Changing the color of an object in video used to be a job that could require careful manual masks, secondary color selections, tracking, and sometimes a trip into After Effects.

Adobe Premiere Pro’s AI-powered Object Masking makes the process much more approachable.

Premiere can identify an object or person, create a mask around the selected subject, track that mask through the shot, and let you apply color adjustments only inside the isolated region.

That means you can potentially turn:

A red car into a blue car.

A green jacket into a purple jacket.

A yellow chair into a teal chair.

Red headphones into green headphones.

And because the mask can follow a moving subject, the color change doesn’t have to be limited to static shots.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to change the color of an object in Adobe Premiere Pro using AI Object Masking, tracking, Hue/Saturation adjustments, mask refinement, and careful color matching.

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How Object Recoloring Works

The basic concept is simple.

You have an object:

Red car

You create a mask around it.

Premiere tracks the mask.

Then you adjust the color inside that mask.

The rest of the scene remains unchanged.

The workflow is therefore:

Select → Mask → Track → Recolor → Refine

The quality of the result depends on more than simply moving a Hue slider.

You also need to consider:

• Lighting
• Reflections
• Shadows
• Saturation
• Edge quality
• Motion blur
• Object texture
• Background contamination

We’ll cover each of these.

Why Use AI Object Masking?

Suppose you have footage of a car driving through a city.

The vehicle moves.

The camera pans.

Reflections change across the bodywork.

Without automatic subject selection, you may need to draw and animate a detailed mask manually.

AI Object Masking gives Premiere a much better starting point.

Adobe’s Object Mask tool is designed to identify people and objects automatically and can track the resulting mask through the shot for effects and color corrections.

That makes object recoloring one of the most practical creative applications of the technology.

What Can You Recolor?

Potential subjects include:

• Cars
• Clothing
• Furniture
• Shoes
• Headphones
• Phones
• Bags
• Product packaging
• Appliances
• Sports equipment
• Accessories
• Signs
• Toys
• Interior objects

The best candidates usually have:

• A reasonably distinct original color
• Good separation from the background
• Clearly visible surfaces
• Limited transparency
• Consistent lighting

More difficult subjects may still work, but they require additional refinement.

Want to Try Premiere’s AI Editing Features?

You can check Adobe’s current Premiere plans and trial availability directly from Adobe.

Explore Adobe Premiere Pro →

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How to Change an Object’s Color in Premiere Pro

Let’s use a practical example.

We have footage of a red car.

We want to turn it blue while preserving:

• Highlights
• Shadows
• Reflections
• Windows
• Wheels
• Background

The recolor should feel like the car was genuinely blue when filmed.

Step 1: Import the Footage

Import the video into Premiere.

Place it on your timeline.

Play the entire shot before creating the effect.

Watch how the object behaves.

Ask:

• Does it move?
• Does the camera move?
• Does the object rotate?
• Does lighting change?
• Do other objects pass in front?
• Does the object leave the frame?

These factors affect tracking and color consistency.

Step 2: Find a Clear Reference Frame

Choose a frame where the object is clearly visible.

Avoid frames containing:

• Strong motion blur
• Heavy occlusion
• Extreme reflections
• Partial visibility
• Object entering or leaving the frame

A clean reference frame generally provides a stronger initial Object Mask.

Step 3: Activate Object Masking

Select the clip.

Choose Premiere’s Object Mask tool.

Move your cursor over the Program Monitor.

Premiere analyzes the image and highlights selectable objects.

Hover over the object you want to recolor.

For our example:

The car.

Select it.

Premiere creates the initial AI-assisted mask.

Step 4: Inspect the Mask

Before doing anything with color, inspect the selection.

Look closely at:

• Body panels
• Mirrors
• Wheels
• Windows
• Trim
• Gaps
• Reflections

You may not actually want every part of the detected object recolored.

For example, changing a car’s paint color shouldn’t normally recolor:

• Tires
• Headlights
• Chrome
• Windows

The mask is only the starting point.

Step 5: Choose Sharp or Smooth Mode

Premiere offers Sharp and Smooth quality modes for Object Masks.

For a manufactured object such as a car, laptop, phone, chair, or product box, Sharp is usually a logical starting point.

Sharp works well when:

• Edges are clearly defined
• The object has hard surfaces
• There is good contrast with the background

Smooth is more appropriate for things such as:

• Hair
• Fur
• Fabric
• Organic objects
• Complex soft edges

For a car:

Start with Sharp.

