Changing UIImage color

Question

I'm trying to change color of UIImage. My code:

-(UIImage *)coloredImage:(UIImage *)firstImage withColor:(UIColor *)color {
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(firstImage.size);

    CGContextRef context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    [color setFill];

    CGContextTranslateCTM(context, 0, firstImage.size.height);
    CGContextScaleCTM(context, 1.0, -1.0);

    CGContextSetBlendMode(context, kCGBlendModeCopy);
    CGRect rect = CGRectMake(0, 0, firstImage.size.width, firstImage.size.height);
    CGContextDrawImage(context, rect, firstImage.CGImage);

    CGContextClipToMask(context, rect, firstImage.CGImage);
    CGContextAddRect(context, rect);
    CGContextDrawPath(context,kCGPathElementMoveToPoint);

    UIImage *coloredImg = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    return coloredImg;
}

This code works, but obtained image is not so well as shoud be: bounds pixels of returned image are intermittent and not so smooth as in my first image. How can I resolve this problem?

possible duplicate of [UIImage color changing?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1698971/uiimage-color-changing) — idmean, Oct 12 '14 at 15:07

score 289 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 23 '18 at 22:48

289

Since iOS 7, this is the most simple way of doing it.

Objective-C:

theImageView.image = [theImageView.image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate];
[theImageView setTintColor:[UIColor redColor]];

Swift 2.0:

theImageView.image = theImageView.image?.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysTemplate) 
theImageView.tintColor = UIColor.magentaColor()

Swift 4.0:

theImageView.image = theImageView.image?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysTemplate) 
theImageView.tintColor = .magenta

Storyboard:

First configure the image as template ( on right bar - Render as) in your assets. Then the color of the image would be the tint color applied.

edited Dec 23 '18 at 22:48

Godspeed

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answered Nov 17 '14 at 04:31

Ankish Jain

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"UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate: Always draw the image as a template image, ignoring its color information." Nice! – Tieme May 10 '15 at 19:14
4

In Swift 2.0+ ```theImageView.image? = (theImageView.image?.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysTemplate))! theImageView.tintColor = UIColor.magentaColor()``` – Chris Klingler Jan 08 '16 at 03:32
@AnkishJain are there any performance concerns around this approach? – Ríomhaire Aug 12 '16 at 09:09
3

This doesn't change the color of the image, but rather instructs the view to rendering it with a different tint (color). – Steve Kuo Jul 19 '18 at 13:51
@Womble not really. You can use this for any UIImage really. `img = [img imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate]; [button setTintColor:[UIColor redColor]]; [button setImage:img forState:UIControlStateNormal];` @Ankish thanks! – mota Aug 24 '19 at 13:30

score 35 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 17 '18 at 15:56

This is pretty much the answer above, but slightly shortened. This only takes the image as a mask and does not actually "multiply" or color the image.

Objective C:

    UIColor *color = <# UIColor #>;
    UIImage *image = <# UIImage #>;// Image to mask with
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(image.size, NO, image.scale);
    CGContextRef context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    [color setFill];
    CGContextTranslateCTM(context, 0, image.size.height);
    CGContextScaleCTM(context, 1.0, -1.0);
    CGContextClipToMask(context, CGRectMake(0, 0, image.size.width, image.size.height), [image CGImage]);
    CGContextFillRect(context, CGRectMake(0, 0, image.size.width, image.size.height));

    UIImage *coloredImg = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();

    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

Swift:

    let color: UIColor = <# UIColor #>
    let image: UIImage = <# UIImage #> // Image to mask with
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(image.size, false, image.scale)
    let context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()
    color.setFill()
    context?.translateBy(x: 0, y: image.size.height)
    context?.scaleBy(x: 1.0, y: -1.0)
    context?.clip(to: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: image.size.width, height: image.size.height), mask: image.cgImage!)
    context?.fill(CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: image.size.width, height: image.size.height))
    let coloredImg = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext()

