Need a little help with colorizing a photo

[Gorgieboy]

I am still new to the repair, retouch and colorizing of old pics.

can anyone tell me why when i try to colour part of an image it dose not
show up as the colour i choose, it shows up much lighter or not at all.

any help at all would be great.

Thanks in advance Stevie...

[mistermonday]

Stevie, in order to help you understand why, we need to understand what procedure you are using to color the image. It would also be very helpful if you could attach an image of the before and after.
Regards, Murray

[0lBaldy]

Gorgieboy (Stevie), Welcome to RetouchPRO Hope you enjoy your stay here and make lots of friends. Poke around, ask questions, have fun!

Read this entire thread : Colouring the pictures: ¿How to? before clicking any links and it should provide some fantastic coloring guidelines.. especially after clicking the appropriate links (the first are dead ends. but updated later.. which is the reason for reading the entire thread first)

Be sure to check all the other links like from PanPan and Chillin.... might even download PanPans Gradient maps

...Clicking the search button above and using the search word "colorizing" should yield some amazing info also..

[Flora]

I won't even touch the topic about the different colorizing methods ... ... as for everything else in image manipulation it's absolutely a matter of personal preference.

But I think I can answer your question ...

Originally Posted by Gorgieboy

....can anyone tell me why when i try to colour part of an image it dose not show up as the colour i choose, it shows up much lighter or not at all.

Nicely balanced shadows and highlights are of vital importance if you want your colours showing evenly all over your image.

Nearly 'blown out' highlights is probably the reason why you ca barely see, (or not see at all) the colour you have applied... (See Attachments).

Most of the times, pure (or nearly pure) black just as pure (or nearly pure) white can't be coloured.....

As for Coloring, I've collected several Vikki's excellent tips on colorizing ... whatever method you decide to use:

The following tips are based on viewing a LOT of colorings:

• Pay attention to the details. It really is that important.

• Don't choose colors that are too bright, go for more muted colors for a more natural look.

• Don't leave any areas gray, even if you know they probably were. That goes for black and white as well.

• Nothing is one solid color, unless you dye it, (or make a selection and fill it with color).

• Nothing is ever just one color

• Although you would think teeth are white, they really aren't and have a tendancy to look gray unless they are given some color.

• You might consider applying a light sepia tone to the image before you start coloring. It gives you a head start on the skin tones, and eliminates all the ghostly grays.

• Don't leave anything gray. Even gray has color in it (often from reflected surroundings). If the job looks tedious, apply a sepia tone before you start coloring.

• Desaturate some of the color in the shadows. They have a tendancy to grab the color, and it can look artificial if it's too vibrant there.

• Watch out for high intensity colors. Bright blues, pinks, and such, if not handled carefully can look garish.