For a flowing jacket:

Smooth may work better.

Step 6: Track the Object

Once the mask looks reasonable, track it through the shot.

Premiere analyzes the object’s movement and updates the mask over time.

Review the result carefully.

Check sections where:

• Object rotates
• Camera pans
• Object changes size
• Motion blur appears
• Another object crosses in front
• Lighting changes

Tracking quality matters because any error can cause the color adjustment to spill into the background.

Step 7: Refine the Mask

Premiere provides mask controls including:

• Feather
• Expansion
• Opacity
• Inversion

These controls let you fine-tune how closely the correction follows the object.

Feather

Softens the edge.

Use enough to avoid a harsh digital cutout, but not so much that the new color spreads into the background.

Expansion

Moves the mask boundary inward or outward.

If the color misses part of the object:

Increase Expansion slightly.

If background pixels are included:

Reduce Expansion.

Step 8: Apply the Color Adjustment

Now we can change the object’s color.

Premiere provides several color-correction tools that can be used for targeted adjustments.

Hue/Saturation curves allow precise changes based on hue and saturation, while isolated adjustments can restrict corrections to masked regions.

The exact adjustment depends on your source color and desired result.

For a simple example:

Red → Blue

you need to shift the object’s hue while maintaining realistic brightness and saturation.

Step 9: Adjust the Hue

Start by shifting hue.

Move the original red toward blue.

Don’t worry if the first result looks unnatural.

You’re establishing the basic target color.

At this point, the object may appear:

• Too saturated
• Too dark
• Too bright
• Too purple
• Too cyan

We’ll refine it.

Step 10: Adjust Saturation

Saturation controls the intensity of the color.

If your blue car looks like a neon toy:

Reduce saturation.

If the color looks dull and gray:

Increase saturation slightly.

Natural objects rarely maintain exactly the same saturation under every lighting condition.

Preserving the original shading helps keep the result convincing.

Step 11: Adjust Brightness or Luminance

Changing hue can alter how bright the color appears perceptually.

A believable recolor should preserve the original light structure.

Dark areas should remain dark.

Highlights should remain highlights.

Reflections should still feel like reflections.

If necessary, fine-tune brightness or luminance after changing the hue.

Why You Should Preserve Lighting

Imagine the red car is partly in sunlight and partly in shadow.

The original frame contains:

Sunlit red

and:

Shadow red

A realistic recolor should produce:

Sunlit blue

and:

Shadow blue

If you simply paint one flat blue color over the entire car, the result looks artificial.

The strongest recoloring techniques preserve the original:

• Highlights
• Shadows
• Texture
• Reflections

You’re changing color, not repainting the image with a flat graphic.

Using Hue/Saturation Curves

Premiere’s Hue/Saturation curves are especially useful when you need to isolate and alter a particular color range. Adobe documents these curves as tools for precise hue and saturation adjustments.

They can help when the object already has a dominant color.

For example:

Red jacket → Blue jacket

You can isolate the red range and redirect it toward blue.

Combining this with an Object Mask provides two levels of isolation:

Object isolation

plus:

Color isolation

That can produce much cleaner results.

Why Combine a Mask with Color Selection?

Suppose the video contains:

• A red car
• A red traffic sign
• A red jacket in the background

If you globally change red to blue, all three may change.

But if you first mask only the car, then perform the hue correction inside the mask:

Only the car changes.

That’s one of the biggest advantages of combining AI masking with color tools.

Using HSL Secondary Controls

Premiere also provides HSL Secondary controls for isolating specific colors based on hue, saturation, and luminance. Adobe documents these controls as a way to isolate and fine-tune targeted colors.

This can be particularly useful when the object contains a distinctive source color.

For example:

Green jacket

You can isolate the green.

Then adjust it inside the Object Mask.

This reduces the chance of affecting buttons, shadows, skin, or background details.

Example 1: Change a Red Car to Blue

Workflow:

1. Mask the car

2. Use Sharp mode

3. Track the car

4. Refine edges

5. Isolate red color

6. Shift hue toward blue

7. Adjust saturation

8. Preserve luminance

9. Review reflections

The biggest challenge is usually reflections.

A shiny car may reflect:

• Sky
• Buildings
• Trees
• Streetlights

Don’t force every reflected pixel to become blue.

Some variation is natural.

Example 2: Change Clothing Color

Suppose a presenter wears a red jacket.

You want it blue.

Mask the person or garment.

