Color Grading Images in Photoshop with Gradient Maps

Add creative color effects to your images by color grading them in Photoshop using gradient maps! You'll learn how gradient maps work, why they are perfect for color grading, and how to use a gradient map to give your image a more cinematic look by replacing the photo's original colors with the colors from a gradient.
I also show you how to combine gradient maps with layer blend modes for different results, how to save your custom gradients as presets that can be quickly applied to other images, and even how to drag and drop gradient maps from one image to another!
► See also:
1. Photoshop's Hidden Color Grading Presets: • Using the Hidden Color...
2. Instant High Contrast Black and White with Gradient Maps: • Instant High Contrast ...
► Support my channel on Patreon: / photoshopessentials
► Get Photoshop here: prf.hn/l/dlXjD2w
► Get the images used in this tutorial:
1. prf.hn/l/9mEZ49D
2. prf.hn/l/WJgDNq2
► Read the text version: www.photoshopessentials.com/p...
► Video chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:05 - Opening the image
01:27 - Resetting the Foreground and Background colors
01:47 - Adding a Gradient Map adjustment layer
02:04 - How a gradient map works
03:07 - Resetting the gradient to black and white
03:40 - Previewing the gradient in the Gradient Editor
04:08 - Shadows on the left, highlights on the right
04:52 - Creating a monochromatic color effect
06:40 - Fading the gradient using layer opacity
07:28 - Adding colors to the shadows and highlights
09:42 - Adjusting the midtones with the midpoint marker
10:19 - Adding a color stop for the midtones
11:48 - How to save a gradient as a preset
12:52 - The Normal blend mode
14:47 - The Color blend mode
16:00 - The Soft Light blend mode
17:23 - Re-editing the gradient colors
18:19 - Adding more gradient maps to the same image
20:17 - How to copy the gradient map to another image
#PhotoshopTutorial #Photoshop #ColorGrading

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

*Photoshop's HIDDEN Color Grading Presets:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmWYZqtqbrZjjKc *INSTANT High Contrast Black and White Photos with Gradient Maps:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/roq9Xq2Xi7GAhJY

[@joejamesphoto]

Thank you for actually TEACHING and not just showing! Excellent video!

[@Jack-se2iz]

Excellent! Thank you. Clear, well explained, and easy to follow. No missing pieces.

[@bala1000mina]

Thank you so much Steve for the informative and very helpful tutorial! God bless you and good luck!

[@antonias897]

Simple yet extremely powerful, beautiful work, thank you!

[@pedroruedaarboleda]

Thank you. You are great at explanation. Clear and perfect speed.

[@danangarjuna3321]

the Explanation is very clear and Detail. Thanks So much to this channel

[@patrycjabruzdziak7674]

Thank you so much ! The most clarity video with lesson about color granding.

[@jogrant3851]

Finally, the complete tutorial on colour grading with gradient maps. Thank you so very much.

[@girliedog]

Wow, this tutorial is beyond helpful. I learned so much from this, thank you for sharing this with us.

[@sirobinson3945]

So very well, clearly, and expertly explained - Setting a new standard in photoshop tutorial videos.

[@goldfinch2283]

Really great tutorial, thanks 🙏. Your teaching style is second to none!

[@systnx]

This is an amazing tutorial, so clear and so much information, thank you!

[@SSHK237]

Hi Steve, very effective method of teaching. I really enjoyed it. I wonder why it did not appear in my search before? I'm so grateful!! Thanx! ❤

[@bala1000mina]

Hello Steve, Thanks a lot for the wonderful tutorial! Fluent and so clear! God bless you!

[@alainzamrini9723]

I am absolutely awed by this tutorial. I've been using gradient maps forever & had no idea how simple it is to manipulate them into giving you much better results. Of particular interest was the part explaining how to get less blocked up shadows & less blown out highlights when using the soft light blend mode. Much appreciated. Looking forward to more awesome tutorials from you.

[@hoasivilay]

This is the most comprehensive video about gradient maps. Thank you.

[@heinrichkessler7655]

Excellent! Thank you, best tutorial on color grading with gradient maps

[@danielrao3120]

This is a brilliant video. Clearly explained and at a helpful pace. Clearly colour grading takes understanding and practise. This video provides a solid foundation. Many thaniks.

[@DavidMaciasPhoto]

The first grading tutorial that I see that is explained perfectly, thank you.

[@shaileshparekh1855]

Oh my God! I m surprised! How beauuuuu....tifully and calmly you have described this chapter!! Love you, Sir!💗

[@RichardGingrasPhotography]

Thank you so much for this very instructional video. I have been looking for this for a long time to replace presets we need to purchase. You're explanations are so clear. You are a very good instructor.

