Hello To All...

I did upload the same tutorial yesterday under the photography tutorials section, and hopefully it will be reviewed from one of the stuff soon..

So i thought to post it again here as well for all my friends and all the photographers/renderosity members who really need to know a big SELECTIVE Coloring TIP for Digital Photography.

Before i start, i want to say, there are many people/friends asked me how i do my SELECTIVE Coloring so fast and the results are so professional. And i was also totally surprised when i knew that many of my friends/members does the Selective Coloring by Duplicating the original COLOURED image, transforming the top layer into black and white and then they use the eraser to erase the un-wanted areas to leave the colour(s) they want!

OMG!! Noooooooooooooooooo... You don't have to go through all this again.. Here are some 5 easy steps, and by practice i bet you will be able to do it in less then a MINUTE!!!

So lets start and see here:

Step 1: Run your photoshop and open any image you want to work with.. I used this one here, and you can download it and start with it as a sample piece

I am using Adobe Photoshop CS2 ME and this tutorial works on photoshop 6.X, 7.X, 8.0 and 9.X as well on CS3.. Here i opened my image under CS2 ME edition

Step 2: I want you duplicate your background by pressing CONTROL+J on your keyboard or just goto the Layer Menu and then Duplicate Layer [Should Be The Second Option] just like this here:

Step 3: Make sure that the Duplicated Layer is selected [High Lighted] in your layers menu on the right . Now goto  to your  SELECT menu from the  top  menu  bar, and  choose COLOR RANG the Color Range menu will pop [APPEAR] like showing in step 4.

Step 4: Now i used Fuzziness setting of 150 you can do the same or choose between 120-150
Lets follow these steps first and when you are done you can start to mess around with your own shots/pics. In the COLOR RANGE menu only you have to change the Fuzziness. Leave that little window open and drag your mouse over the  opened image.

You will notice an eye dropper. Point that Colour Eye Dropper to a dark BLUE piece from the model's jeans and click a single click on your mouse left button. [You will notince that your photoshop foreground colour changed to blue on the left tool bar] now you can click ok.

By clicking OK, you just made a selection. You will see it clearly on Layer1 the duplicated  image...

Step 5: Now from the Layers Menu on the right as shown below, make sure the duplicated [SELECTED] layer is high lighted. At the bottom of that layers window you will see some Small Icons they should be 6 icons in photoshop 6 and 7 and 7 icons under 8 and above.

Now click on the little gray square with an inner white circle, that will allow you to create a VECTOR MASK. By clicking that button will see a masked layer next to the duplicated one [Like A Negative Photo]. And the selection will disappear from the image. Look at the shot below please:

Final Step: Choose or highlight the original Background from your layers menu as shown in the next screen shot. Now here is what will surprise you.

Goto your Image menu from the menu bar then > adjustments > hue/saturation.. or just by clicking CONTROL+U on your keyboard [Sorry I Love To Use Short Cuts :P] anyways, the Hue/Saturation menu will pop on your screen. Now all you have to do is, move the Saturation little pointer/arrow all the way to the left that will make it -100. Done!!!

See! You now are done, fast, easy, and pro results/output! Also before playing with the hue/saturation setting, you can follow the same steps as mentioned again and again on the same image if you want to create multiple selective coloring on your image!

Hope that was clear and easy, i know that my English is not that good tho.. But at least i tried my best and shared something you all might need

Thank you in advance for all the comments/reviews and now enjoy **NATTARIOUS[C] COLOURS And Secrets
**

JOE

OMG!!!  That is sooooooooooooo easy and much more effective than using the "eraser" method (which I admit is how I've done the couple of desaturated shots recently!)
Thank you so much Joe - you are a star!!

I might play with some of my photos now and upload the final result later in my gallery!

Big HUGS for you xx

You are welcome Chriss :) I know how hard to work with the eraser tool to do some colours separation or as people call it selective colouring!

And i was totally surprised when a teacher in the university didn't know how! :)) Hope you liked it honey and wish to see some of your selective shots soon :)

JOE

@Joe....I read through the tutorial 6 times now.....damn, I just can't find her phone #.....LOL!!!!

Seriously....xlt tut...many thanks!

A clear easy to follow tutorial 
Superb Joe - well done !

Lovely Tutorial Joe and you show an effective method.. bravo

**gradient: you really made me laugh......
**
very interesting JOE...I will try it out soon...I am bussy with a lot other things but I save this link......

