Do you want your GIFs to look soft, clean, and Tumblr-ready? If yes, then the neutral filter in Photoshop is your best friend. Many Tumblr users love those smooth, pastel-colored GIFs. But sometimes, the colors in your GIF are too strong or just not matching the vibe. In this easy tutorial, I’ll show you how to apply the neutral filter in Photoshop to make your GIFs look better. You don’t need to be a pro. Just follow along step-by-step for photoshop neutral filter gif tutorial for tumblr!
What Does the Neutral Filter Do?
Think of the neutral filter like a color softener.
Sometimes, your GIF has too much orange, red, or green. That can make it look too loud or over-edited. The neutral filter helps by removing those strong tints and making the colors look calm and natural.
This is perfect for Tumblr, where most GIFs have a dreamy and gentle color style.
Why Tumblr GIFs Need Color Correction?
Tumblr GIFs are not like regular GIFs. They have a certain aesthetic, soft light, faded tones, and sometimes a pastel pink or blue tint.
But when you first make a GIF from a video or scene:
- The colors might be too bright or harsh.
- There might be an unwanted green or orange look.
- It might not match your Tumblr theme or other edits.
Using the neutral filter helps fix this fast.
What You Need?
- Adobe Photoshop (any recent version)
- A GIF file or video clip
- Basic knowledge of layers and filters (don’t worry — I’ll guide you)
Step-by-Step Guide to Add Neutral Filter to a GIF
✅ Step 1: Open Your GIF in Photoshop
- Open Photoshop.
- Go to File → Import → Video Frames to Layers if you’re using a video.
- Or just drag and drop your saved GIF file.
- Let all the frames load in the timeline.
✅ Step 2: Make a Smart Object
- Select all the frames/layers in the Layers panel.
- Right-click and choose Convert to Smart Object.
- This helps you apply one filter to all frames at once.
💡 Tip: If you skip this step, the filter may only apply to one frame!
✅ Step 3: Open the Camera Raw Filter
- Go to Filter → Camera Raw Filter.
- A new panel will open. This is where the magic happens.
✅ Step 4: Adjust the Colors
Inside the Camera Raw panel:
- Go to the HSL/Color Mixer tab.
- Use the Saturation sliders to reduce strong colors like:
- Orange (if skin looks too orange)
- Green (if background has too much green)
- Red or Magenta (for pink-ish overtones)
- Orange (if skin looks too orange)
- Use Luminance to brighten or soften specific colors.
Example: If your GIF looks too yellow, lower the yellow saturation and raise the blue luminance for balance.
You can also:
- Adjust Temperature to cool down warm colors.
- Use Curves to slightly fade highlights or shadows.
✅ Step 5: Save Your Final GIF
- Go to File → Export → Save for Web (Legacy).
- Choose GIF as the format.
- Set looping to Forever.
- Click Save.
Now your GIF is ready to shine on Tumblr!
Pro Tips for Tumblr GIF Aesthetic
- Add a slight pink or purple tone for that dreamy look.
- Keep your GIF under 3MB for smooth loading.
- Don’t oversaturate — Tumblr users love soft tones.
- Try adding subtle noise or blur to give it a vintage feel.
- Add a quote or text in a soft font to make it more shareable.
My Easy Way to Edit a GIF Using Neutral Filter
First, I downloaded a GIF from Giphy. Then I opened it in Adobe Photoshop (free version).
I went to the basic editing tools and lowered the saturation to -50. After that, I also reduced the brightness and contrast to make the colors softer.
Then I used the tone and tint options. I found a grey or grayscale style under the tint or color settings. That helped me remove the strong colors and make the GIF look more neutral and clean.
This was a quick and easy way to fix the color without using any advanced tools.
Final Thoughts
The neutral filter in Photoshop is a quick and powerful way to make your GIFs look clean, calm, and Tumblr-perfect. Whether your GIF is too orange, green, or just doesn’t match your blog’s look, this filter helps fix that in a few simple steps.
Got questions? Leave a comment or explore more tips in our Design Tutorials section.