[@brianwade2587]

You done it again another lesson i knew very little about now, not frightened to try on images. Thank you again

[@leeandreab]

Wow. This is the BEST tutorial on color grading I've watched. You explained it so clearly.

[@TWCH]

You are the best Photoshop teacher I've encountered on KZbin. Thank you.

[@scottcosta7119]

SUPER DUPER. Comprehensive. Detailed...The little things that are relevant, without going on a tangent. Easily understood. Professional delivery...from "the guy next door." I need to dig into more of your tutorials. Thank you!

[@Frank-st7dn]

excellent tutorial, very well explained. thanks a lot for sharing

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

SUPERB is all I can say. You do all the detail that make it easy to follow. Being slow minded because I am old, I play back at 75% speed.

[@ramarao9840]

Very good and clear explanation in details.thank you

[@144joost]

Perfect explanation. Thank you!

[@HenrySRoc]

I just start using Photoshop not long ago. Loved this video explanation in details. Really thankful for that 🙌🏻. Most KZbinr explained either very fast or unable to understand fully. So far this video is the best I had came across. Once again thank u very much

[@zenarobinson3851]

wow! i've been using gradients with blend modes, mostly in 'elements', for years, but i had no idea about gradient maps! thank you so much for this! 🙂

[@homero0980]

what a wonderful tutorial, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@thewanderess]

Thank you Steve! This was really helpful!

[@nickscott6139]

Really useful tutorial. Thank you, I learnt much more from this than many others on YT.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it! Thank you for watching!

[@photonsonpixels]

Best tutorial on color grading with gradient maps; fantastic! Thank you Steve.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

I hope it's helpful. Thank you for watching!

[@scottyg1834]

Awesome explanation mate, thank you

[@pianoman1973]

awesome explanations ! Love that you explain the logic behind what you do - that's the part I was looking for !

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it was helpful. Thank you for watching!

[@memanny6969]

Thank you very much for this tutorial .... outstanding, brilliant, amazing

[@vasundharak9536]

Really appreciate your teaching style and the methodical approach. Really helped me in creating amazing Color graded pictures. Thank you for such a comprehensive video!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it! Thank you for watching!

[@muzafferyucel8635]

Just by chance I have found you. Thanks sooooo much. Soo helpful, excellent style. Best wishes..

[@hannab1114]

Wow 🤩 amazing. Thank you for explaining all the details. This helps a lot ! A really appreciate!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

You are very welcome. Great to hear it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@tatopiano]

Thank you! Your tutorial was just awesome!

[@sangmoonkim2335]

This turorial is really the greatest work ! Amazing and awesome !!!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thank you so much! Great to hear it's helpful.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Like the video? SUBSCRIBE for more! photoshopessentials.tv/subscribe See Also: Photoshop's Hidden Color Grading Presets: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmWYZqtqbrZjjKc Download my Photoshop tutorials as PDFs: photoshopessentials.tv/pdfs Hi everyone, Steve here. Thanks for checking out this video where I show you how to add creative color effects to your images by color grading them in Photoshop using gradient maps! You'll learn how gradient maps work, why they are perfect for color grading, and how to use a gradient map to give your image a more cinematic look by replacing the photo's original colors with the colors from a gradient. I also show you how to combine gradient maps with layer blend modes for different results, how to save your custom gradients as presets that can be quickly applied to other images, and even how to drag and drop gradient maps from one image to another! There's a lot to cover, so the chapter times are in the description.

[@Muhammadfathi1]

Can't tell you how great you are .. Thank you so much for this very informative video ..

[@Sandy-l8e]

Thank you so much best tutorial❤👍🏻

[@jonl0711]

Brilliant and well taught, I learned a lot about the gradient map from this tutorial, so thanks a heap.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@manipmani-vs9hq]

Tanks your excellent teaching

[@manojohncanaloficial8371]

Thank you so much Sensei! You are a blessing!

[@anikaanzum1024]

OMG, it really worked. Thank you so much!!

[@clivevassell2064]

Very good well explained , going to give it a try

[@isa8383]

Wooooaaaoohh thank you so much for this tutorial !!! 🙏👍👏

[@ginotarabotto]

Fabulous class!

[@slic1ric]

Amazing. Thank you so much.

[@mr.ruachannel9517]

Amazing! Thanks you❤

[@gokce.c.e]

super tutorial.. thank you!!!

[@mariomifsud1302]

Very well explained that everyone can understand even a dummy like me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@mvereker]

Excellently explained and demonstrated

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it! Thank you for watching.

[@shoppersdream]

Beautiful, thanks!

[@heipuntnl]

Nice and clear! Thanks for this one.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

You're very welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@eiermann1952]

nice tutorial, helped a lot

[@Sidweddingphotos07]

wonderful explanation of gradient maps. very useful video

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it. Thank you for watching!

