Photoshop questions.

[is300soon]

I have photo shop 6.

IS there anyway to just make half the photo color and the other half black and white?

David

[digismile]

Yes, this is very easy. When you mean half color/half B&W, do you mean top half/bottom half or left side/right side? Or are you simply speaking figuratively, meaning some objects color/some objects B&W?

I or someone else around can post some simple instructions. But the basic concept is using 2 layers (one color, one B&W) with a layer mask. There was a similar post here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=10418).

Let us know a bit more about what you're exactly trying to accomplish.

Regards,
Brad

[is300soon]

i have alot of things i want to try

a rose in color and the background in black and white

then like u posted half and half.

David

[Mike Lane]

i have alot of things i want to try

a rose in color and the background in black and white

then like u posted half and half.

David
There are some pictures which you can do this fairly easily and there are some that it is much more difficult. The main idea is that you should select those parts of the image that you want to be in color copy them as a new layer (<ctrl> J is the shortcut for that) and then change the background to black and white (for which there are various techniques).

It's the selection part that can be the most difficult. Do you have a sample image that we could help you with?

[wxwax]

Far easier to hit control-J. This makes a duplicate layer. Make the duplicate layer B&W.

Hit the Layer Mask button. Select your paintbrush, a soft-edged paintbrush with 100% opacity. Make sure the color is black.

On the B&W layer, brush what you want to be in color. As you swipe with the paintbrush, it will remove the top B&W layer and reveal the bottom color layer. Made a mistake? Just click back in the history palette. Zoom in as much as you need to, to get the detail right. Use the [ and ] buttons to make your brush smaller and larger, as necessary.

If it's easier to swipe away the color to reveal the B&W, just reverse your layers.

Layer masks rule.

[Mike Lane]

Far easier to hit control-J. This makes a duplicate layer. Make the duplicate layer B&W.

Hit the Layer Mask button. Select your paintbrush, a soft-edged paintbrush with 100% opacity. Make sure the color is black.

On the B&W layer, brush what you want to be in color. As you swipe with the paintbrush, it will remove the top B&W layer and reveal the bottom color layer. Made a mistake? Just click back in the history palette. Zoom in as much as you need to, to get the detail right. Use the [ and ] buttons to make your brush smaller and larger, as necessary.

If it's easier to swipe away the color to reveal the B&W, just reverse your layers.

Layer masks rule.
I wouldn't say that technique is far easier. In fact, I would say that it is no easier or more difficult at all. You can paint in a selection in quick mask just as easily as you can paint out a layer using a layer mask. Just another way to skin that cat.

That said, there are times when it is unreasonable or impossible to do a selection without masking it. So I suppose it depends on what you're trying to do.

[wxwax]

I wouldn't say that technique is far easier. In fact, I would say that it is no easier or more difficult at all. You can paint in a selection in quick mask just as easily as you can paint out a layer using a layer mask. Just another way to skin that cat.

That said, there are times when it is unreasonable or impossible to do a selection without masking it. So I suppose it depends on what you're trying to do.

Fair enough. When you said selection, my mind went to lassoo etc., not painting a layer mask.

[Mike Lane]

Fair enough. When you said selection, my mind went to lassoo etc., not painting a layer mask.
Okay, after having messed with the picture that is300 emailed to me and after having taken into consideration wxwax's ideas, I would have to say that the layer mask method is easier and more powerful. I like that I am able to create an alpha channel using the calculations tool and levels that emphasizes the rose (which I will let is300 post since it belongs to him) and negates everything else. I was able to paste that into the layer mask and voila, a nice rich red flower with a black and white background.

:thumbWxwax, I was wrong:D

I was also able to more easily change the colors of the rose with the hue/sat tool as well.

The tutorial that I found here: http://studio.adobe.com/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=100674&xml=phs8kbhairmask was a big help with the alpha/layer mask by the way.

[bkriete]

I use the magic wand and shift-click to select everything I want in color. Then I invert the selection, apply a hue/saturation adjustment layer and remove color to suit. Might not allow the most advanced manipulation, but it works well for me, and with some fine-tuning of the selection it's pretty precise.

[Mike Lane]

I use the magic wand and shift-click to select everything I want in color. Then I invert the selection, apply a hue/saturation adjustment layer and remove color to suit. Might not allow the most advanced manipulation, but it works well for me, and with some fine-tuning of the selection it's pretty precise.
Lots of ways to do the same thing in photoshop. I think mostly it's just about what you like the best. My opinion is that I like to have the separate layers to work with. But if it works, rock on!

Mike

[is300soon]

MIKE A BIG THANKS!!!!!!!!

Here is the link you guys, I figured I would save some space on the board and use my own bandwidth.

http://www.tunedparts.com/david/canon%20cool/

red and purple are what Mike played with, the rest i just tossed in there.

thanks
D

PS have fun with them if you want to alter them.

[Mike Lane]

MIKE A BIG THANKS!!!!!!!!

Here is the link you guys, I figured I would save some space on the board and use my own bandwidth.

http://www.tunedparts.com/david/canon%20cool/

red and purple are what Mike played with, the rest i just tossed in there.

thanks
D

PS have fun with them if you want to alter them.
One could use the same techniques to do other funky things with the background...

I used the cutout function to do this one... Kind of odd I suppose.

http://mikelane.smugmug.com/photos/20714638-O.jpg

[is300soon]

that one came out cool also. I really like it.

Thanks again Mike

David