color a black & white image

7/30/2019 color a black & white image

1/30

AHow To Add Color To Black and White

Photos in Photoshop

byKaitlyn MillerinArt Tutorials>Photoshop Tricks

.

.

.

.

Published Apr. 29th 2008

NOTE: If the following tutorial feels overwhelming, or youre just not interested in learning thesoftware and would rather pay a professional, there ARE other options. Head over to

ColoraPhoto.com to find out more.

For everybody else, heres how to color your photographs yourself:

One of Adobe Photoshops best features is the ability it gives you to colorize black and white

photographs. With Photoshop you can add color to the entire photo, or just paint one part of

the image to create a focal pointits up to you.

Sound interesting? Then read through the following step by step instructions. It doesnt matter if

youre a Photoshop novice or expert, within minutes youll be able to use this essentialPhotoshop technique to bring your black and white photos to life.

Adding color to a black and white photo

First, open the image you want to colorizepreferably a black and white image with a good

range of values from darkest black to pure white.
http://www.printplace.com/http://www.printplace.com/http://www.printplace.com/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/photoshop-tricks/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/photoshop-tricks/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/photoshop-tricks/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/30/how-to-add-depth-of-field-to-your-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/28/how-to-add-bleed-and-crop-marks-to-an-image-in-adobe-photoshop/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/photoshop-tricks/http://emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/http://www.printplace.com/


2/30

Next, go to Image >> Mode and make sure that RGB is selected. This will allow you to use the

most vibrant colors possible.

Now its time to select the area of your photo that youd like to colorIll walk you through the

selection method thatIprefer.

Double-click the Quick Mask button near the base of your toolbar to bring up the Quick Mask

options. Under Color Indicates choose Selected Areas and press OK.


3/30

At this point youll also be in Quick Mask mode, although it wont look any different at first.

Choose the Paintbrush from your toolbar and start painting over the area that youve decided to

add some color to.

Dont worry, youre not really coloring anything yetthis portion will just appear to be red so

you can see the area youre selecting.

After completely covering the chosen area. . .


4/30

. . .click on the Quick Mask button again. This will will put you back to Normal mode. Youll

notice that the area which you just filled in with color is now selected.

Pause for a moment and save the selected area for later use (or in case you make a mistake). Do

this by going to Select >> Save Selection.

OK, its time to finally add some color to your selection. Click on Layer >> New Adjustment


5/30

Layer >> Color Balance.

Click OK on the first dialog box, and the following color sliders will appear.

Put a checkmark in the preview box and adjust the color sliders until you get a color you like forthe selected area. Then click OK.


6/30

If there are other areas that you want to colorize, just repeat the previous steps again on a new

section. Thats all there is to it!

Final photo-coloring advice

It will take some trial and error to get your photo looking exactly the way you want it to. Using

Quick Mask to select the areas will require some practice as well.

You might find yourself changing the Color Balance sliders for each area again and again

thats because even when you think you have the colors right where you want them, they have a


7/30

way of looking a lot different when the whole photo is colorized. Just keep tweaking the sliders

until you get the balance youre looking for.

Remember to save! Always!

Save the original picture before you begin. Save every selection as you make it in Quick Maskmode. And save your project after you colorize each section. Its a real pain to go back and re-do

past sections of the photo just because youve messed up somewhere down the line.

Kaitlyn Miller writes for Printplace.com, anonline printing companythat offers postcard

rinting, business cards, posters and more.

To contact a professional photo editor, visit ColoraPhoto.com.

Adding Color to Black & White Images in Photoshop 7

By Al WardofAction Fx Photoshop Resources

Dateline: June 4, 2003Volume 1, Number 1

Post comments inthe Photoshop forum

There are quite a few tutorials online dealing with removing color from images to gain crisp

black and white versions. I've written a few myself. The thought occurred to me thismorning that there really isn't much that I've seen showing how to add realistic color to ablack and white image. This takes some time, patience and a bit of savvy, using tool and

blending mode combinations, but it can produce some very realistic results. I'll be showing

you how to colorize an image in Photoshop 7, but you should be able to replicate the effects

in earlier versions or other image editing applications.

