photoshop

[justinspeaks]

i was wondering how i could separate the foreground and backround so i could make the foreground black and white.

 

[Digital Matt]

There are lots of options for this. They all involve making a selection. Since you have lots of straight lines, I would recommend using the pen tool. Set it to "paths", which should be a button in the top left corner of the screen, and then basically play connect the dots. Each time you click the mouse it will place a point, and connect a line from point to point. Once you have selected your foreground area, right click and choose "make selection", feather it at "0" pixels, and click ok. You'll now have a selection. At that point, I would use a channel mixer adjustment layer to create your black and white.

 

[uberben]

another option would be to copy the original layer into a new layer. You now have two identical layers. Make one black and white, while the other is still color. Use the erasing tool set to 100% hardness and just erase till you get your desired result. Then merge the two layers into one.

 

[Digital Matt]

another option would be to copy the original layer into a new layer. You now have two identical layers. Make one black and white, while the other is still color. Use the erasing tool set to 100% hardness and just erase till you get your desired result. Then merge the two layers into one.

While this will work just fine, it's not the best option, because once you use the eraser tool, you are only left with history states to undo. You cannot save the document, and come back to fix it at another time. My method utilizes layer masks, which can be re-edited at any time. The channel mixer also gives you lots of options for the look of your black and white.