(1 to 100 of 106 replies)
Partial Black and White tutorial
End Result
This can be accomplished in Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (and surely other software as well) but I chose to write my tutorial based on the method I use in Paint Shop Pro, since it's the way I normally turn my images partial black and white. It's just much faster (for me) this way since it's the method I've used longer. Also.. there are many tutorials out there on how to accomplish this in Photoshop but I've never seen one on Paint Shop Pro using my method.
Many of you probably already have Photoshop and not Paint Shop Pro.. but PSP is easy to come by. You can download a free trial at www.jasc.com. It's much cheaper than Photoshop, so those of you who are currently without a good digital image editor, you might want to think about getting yourself a copy. I use PSP 6, so while some things have probably changed in the newer versions, I am sure they left the options named the same.
While I tag my images as "masked" as Devos once suggested, they aren't all truly masked and the process I use is quite simple really. You'll see.
First let me just say that it's my opinion that a good masking job never ruins a photo.. but merely adds to it, whereas an awful masking job obviously turns a photo into an eyesore. Practice the method until it doesn't fall into the later category or I will gouge my own eyes out upon viewing your photo.
Deciding which image would look better partial black and white (and for what reasons) is up to you. Decide on an image.. and which parts you want turned black and white and which left in color and then open it in PSP. If you want to edit it any other way (contrast.. color balance) then do it BEFORE you convert it to partial black and white. It's best to start with an image that will be easier to edit. Don't pick an image that's too busy for your first try. Pick an image where the part (or parts) that will remain in color don't have too many twists and turns. Tricky edges are a bitch.
Here's my before image. I wanted to turn everything but the Sexy BC Rich Warlock black and white.
Original Photo
Once your image is opened..click on the 'retouch' tool and an option window will pop up. In my version it's a little hand icon. (Noted in the 'at work" screencap below) From the retouch option window.. click the middle tab (might be positioned differently in your version) and select saturation down from the retouch mode. Then go back to the first tab, and make sure that your paintbrush is set for round and that opacity is set at 100%. You should set the size of the brush higher to start and go lower the closer you get to the parts of the image you want left in color.
Conversion in Process
You will need to look at the larger version to make out the toolbars.
Essentially what you will be doing is drawing out the color. Every part of the photo that you want converted to black and white, you need to draw on. Zoom in and out if need be. Just make sure you cover every pixel that is suppose to be B&W. I normally start by drawing out the color further away from the parts of the image I want left in color.. then I work my way in.. decreasing the size of the brush (and zooming into the photo) the closer I get to parts that are to be left colororized. It gets tricky when you have to do the edges on what remains color and what is to be converted black and white. It's just like trying to stay between the lines in a coloring book, and i'm sure that's something you all can figure out.
The important thing is that you know the method used.. and you work with it. It's nothing more than using the retouch tool in Paint Shop Pro to 'color' the saturation out.
Here are some more examples. All done within PaintShop Pro (NOT Photoshop).
There is a Cutouts group on Flickr and they have links to tutorials on how this can be accomplished in Photoshop and other software.
Hopefully I wrote this in a way that's understandable. If not feel free to ask questions. If anyone finds this method useful I'd love to see the images you used it on.
[tags: manipulation]
End Result
This can be accomplished in Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (and surely other software as well) but I chose to write my tutorial based on the method I use in Paint Shop Pro, since it's the way I normally turn my images partial black and white. It's just much faster (for me) this way since it's the method I've used longer. Also.. there are many tutorials out there on how to accomplish this in Photoshop but I've never seen one on Paint Shop Pro using my method.
Many of you probably already have Photoshop and not Paint Shop Pro.. but PSP is easy to come by. You can download a free trial at www.jasc.com. It's much cheaper than Photoshop, so those of you who are currently without a good digital image editor, you might want to think about getting yourself a copy. I use PSP 6, so while some things have probably changed in the newer versions, I am sure they left the options named the same.
While I tag my images as "masked" as Devos once suggested, they aren't all truly masked and the process I use is quite simple really. You'll see.