Track the mask.

Because clothing contains fabric and soft edges, Smooth mode may work better.

Then isolate the original red.

Shift toward blue.

Be careful around:

• Skin
• Hair
• Buttons
• Zippers
• Background

If the jacket folds while the person moves, the shading should remain intact.

Example 3: Change Furniture Color

Furniture can be an excellent subject.

Imagine a yellow chair.

You want it teal.

The chair is stationary, making tracking easy.

Create the mask.

Use Sharp mode if the edges are clearly defined.

Shift the hue.

Adjust saturation.

Preserve shadows beneath cushions and along edges.

This can be useful for:

• Interior design visualization
• Furniture advertising
• Real-estate content
• Product demonstrations

Example 4: Change Headphone Color

Headphones often contain:

• Plastic
• Metal
• Padding
• Reflections

You may not want every material recolored equally.

Mask the relevant outer shell.

Shift its color.

Leave:

• Metal accents
• Black ear cushions
• Logos

untouched where appropriate.

Product recoloring often benefits from multiple masks.

Example 5: Change Shoe Color

Fashion editors can use the same technique.

Mask the shoe.

Track the feet.

Change the main surface color.

Be careful with:

• Laces
• Soles
• Logos
• Shadows

A single broad mask may be enough for a simple creative effect, but detailed commercial work may require multiple masks.

Example 6: Change a Phone Color

Smartphones are strong Sharp-mode subjects.

Mask the phone.

Track it through movement.

Change the rear-panel color.

Preserve:

• Camera lenses
• Screen
• Buttons
• Logo
• Reflections

The result can simulate multiple product finishes from one piece of footage.

Product Visualization

This workflow has obvious commercial potential.

Suppose a company sells the same chair in five colors.

Instead of filming all five versions, a marketing team might use recoloring for visualization.

However, if the video represents an actual product for sale, the final color should accurately reflect the real product.

Creative recoloring should not misrepresent what customers will receive.

Recoloring Cars

Car videos are especially attractive because automotive paint is visually prominent.

Potential uses include:

• Concept visualization
• Design comparisons
• Creative edits
• Tutorials
• Promotional mockups

Cars can also be challenging due to reflections.

A vehicle’s body often mirrors the surrounding environment.

The goal isn’t to remove those reflections.

It’s to make them appear naturally integrated with the new body color.

Recoloring Clothing

Clothing brings different challenges:

• Wrinkles
• Fabric texture
• Moving edges
• Hair overlap
• Hands crossing the garment
• Shadows

Smooth Object Masking can help with softer boundaries.

HSL selection can help isolate the original garment color.

Together they create a strong workflow.

Avoid Changing Skin Tones

When recoloring clothing near skin, inspect:

• Hands
• Face
• Neck
• Arms

If the original clothing color is similar to a skin tone, color isolation may accidentally affect the person.

The Object Mask becomes especially important in these cases.

You may also need additional exclusion masks.

Use Multiple Masks When Necessary

Premiere allows masks to be refined and combined.

Suppose you want to recolor a jacket but exclude a white logo.

You may use:

Mask 1 → Include jacket

Mask 2 → Exclude logo

More complicated objects may require several masks.

Don’t force one mask to handle every detail if multiple masks make the job cleaner.

Changing Only Part of an Object

You don’t always need to recolor the entire item.

Examples:

Car → Change only roof

Shoe → Change only side panels

Laptop → Change only lid

Jacket → Change only sleeves

This is where traditional Pen, Rectangle, and Ellipse masks can complement AI Object Masking.

Use the AI to identify the larger subject, then additional vector masks for specific details if necessary.

Reflections and Highlights

Reflections are critical to realism.

Imagine a blue car under orange streetlights.

Some reflected orange should remain visible.

If your color correction eliminates every variation, the vehicle will look digitally painted.

Preserve the light interaction already present in the shot.

Shadows Should Remain Shadows

Likewise, avoid making shadow regions unnaturally colorful.

A deep shadow may contain very little visible color information.

That’s normal.

The recolor should respect the original tonal structure.

Watch for Color Spill

Color spill happens when the correction extends outside the intended object.

For example:

Blue appears on the pavement next to the car.

Possible causes:

• Mask too large
• Too much feather
• Poor tracking
• Incorrect color key
• Motion blur

Fix the mask before adjusting the color further.

Motion Blur Can Reveal Errors

A moving object develops blurred edges.