You should use `UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(image.size, NO, image.scale);` because your version will only create non retina graphics. — Nikola Lajic, Dec 09 '13 at 12:26
user1270061 is the way to do it, in my experience. The other answer with "burning" needs source image of certain color apparently. This one just uses the alpha values in the source pixels and combines that with the desired color - perfect. — Jason, Aug 07 '15 at 20:54

score 12 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 18 '17 at 10:18

Another way to tint an image is to simply multiply it by a constant color. Sometimes, this is preferable because it doesn't "lift" the color values in black areas; it keeps the relative intensities in the image the same. Using an overlay as a tint tends to flatten out the contrast.

This is the code I use:

UIImage *MultiplyImageByConstantColor( UIImage *image, UIColor *color ) {

    CGSize backgroundSize = image.size;
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(backgroundSize);

    CGContextRef ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();

    CGRect backgroundRect;
    backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize;
    backgroundRect.origin.x = 0;
    backgroundRect.origin.y = 0;

    CGFloat r,g,b,a;
    [color getRed:&r green:&g blue:&b alpha:&a];
    CGContextSetRGBFillColor(ctx, r, g, b, a);
    CGContextFillRect(ctx, backgroundRect);

    CGRect imageRect;
    imageRect.size = image.size;
    imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width)/2;
    imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height)/2;

    // Unflip the image
    CGContextTranslateCTM(ctx, 0, backgroundSize.height);
    CGContextScaleCTM(ctx, 1.0, -1.0);

    CGContextSetBlendMode(ctx, kCGBlendModeMultiply);
    CGContextDrawImage(ctx, imageRect, image.CGImage);

    UIImage *newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();

    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    return newImage;
}

Swift version

extension UIImage{

    static func multiplyImageByConstantColor(image:UIImage,color:UIColor)->UIImage{
        let backgroundSize = image.size
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(backgroundSize)

        let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()

        var backgroundRect=CGRect()
        backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize
        backgroundRect.origin.x = 0
        backgroundRect.origin.y = 0

        var r:CGFloat
        var g:CGFloat
        var b:CGFloat
        var a:CGFloat
        color.getRed(&r, green: &g, blue: &b, alpha: &a)
        CGContextSetRGBFillColor(ctx, r, g, b, a)
        CGContextFillRect(ctx, backgroundRect)

        var imageRect=CGRect()
        imageRect.size = image.size
        imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width)/2
        imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height)/2

        // Unflip the image
        CGContextTranslateCTM(ctx, 0, backgroundSize.height)
        CGContextScaleCTM(ctx, 1.0, -1.0)

        CGContextSetBlendMode(ctx, .Multiply)
        CGContextDrawImage(ctx, imageRect, image.CGImage)

        let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
        return newImage
    }
}

What if i want to make a virtual wall painting app ? this works,what if want to just colour the walls in the image. Take a look at this link please :-http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27482508/virtual-wall-painting-like-app-ios — Shailesh, Dec 19 '14 at 11:47
This works much better than some of the other solutions out there. — Matt Hudson, Jan 17 '16 at 04:43
This tinted only the object background for me, not the object itself. — Stevey, Jan 10 '17 at 17:15

score 11 · Answer 4 · answered May 24 '19 at 13:22

Starting from iOS 10 you can use UIGraphicsImageRenderer:

extension UIImage {

    func colored(_ color: UIColor) -> UIImage {
        let renderer = UIGraphicsImageRenderer(size: size)
        return renderer.image { context in
            color.setFill()
            self.draw(at: .zero)
            context.fill(CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: size.width, height: size.height), blendMode: .sourceAtop)
        }
    }

}

Chris Klingler · Answer 5 · 2016-10-17T17:39:01.490

8

In Swift 3.0

imageView.image? = (imageView.image?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysTemplate))!
imageView.tintColor = UIColor.magenta

In Swift 2.0

yourImage.image? = (yourImage.image?.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysTemplate))!
yourImage.tintColor = UIColor.magentaColor()

