black and white with the use of selective colors

[Quasimodo]

Hi.

I recently learned to do this in photoshop, and I think it is a cool effect if one does not overuse it. I am posting a few of mine here, and I would love to see others too. My experience is that it can be hard when the shots are with long exposure and shallow depth of field, because in both cases it becomes hard to find where the borders should be drawn for colors.

 

[mr.ranger]

i like this how did you accomplish this?

 

[Quasimodo]

Hi.

I used photoshop CS5 extended version (my first photoshop, and I believe that the steps are the same for previous versions).

I open the raw image in PS, then I duplicate a layer. Then I go to layer and make a new adjustment layer (black and white). Now your picture looks black and white, then you use the brush tool, then set the desired size for the brush tool, and start to bring the color back to where you want it. Before you do this, look at your vertical bar on the left side of your screen.... at the very bottom, you have an icon of a camera. Right above this you have an icon where there is a black square on top of a white square (it is called Set foreground color). You have to remember to have the black on top of the white, otherwise it will not work. However, If you overdo it, or paint back the original color where you do not want it after all, you switch the white to lay over the black, and then you paint the black-white back on it. just remember to switch back to have the black on top of the white again, then go back to brush tool and start extracting the color out again.

Good luck, and I hope this explanation was good enough, and I would love to see your results

Adding another picture here, where I used shallow depth of field, and then you can see how hard it becomes when the borders are not totally clear. I am also posting another picture where the same border becomes a problem because of long exposure creating motion blur.

 

[Quasimodo]

I am adding one more, appropriate for this forum Here it was easier, since there are clear borders.

 

[wickidwombat]

here is a really good step by step tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/selections/quick-selection-tool/

 

[samueljay]

There's a much easier way, if there's just one colour that you want to be prominent throughout the whole b&w photo, if you're using photoshop, you can just go select>colour range and then use a dropper to select the colour you want. Then you can adjust the parameters in a window to how much of it you want selected. Then you invert that selection and go adjustments > convert to greyscale! Et Voila!

Here's a quick example, like the OP, I think it's best if it's only used minimally!

 

[Axilrod]

I think this technique can be effective, but only if the photo is excellent in all other respects. It's just really played out, I see girls on Facebook doing this all the time that have no idea what they're doing, I think there are web apps that make it easy to do and some people go crazy with it. But I like your shots for the most part.

 

[GND]

When I first saw this effect it was when Coppola's Rumble Fish hit the screen, the scene with the fishtank. The "layers" then were actually two different actual takes, one B&W take without the fishtank, then another in color with the fishtank alone and the previous B&W take running in the background. In the end you got the impression of color fish moving around in a B&W movie. Now we simply got PS 5. Ain't life sweet?!

 

[dr croubie]

Here's one I did a while ago, taken at xmas last year.
Nothing automatic for me, I use DPP on Wine and then GIMP, I can't afford adobe and don't have windows anyway to run it on.

DPP processed from RAW to get the best colours of the toy.
Then opened in GIMP, select all, and deselect the doll gradually using 'Fuzzy Select'. Took a few iterations, at some points the doll was the same colour as the clothes so I went back and forth until I'd selected everything but the toy.
Then just desaturate, play with levels, maybe a bit of gaussian-blur to bring more attention to the centre.
No added vignetting in pp, but I had a softbox on the flash and the shade of the clothes kind of made it naturally vignette.

 

[Terry Rogers]

One of my own fav with this technique. I just reduced the saturation of all colors but red in LR.

 

[picturesbyme]

http://atlanticpicture.com/

 

[DJL329]

"Over-exposed" :

Came across this roll of film while hiking last March.

 

[Ben]

Nice technique, here's mine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bentolosa/6825675024/#in/photostream/lightbox/

 

[samueljay]

"Over-exposed" :

Came across this roll of film while hiking last March.

Great shot! The technique works really well there! Probably the best use of it I've ever seen!

 

[Ben]

BTW, I just made 2 groups in Flickr if you guys wish to join

Black & White & 1 Color

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1949386@N23/

Black & White & 2 Colors

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1971960@N22/

Have a great day folks!!

 

[Quasimodo]

"Over-exposed" :

Came across this roll of film while hiking last March.

Great shot! The technique works really well there! Probably the best use of it I've ever seen!

I agree! That was something that I was aiming for with my kodak shot. I think the effect is cool when you get a symbolic result.

 

[DJL329]

"Over-exposed" :

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6825398072_7f7238f3ef.jpg

Came across this roll of film while hiking last March.

Great shot! The technique works really well there! Probably the best use of it I've ever seen!

I agree! That was something that I was aiming for with my kodak shot. I think the effect is cool when you get a symbolic result.

Thanks guys! I'll have to post it over in Ben's flickr forum.

 

[bklein61]

I thought I would add the first oneI have done.

 

[Quasimodo]

I thought I would add the first oneI have done.

Very cool + 1. I like, as in the filmcarthridge one, when it it is used on rustic elements

 

[Ben]

"Over-exposed" :

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6825398072_7f7238f3ef.jpg

Came across this roll of film while hiking last March.

Great shot! The technique works really well there! Probably the best use of it I've ever seen!

I agree! That was something that I was aiming for with my kodak shot. I think the effect is cool when you get a symbolic result.

Thanks guys! I'll have to post it over in Ben's flickr forum.

That is wonderful DJL329!! Thanks very much for sharing