Complete guide · 7 min
How to try on hair color from a photo on iPhone
Published August 3, 2026
A good hair color preview should help you compare directions without pretending to predict the exact result of a dye formula. The most useful workflow starts with one clear photo, keeps the original available for comparison, and lets you correct the selected hair before you save anything.
1. Start with a photo that shows the hair
Choose a photo where the hair is reasonably sharp, well lit, and separated from the background. A front or three-quarter view is usually easier to judge than a distant full-body photo. Avoid strong beauty filters, heavy motion blur, or a background that is nearly the same color as the hair.
You do not need a studio portrait. The goal is simply to make the hair’s boundaries, texture, and existing highlights visible. If the photo contains several people, crop or choose another image so there is one obvious subject.
2. Let the app create an automatic hair selection
Local Hair Color uses a model bundled with the app to find the hair in the selected photo. This initial selection runs on the iPhone or iPad; the image is not sent to a photo-processing server. Once the selection is ready, the app reuses it as you explore different shades.
An automatic selection is a starting point, not an unquestionable result. Wispy edges, translucent hair, hats, dark hair against a dark background, and bright backlighting can all make a boundary difficult to interpret. Look at the preview around the hairline, shoulders, and gaps between curls before deciding whether a correction is needed.
3. Compare color directions before fine-tuning
Begin with several clearly different directions: perhaps a blonde, a brunette, a copper, and a burgundy. The first pass is about narrowing the field. If two neighboring shades look nearly identical at a glance, compare a more distant option first and return to the subtle difference later.
Use the intensity control to decide how strongly the chosen hue should influence the photo. Lower intensity preserves more of the visible starting color; higher intensity makes the color direction more obvious. Neither setting changes the underlying photograph’s lighting or turns the preview into a chemical prediction.
4. Correct the selected hair when necessary
Open Refine Mask if parts of the hair remain unchanged or if nearby skin, clothing, or background receives the color. Use Add Hair to include missed areas and Remove Hair to protect areas that should stay untouched. A small brush works best around the hairline and detailed gaps; a larger brush is faster for broad sections.
Corrections remain separate from the automatic selection. You can undo individual strokes or choose Reset to Automatic when an experiment is not helping. That makes it safe to try a correction without losing the original model result.
5. Use Compare as a reality check
Turn on Compare and drag the divider across the photo. Because the pose, crop, expression, and lighting remain the same, the difference you see is focused on the color effect. Check whether the new shade still leaves visible texture and highlights. If the result feels flat or overpowering, reduce the intensity or try a related shade.
Compare is also useful after manual refinement. Move the divider across corrected edges and make sure the edit has not expanded onto the face, neck, clothing, or background.
6. Save a new copy, then make the real-world decision separately
When the preview is useful, export it as a new image. Local Hair Color never overwrites the source. The export removes location, original filename, camera serial, and unrelated source metadata rather than carrying those details into the edited copy.
Use the saved preview to discuss a direction with a colorist, compare maintenance levels, or decide which product instructions deserve a closer look. Actual results depend on the starting color, porosity, previous treatments, developer strength, lightening, timing, products, and technique. A photo preview cannot settle those questions.
Ask “Do I prefer a warmer or cooler direction in this photo?” before asking “Can my hair reach this exact color?” The first is a visual comparison; the second needs real information about the hair and the process.
A private workflow does not mean every phone function is offline
The photo workflow—selection, segmentation, color rendering, correction, comparison, and export—stays on the device. Purchases and restores use Apple’s StoreKit and may require a connection. This website separately offers optional, consent-based analytics, but it does not receive the photo or participate in editing.