Another How To question.

[anon_uno]

Hi, it's me again : )

My How To question this time is how to modify an image (using Photoshop) such that it only show a particular color in color and the rest in Black & White or (the rest of the image in a mono-tone color).

I know one of the method that I have tried is to select the object that I wanted to be in color with the Lesso Tool, then Inverts the selection and make the picture Black&White, leaving the selected object in Color.

This works well if I only want (I have attached a file of a pic of my son which shows what I meant).

However, what I want to acheive is a method that allows me to select a single color to remain in color and the rest of the image in a mono-tone color


Hope I have explained it well enough.

THank you in advance.

Best regards,

[Doug Nelson]

I'm not 100% sure I know what you mean, but it sounds like you could accomplish it by using the color range selection, inverting the selection, and desaturating. Actually, you should probably throw an adjustment layer in there and use the selection to mask it, instead of actually desaturating your original.

[john_opitz]

Yes, that's more.....hand coloring. A B&W pic and than hand color it. That's been done on B&W portraits and coloring the lips,eyes.....ect.ect..

[anon_uno]

I don't think John's method was what I wanted. This method was fine if the color object we wish to have in the image is a small object otherwise, it would be too much work.

I am having problem trying to go through Doug's suggestion. But then again, I am a newbie to Photoshop.

Let me try to explain what I want to achieve a bit more:
Imagine an image of someone holding a bunch of red roses.
What I want to do is a method somehow make this image such that only the the red color remains red (if I selected the color to be red and in a very narrow range) in the image and the rest of the image in Black&White. Or If I select the color pink, then all the pixels in Pink should remain in Pink and the rest of the pixels in Black&White. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks again in advance.

Regards,

[anon_uno]

Doug,

Just worked it out on what you have suggested.
Looks pretty good and it is what I wanted to acheive.

To take that a bit further.
What do you do if you want two or more colors?
Do you just make multiple copies and go through the same process for each of the color wanted then somehow combine them?

Regards,

[OhThatGirl2001]

Hi Anon,

Doug's method is actually a great method if you want to keep the original colors. Otherwise, you end up creating a set of individual layers and hand color each selection. To chose multiple objects in a picture using Doug's method... I would make sure before I started I made a decision of what I want to see colored. Then once you make your first selection, hold down the shift key and you can make as many selections you want within a picture.

Here is a picture that I made selection - so it's rough with the magic wand over several areas (by holding down the shift) within the photo. Then I inversed my selection and desaturated.

Lisa

[Doug Nelson]

You can also save selections, then reload them later. You can even add or subtract them from other selections.

If 'color range' selects things you don't want selected, after using it switch to quickmask mode and erase the areas you don't want selected, then switch back and save that selection.

[OhThatGirl2001]

Thanks Doug!

I love this technique. This method is faster and saving the selections is a wonderful way of being able to have a little more flexibility. Definetly a great tip. I hope you add this to the Tips area!

Many thanks.

P.S. I hope anon gets the benefits of this method

P.S.S. I've been playing with this technique all morning!!

Lisa

[Doug Nelson]

There, it's now in the tips area

[winwintoo]

Another way you could do this is to leave the image colored as it starts out. Make a Hue/Saturation layer and set the sliders so the whole image looks grayscale. Now use the paintbruch and paint with black on the areas that you want to be colored.

Margaret

[winwintoo]

Still better way

Duplicate the layer that has the colors. Desaturate the duplicate layer. Add a layer mask by clicking on the little layer mask icon. Make sure the layer with color is visible - the eyeball is on. now with the desaturated layer active, click on the layer mask and start painting with black where you want the color to show through. If you reveal something you didn't want to, just paint over it with white.

I don't know why painting with black and white works, it just does

Margaret

[Ron]

Maybe this would be easier

Duplicate color layer and desaturate second layer. Use the Eraser tool to remove B/W layer where you want the color to show through. NO masking required....

[winwintoo]

That works too, but with the layer mask, you can paint back with white if you make a mistake - sometimes I get ahead of myself and erase more than I can reverse in the history pallet.

Margaret