For this tutorial I'll be using an example image fromPhotos.com. (Right-click on the imageto download it, if you want to follow along using the same photo). The folks at Photos.com

have been very gracious in allowing me to use their images for my tutorials and it has

become my favorite photo site, due to the quality and wide variety of images available. If

you haven't done so, I suggest you check them out. Now, on to the image.
http://www.printplace.com/http://www.printplace.com/http://www.printplace.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.qksrv.net/click-1308411-10274966http://www.qksrv.net/click-1308411-10274966http://www.qksrv.net/click-1308411-10274966http://www.qksrv.net/click-1308411-10274966http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://actionfx.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://www.printplace.com/


8/30

This young lady seems a bit down in the

dumps. A little forlorn, a little blue... she

could use a makeover! Okay, maybe Ihave been spending too much time

watching TV with my wife. But I think we

can at least make a try at cheering her up.

First, let's duplicate the original image and place a copy

in its own layer. I always keep a copy of the original on

hand.


9/30

Duplicate the Background layer one more time.

Make the top copy invisible for now and select

the copy just above the background. We aregoing to begin our colorizing with the hair on

this layer.

Click the Create a New Adjustment Layer iconon the bottom of the Layers Palette, or just go to

Layer > New Adjustment Layer. Select

Hue/Saturation.

In the Hue/Saturation

dialog box, check Colorizein the lower-right corner.

Move the sliders to get a

nice sepia/brown overalltone, as shown below.

When satisfied, click OK.


10/30

Now select the topmost layer. This is the onewe made invisible earlier. We'll perform the

majority of our colorizing here.

Click the Add a Mask icon on the bottomof the Layers Palette. Your foreground

and background colors will change toBlack/White respectively when working on the mask. If white shows up in the foreground,hit the D key to place black in the front, white in the back.


11/30

For those of you who are unfamiliar with masks, this

is the one rule that you need to know: Black hides,

and White reveals. What do I mean by that, you ask?Well, the best way to describe it is to simply show

you. When you paint with black in a Layer Mask, that

portion of the layer contents becomes invisible,revealing the layer beneath. So when I paint withblack in the mask where the hair is on the left side of

the image, the layer we just colored beneath is

revealed in those areas.

Go ahead and try it, painting all the areas

where you see hair. Try adjusting your

brush size so that only the hair is revealed.

Now select the image icon in the same layer. This allows you to work on the actual pixels inthe layer rather than the mask.

Go to Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation. Again, click the Colorize box. Adjust the tone

of the layer until you get a subtle flesh

tone in the skin. When satisfied, click OK.


12/30

Click on the foreground color in the toolbar to open the Color Picker dialog box. Select atone for the eyesin this case I'm going to color them blue. When you have your color,

click OK.

This part is important, and

is a great trick for coloring eyes, lips, and so forth. Select the Paintbrush tool. Choose a

feathered brush no larger than you need for the area you will be working on (in this case the

iris). Set the Blending Mode for the brush to Color. Set the Opacity to 50% and the Flow to60%.

Paint right over the irises. Note that when painting in the Color blending

mode the white areas are not colored, only the darker areas are changed.


13/30

We can use this same trick on the lips. Select

a reddish hue as your foreground color and,using the same process as the eyes, color the

lips with the Paintbrush.


14/30

Let's take a look at the entire image and

check our progress thus far. Here's mine

(compare it to the original).

If the next few steps seem a bit overdone, you will have to forgive me. I am not in the habitof applying makeup, so the whole concept of what tones go with what skin type eludes me. I

think you will pick up what I'm trying to do, though. Create a new layer. Set the Blending

Mode for this layer to Overlay.


