Image source:
* YOUR CHOICE - pick one from your own collection.

The point of all this:
* Illustrate how black and white relate to selections and masks.
* Using a Threshold adjustment layer to render a BW image.
* Creating a selection from a channel

The result:
* Does NOT have to look all that good... The point is to undertand the concepts and potential of the technique.

How to do it:
1. After opening an image (color or BW)...

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Threshold.

Adjust the slider... Note: The result is either all black or all white. Click OK when you get something interesting.

If the Channels palette is not visible, Window > Channels.

Important:
Ctrl + click on the RGB (composite) channel.

Note: Since all the channels are exactly the same, in this case you could Ctrl + click on any one of them and the result would be the same. This is called "loading the selection."

Note: You get "marching ants" (a selection). Just so you know, the ants are marching around the white areas.

Go back to the Layers Palette.

2. Turn off (click the eyeball of) the Threshold Adjustment Layer.

Click on the Background.

Layer > New Layer > Copy via Selection (or Ctrl + J).

Note a new layer is created based on the selection.

3. In the example I duplicated the new layer to (hopefully) make the Layers Palette screen shots a little easier to understand, but this isn't necessary.

Turn off the Step 2 layer.

To the duplicate of the Step 2 layer (Step 3) I applied some Layer Style effects.

You can do that -or-
* Apply filters
* Adjustment Layers
* or anything you want to layer Step 3! :)

- - - - - - - - -

So, to summarize:
* A BW layer was created using a Threshold adjustment layer
* From the mask a selection was created by Ctrl + clicking the RGB channel
* A new layer was created based on the selection
* Effects can be applied to the selected area

- - - - - - - - -

Extra credit 1:

1. Turn on Threshold layer
2. Ctrl + click on RGB channel to load the selection
3. Back to the Layers Palette.
4. Turn off Threshold layer
5. Add an adjustment layer of your choice (except Threshold)
* Notice how the mask takes the selection into consideration?
* Experiment with the adjustment layer settings
* Close the adjustment layer dialog
* Ctrl + I to "invert" the selection

How cool is that?

- - - - - - - - -

Extra credit 2:

1. Turn on Threshold layer
2. Ctrl + click on RGB channel to load the selection
3. Select > Save Selection...

Give it a name and save it.

This allows you to preserve (save) a selection for repeated use.

Now try...
1. Select > Load Selection...
2. Chose your newly created selection from the dropdown menu.

Having saved the selection = fewer steps to reused a selection.

- - - - - -

Have fun... Ask questions if any of this doesn't add up.

~Danny~

In this one,
* Created a new layer above the Background
* Filled it with white
* With black free-handed "Hello" **
* Created the new layer via copy as described previously
* Applied Stained Glass filter and a few Layer Style effects

In the second example:
* A "black text on white background" Text Layer was used to create the selection. This time a filter (Mosaic) was applied to the Background.

I'm not sure if I got this right. I did use the threshold and did create a new channel and selection from it. From there I sort of marched to my own drummer. It was way too much fun; and I'm sure that Danny has created another "kaleidoscope" thread where everyone will submitting entries for a long time.

as well as Janet, after few steps i went straight away from the main path ;) :lol:

had to scale it down to get to some reasonable size/quality ratio, originally worked on 800x540 pic...

it's not that visible here, but i guess i should've applied a bit of "feather" (like 0.5) before ctrl-J...


great idea w/ these "funny way of learning" CC's, Danny! :bigthmb:
i myself sometimes forget that selection and mask are "the same thingy", and you can do w/ both the same as w/ pix, and even more...

Way Cool JC.

"Straying is a good thing."

Experiment, go crazy, create!

- - - - - -

This effect was created by a B/W checkerboard selection (new layer created via copy) and Layer Style effects applied.

Then a 2nd new layer was created from the tiles layer by selecting a single tile (Layer > New layer > Via Cut. The tile was then moved with the Move tool and rotated slightly using Edit > Free Transform.

Very effective Danny - definitely one to remember.

Christine

You guys are getting FUNKY!
Janet, really like the middle one.
Danny, feeling 'boxed in' lately? Nice checkerboard.

I'm still playing. This challenge can go all sorts of ways.

WOW Danny. Amazing stuff. I love how you treated your subject.

Kiska, that's very bold and striking. I can see all sorts of uses for that especially for my student. Your work is right up his alley. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Janet

Janet, ' Your student'????
You're ACTUALLY making $$$$$$$$??????

With my apologies for ruining this great work of art. :aghast:
The orig was converted to threshold, selection made and craquelure applied to the selection. After that lighting effects rendered to whole image. Then lower half of image selected and threshold for ripple effect.

I teach photoshop for community ed, very basic, very slow paced. The pay is based on # of students. Last semester I made a whopping $76.00. Yippee.

But my other student is in high school and I teach him for free. It is part of his high school curriculum. He is dyslexic but has a mind that remembers everything and is always hungry.

So to answer your question...hahahahahaha $$$$$.

HUGS

Janet

Don't let all that cash go to your head, now.
If your student does something you really like, ask if you can post it here.

I'm not sure if I've done this one correctly; even so, I kinda like the way these two turned out.

These photos were taken by my dad, who spent some time in Baghdad last year. Both photos were taken from inside one of Uday Hussein's palaces.

I like both of those K.E.C. Great manipulation/blending. I especially like the first one.

Did the threshold thing and h/s. Then added the 'cracked paint' tut Danny just mentioned. Need thinner cracks, tho. Image was B/W.