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Convert one part of Black & White Photo to colour?
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Can anyone advise how to do this on a photo that was converted to black & white..Thanks
If you don’t have the colour original available it’s not possible unless you paint in the colours.
If you do have the colour original, think of it the other way round, i.e. converting most of the colour photo to b/w. In Photoshop you’d do it by duplicating the colour layer, desaturating the new top layer then erasing the bits you want in colour so that the colour bottom layer shows through.
SteveFE wrote:
If you don’t have the colour original available it’s not possible unless you paint in the colours.
If you do have the colour original, think of it the other way round, i.e. converting most of the colour photo to b/w. In Photoshop you’d do it by duplicating the colour layer, desaturating the new top layer then erasing the bits you want in colour so that the colour bottom layer shows through.
Don’t erase the bits you want in colour! Use a layer mask to do this instead as it gives you far more control and is reversible if you make a mistake or decide you want to make a few changes.
Thorsten…or Steve…could one of you explain what the difference is between the two methods described…cos from a non expert POV they sound like the same thing?
Cheers
Robbie
8)Thorsten’s right actually. A layer mask is non-destructive of original data. If you mess up, you can just delete the mask and start again (although that said, you can also reduplicate the bottom layer and start again). The beauty of Photoshop is being able to do the same thing many different ways ;)
Steve, yes, you can start again simply by re-duplicating the layer. But what’s really great about using a layer mask is the very subtle control it gives you. If you make a mistake and only realise it later after doing a lot of other work, you can simply paint on the mask again, rather than having to go right back and doing everything again (for that particular effect).
Robbie, a layer mask is… well, to put it bluntly, it’s a mask on a layer! Don’t know how else to explain it :( But let’s say you’ve created a new layer (in this case a duplicate layer of the background layer). Well, you can then go to to LAYER > ADD LAYER MASK and select one of two options HIDE ALL or REVEAL ALL. Depending on which you choose you will get a black or white square icon beside the layer icon which serves to either hide or reveal that layer. You can then click once on the layer mask icon to select. Then set your default fill colours to black and white by hitting “D”. You can then select your paintbrush and paint on the layer mask. Hitting “X” swaps your brush colour from black to white (or white to black) and this is what gives you the real power. If you’re painting white on the layer mask and make a mistake, you just hit “X” to change the brush colour and paint right back in what you painted out. You also have the added bonus of opacity and flow controls of the brush.
I’ve probably explained it very poorly – the best thing is to just go and try it out and see how it works.
Thanks Thorsten…I’ve been experimenting with Layers but I am having hit and miss success..sometimes I find I can’t seem to do anything on a layer( the brush literally does nothing)..and sometimes I can…so i really need to read up and watch my video tutorials more. Layers really do seem to be an essential part of the whole PS experience and so far I’ve more or less been editing on a single layer, which is not good for the various reasons stated above.
Robbie
I know how you feel. I found that it is important to make sure you are editing on the correct layer. I found the tutorials in the following site very helpful. http://www.photoshopcafe.com/. I also found the PS Elements book by Scott Kelby useful as it focuses on showing you how to do thins rather than what all the buttons and tools are for. I have to admit though any Scott Kelby books I have read thus far are full of corney jokes that really annoy me.
I then progressed to PS CS2 and I have the book Adobe Photoshop CS2 for photographers by Martin Evening. This is a really useful book that explains exactly what everything is for and how to use it. It is a fantastic reference. I also have this in PDF format so if you would like a copy of it let me know. Only problem is that it is over 100MB.Dave
Thanks Dave…I do have the Photoshop CS2 Bible which is a huge tome..but have yet to jump in and get dirty with it. Just pure laziness on my part… :wink: I also have a video tutorial set hosted by a guy called Dekle McClelland which I am currently working through. If you think Scott Kelby is bad ..you want to see this guy… :lol: He reminds me of Troy McLure from the Simpsons..sooo corny..but the tutorials are great.
I think with PS it’s like anything…you really need to be using the tools regularly to get proficient. I even had to go back and check Peter’s Straightening tutorial recently as I hadn’t needed to use it in a week or so and I was leaving out one step in the fairly simple process.
But it’s all great fun anyway right? Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it :wink:
Expresbro wrote:
But it’s all great fun anyway…
Excellent point. And one we should never lose sight of!
If you want to post up a link to the photo, it might be fun to have a go at it for you
Ed#1
Thanks for the help. i think… you guys may have forgotten this is in the beginners section!!!
The photo is a family one so I cant post it on this thread, and its in colour,
so what do I need to do again????? I want most of photo in b&w and just one section (a hat)!! kept in colour…keep it simple please!!!
Thanks for the help. i think… you guys may have forgotten this is in the beginners section!!!
The photo is a family one so I cant post it on this thread, and its in colour,
so what do I need to do again????? I want most of photo in b&w and just one section (a hat)!! kept in colour…keep it simple please!!!
photoshop cs2,
i know how to convert to b& w, but not sure how to leave that bit in colour?
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