Black and white pics

[Reidy10_0]

I have seen a lot of pics with black and white backgrounds and the car or bike in colour.
How exactly do you go about doing that?
Which software?
A quick description of technique would be helpful?

[beano500]

You mean allong the lines of:



?

I use Photoshop creating the adjustment to the colour part that I want in one layer and then adjust to black and white in a second layer and then simply paint the layer with a layer mask. It's simple when you know how - I don't know about other programs, though.

[stuart b]

Also worth doing a search for "spot colour" on here and Google.

Stuart

[miniman]

My method:

1. Open the image

2. Open the Layers toolbox

3. Right-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.

[dogsey]

miniman said:

My method:

1. Open the image

2. Open the Layers toolbox

3. Right-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.

Mine:

1. Click Image menu then Adjustments then Desaturate

2. Select the History Brush tool from the main toolbox.

3. Select a brush size, ideally one of the feathered-edge ones, from the drop down just below the File.. Edit.. etc. menus

4. Erase the area where you want to get colour. You are basically undoing the desaturate, revealing the colour underneath.

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Here's another variation for Photoshop that has the advantage of being non-destructve, so you can always go back and alter things:

1. Open image

2. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, setting the saturation to zero.

3. Working in the adjustment layer mask, paint black into the area you want to reveal. This masks the effect of the layer and shows the colour beneath.

[Gemm]

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

Here's another variation for Photoshop that has the advantage of being non-destructve, so you can always go back and alter things:

1. Open image

2. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, setting the saturation to zero.

3. Working in the adjustment layer mask, paint black into the area you want to reveal. This masks the effect of the layer and shows the colour beneath.

If the definition of the colours is clear, you can also use Hue/Saturation and set Master to negative (to the left), then select the colours you want remain in colour (by using +eyedropper) to positive (to the right). In this way, you can still leave a faint background colour and adjust lightness and hue at the same time.

[matthew_h]

Is spot colouring only ever done to try to make a crap photo slightly interesting?