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Add a touch of color to your black and white photographs

digital-photography-school.com — "In this tutorial we are going to have a look at reproducing a very popular technique that is widely used by professional photographers to “wow” their clients. I see this frequently in wedding photography and it always seems make an impact."

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  • kopaka649, on 10/12/2007, -1/+37Just a plain desaturate is no way to make an image black and white, and a layer mask would be much more practical than the history brush.
    • sphinx13, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5You could just use select color range, and then invert selection, and desaturate.
    • TheFunnyDigger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2I agree, but way back when I had no clue what the hell a mask was, this would have came in handy. But now i know better.

      I love you PhotoshopTV.com, even if can't stand not one of you, except for Canadian. He's down with his *****.
    • saggygrandma, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2You can do this real time on the new canon cameras, great shhtuff
    • skoobisnaxs, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1This is misleading. Try this article from a year ago. It is awesome and super easy. A year ago the algorithm software was in beta, but now he is charging 29 bucks. TOTALLY WORTH THE MONEY.

      if you want to learn to do this....

      http://www.digg.com/software/Coloring_Black_and_White_Photos
    • wastern, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1>>I agree, but way back when I had no clue what the hell a mask was, this would have came in handy. But now i know better.


      then it would have been a good way for you to learn what masks were and did rather then ignoring their existence just because you didn't know what they were
  • mzhao, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10This is sometimes known as the Pleasantville effect.
  • stlcadet11, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8From his flickr account...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/henryscat/151391043/in/set-72057594140769356/

    I think this is one of the coolest pictures I've seen in a while, I have to start trying this *****.
    • sundancekid503, on 10/12/2007, -13/+2please don't
    • sv650touring, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And I learned a new photography term: jiggery pokery

      So, doubly cool pic.
  • Indecision, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26"First of all you are going to need a picture that is suitable for the task. This should be a colour image..."

    So almost immediately, the title is totally inaccurate. This isn't at all about adding color to black and white photographs. It's about selectively removing color from color photos. There's a world of difference in the two techniques, there.

    (Not saying it doesn't look cool, just that it's not going to help me colorize any old photos like the title claims.)
    • sphinx13, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1You can get the same effect with an actual black & white photo by selecting an area, and painting over it with a brush that is low opacity.
    • selrahc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Except that the technique he demonstrates would work fine with any image... If I started with color I would probably just use a Channel Mixer Adjustment layer and then use a layer mask to paint out the areas I want to be colored. He just just converting and painting with a brush.
    • Autoclave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"You can get the same effect with an actual black & white photo by selecting an area, and painting over it with a brush that is low opacity."

      Rather than this, create a new blank layer with the layer blending mode set to "color" and start painting away at full opacity.
  • maehem, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love this technique and have used it in the past. I've also experimented with not desaturating all the way. A subtle hint of color for the whole image is kinda nice too.
  • GregoryHarbin, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20I personally would fire any photographer who tried to 'wow' me with this technique.
    • ajchavar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7in all fairness its a good technique when used properly (sparingly, or in a creative way), but i agree its not a "wow" factor type thing
  • mrkamil, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I dunno how I feel about that. I've never really seen an image done using this technique that worked for me. The colors are always too strong.

    However, it would be fun attempting something like this in a darkroom setting, e.g. toning parts of the image with different colors of kool-aid.
    • weezerrock86, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Using koolaid isn't all that great because its water based so if you ever have to re-rinse a photo for any reason all the color comes out. You can selectively hand color black and white photographs with oil based pencils or paint since they are transparent, if you see any artist hand color a black and white print its usually done this way. Though koolaide would be fun to play with.
    • chojin42, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Please allow me to try, to see if you like this one:
      http://www.qualifilms.com/gallery/ChoJinExposedPortraits/StanfordBride_IMG_0414_final

      In this one the flowers were originally yellow/green, I had the change the color as well because I didn't like it.
      I also had to selectively blur the background to simulate a narrow depth of field because, back then, I didn't have a good lens with an aperture wide enough.

      But in general I agree with you, I think this technique is way overused. But I had to try it myself ;)
  • ajchavar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3forget the fact that he says to use the desaturate tool, he says opening a file is "understanding the basics of photoshop." honestly, there are some people that could use photoshop for a year and not understand the basics.

    besides that the photos dont even look that good.

    i'm all for stuff like this to help people learn, but in my opinion most of this stuff just spreads the myth that photoshop makes bad photos good, not the fact that it makes great photos even better.
  • maledin, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2The way the tutorial shows it is overly complicated.

    All that I do is cut out the subject I want in color, be it a tie, shirt, flower, whatever. I cut the subject to a new layer and desaturate the background. Done.