Enjoy you Swift pioneers

edited Oct 17 '16 at 17:39

answered Jan 08 '16 at 03:37

Chris Klingler

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5

Code is okay, but post is about UIImage. We're not always dealing with UIImageViews. – HenryRootTwo Feb 28 '19 at 04:21
this works for UIImages when doing the draw(in:) too - nice and easy! – Jason Nov 30 '21 at 22:04

score 8 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 22 '18 at 02:08

Swift 4.2 Solution

extension UIImage {
    func withColor(_ color: UIColor) -> UIImage {
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(size, false, scale)
        guard let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), let cgImage = cgImage else { return self }
        color.setFill()
        ctx.translateBy(x: 0, y: size.height)
        ctx.scaleBy(x: 1.0, y: -1.0)
        ctx.clip(to: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: size.width, height: size.height), mask: cgImage)
        ctx.fill(CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: size.width, height: size.height))
        guard let colored = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext() else { return self }
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
        return colored
    }
}

// Usage:
// let redImage = UIImage().withColor(.red)

score 3 · Answer 7 · answered Nov 02 '16 at 06:05

If you don't have to do it programmatically, you can just do it using Xcode UI.

If you go to the image in your image assets folder, open the inspector on the right hand side and there is a "Render As" dropdown with the following options:

Default
Original
Template

Once you've made the Template selection, you can change the tintColor of the image however you want - whether it is using the Xcode storyboard UI or programmatically.

See this image:

score 3 · Answer 8 · edited Apr 20 '18 at 10:57

Here's my adaptation of @Anna's answer. Two key points here:

Use destinationIn blending mode
Call UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(backgroundSize, false, UIScreen.main.scale) to get smooth image

Code in in Swift 3:

extension UIImage {

    static func coloredImage(image: UIImage?, color: UIColor) -> UIImage? {

        guard let image = image else {
            return nil
        }

        let backgroundSize = image.size
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(backgroundSize, false, UIScreen.main.scale)

        let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()!

        var backgroundRect=CGRect()
        backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize
        backgroundRect.origin.x = 0
        backgroundRect.origin.y = 0

        var r:CGFloat = 0
        var g:CGFloat = 0
        var b:CGFloat = 0
        var a:CGFloat = 0
        color.getRed(&r, green: &g, blue: &b, alpha: &a)
        ctx.setFillColor(red: r, green: g, blue: b, alpha: a)
        ctx.fill(backgroundRect)

        var imageRect = CGRect()
        imageRect.size = image.size
        imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width) / 2
        imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height) / 2

        // Unflip the image
        ctx.translateBy(x: 0, y: backgroundSize.height)
        ctx.scaleBy(x: 1.0, y: -1.0)

        ctx.setBlendMode(.destinationIn)
        ctx.draw(image.cgImage!, in: imageRect)

        let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
        return newImage!
    }
}

why do you pass the image when extending UIImage? you should remove the static keyword of your method and just use `self` inside your method and remove the unnecessary image parameter — Leo Dabus, Sep 05 '17 at 15:16

score 3 · Answer 9 · answered Jul 14 '20 at 08:41

3

For iOS 13 and newer:

let redImage = image.withTintColor(.red, renderingMode: .alwaysTemplate)

answered Jul 14 '20 at 08:41

beryllium

29,669
15
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score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Apr 14 '16 at 10:59

Base on @Anna's answer and I rewrite for swift 2.2 and handles image with alpha channel:

static func multiplyImageByConstantColor(image:UIImage,color:UIColor)->UIImage{
    let backgroundSize = image.size
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(backgroundSize)

    let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()

    var backgroundRect=CGRect()
    backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize
    backgroundRect.origin.x = 0
    backgroundRect.origin.y = 0

    var r:CGFloat = 0
    var g:CGFloat = 0
    var b:CGFloat = 0
    var a:CGFloat = 0
    color.getRed(&r, green: &g, blue: &b, alpha: &a)
    CGContextSetRGBFillColor(ctx, r, g, b, a)