Thank you Richard, Dan and Ilona :) I know when you guys will try it.. You will be all totally amazed.

Now me will eat something and then will work on my today's post, sigh!

Have a nice time yo all

JOE

Thanks Joe....I tried this tutorial and so easy to do it.....sigh I don't have to use much more difficult method anymore. BTW today my upload is a  final outcome of your tuto.  thanx again!

seeya  Tunde

thanks Joe. I am going to save it. I have been using a little bit different method from what  you describe, but I will try your version. it seems far more beneficial

wow, what a fantastic tutorial & easy way of creating this kind of effect. i just tried it & it worked well. thanks brov.
very much appreciated.

JOE ur d dude.

Thanks a lot Joe..that's a well written and easy to follow tutorial..

Would you consider submitting that to our tutorial section?

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/index.php

Hello Pushinfader and Ultimatemale.. Thank you so much for your replies.. its really appreciated my friends.. And yes it works otherwise it won't be posted at all tho...

I will start to put more time in here tho. I just guess that not everything in life is work.

And @ Pushinfaders... I did submit one exactly in the Photography Tutorial section tho.. And it said that you for the submission it will be reviewed.. No answers till now tho :(

Maybe the weekend or timing! Anyways. thank you once again and wish you all a happy sunday

JOE

Thanks Joe, I just checked it, and the page was blank..Something screwy must have happened.

I hate to ask,but would you mind re-submitting it?

let me know when you do, so I can approve it ASAP

Thanks Joe that is amazing. I printed it out and will try when i ever get to have a free moment.
Chris

Excellent tutorial!

Joe, I have tried your method on several photos. The method is wonderful and I certainly appreciate you getting me out of the "follow the common ways  box" and use this method. The results are fine!  This method seems obvious once used...not obvious at all before the tutorial.

I do notice, as with any corrections or alterations to images, some photos are more suited to  process than others.  As quick as process is with your method, several shots can be attempted.  I now have a better feel for which images are suitable for selective color presentation.

Thanks again.     Tom.

Thank you to all my friends...

Glad you liked it.. I will post more and more tutorials for the Digital Photography + Photoshop

Now @ Pushingfaders... No problems, i will resubmit the tutorial once again, no worries and i will do it now tho :)

And @ Tom.. You are so welcome my friend... But here is the thing.. All the secret is the FUZZINESS part and setting! You have a lot of mixed colours ~~> Increase the Fuzziness you have less mixed tones and colours reduce it ;) You know what i mean! Now i want you to try again on the same pics.

Have a nice day all and will see you around

JOE

Good tut - well done, Joe!

Thank you Lew its really appreciated.. Now i am figuring out the uploading issue i am facing at the tutorials section :))

Thank you once again and hope you liked it

JOE

Hat's off to you Joe, thanks for the great TUT! I'll give your method a try sometime. :)

LOL @ Kort! Thank you for the visit my friend.. You really need to try it and answer me back, cause if you do like it and i will post another tutorial soon for something that you all need :D

Have a nice day my friend

JOE

Perhaps  focus of the eye on selective color image is why simple desaturation works well in selective color.  Perhaps a well done bw conversion with selective color will miss the point of bw in the first place and be destacting from the color draw to the eye. I don't know that answer and suspect it is in each person and particular tastes.  

If my post makes sense, any comment will be appreciated.  I have only two days left to be online..ugh! Then off for a week and 1/2 perhaps while work is done on the home.   The first night off line will be difficult...yes.   Any reply is appreciated.        Tom.

First, how are you? Second hope your house remodeling is going well my friend..

Now, of course i don't mind posting your work after using the tutorial, otherwise it won't be a tutorial right? Sigh..

Now, your images/posts are so well done my friend, it is almost perfect! And the reason i said almost.. Look at the lower right, can you see the red spot, which is left from another flower in the background?

I prefer the second post work of course. And its for the same reason of yours. Less staturation.

Now about your question, i really didn't get it tho. But answering back about the difficulties you are facing using the tutorial, please post a small/low resolution sample of the original shot here so i can check it my self..

You said it all my friend.. Its all about the "FUZZINESS" in a short way:

Here is the original shot:

And you will see the one i did uploaded.. I used the Fuzziness settings of 120, now use the coloured one and try with it, try it twice.. One with Fuzziness 200 and one with less then 100
And you will be able to tell the difference..

