help with color change...

[Dan B]

First I would like to say hello to everyone on the group. This is my first time posting here. I have been lurking for a few weeks.


I've just shot a wedding in which the mother of the Bride asked if I could change the color of the curtains over the baptismal area. On a scale of one to ten, I'm about a 3 or 4 knowing everything about Photoshop. So much to learn and so little time.

I tried doing this by using the wand and picking a 42 on tolerance. After that I'm lost because I need to sample a color on the bridemaids dress (in a seperate picture) to use on the curtains.

Can someone please step me throught this? Once I figure this out, I have about 12-15 pictures I need to do this with.

Here is a test shot of the curtains and below is a sample of the dress color I would like to change the curtains to. (blue/perrywinkle?)


http://www.webdeals.net/test/a.jpg


Dress
http://www.webdeals.net/test/b.jpg

I will be grateful for any help.

Dan browning

[Doug Nelson]

Well, as you'll see from the attachment here, I don't know if you really want the colors to be matched It looks a bit odd (although it looked excellent until I matched the luminosity, I'll mention where).

Also, this attachment is very rough, I spent maybe 3 minutes on it.

1. Open both images
2. In the curtain image, use Select > Color Range to select the curtains. Hold down the shift key and drag around on it to get the entire range of reds. Adjust fuzziness to suit.
3. Make a new layer, set blend mode to color
4. Switch to dress image. I blurred it a bit to smooth out color, then used 5x5 eyedropper to sample dress
5. Go back to curtain and use Edit > Fill > Foreground color
(this is where I'd stop, it looked pretty good with this color)
6. Ctrl click on the fill layer to make a selection based on that transparency
7. Select background layer and create a new levels adjustment layer. Curtains should already be masked. Adjust midtone slider to match luminosity you desire.
8. Go back and touchup the fill layer and the layer mask to get rid of rough edges, dropped areas, etc. (this is the step I did not do)

[Dan B]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Doug Nelson
[B]Well, as you'll see from the attachment here, I don't know if you really want the colors to be matched It looks a bit odd (although it looked excellent until I matched the luminosity, I'll mention where).


Wow...your right. That's a horrible color to have on there!
Maybe I'll just call the MOB and tell her that it looks to wierd.

[CJ Swartz]

Blue is almost the opposite color from the yellowish gold walls, so it will JUMP out at her when she views the photos. I imagine that she's just looking for something that won't grab the attention away from the bride and her bridesmaids. Perhaps a color similar to the wall color or molding will help -- using the color picker to sample the wall and playing with the saturation, lightness, etc.

[Dan B]

Originally posted by CJ Swartz
Blue is almost the opposite color from the yellowish gold walls, so it will JUMP out at her when she views the photos. I imagine that she's just looking for something that won't grab the attention away from the bride and her bridesmaids. Perhaps a color similar to the wall color will help -- using the color picker to sample the wall and playing with the saturation, lightness, etc.

I agree, it will jump out at you. What you did looks better but I think I will have to call her and tell he the news. The pictures with the curtains will just have to be that color or I'll change them to black and white. They look great in B&W.

[Flora]

Hi Dan!

I agree with what everybody said already about the colours not really fitting together ... but, should the MOB insist, here is what I tried:

1) Removed the yellowish cast (this gives you more freedom in choosing the curtain colour) by using the Curves:

a) Tweak the 'Set white point' to these values -> H=0, S=0, B=90 as to obtain a 'softer' white ....

b) Set the White Point on one of the flowers in the vase at the bottom left.

2) Select the whole curtain.

3) Activate the dress picture and use the Color Picker to choose the right color.

4) Back to the church picture, with the curtain selected, open the Hue&Saturation dialog box and click on Colorize.

5) to lighten the colour, with the now blue curtain selected, press Ctrl + J to copy it onto its own Layer and play with the blendings: Screen/Color Dodge/Linear Dodge .... adjust the contrast by using: Curves/Levels or Brightness & Contrast...

[Doug Nelson]

Flora:

You made it work. But now it looks like they need new carpet

I dunno...periwinkle doesn't look as...holy

Dan:

When this is all done and your client makes up her mind this might make a good anecdote for our Work/Jobs forum anecdote collection.

[Flora]

Gosh...Doug... I didn't even see the carpet (onset of senility!!!) ....

Back to Photoshop!!!

[Flora]

....Here is the revised version with matching carpet colours ....

Luckily I didn't take up brain surgery as a hobby .....

Doug,
I agree with you about the holiness (or lack of it) of periwinkle ....

[Doug Nelson]

I like it. I've actually been in churches that looked like that. But I still think the dark red is more...regal?

hmmm....hobby brainsurgery....you thing BrainsurgeonPRO.com is available?

[Flora]

Thanks Doug!

After this I'll expect the RP firing squad...
but believe me all this is to tell you how right you are about the regality of the deep red (in Italian 'porpora') typical of the Churches ornaments ... here it comes ....

""La veste stessa, o parte di essa, fatta di tale stoffa, o che ha tale colore, segno esteriore di particolare dignità (presso gli antichi Romani, simbolo dell'ordine senatorio ed equestre, nell'impero bizantino della sovranità imperiale, e ancor oggi della dignità cardinalizia)""

in other words .... ""to be raised to the purple"" as exterior sign of regality ...

.... Wow .... this was a bout of 'professional aberrance' .... I beg your forgiveness ....

As for brain surgery ..... how about 'NeuronPro.com' or even better 'HappySynapsePro.com' ....

...Doug...I promise .... after this .... I'll keep my mouth shut for the rest of the day ....

[Doug Nelson]

Per favore, soltanto se andando dormire.

[Dan B]

Originally posted by Flora
Hi Dan!

I agree with what everybody said already about the colours not really fitting together ... but, should the MOB insist, here is what I tried:

1) Removed the yellowish cast (this gives you more freedom in choosing the curtain colour) by using the Curves:

a) Tweak the 'Set white point' to these values -> H=0, S=0, B=90 as to obtain a 'softer' white ....

b) Set the White Point on one of the flowers in the vase at the bottom left.

2) Select the whole curtain.

3) Activate the dress picture and use the Color Picker to choose the right color.

4) Back to the church picture, with the curtain selected, open the Hue&Saturation dialog box and click on Colorize.

5) to lighten the colour, with the now blue curtain selected, press Ctrl + J to copy it onto its own Layer and play with the blendings: Screen/Color Dodge/Linear Dodge .... adjust the contrast by using: Curves/Levels or Brightness & Contrast...

Flora!
You ROCK. That's awesome looking. If I can't figure this out I'm hiring you. The matching carpet makes it look even wilder.

[Flora]

Doug!

.... I kept my promise .... and not only 'andando a dormire' .... (your Italian is actually quite good!!!!) ....

Dan!

Thank you so much for your words....What a boost for my ego!!!!!

So glad you liked it and I'm sure that by now you have a very happy and satisfied MOB!! .... and please, don't hesitate to contact me should you desire more specific explanations....