Separating color from black and white

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Tutorial

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Seperating Color from Black and White
By Chris Suyeda

Software: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Photoshop Level: Beginner

1. Start off by opening color image in Photoshop. In this tutorial, I am going to use a picture of my dad's motorcycle.

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2. Create a new "Channel Mixer" layer.

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3. Select the box labeled "Monochrome."

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4. Toy around with the "Source Channels" to your image's need. For example, in this tutorial, the main emphasis is going to be blue (the motorcycle). So, odds are I'm going to want a higher value for the blue field. Trial and error. :)

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5. After you found the settings you are happy with; select the brush tool and make sure the foreground and background colors are set to default (black and white). You can set them back to black and white by simply pressing "D."

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6. Now start brushing away over the selected area you want to be color! Keep in mind that "black" will allow you to readd the color to the picture, while "white" will allow you to remove the color from the picture (if you accidently brush over an area you didn't want to do).

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Depending on how much time you spend perfecting the color / non color portions will determine the quality of the outcome. Here is my final product after about 2 minutes.

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Tutorial Comments

Showing latest 7 of 7 comments

This is so much easier than the way I've been trying to do it! :D

By askingalexandria on Apr 27, 2010 11:40 pm

QUOTE(SuperSonicSarah @ Nov 11 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]2341974[/snapback]can you also do this by using Photoshop 6.0if you can can you tell me how?i'd really like to learn :]]thank youLayer >> New Adjust Layer >> Channel MixerTh

By x1227x on Nov 18, 2006 11:37 pm

I did everything she said and it didnt work

By freeridefight on Nov 18, 2006 9:44 pm

I didn't mean like Adobe though... Like I have a program called photoshop and it doesn't work like that. Right now I am using Arcsoft Photostudio, Serif Photoshop 6, and Photofiltre.So anything that would work with any of those would be useful...I

By hippieface805 on Nov 13, 2006 10:19 pm

QUOTE(Disgraceful_misconceptions @ Nov 13 2006, 9:51 PM) [snapback]2344559[/snapback] can this be used for like, photoshop or anything?I can't find the RGB channels This tutorial was written for Photoshop so you should be able to do it.You ca

By shadowfax on Nov 13, 2006 9:55 pm

can this be used for like, photoshop or anything?I can't find the RGB channelsAnd does anyone know where I could get a free version of an editor that has it?

By hippieface805 on Nov 13, 2006 9:51 pm

can you also do this by using Photoshop 6.0if you can can you tell me how?i'd really like to learn :]]thank you

By SuperSonicSarah on Nov 11, 2006 2:08 pm

Tutorial Details

Author Chris Suyeda View profile
Submitted on Feb 10, 2006
Page views 31,599
Favorites 47
Comments 7

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