First let me just say that it's my opinion that a good masking job never ruins a photo.. but merely adds to it, whereas an awful masking job obviously turns a photo into an eyesore. Practice the method until it doesn't fall into the later category or I will gouge my own eyes out upon viewing your photo.
Deciding which image would look better partial black and white (and for what reasons) is up to you. Decide on an image.. and which parts you want turned black and white and which left in color and then open it in PSP. If you want to edit it any other way (contrast.. color balance) then do it BEFORE you convert it to partial black and white. It's best to start with an image that will be easier to edit. Don't pick an image that's too busy for your first try. Pick an image where the part (or parts) that will remain in color don't have too many twists and turns. Tricky edges are a bitch.
Here's my before image. I wanted to turn everything but the Sexy BC Rich Warlock black and white.
Original Photo
Once your image is opened..click on the 'retouch' tool and an option window will pop up. In my version it's a little hand icon. (Noted in the 'at work" screencap below) From the retouch option window.. click the middle tab (might be positioned differently in your version) and select saturation down from the retouch mode. Then go back to the first tab, and make sure that your paintbrush is set for round and that opacity is set at 100%. You should set the size of the brush higher to start and go lower the closer you get to the parts of the image you want left in color.
Conversion in Process
You will need to look at the larger version to make out the toolbars.
Essentially what you will be doing is drawing out the color. Every part of the photo that you want converted to black and white, you need to draw on. Zoom in and out if need be. Just make sure you cover every pixel that is suppose to be B&W. I normally start by drawing out the color further away from the parts of the image I want left in color.. then I work my way in.. decreasing the size of the brush (and zooming into the photo) the closer I get to parts that are to be left colororized. It gets tricky when you have to do the edges on what remains color and what is to be converted black and white. It's just like trying to stay between the lines in a coloring book, and i'm sure that's something you all can figure out.
The important thing is that you know the method used.. and you work with it. It's nothing more than using the retouch tool in Paint Shop Pro to 'color' the saturation out.
Here are some more examples. All done within PaintShop Pro (NOT Photoshop).
There is a Cutouts group on Flickr and they have links to tutorials on how this can be accomplished in Photoshop and other software.
Hopefully I wrote this in a way that's understandable. If not feel free to ask questions. If anyone finds this method useful I'd love to see the images you used it on.
[tags: manipulation]
(1 to 100 of 106 replies)
I don't usually Photoshop my stuff but this was fun.
When I originally saw this playground apparatus the red rings just popped out at me but when I saw the photograph (I'm not digital) they were lost in a muddied background. This technique let me recapture my original feeling for the shot.
Here's the original for comparison.
Thanks Eric (Snowdeal) for pointing out this discussion. What I usually do in Photoshop (Windows version) is:
1. Zoom in to the picture to a level that is appropriate for selecting the object you want to REMAIN IN COLOR (so it's the other way around compared to Special's approach)
2. Then, using the lasso tool (or any other selection tool), meticulously select the part of the image you want to remain in color.
3. Save the selection (Select, Save Selection)after selecting it as a precaution (actually, you might do that while in the process of getting the selection right).
4. Then zoom out again to "Fit on Screen" (for pasting purposes)
5. Finally copy the selection to the clipboard, set the image to grayscale (Image, Mode, grayscale). Then set it back to RGB color mode and paste the clipboard selection back in.
It has the advantages described by IanL as it will be a seperate layer. Which allows for adjustment to be made afterwards, like the request I did for Special.
Original Mask:
Pink Beetle at Special's request:
Or you can play around with the black and white layer like I did in this one:
<
1. Zoom in to the picture to a level that is appropriate for selecting the object you want to REMAIN IN COLOR (so it's the other way around compared to Special's approach)
2. Then, using the lasso tool (or any other selection tool), meticulously select the part of the image you want to remain in color.
3. Save the selection (Select, Save Selection)after selecting it as a precaution (actually, you might do that while in the process of getting the selection right).
4. Then zoom out again to "Fit on Screen" (for pasting purposes)
5. Finally copy the selection to the clipboard, set the image to grayscale (Image, Mode, grayscale). Then set it back to RGB color mode and paste the clipboard selection back in.