15/30

To work on the eyelashes,

brows and lids we need a

darker tone. Click theforeground color again to

open the color picker and

select a dark hue. I'm using adark blue/gray.

Select the Paintbrush

again and paint over the

lashes, brows and lids.


16/30

Change the foreground color to a lighter blue/gray.

Select the layer with the mask and click on thePaintbrush tool. Keep the Blending Mode of the brush

as Color, and paint the areas where you would like the

eyeliner and mascara.

Now we can enhance and darken areas with the Burn tool. Select the Burn tool on

the toolbar. Set the range to Shadows and Exposure to 20%.


17/30

Run the Burn tool lightly over the lips, brows, and

areas where the makeup was applied. Select the top

layer again. We can give the lips a bit more color bypainting in this layer with a red/brown. Open the

foreground color picker again. Select a tone

(brown/red) for the lips and click OK.

Select the Paintbrush again, in Color Mode. Paint

over the lips.

There you have it. I've made two examples for you using the same process, so you can see

what it looks like with more or less makeup. For contrast, take another look at the original


18/30

image.


19/30

I hope you enjoyed the image colorization process outlined here and I encourage you to try

this on your own photos. Until next time, I'll see you atAction Fx!

Discuss this column with Al Ward in thePhotoshop forum.

Don't miss the next installment of this column. Get the free Graphics.com

newsletter in your mailbox each week (and win great graphics products).Click

hereto subscribe.

Want to add to your own COOL FACTOR? Al Ward, the author of this column and NAPPctions Guru, offers thousands of Photoshop goodies for download on his website

(http://actionfx.com)! He also has several Photoshop Goodies available on CD. So who is

this Al guy anyway? He has co-authoredPhotoshop Most Wanted: Effects and DesignTips, a manual of popular Photoshop Special Effects andFoundation Photoshop 6.0fromFriends of Ed Publishing. Al is the Author ofAdobe Elements 2 Special Ef fects, a new solo

title from Hungry Minds/Wiley Publishing. He has been a contributor to Photoshop UserMagazine, a contributing writer forPhotoshop E lements 2- 50 Ways to Create CoolPictur es , Photoshop 7 Eff ects Magic , I nside Photoshop 6andSpecial Edition I nside

Photoshop 6from New Riders Publishing, and writes for several Photoshop related

websites including the National Association of Photoshop Professional s Official Website,

PhotoshopUser.com,Planet Photoshop and thePhotoshop Caf. Al was a panelist at thePhotoshop World 2001 Los Angeles Conference, and contributes to the official NAPP

website as the Actions area coordinator. Al lists Scott Kelby, Editor-In-Chief of Photoshop

User Magazine as his Hero, Coffee as his favorite food group, and Sleep as the one pastimehe d like to take up some day...

How to Use Selective Coloring in Photoshop

Edited by Corey Smallwood, Maluniu, PlaidDogDesign, Sportheart and 5 others

555

Article

EditDiscuss
http://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://actionfx.com/http://www.photoshopuser.com/http://www.photoshopuser.com/http://www.planetphotoshop.com/http://www.planetphotoshop.com/http://www.photoshopcafe.com/http://www.photoshopcafe.com/http://www.photoshopcafe.com/http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&media=http%3A%2F%2Fpad1.whstatic.com%2Fimages%2F2%2F27%2FAm-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpg&description=wikiHow+to+Use+Selective+Coloring+in+Photoshop+--+via+wikiHow.comhttp://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&media=http%3A%2F%2Fpad1.whstatic.com%2Fimages%2F2%2F27%2FAm-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpg&description=wikiHow+to+Use+Selective+Coloring+in+Photoshop+--+via+wikiHow.comhttp://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edithttp://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edithttp://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edithttp://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edithttp://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&media=http%3A%2F%2Fpad1.whstatic.com%2Fimages%2F2%2F27%2FAm-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpg&description=wikiHow+to+Use+Selective+Coloring+in+Photoshop+--+via+wikiHow.comhttp://www.wikihow.com/Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshophttp://www.photoshopcafe.com/http://www.planetphotoshop.com/http://www.photoshopuser.com/http://actionfx.com/http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://www.graphics.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=newsletter&file=indexhttp://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=6http://actionfx.com/


