Spot Colour - How do you do it?

[pmanson]

In laymans terms how do you do it?

I'd like to have a play in Photoshop. Whats the easiest way to do it?

I've been having a read up but I still don't understand how to do it!

Thanks,

Philll

[miniman]

Only just figured this out myself.

1. Open the image

2. Open the Layers toolbox

3. Richt-click the layer called "Background" and select "Duplicate Layer"

4. Click Image menu then Adjustments then Desaturate

The new layer will now go B&W. The colour layer is still beneath it.

5. Select the Eraser tool from the main toolbox.

6. Select an eraser size, ideally one of the feathered-edge ones, from the drop down just below the File.. Edit.. etc. menus

7. Erase the area where you want to get colour. You are basically rubbing out the black and white layer, revealing the colour underneath.

[trevorw]

I've been wondering this myself and that is the best explanation i have seen so far, nice one!!

My first attempt in GIMP

[Ballistic Banana]

Or could use magnetic lasso to go around image you want to keep the colour of, inverse it and then de-saturate the rest of the pic.. if that makes sense

BB

[pmanson]

miniman said:

Only just figured this out myself. 1. Open the image 2. Open the Layers toolbox 3. Richt-click the layer called "Background" and select "Duplicate Layer" 4. Click Image menu then Adjustments then Desaturate The new layer will now go B&W. The colour layer is still beneath it. 5. Select the Eraser tool from the main toolbox. 6. Select an eraser size, ideally one of the feathered-edge ones, from the drop down just below the File.. Edit.. etc. menus 7. Erase the area where you want to get colour. You are basically rubbing out the black and white layer, revealing the colour underneath.

Great! Works a treat mate!

[ronj]

Miniman,
your instructions were very easy to follow so here is my first attempt.




Took the picture at Bruntingsthorpe, any comments are welcome.

Ron.

[Agent006]

You can use a similar approach with the history tool. Desaturate the whole image, and use the history brush to undo the parts you want to retain the colour in.

[joust]

Or, even simpler

In PS, select a suitable size brush.
Set the colour to pure white
Now, next to where you set the brush size, there is a drop down menu. It normally says "normal". Click on the drop down menu, select "saturation", and now paint.

PS will now de-saturate anything you paint on.

Simple, single step, two mouse clicks, and just as good as the others.

Just goes to prove there is always 20+ ways of doing something in PS, but normally there is something that will do it in just one or two mouseclicks

J

[V6GTO]

Or...just as simple...desaturate the image and use the history brush to paint back the colour.

Martin.

[joust]

V6GTO said:

Or...just as simple...desaturate the image and use the history brush to paint back the colour. Martin.

nah, that's four mouse clicks as you have to set the history state

[anonymous-user]

Just a thought I had reading through this (as I've had an idea for a cliched image for the competition this month, but might be worth a try )...

All the methods usually suggested involve the use of just "desaturate" to get the black and white. I'm would guess that to use one of the myriad other methods of converting an image to black and white, and then spot colour, would be through the use of setting a history point before using your chosen method to convert to b&w and then use the history brush to bring back the colour, right?

[mutt]

I tend to use the 2 layered approach to do this as I find I can then play with contrast / brightness / colour balance seperately on the two layers.

I guess it's all down to personal preference at the end of the day though.

[joust]

2 layered is best if you want to play with the B&W bit, it then allows you to create the spot colour and change the B&W bit at will.

J

[miniman]

ronj said:

Miniman, your instructions were very easy to follow so here is my first attempt. Took the picture at Bruntingsthorpe, any comments are welcome. Ron.

Looks good. One thing that you've done which I totally forgot about a number of times, is to remember that any objects visible through the windows (e.g. the grass on the other side) should stay B&W. I have a number of pictures with green grass showing through the windows when everything else is B&W