Hello everyone!

I have had two comments on my gallery image entitled "But I Need Him" that have suggested that the image might be flattered if shown in sepia tones. I'm always happy to try out this sort of suggestion and see what comes of it, but..I realize I don't really know how to achieve the sepia affect in Photoshop. Is it a matter of decreased color saturation? Or it is a colorization effect as well? Tips would be much appreciated. I'm attaching a smaller version of the image for reference purposes. (The higher resolution one is in my gallery here. Thank you in advance. :)

Mayliah

Attached Link: http://www.optikvervelabs.com

you could also try it with the Virtual Photographer plug-in

Yup, a truly awesome plug-in that is. I couldnt recommend it more. #:O)

Anything a filter can do, a patient Photoshop user can as well. :) There are many ways to acheive a Sepia tone, the one you mentioned above is a perfectly acceptable process.

Hope you dont mind me playing just a little with your photo Mayliah. Ive been accused of being color-blind my entire life so you tell me if i managed to achieve a sephia-look or not, LOL. This was made all within Photoshop by using colorize. (ctrl+u) Also some slight level-adjustments....i still think your coloured one brings home the price though. #:O)

Okay, if Andreas can do it, so can I! ;oP On the left side, I used shadow/highlight to bring out the midtones a bit more, then I colorized it and destaturated. The I re-satured a bit with variations using red, and yellow. Then I faded that for the effect you see. On the right, I used a Sepia action I happened to find in my Actions pallete. (didn't know I had it!) I then used curves to lighten the midtones a bit. This just goes to show that there is more than one way to achieve your goals using Photoshop. Happy toning! :] --Kort

Andreas, your version looks a wee bit green. :D But, Kort, I really like the second version of the image you have posted. But I'm pretty sure I prefer the color version I originally uploaded...any thoughts on that? In any case, thank you both very much for helping me experiment here. It is very kind of you. :) Mayliah

i tried a sepia version of this image too. change the colour version in b/w. after this go to the variations and mix a sepia tone. you also can use the channelmixer. have some tries.

regards !

gerhard

Well, I'm going to buck the crowd (smile) and say the original is just wonderful...except (in my poor artistic opinion), the color of the curtain distracts me too much. If it were me, I would do ALL I could to preserve that beautiful skin tone next to that beautiful dark hair. IF it DID get a sepia tone applied, I like the one Gerhard has done. It is subtle and warming.

I agree with Chuck on the curtain being a little distracting so i took the liberty once again...shame on me. #:oP

Ahhh, Zacko! Bullseye! That keeps all the "material" in the same hue and the skin texture and expression become the beauty spot in the image.

Have to admit, Andreas' is my fave. SO I went back and tried to improve on it further. I used my 2nd sepia as a base, took the original and overlayed it sans the curtain, adjusted the transparency to keep some color...and more...can't remember it all. Anyway, here ya go. I hang up my hat. A lovely photo to work with by the way Mayliah! :) --Kort

Oh, and I really like the glow you achieved there Gerhard! ;]

I quite like the original as it is, but the other samples are more like the effect you get with old black and white pics that haven't been washed properly and have gone that warm sandy color. Proper sepia is a very subtle cool brown color. Convert the image to greyscale by using the channels command, using the sliders to get the tonal effect you prefer. Change back to rgb and put in a subtle color cast using the color balance controls. Try for a start about 6 yellow and say 4 magenta. Try also selecting mid tone for the yellow and magenta and the highlight control for a more bluey tint. It needs to be very subtle. You could also try the 'dual' tone effect to give a subtle color change.

The original for me too!! And that curtain has such a beautiful color that it's a real shame to lose it IMHO! Now, this shot could look great in B&W too I think! But it's a great shot to start with so it would look great in almost every treatment I believe!

Such an expressive image! Capable of several treatments...

Now that looks better, more like authentic sepia!

I have to admit that, of all the edits, the one by TwoPynts is my favorite. However, I do think I prefer the color version above all. Yes the curtains are a bit distracting, but, in thinking on a symbolic level, they show that no matter how heartbroken the young woman might be, there is still beautiful color in the world...and very close to her, if only she will turn to see. Thank you all again and again. I've learned so much from just this one thread. I'm very glad I posted my question! -Mayliah

:-) Thanks, Martin. Here I copied just the Blue channel as I liked the contrasts. [In converting from color to B&W I use the channel mixer, or usually just grab one of the pure RGB channels. Usually the Red or Green looks the best. Red simulates old ortho film. But here the Blue channel emphasized the contrast between the face and blanket, and almost started to wash out the face as in an old faded photo. The noise in the Blue channel also contributed to the aged feeling.] Convert the Mode of the grayscale copy to RGB. For the toning, I used one of the "Donald" presets, avalable free in our Resource Center downloads area. These vary the color depending on luminosity, and give a much deeper effect than with applying an overall color cast. [Though one can get a similar result using the Color Balance controls applied selectively to highlights and shadows.] I think I used "Kaliotype" rather than "Sepia," BTW. The color after curving was somewhat too much, so I turned down the saturation slightly using the Hue/Saturation slider.

Thanks for the explanation, Misha. Always interesting to see how someone achieved a nice effect.