20/30

Every wanted take a a picture,make it black and white then return the color to certainparts...follow these easy steps

EditSteps

Photoshop CS and earlier

1. 1

Click To Enlarge

Open Adobe photoshop and open a picture

2. 2
http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edit&section=1http://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Am-I-Coming-or-Going-.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Use-Selective-Coloring-in-Photoshop&action=edit&section=1


21/30

Click To Enlarge

Go to "Layers" and duplicate the layer,this will create an extra layer located in the lower right

hand corner

3. 3

Click To Enlarge

On the duplicated layer,turn it black and white

4. 4

Create a layer mask for your black and white layer by clicking the icon at the bottom of your

layers palette.

Create a layer mask for your black and white layer by clicking the icon at the bottom of your

layers palette.

5. 5This adds a white (blank) mask in your layers palette linked to the image. Click the mask iconto select it.

6. 6
http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:Create_mask_529.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:2_311.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:3_977.jpg


22/30

Click To Enlarge

Now grab the brush tool in you toolbox and mask the section you want colored by painting

directly onto the mask (black will hide the layer and show the color layer underneath, white

will show the layer and keep the black and white version).

7. 7

Click To Enlarge

Now combine the two layers and save and Bam! you have a cool new picture.

Photoshop CS2 and higher

1. 1

Click To Enlarge

Open Adobe photoshop and open a picture

2. 2From the layers palette click on the adjustments layer icon and select Black & White .
http://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:1_13.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:5_710.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpghttp://www.wikihow.com/Image:4_429.jpg


23/30

3. 3This creates a new adjustment layer with a blank layer mask. To bring color back to a certain

area simply click on the mask icon to select it and paint with black to hide the effect.

4. 4If you mess up, switch to white to bring the black and white effect back in.

.

#40 How to add color to black and white

photo in Photoshop CS6-Tricky Photoshop

0

05 Aug 2012

byVaibhav Sharan

0

inShare

1

Heres the effect
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/#respondhttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/#respondhttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/&media=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Final_thumb.jpghttp://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/&media=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Final_thumb.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Temp.jpghttp://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/&media=http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Final_thumb.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/#respondhttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/40-how-to-ad-color-to-black-and-white-photo-in-photoshop-cs6-tricky-photoshop/


24/30

The photo Ill be working with

Dont Have So Much Time to Spend?

Justclick hereand colorize your old black and white images or your old black and white memories by

Photoshop experts.

Hello guys I am Vaibhav and in this tutorial I am going to show you how to colors to your photo

using Photoshop CS6. Turning a photo to black and white is relatively much simpler than turningthe black and white photo to colored one. There are many ways to convert a colored photo toblack and white but there is only one method to convert black and white photo to colored. If you

are thinking of hue & saturation and then click on t colorize option than you are completely

wrong. I am leaving this task to use to find out why hue & sat will not work. The only method is

to color the photo step by step. I found this photo through Flickrvia creative common search. Ifyour photo is not black and white but color casted(tinted) with any color like morning blue, sepia

etc. then you refer to How to remove colorcast (tint) from a photo using Photoshop CS6. This

method will work on most black and white photo. I am just going to use selection tools, curves,and hue.

STEP 1: CHANGE THE MODE TO CMYK

First off I am going to change the color mode to CMYK. CMYK stands for Cyan Magenta

Yellow Key(Black). By changing the mode to CMYK, Photoshop will give my photo a bit

stronger effect. You can adjust it by going to image>mode>CMYK Color. Leave the photo tobe 8bits/channel.
http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/http://www.flickr.com/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/8-how-to-remove-colorcasttint-in-photoshop/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/8-how-to-remove-colorcasttint-in-photoshop/http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Initial.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/8-how-to-remove-colorcasttint-in-photoshop/http://www.flickr.com/http://www.coloraphoto.com/


25/30

STEP 2

So here the fun begins. In this step I am going to select the area which I want to be colored. As

this photo is completely black and white so its up to us what should we choose. We can change

the paint the sky with blue, golden etc. Its totally up to us.