These frames can be difficult because the edge is neither clearly inside nor outside the object.

Review motion-blurred sections at full speed.

A tiny technical imperfection may be acceptable if it isn’t visible during normal playback.

But a colored halo around the moving object usually needs correction.

Occlusions

Suppose the car passes behind a tree.

The mask must account for the tree being in front of the vehicle.

Or a person’s hand moves across their jacket.

Review these overlaps carefully.

Automatic tracking may require manual assistance when subjects interact.

Color Changes Under Different Lighting

An object may pass through:

• Sunlight
• Shade
• Indoor light
• Colored light

The new color should react consistently.

If the recolored object suddenly looks different under shade, you may need keyframed color adjustments.

Real-world lighting changes over time.

Your correction may need to do the same.

Keyframe Color Adjustments

You can animate correction values when necessary.

For example:

At the start:

Saturation = 90

Later under different lighting:

Saturation = 75

Premiere interpolates between the settings.

Use keyframes sparingly.

First see whether the existing correction works consistently across the clip.

Before-and-After Comparison

A great way to evaluate the effect is to create a before/after comparison.

You could show:

Left → Original red

Right → New blue

or alternate between:

Before

and:

After

This makes mask problems much easier to identify.

It is also useful for tutorial content.

Use Comparison View Carefully

When judging colors, make sure:

• Display settings are consistent
• No extra grades are affecting only one version
• Both frames are shown at the same time position
• Lighting differences aren’t confusing your judgment

A proper comparison helps you see whether the recolor feels believable rather than merely dramatic.

Object Recoloring for YouTube

YouTube creators can use this technique for:

• Editing tutorials
• Car videos
• Fashion content
• Product reviews
• Design demonstrations
• Creative challenges

For example:

“What would this car look like in five colors?”

One clip can demonstrate several options.

Object Recoloring for Shorts and Reels

Short-form videos can use rapid color transformations:

Red → Blue → Green → Purple

Timed to music.

Because these videos are brief, a stylized result may be perfectly appropriate.

You don’t always need photorealism.

Match the technique to the purpose.

Object Recoloring for Product Ads

Commercial product videos may require a more realistic result.

Focus on:

• Accurate brand colors
• Clean edges
• Realistic reflections
• Consistent lighting

Test the export on multiple displays if color accuracy matters.

Object Recoloring for Interior Design

You can demonstrate alternative colors for:

• Chairs
• Sofas
• Walls
• Cabinets
• Decorations

This can help clients visualize design options.

For walls or large simple surfaces, traditional masks may sometimes be faster than AI Object Masking.

Object Recoloring for Fashion

Potential uses include:

• Jackets
• Shirts
• Shoes
• Bags
• Hats
• Accessories

Fabric movement and skin overlap are the main challenges.

Good tracking and Smooth-mode masking are particularly valuable here.

Selective Color Effect

Object masking can also be used for a classic selective-color look.

Instead of changing the object itself:

Keep object colorful

and:

Desaturate everything else.

Adobe provides an established workflow for emphasizing one color while desaturating surrounding colors using Hue/Saturation curves.

Adding Object Masking gives you even more control over exactly which subject remains colored.

Creative Neon Color Changes

Not every recolor needs to look natural.

You can deliberately push colors into:

• Neon purple
• Electric blue
• Bright green
• Hot pink

This can work for:

• Music videos
• Gaming content
• Fashion edits
• Social media
• Futuristic visuals

In those cases, exaggeration is part of the design.

Natural Recolor vs Stylized Recolor

Decide your goal before editing.

Natural

The viewer should believe the object really had that color.

Focus on realism.

Stylized

The viewer knows the effect is artificial.

Focus on visual impact.

Neither is inherently better.

The technical approach simply changes according to the creative objective.

Don’t Forget Color Management

Color transformations behave within Premiere’s broader color-management pipeline.

If your footage uses:

• Log
• HDR
• Wide-gamut formats
• RAW workflows

make sure the project is being interpreted correctly before making detailed color changes.

Fix the underlying color pipeline first.

Then perform selective recoloring.

Common Object Recoloring Mistakes

Mistake 1: Flat Color

All shading disappears.

Preserve luminance and texture.

Mistake 2: Color Spills Outside Object

Refine the mask.

Mistake 3: Reflections Look Wrong

Don’t eliminate natural reflected colors.

Mistake 4: Mask Doesn’t Track

Correct difficult frames manually.

Mistake 5: Saturation Is Excessive

Reduce saturation.