    // Unflip the image
    CGContextTranslateCTM(ctx, 0, backgroundSize.height)
    CGContextScaleCTM(ctx, 1.0, -1.0)
    CGContextClipToMask(ctx, CGRectMake(0, 0, image.size.width, image.size.height), image.CGImage);
    CGContextFillRect(ctx, backgroundRect)

    var imageRect=CGRect()
    imageRect.size = image.size
    imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width)/2
    imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height)/2


    CGContextSetBlendMode(ctx, .Multiply)
    CGContextDrawImage(ctx, imageRect, image.CGImage)

    let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
    return newImage
}

score 0 · Answer 11 · answered May 06 '16 at 15:12

Anna's code works well for copying a UIImage.image over a colored .image background by using kCGBlendModeNormal rather than kCGBlendModeMultiply. For instance, self.mainImage.image = [self NormalImageByConstantColor: self.mainImage.image withColor: yourColor]; will place the contents of mainImage.image over the tint yourColor while preserving the opacity of yourColor. This solved my problem of placing a background color with opacity behind an image to be saved to the Camera Roll.

score 0 · Answer 12 · edited Mar 30 '17 at 05:24

Swift 3.0 version of Anna's marvelous code:

extension UIImage{

    static func multiplyImageByConstantColor(image:UIImage,color:UIColor)-> UIImage {
        let backgroundSize = image.size
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(backgroundSize)

        let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()!

        var backgroundRect=CGRect()
        backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize
        backgroundRect.origin.x = 0
        backgroundRect.origin.y = 0

        let myFloatForR = 0
        var r = CGFloat(myFloatForR)
        let myFloatForG = 0
        var g = CGFloat(myFloatForG)
        let myFloatForB = 0
        var b = CGFloat(myFloatForB)
        let myFloatForA = 0
        var a = CGFloat(myFloatForA)

        color.getRed(&r, green: &g, blue: &b, alpha: &a)
        ctx.setFillColor(red: r, green: g, blue: b, alpha: a)
        ctx.fill(backgroundRect)

        var imageRect=CGRect()
        imageRect.size = image.size
        imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width)/2
        imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height)/2

        // Unflip the image
        ctx.translateBy(x: 0, y: backgroundSize.height)
        ctx.scaleBy(x: 1.0, y: -1.0)

        ctx.setBlendMode(.multiply)
        ctx.draw(image.cgImage!, in: imageRect)

        let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
        return newImage!
    }
}

score 0 · Answer 13 · edited Mar 30 '17 at 05:23

Swift 3:

extension UIImage{

    static func multiplyImageByConstantColor(image:UIImage,color:UIColor) -> UIImage{

        let backgroundSize = image.size
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(backgroundSize)

        guard let ctx = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext() else {return image}

        var backgroundRect=CGRect()
        backgroundRect.size = backgroundSize
        backgroundRect.origin.x = 0
        backgroundRect.origin.y = 0

        var r:CGFloat = 0
        var g:CGFloat = 0
        var b:CGFloat = 0
        var a:CGFloat = 0
        color.getRed(&r, green: &g, blue: &b, alpha: &a)
        ctx.setFillColor(red: r, green: g, blue: b, alpha: a)

        // Unflip the image
        ctx.translateBy(x: 0, y: backgroundSize.height)
        ctx.scaleBy(x: 1.0, y: -1.0)
        ctx.clip(to: CGRect(0, 0, image.size.width, image.size.height), mask: image.cgImage!)
        ctx.fill(backgroundRect)


        var imageRect=CGRect()
        imageRect.size = image.size
        imageRect.origin.x = (backgroundSize.width - image.size.width)/2
        imageRect.origin.y = (backgroundSize.height - image.size.height)/2


        ctx.setBlendMode(.multiply)
        ctx.draw(image.cgImage!, in: imageRect)

        let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
        return newImage!
    }
}

Changing UIImage color

13 Answers13

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