[@matthewpainton7255]

Great tutorial thank you! I'm using PS Elements, most of what descrived works there too.

[@raymondvega4128]

thanks for your video !

[@flaviodellanina8951]

Lectio magistralis, no more to add, thank you very much

[@LuisAlbertoAriascrc]

thank you for this tutorial.

[@TisButAHandle]

Great tutorial. Loaded with useful info. that others skip over. 👍

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks!

[@djblazeofficial]

Awesome tutorial

[@andyallard5990]

That was excellent thank you

[@78skj]

Very helpful tutorial, thank you!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks for watching!

[@nisonmaharjan1481]

it works! thanks!

[@KMaybach1]

Great video, very informative and very well explained

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it was helpful. Thank you for watching!

[@pn2030]

excellent tutorial! thanks Steve🙂

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

I hope it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@anewcareerinanewtown]

Great tutorial on gradient maps - a very powerful tool and for me it's not one that springs to mind first when tweaking images. I have a tip for anyone watching tutorials like these - turn the sound off - Then on the settings cog - switch captions on and then reduce the speed to something like 0.5 or 0.75. A nice slow way to absorb information!

[@umeshwaghmare6912]

Great tips..Thanks! Subscribed!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks so much!

[@goldfinch2283]

Thanks for this excellent tutorial!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@markheatherington8367]

Great explanation on color grading. With the release of 2022 CRF version of color grading, with the exception of being able to save presets, what do you feels are the advantages of the cg adjustment layer over CRF cg? Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@orionorion2405]

Excellent !!

[@DomenecSosValles]

This is the tutorial that has given me the correct understanding of what goes on in colour grading and made me feel like start using it. As an engineer with a background in image processing, I loved how the explanation can be useful both for my analytic self and for an average only final results oriented guy. Now it's time to apply it in the GIMP with the knowledge acquired ;)

[@DomenecSosValles]

That said, Davies Media Design did already a good job in his "Steal the Color Grading From Any Image With GIMP" tutorial, but I prefer your insight in using colour.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear the tutorial was useful. It's always tough to balance the "why" with the "how", but I try. :) Thanks so much for your comments!

[@ArunSreedharan]

loved it

[@stephenwood2344]

Great video - I have looked at several KZbin Gradient Map videos, but so far none have mentioned the Opacity sliders or sufficiently emphasised the need to start with default colours. Consequently I was confused, but this has largely sorted me out.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear the video was helpful. Thank you for the feedback and for watching!

[@sunilchristian3430]

Thank you!

[@trongtran379]

Thank you so much for your sharing.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@rimashaji4152]

Super 😍👌👌👌👌👌👌❤️ Well Informed

[@golden1a]

Great Video....Thank You!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

I hope it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@sumittyagi5]

Simply best. I must to say my 2days journey for searching on colors wheel and gradient ends here now... Thanks

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Great to hear it's helpful. Thank you for watching!

[@marianodemiguel3442]

I MUST leave a comment. I followed several color grading tutorials: poorly explained, too many words. This was so clear and PRECISE! I am your new fan. I am applying this to my work. THANK YOU!!

[@DeltadronesBr]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks for watching! I hope it was helpful.

[@mydroidmarket1385]

I started my photoshop journey with photoshopessentials back in 2012, keep up the good work.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thank you so much! Have you been using Photoshop all this time?

[@mydroidmarket1385]

@@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel yes :-)

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

@@mydroidmarket1385 That's great! You must be quite the expert at this point. :)

[@johns6290]

Thank you

[@ravindudilmin4016]

Thankyou ♥️

[@MrMoonpie001]

Really excellent tutorial. I use PSE but still can be used effectively for gradient maps! My only artistic note, would involve using the gradient map on Landscape photos. This is a skill that I have learned overtime. Mostly I use it to save a over blown photos. As we know there is no information to be abstracted in clipped white photos, however you can add some very mild color back into the photo using a gradient map! Using this in combination with masking and some great and unique brush sets at very low opacity can give you stunning results to an otherwise wasted shot!!! Just a fun tip, I really enjoy the ease and content on your channel!!! Moonpie

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks for that great tip for using gradient maps with landscapes! There are just so many uses for gradient maps, and it's great they they are included with PSE.

[@leanderjackiegrogan]

Wow! Excellent teaching skills. This smooth, perfectly paced comprehensive (not overpowering) instructional method is hard to find. Thank you.... Is it possible for me to select one of my existing images and copy and paste the exact color combo with no map to a new image? Thanks.

[@dropbeatrecord9573]

Really Nice Way

[@richardcoomber925]

That’s the best explanation I’ve seen

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks! And thank you for watching!

[@hajarsuresh6667]

Thanks bro

[@nurmeran]

thank you broooo

[@whynot6108]

Dope!

[@khalidalfatih]

thanks