I am going to start with the sky. I think sky is the best place to start with. I am going to select thesky with quick selection tool. You can choose whatever the tool you want. I think quick

selection tool will be easy for me to select the sky. I am going to select it by pressing shift+Wuntil it comes. You can also select it from the left panel.

As you can see in the above pic that my selection is not perfect. I have not selected the barely

visible sky through the trees and I am not even going to select that. Instead of selecting that I am

going to use refine edge tool. Refine edge tools is the best thing when you are selecting hairs,trees etc. Simply click on the refine edge in the option bar.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2.jpg


26/30

After opening the refine edge tool press B to view the selection in black background. As the sky

is generally is of light color so it is best to see it with black background. You can also change the

view mode by dropping sown the view mode menu. Below is the photo that down not containsany refine edge tool.

In the refine edge box , select smart radius and then increase the pixels as per your

requirement. I am going to set the pixels to its maximum value i.e. 250.

You can see the difference between the two photos and can realize the power of refine edge tool.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/4.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/4.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3.jpg


27/30

STEP 3

In this step I am going to open the layer palette by pressing F7. In the layer palette click on add

adjustment layer. Then select Curves. In the curves, drop down the CMYK menu and thenclick on cyan. You can see that the histogram color has changed to cyan. As sky is mainly of

cyan color so I an going to increase the cyan color simply by lifting up the line.

Now adjust the rest of the colors to give more realistic look to your sky.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/6.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/6.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/5.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/5.jpg


28/30

STEP 4

Now I am going to select the trees. Once again I am going to use the quick selection tool to

select the trees. You can also use magic wand tool to select the trees. I recommend you to not tochoose polygonal lasso tool or pen tool because it is nearly impossible to select the tree with

that selection tools. After selecting that once again apply refine edge. Once again add the curveadjustment layer and this time try to adjust cyan, magenta, yellow and black in such a way thatthe trees looks like green in color.

You can fill your tree with whatever the color you want. Its totally depends on your creativity.

STEP 5

Its time to fill the roof. I am going to fill it with red color. The procedure is same. Select the area

then add curve adjustment layer and then edit CMYK curve.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/7.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/7.jpg


29/30

STEP 6

Time to fill the wall with yellow color with same procedure. But for the wall I am going to use

hue & saturation. I am not able to get the desired color with curves so after adding the curves I

am going to use hue & saturation. To add hue and saturation press F7 for the layers palette.Click on add adjustment layer and the click on hue & saturation. Click on colorize and then

I am going to adjust the hue & sat bar as per my requirement.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/8.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/9.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/9.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/8.jpghttp://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/8.jpg


30/30

STEP 7

As I have added the colors to my photo I am going to give the final touch to my photo. I am

going to add levels to my photo. But before that I am going to change the mode from CMYK toRGB. Go to image>mode>RGB. Now for the final touch go to image>adjustment>levels and

adjust the levels according to you.

And finally you are done here. I know you guys are thinking its so long trick but it would takeonly 3-4 minutes or less if you know are familiar with Photoshop.Thanks for reading this articleand lot of cool tricks are also available here. Enjoy them also. Dont forget to leave comment and

also dont forget to share it with Facebook, Twitter and more. Follow trickyphotoshop on Twitterfor the latest updates and also dont forget to like trickyphotoshop. If any trick that you want to

know that you dont know that simply contact me by emailing me and my email address is givenbelow. I would love to teach you that trick.
http://www.tricky-photoshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Final.jpg

color a black & white image

Documents