You know my problem is the language tho.. If you can ask me the same question again in a different format i might be able to answer it :(

Thank you and have a nice day my friend

JOE

Yes, the red spot appears to be another flower, fuzzy from depth of field.  I had not noticed it. Thanks for bringing that detail to my attention.        Tom.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Joe's tutorial is also available in the Tutorial section here at Renderosity

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/index.php?tutorial_id=1618

Thank you again..

Now about Tom..

I did download your shot, and with the Fuzziness settings of 150 this is what i got... I didn't face any hard time tho.

And here is another tip...

Always go for the darker color when using the COLOR RANGE/Eye Dropper.. You know what i mean? Keep EYE Dropping on the darker areas till the image look almost totally white on the Color Range Screen..

Now about that little dot/part in your shot.. It still has to come out tho, because it is a shade of the RED [selected colour] in that case before creating the VECTOR Mask...

Click on your Magic Wand Tool from the left Tool Menu and press the ALT button on your keyboard and click once on that extra selected part! That will deselect that part! Sigh!

Hope that helped... Trust me, by working/using that method several times you will get the whole idea of fuzziness and colours..

Thank you once again have a nice time my friend

JOE

I re-visited the original version of THIS IMAGE

I knew this wouldn't be perfect because the lighting created some harsh shadows.

I ended up doing two layers instead the one in Joe's tutorial.

The other thing I did differently was use a different method of converting to monochrome.

I used the channel mixer to create a monochrome layer..

I could have spent a little more time touching up the color..but..it was more of an experiment..

Now i like this a lot :)

And about adding more and/or extra layers, i didn't mention anything about it so it won't get so complicated tho! I know that artists/members by practice will start to mess around and add more ideas..

So i just gave the main/basic idea here..  I love that shot Bruce and very well done my friend

JOE

Joe....you didn't call me "sir"

:lol:

Opps! I forgot that Sir.... :b_tonguewink:

JOE

Joe, tutorial provides a fine beginning. Each artists can take it from there!

I did as you suggested with the eyedropper too. I did this in "monochrome" choice in the select>color window.  That method works well.  This is best learned by doing each step.  Much experiment allows growth from the beginning.

I thought of posting first images of family, animal members.  This would be kot or koshka with eyes in color. Then, second thought made eyes color too ordinary but difficult because of variations of color.   So, I tried the plant flowers and am pleased even more with the result done here a moment ago.  That is not posted but detail difference is subtle from my second image and your go at it.  

You have made the tutorial very usable without confusion. To include every option and layers would confuse.  I am glad you kept it to the basic and each can learn from that point.

Thanks, Joe.

Bruce, the image from the pool tournament works for me.  This is a nice shot, btw, saw it in the "interview".

Hehe.. You are welcome Tom...

I am preparing something else, a new tutorial which will be useful for Digital Photography..

I will hit you up guys when its ready..

Thank you again

JOE

Correction to previoius post: I should have said "grayscale" and not monochrome.  Sorry if confusion, anyone.    Tom.

Hey - he brought lunch! I didn't know there'd be catering!

You can further refine the mask by painting white to reveal more (where some of the parts are a little "muddy" or partially hidden/B&W), or black to hide more (if some other objects are still in/show color) - give it a try folks - talk to ya soon-
-Lew ;-)

It is amazing how many ways there are to do the same thing in photoshop. I almost never use layer maskes or brushes for selection, I usually use the selection tools. :)

Selection tools for fine/accurate selection (Lasso in particular) creep me out - I overselect and mask everything.

And I just noticed for the purposes of the desired effect, I think I had the colors backwards - white/black. Play and find out.
-Lew ;-)

Nice tip! Thanks for sharing!

I have been gone a week and one half...late to repost but here it is.       

WOW! Welcome back TOM!!!

And man! Both the compo and the selective coloring worked out sooooooooo wellllllllllllll!!!!

I bet you already know that eh! :D Very nice.. So how is the method! I've seen a lot of members were posting some selective coloring shots recently in the gallery!!!

It really worked for you now...!!

Have a nice day/night Tom and happy easter to you and your family my friend

JOE

Joe, as said by me before, the tutorial had information enough to learn and not confuse. That gives room to learn by experiment.  Thanks very much!  Best wishes to you and family.      Tom.