliders left or right. The selected color(s) will shift the colors in the tonal range. Tone ranges can be edited independently of one another. 

  • Shadows - The darker tones of the image.
  • Midtones - The region of tones that fall between the darkest shadows and brightest highlights of the image. 
  • Highlights - The brightest tones of the image.

Pro Tip: Midtone is the most encompassing tone. You can start with this tone first to get an overall look. Then adjust the Shadows and Highlights as needed.

Step 6: By default the Preserve Luminosity box will be selected. Preserve Luminosity will preserve the contrast and detail of the original image. Click to deselect this option.  
Step 7: To add the effect to certain parts of the image, click on the Select tab. Select the region you would like to apply the effect to or use the Brush Settings to further customize the effect placement.
Step 8: Click Apply to save your changes. Continue adding to and editing your creation. If you're
done, be sure to save your project!
 

Looking for more inspiration? Check out another tutorial:

Master Color Correction With the Color Mixer
Color Grade Images With the Color Mixer
The Secret to Photo Editing for Various Skin Tones

6 out of 6 found this helpful