photoshop delinquent.....

[doylie]

can anyone explain to me in relatively simple terms how to selectively color a picture? either in paint shop pro or photoshop... i use PSP more because it's alot easier, but for some things i still like photoshop. anyone?

 

[Mgw189]

Make a duplicate layer and desaturate it then erase the parts you want colored the colored layer below will be left in its place.

 

[Ptyler22]

Do you mean like have one thing in the picture in color and all the rest B&W? Or do you mean you want just one color in the picture, like everything B&W that isn't red?

 

[doylie]

if you could explain both, that would be fabulous

 

[LaFoto]

That's what "selective colouring" usually means, ptyler, yes.

I was told to create a duplicate layer in PS, then go to "Image" -> "Mode" -> "Lab Colour", then desaturate the duplicated layer through "Image" -> "Adjust" -> "Hue/Saturation". Then adjust the levels so my b&w version looks good and pleasing and not too flat, and then use the eraser tool to carefully erase those parts of the layer that I want to have back in colour. This will make the colour of the first layer "shine through". You best work at great magnification and a tiny eraser for the edges. Everything in the middle can then be erased faster with a larger eraser, once the edges are well done (after that it's a bit like doing a colouring book ). Once you're done, go to "Layer" -> "Flatten Image" and then again to "Image" -> "Mode" and back to "RGB Colour" so you can save your image as .jpg.

Do the last steps ONLY when you are ABSOLUTELY sure you are done (and done WELL) with the selective colouring, for once you have flattened your image, you won't be able to correct little mistakes. To stay on the safe side, you might want to save an unflattened Photoshop PDF.file PLUS a flattened .jpeg, you can thus always return to the Photoshop-file and continue working on it.

 

[doylie]

thank you all so much!