Mistake 6: Wrong Mask Mode

Try Sharp for hard products and Smooth for fabric or organic boundaries.

Mistake 7: Background Colors Also Change

Combine Object Masking with a more precise hue selection.

Mistake 8: Ignoring Lighting Changes

Keyframe the correction if necessary.

Troubleshooting

Object Mask Includes Too Much Background

Reduce Expansion or manually refine the selection.

Color Doesn’t Affect the Whole Object

Expand the mask slightly or broaden the isolated color range.

Shadows Don’t Change Properly

Check whether the selected hue range excludes darker versions of the original color.

Highlights Look Strange

Reduce the correction’s strength or refine the hue selection.

Tracking Drifts

Stop on a good frame, correct the mask, and resume tracking.

Hair or Fabric Edges Look Bad

Try Smooth mode.

Hard Product Edges Look Soft

Try Sharp mode and reduce Feather.

Quick Object Color Change Workflow

Here’s the complete workflow:

1. Import footage

↓

2. Choose clear reference frame

↓

3. Select Object Mask

↓

4. Click the object

↓

5. Choose Sharp or Smooth

↓

6. Track the object

↓

7. Refine Feather and Expansion

↓

8. Apply color adjustment

↓

9. Isolate original color if needed

↓

10. Shift Hue

↓

11. Adjust Saturation

↓

12. Adjust luminance

↓

13. Review reflections and shadows

↓

14. Correct tracking errors

↓

15. Export and review

Should You Use AI Object Masking for Color Changes?

Yes, when the object is moving or irregular enough that traditional masking would take significant time.

AI Object Masking is particularly useful for:

• Cars
• Clothing
• Products
• Furniture
• Moving subjects

But remember that masking is only half of the task.

A convincing recolor also requires careful color work.

Premiere’s AI can help determine:

Where should the color change happen?

You still decide:

What should the new color look like?

Want to Experiment with Object Recoloring?

You can check Adobe’s current Premiere plans and trial availability directly from Adobe.

Check Adobe Premiere Pro options →

Affiliate link. If you purchase through this link, PremiereProCloud.com may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the color of an object in Premiere Pro?

Yes. You can isolate the object with a mask and apply selective color adjustments without changing the rest of the frame.

Can Premiere automatically mask an object?

Yes. AI-powered Object Masking can identify people and objects and generate a mask around a selected subject.

Can Premiere track a moving object?

Yes. Object Masks can be tracked through the shot.

How do I change a red object to blue?

Isolate the object, track the mask, then use appropriate hue and saturation controls to shift the red color range toward blue while preserving luminance and texture.

Should I use Sharp or Smooth?

Use Sharp as a starting point for hard manufactured objects such as cars, phones, and furniture. Smooth is often better for clothing, hair, fabric, and organic edges.

Can I change clothing color?

Yes. AI masking combined with hue/saturation adjustments can be used to recolor clothing, although fabric movement and skin overlap may require refinement.

Can I change a car’s color?

Yes. Cars are strong candidates for AI Object Masking because they generally have well-defined shapes. Reflections and highlights require careful color treatment.

Can I change product colors?

Yes. This can be useful for product visualization, tutorials, advertising concepts, and creative content.

Can I preserve shadows and highlights?

Yes—and doing so is important for realistic results. Avoid simply applying a flat color over the object.

Do I need After Effects?

Not necessarily. Premiere can handle many straightforward object-recoloring jobs. After Effects remains useful for especially demanding compositing work.

Final Thoughts

AI Object Masking makes selective color changes substantially easier in Adobe Premiere Pro.

The workflow is straightforward:

Select the object.

Track it.

Refine the mask.

Adjust the color.

But the difference between a basic recolor and a convincing one comes from the details.

Preserve highlights.

Preserve shadows.

Preserve reflections.

Choose Sharp or Smooth based on the subject.

Use Feather and Expansion carefully.

Combine object isolation with Hue/Saturation or HSL color isolation when necessary.

And always review the complete shot rather than judging a single frame.

When done well, Premiere isn’t simply replacing red pixels with blue pixels.

It’s preserving the original lighting and texture while changing how the material appears to interact with that light.

That’s what makes the result believable.

And because AI Object Masking reduces the time spent manually isolating moving subjects, editors can spend more of their effort on that creative color work instead.

Explore Adobe Premiere Pro →

Affiliate link. PremiereProCloud.com may receive a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.