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how do you retain colour on certain objects in photo turned to b/w? 2

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juliams

Technical User
May 28, 2009
8
forgive my ineptitude..is there a way in photoshop to take a colour photograph,
say of a field of apples, retain the original colour in maybe 1 or 3 or 5 apples
and yet convert the rest of the photo to black and white or sepia?
 
Hi

The way I would do it is to select the items that you want to remain in color using the lasso tool, work big and take your time.

Once you are happy with your selection, copy and paste them. They will end up on a new layer above the original.

Open the layers pallet in the Window drop down.

Select the bottom layer.

Go to the Image drop down and select Adjustments/Hue and Saturation.

Run the Saturation slider all the way to the left.

You should now see the original in black and white and the second layer in color.

You can make what ever adjustments you want, (you might want to soften the edges on the color image slightly to get rid of the pasted on look) adjust the color etc.

When you are satisfied you can flatten the Image.

Mike
 
...all you need is one adjustment layer above the source image layer...

...on the mask of that adjustment layer, you need to define which areas to show and which to hide using 100% black to hide (or shades of black) to white to show...

...this way is a non-destructive process that leaves the original image intact and allows for easier editing further down the road...

...adjustment layers are the fourth icon from the left at the bottom of the layers palette (black and white circle)...

steps are:

1. add a "hue and saturation" adjustment layer (or you can use the "black and white adjustment" layer)

2. make selection of areas to remain color

3. on the mask icon of the adjustment layer, fill the selections with black

4. by pressing the "alt/option" key and clicking between the adjustment layer and the image underneath, you can clip the adjustment to the image below. This ensures you only adjust the layer directly below the adjustment layer, and not everything underneath those layers if your working with an image comp.

5. modify the controls on the adjustment layer to change the color. using a black and white adjustment layer, you can select the tint option at the top to produce a sepia and changing the tint color by clicking on the color box.

if using the hue and saturation layer you can choose the preset from the drop down menu at the top, in there is one called sepia.





andrew

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...to add to my post above, general rule of thumb with photoshop is to use masks wherever possible, and utilise adjustment layers wherever possible...

...doing so makes life a lot easier and it's good practice in the long run...




andrew

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...also one other point...

...it is also good practice to keep your files in layered PSD format and import into other adobe applications, this allows for easier editing further down the road, produces a more streamlined workflow...




andrew

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One other way. Don't change the mode of the photo, but select the layer and duplicate it. (Don't work on the original layer, keep it as a back up).

Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue and set the Saturation slider to -100 percent (turning your image grey).

Now, select your history brush, and "paint" on the apples you wish to be the original color (this will turn just the parts you paint back to the original.)

Save the layered file.

Greg
 
The totally easy way to do this is quite simple.

Duplicate your original image onto another layer.
Desaturate the top layer making it black and white.
Select the eraser tool. Adjust the size and hardness
On the B&W layer, erase away the parts u want in color.
When you do that, you're erasing the b&w, and the color from the layer below it will come through.

this is the no fuss way to do it.
 
I'd do like the last post to keep it simple, but rather than desaturate the top layer I'd add a black and white adjustment layer over the top, maybe even a brightness and contrast layer and mask out the areas of the adjustment layers you still want in color. You only have to mask one adjustment layer, then choose the same selection area you masked out and hit add layer mask to the next layer, if you go with more than one layer.
All your original layers remain intact and you can modify the adjustment layers to your liking.
 
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