It has the advantages described by IanL as it will be a seperate layer. Which allows for adjustment to be made afterwards, like the request I did for Special.
Original Mask:
Pink Beetle at Special's request:
Or you can play around with the black and white layer like I did in this one:
<
I just did a variant on what deVos described, using GraphicConverter on OS X.
1) Prepare two copies of the image, A and B.
2) Desaturate copy A. Adjust brightness, contrast and saturation so the tiger looks best, in copy B.
3) Erase everything around the tiger in copy B by painting it white using various tools at different resolutions.
4) Use the "magic pen" object select tool at a very permissive setting to select the entire tiger image from copy B. Copy and paste onto copy A of the image. Alignment is easy since GraphicConverter shows the pasted object translucent while moving it into its proper place.
5) Finishing touches - minor corrections at some boundaries.
Result:
1) Prepare two copies of the image, A and B.
2) Desaturate copy A. Adjust brightness, contrast and saturation so the tiger looks best, in copy B.
3) Erase everything around the tiger in copy B by painting it white using various tools at different resolutions.
4) Use the "magic pen" object select tool at a very permissive setting to select the entire tiger image from copy B. Copy and paste onto copy A of the image. Alignment is easy since GraphicConverter shows the pasted object translucent while moving it into its proper place.
5) Finishing touches - minor corrections at some boundaries.
Result:
I’ve used this technique quite a bit with my bird photography, because so often the bird is embedded in a similar colored background. Depending on the desired output, you can make the distinction as subtle or apparent as need be. Here are three images that I did a couple of years ago, but are still some of my favorites.
The technique I used goes as follows:
(In Photoshop)
1. In layers, duplicate your original image and work off the copy
2. Use the pen tool to create a path around the bird
3. From the paths tab select “create selection from path” (I think I used a two pixel feather for these, but I’ve used up to five, but most often zero)
4. From the SELECT menu, choose select inverse
5. From the channel mixer, check the monochrome checkbox and tweak the channels for a desired balance.
6. At this point, you have an image with only the subject in color, and the rest of the image in grayscale. Select inverse again so you’re working with the subject. At this point I like to bump up the saturation a bit. Especially with these images as they handled it well. Sometimes this gets too gaudy, but what about this process isn’t iterative?
7. Now either duplicate the original image again (if you’re like me, it’s still labeled “background”) or double-click the original image to change it to a layer. Drag the original (or copy of original) up on top of your manipulated image. Bring down the opacity of the color image (top), so you can see through to the gray/color image, thereby “re-colorizing” the image.
The result will be an all-color image with your subject standing out considerably more than the background.
The technique I used goes as follows:
(In Photoshop)
1. In layers, duplicate your original image and work off the copy
2. Use the pen tool to create a path around the bird
3. From the paths tab select “create selection from path” (I think I used a two pixel feather for these, but I’ve used up to five, but most often zero)
4. From the SELECT menu, choose select inverse
5. From the channel mixer, check the monochrome checkbox and tweak the channels for a desired balance.
6. At this point, you have an image with only the subject in color, and the rest of the image in grayscale. Select inverse again so you’re working with the subject. At this point I like to bump up the saturation a bit. Especially with these images as they handled it well. Sometimes this gets too gaudy, but what about this process isn’t iterative?
7. Now either duplicate the original image again (if you’re like me, it’s still labeled “background”) or double-click the original image to change it to a layer. Drag the original (or copy of original) up on top of your manipulated image. Bring down the opacity of the color image (top), so you can see through to the gray/color image, thereby “re-colorizing” the image.
The result will be an all-color image with your subject standing out considerably more than the background.
Hi everyone, I'm new here, but I thought I could share too.
I used a similar technique to bring the flower in this photo to the foreground. I tried not to overdo the effect as to keep it looking natural.
Using a technique similar to woodcreeper's (in Photoshop) I used the pen tool to create a path around the flower. After duplicating the layer and masking out the background I reduced the brightness and saturation of the background layer. I then applied a Gaussian blur of 3 pixels to the image mask to make the transition between the layers a bit less harsh.