    In my opinion, this is a much easier method.
    • metatinara, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Personally, I've always found cutting objects to be really time consuming and frustrating. I guess I've just never mastered the tools.
  • tunafizzle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Who hasn't seen this a thousand times, and who the hell doesn't know how to do this in photoshop by now? And this is nothing new to photography, look in any basic darkroom technique book from 30 years ago and you'll see this through selective toning, hand coloring, etc.
  • lemalk, on 10/12/2007, -6/+19This is the tackiest, nastiest thing anyone can do to their wedding pictures. This would be great... in 1981.
    I just threw up in my mouth a little. I'll take a picture and desaturate everything but the vomit.
    Thanks, tutorial!
    • Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4Your throwing up in your mouth a little made me throw up in my mouth a little. No, wait, I lied.
  • weezerrock86, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I think if he would tone down the saturation it would look better the color just becomes a distraction. It doesn't balance with the black and white especially the red ribbon from the flickr account.
  • HP844182, on 11/10/2007, -4/+13This was the lamest Photoshop tutorial ever.
  • mediaphile, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12...or you could just take good, real black and white photos. and leave it at that.

    desaturation does not make black and white photos. it just makes washed out, low contrast grayscale.
  • chowderdick, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Oh yeah... right after I plunk down the $600 for PS, I'll be whipping these turds out left and right...
    • aphex, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5You obviously didn't read the digg article a few days ago how PS10 is now cracked...... :)
    • JJJJust, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3To aphex:

      Maybe he just didn't want to incriminate himself...

      OR

      *gasp* Maybe he actually buys software still... *lowers voice* ya know, legally.

      OR

      Maybe it was a joke.

      *gasp*

      Only the shadow knows.
  • jaynedoe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i bet i still won't be able to do it
  • JonForTheWin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Yeah this WAS cool and deep and all that stuff until every stupid bitch that gave every guy in the school head had to post a black and white picture with a color object or one of their own pictures like that on their ***** myspace.
    • Golightly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wasn't it also in A-ha's "Take on Me" video? Color, b & w AND animation?

      And that was mid-80s.
  • samboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The first time I saw this particular artistic trick was in the the video for "Celebrate Youth" by Rick Springfield:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl32ZHB4jYc

    This was in late 1984/early 1985.
  • SilverRocket, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Superior cheese. Why not go all the way and use a photo of a clown crying? Make the teardrops blue! Then sell them by the boxload on The Shopping Network.
  • gregcotten, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2dugg for the kilt
  • aantix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Recolored makes this process a whole lot easier ( http://www.recolored.com/ ).
  • svartgotik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Isn't this technique commonly referred to as "being a hack"? In my local mall during the springtime, the photographers have large display kiosks hoping to influence kids getting their Senior pictures and people getting married. All of them do this hacky ***** with the red rose in the black and white picture, or my favorite, LENS FLARE.

    Some people have no taste. Whatever happened to good composition?
  • DoodleM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Getting old hat these days, used to wow but everyone and their dog can do it now.
  • chojin42, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Why every photoshop tutorial always makes it to the front page, even the very simple ones?
    Seriously, just buy a book... and you'll get them all in one shot :)

    I suggest "The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers" and "Adobe Photoshop CS: The Art of Photographing Women". You'll learn a lot from these books.
    But yeah... there are many other good books...
  • mr_wej, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I for one happen to be a professional photographer and I DESPISE this technique, tacky, overdone, and just plain amateur. I've seen it done well a few times in my life but please everyone, spare yourself and your photos! To put it in web design terms this is the equivalent of blinking text. Seems like a good idea at the time but...
    • Joe091, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I completely agree. Tacky and overdone.
  • kotatsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Why do these beginner level Photoshop tutorials keep making the front page? This is super basic stuff, I can't believe anyone actually learnt anything by reading this tutorial.
  • Joe091, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This almost always looks tacky. "Professional" photographers use it constantly to show that they can do "special effects." Any 12 year old with photoshop can do this. It's not hard and it always looks retarded. Especially when you take a photo of a girl and make it black and white except for her pretty blue eyes. Bah.

    /Drunk
    • Coffeedemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree. It can be decent but most times looks really tacky. Most of them remind me of the little girl in the red coat in Schindler's List.
  • static_13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the guy who uses desaturate command to change color image to b/w doesn't deverve any respect!
  • Twohooves, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Cheesey, overrated and overused.
  • Chexee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Eh, good for beginners trying to experiment, though the technique and style is decidedly cliche. He should elaborate more on desaturating an image, because simple hitting desaturate is no way to do it.

    People who sparingly see photoshopped images and just want "pretty pretty pictures" are often impressed with things like this though. Go figure.

    Eck. Wedding photography ;x
  • tweakr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1good grief will people stop using this hackneyed look - it's cheesy and over-used!
  • jdgraffam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't see how this has so many diggs. Basically, the point of the so-called "tutorial" was to be careful when brushing the color back into the picture. Lame.
  • Bytes_U, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Didn't find this tutorial that interesting but there are lots of other little gems on this site. Thumbs up.
  • paulee1960, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0interesting tutorial and a good exercise but if you just want to colorize and image and are not committed to photoshop then i would try blackmagic
    http://www.black-and-white-to-color.com

    This is a stills version of the software that they use to professionally color black and white movies, it is however very inexpensive and suprisingly easy to use. But if you are a PS purist then it may be embarassingly easy !!
  • mbt01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's great tool, thanks man.

    http://www.mbt-shoes.us
  • betseyjohnson, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0wow, this is like 21st century. Now I can color my fathers & grandfathers photos.

    http://www.betseyjohnsonshoes.us/ gr8
  • tampaphoto, on 09/25/2008, -0/+0I use this effect myself a lot in my photography. There are some examples at my blog:

    http://tampaweddingphotographs.com/

    Also on my main page:

    http://photographybygray.com
  • Maky22, on 10/01/2008, -0/+0This isn't at all about adding color to black and white photographs. It's about selectively removing color from color photos
    http://www.adidasshoess.com
  •  

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