Need Help - Coloring White Text

Hey everyone,

I'm just wondering how I'd go about coloring white text a certain color. I'm using a Mac, so I'd prefer explanations requiring that operating system.

Also, some background: Toho created an English language international version of GODZILLA VS. MEGALON shortly after it was released in Japan in 1973 with dubbing recorded in Hong Kong. As with most export versions made for English-speaking markets, Toho created a unique English title logo and opening credits sequence, along with an English ending title. The original Japanese onscreen text was red, so Toho had the English text done in red to match. However, an alternate international version exists (presumably made at the same time) that is exactly the same, except the text is in white. Same font and size, just white... I have two copies of the international version with red text (one is 4x3 letterboxed, the other is pan-n-scan, but with the opening credits squeezed; the former is an ugly, washed out transfer and the second is a better transfer of a shitty print) and anamorphic clips of the complete white international credits in pristine condition (besides some jaggies) from a DVD. What I want to do is make the pristine version of the white credits sequence red.

Here are some examples of what I need to color (the first couple are very washed out; I hope they can still be salvageable):

Thanks in advance! If you need any further material in order to help me, I'll gladly post it.

What you want to do is very difficult. Especially since the background has almost the same color as the text in the first shots there.

Normally, one could use "color range" in Photoshop (I'm on PC) to select only the text's color and then change it.

What happened when I did that was this:

Then I tried an even more difficult method, to darken the image so much that it would leave only the text visible, then color it red, copy it and paste it back on top of the original image, then use a layer filter to make the text slightly thicker:

As you can see this looks very rough too.

Maybe somebody else here knows a better method but this is as far as my knowledge goes on this.