PhotoShop Tips II: Adding Color to B&W

Posted on May 17th, 2009 by Jean

Special thanks to GoofyMomof4 for requesting this tutorial. It will be presented in 2 parts. Part 1: Adding the original color back in to a b&w. Part 2: Adding new color to a black & white photo.

Photoshop Tips II ~ Part 1 of 2: Adding Original Color to B&W
I’m using Photoshop 9 (CS2) for the demonstration.

Open the jpg you are working with. You need to have 2 copies of this same photo. A quick way to copy the photo is to rename it (Save As a different name). Then open the original jpg again. You should have both photos on your screen.

1 photo, 2 names.

Change one of your photos to black & white: Image, Mode, Grayscale

To make the photos compatible again, return the b&w photo to RGB Color: Image, Mode, RGB Color (The color will remain black & white. Only the mode has changed.)

Using your Move Tool (highlighted in red below), drag the b&w photo onto the color photo. (You can close the b&w photo now.)

For the next part, your Layers Window must be open. Choose Window, Layers. A check mark should be next to Layers.

Make sure you are on Layer 1 (highlighted in blue within your Layers Window). Lower the Opacity so you can see through your b&w photo. (70%).

Use your Move Tool to align the photos, then return opacity to 100%.

Grab your Eraser Tool, choose brush size, and make sure your color selection is white. Begin erasing portions of your b&w photo to reveal the color photo underneath.

When you have more than 1 layer, your jpg becomes a psd (PhotoShop Document) file. When you are done with your project, save your working file (your psd) if you intend to make changes. Then merge layers or flatten image (both options work). Layer, Merge Visible or Flatten Image, and Save As a jpg.


Finished project ~ Scary!

If you have any questions or suggestions for the next installment, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Update: If I had to do this over again, I would copy the original layer, and then desaturate that top layer. Using my eraser tool, I would erase portions of the b&w layer. I’m leaving this tutorial as is in the hopes that it may still inspire and/or teach someone a new trick.

Tags: Black and White, Color, CS2, how to, Photoshop, Tips, Tricks, Video

Photoshop Tips I: The Basics

Posted on May 14th, 2009 by Jean

I’m using CS2 for this demonstration. I’ve used Photoshop professionally for 7 years.

The Basics

File, Open, then select the photo you’d like to work on.

I chose the photo that has become my current avatar on MySpace and Facebook.

Before: Unretouched photo 

The first thing I want to do is lighten this photo. Select Image, Adjustments, Curves.

Place your icon on the line in the center of the grid, hold your mouse down, and slide the line up. You will notice the image getting lighter. Click OK, then repeat the process if necessary.

Resize the photo, making it smaller thus easier to upload and/or email. Image, Image Size.

Change Document Size, making sure Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are checked. When you adjust width, height will automatically adjust.

Crop your image using the Crop Tool. I’ve highlighted the tool in red below.

Hold your mouse down on the image and drag to select the portion of your photo that you are keeping. You can adjust your selection by using the weight points (squares that appear on the dashed line signifying your selection).

When you are happy with your selection, hit return.

Fun With Filters

Filters give your photos fun finishes, and are quick & easy to use. Select Filter, Artistic, and just click on the first one, Colored Pencil to get the ball rolling.

A new window will open, automatically previewing the changes to your photo. Click on the various options to see previews of the filter effects.

Click OK to choose a filter effect, or cancel to close the filter window.

When you save your photo, choose Save As and rename your photo. This ensures your original photo will not be altered.

The finished result:

After 

If you have any questions or suggestions for the next installment, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Tags: Basics, Crop, CS2, Curves, Filters, how to, Lighten, Photoshop, Resize, Tips, Tricks, Video