I've also placed a note on the image where I had to remove a stray leaf from passing in front of the subject of the photo. I did it rather quickly so, if you look closely, you can see where the leaf originally passed. Check out the note for more information.
I used a similar technique to bring the flower in this photo to the foreground. I tried not to overdo the effect as to keep it looking natural.
Using a technique similar to woodcreeper's (in Photoshop) I used the pen tool to create a path around the flower. After duplicating the layer and masking out the background I reduced the brightness and saturation of the background layer. I then applied a Gaussian blur of 3 pixels to the image mask to make the transition between the layers a bit less harsh.
I've also placed a note on the image where I had to remove a stray leaf from passing in front of the subject of the photo. I did it rather quickly so, if you look closely, you can see where the leaf originally passed. Check out the note for more information.
All of this is great. I agree first and foremost that there are a whole lot of ways to skin a cat.
And I also agree with matt.ohara about both feathering the selection and using the magnetic lasso.
I threw this together in like 10 minutes using first the lasso and then going back and doing minute corrections with the standard selection tool. A quick feather and then an applied mask, and BOOM, we're off to the races.
And I also agree with matt.ohara about both feathering the selection and using the magnetic lasso.
I threw this together in like 10 minutes using first the lasso and then going back and doing minute corrections with the standard selection tool. A quick feather and then an applied mask, and BOOM, we're off to the races.
My first attempt:
I wanted to refer back to this thread when doing it, but the server was down. :)
So this is just a quick hack in Photoshop - I duplicated the image, desaturated the bottommost layer and erased the bits from the top layer that I didn't want. It needs some fringing removed, but that's a subject for another thread...
I wanted to refer back to this thread when doing it, but the server was down. :)
So this is just a quick hack in Photoshop - I duplicated the image, desaturated the bottommost layer and erased the bits from the top layer that I didn't want. It needs some fringing removed, but that's a subject for another thread...
Simes, with such a uniformely colored subject, you can simply use select -> color range -> sampled colors and sample for the organge. There's a checkbox somewhere for contiguos, if you uncheck that, it selects the sample color everywhere. Then you can create a layer with the selection, leave it colored and desaturate the background layer to your heart's content. It's what I did with this photo:
I know this is an old thread, but it's resulted in some neat effects on some new photographs of mine. I was a bit sloppy in the execution, but hopefully that will improve.
I feel like it's a technique that I need to be careful to use sparingly, because it's so dramatic and fun. But in both these cases I think it works because it clarifies the meaning of the pictures.
Thanks! I had a lot of fun.
I feel like it's a technique that I need to be careful to use sparingly, because it's so dramatic and fun. But in both these cases I think it works because it clarifies the meaning of the pictures.
Thanks! I had a lot of fun.
Wow I think I got it... just in time too! Using a tablet helps a lot... also not forgetting to use zoom for all of the fine editing. I also experimented a lot with brushes. Using the harder ones to get in the cracks and the soft ones for larger areas. The hardest point on this image was choosing what to reveal. I also found desaturate a little flat….
I found this article mentioned above quite useful Selective Color
BIRD
I found this article mentioned above quite useful Selective Color
BIRD
I would like to add something to this rather old topic. Interesting effects can be made if you take the cyan channel in portraits as the bw channel. You will get a very soft skin. In my example on purpose I did not brighten up the picture afterwards in order to make the eyes more outstanding. The eyecolor was unchanged. I will further mess around with that effect.
Yes. I agree with XtwizX. Using a b/w layer and carefully erasing the areas where you want colors, is the technique I favor a lot too. Here's a recent cutout that I did...
Though I must say, to each his own. So I wouldn't say any particular technique is the best. Whatever works for you is the best! :)
Happy New Year, folks!
Though I must say, to each his own. So I wouldn't say any particular technique is the best. Whatever works for you is the best! :)
Happy New Year, folks!
Here's mine...I just used the magnetic tool to select the lemon and then desaturate the photo to create the black and white look through one of the tutorials I found here...by copying the layer, going to unsharp mask, play around with the radius, etc...and changing the opacity level of the three or four layers I've created.
