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In the first four figures, we apply different methods of removing the color and creating a Grayscale photo. I applied the
methods to a very colorful picture of some ordinary landscape items: trash containers. The original trash containers are
shown below.
Basic Greyscale Methods
The first approach is to desaturate by applying Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. The resulting photo is shown as johndesat.jpg.
The second approach is to add a Hue/Saturation layer and move the saturation slider all the way to the left. Then we were
told we could apply a mask and reveal some color in the photo. My result is shown as johnhuesat.jpg.
The third method of creating grayscale was to apply a Gradient Map adjustment layer and select the Black > White gradient.
We were allowed to use the Gradient Editor to adjust the intensity of the photo's transition from black to white. That photo
is shown as johngradmap.jpg. The fourth method was using either Channel Splitting or Channel Mixing. I did not like the selections
of the photo using the Channel Splitting method, so I went with the Channel Mixing with a mix of Red 74%, Green 22%, and Blue
20%. I liked that result best. Is is shown as johnchannelmix.jpg.
Of all the greyscale methods I applied to the photo of the trash containers, I thought I liked the Channel Mixing the best
because I had so much control. But, to my suprise, the Gradient Map method seemed to produce the most dramatic photo. I
was suprised, however, that later in the assignment the best method (for me) for colorizing a photo turned out to be using
the Hue/Saturation method. Who would have thought?
Color Channel Bonus
The object of this extra credit assignment (I think if we do enough extra credit work we get a lollypop or prize from a Cracker
Jack box. Something special like that.) was to apply filters to the individual color channels. This was by far the greatest
challenge and took the most time of all the homework. I will show two pictures. The first is the original photo of a flower
from a Snail Vine we have growing on our house.
To create the second photo, I copied the background layer and selected the Channel Palette. Then I added the following
filters: Filter > Artistic > Palette Knife to the Red Channel, Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges to the Green Channel,
and Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter to the Blue Channel. That gave me the basic style I wanted for the flower, but
I did not want it on the house stucco. So I added a mask to the background copy layer and removed the filter effects from
the stucco and part of the vine. Then I changed to a narrow white brush and selectively added back the integrated filter
effect to the edges of the stucco and portions of the stems of the vine. This homework was fun, since I felt free to experiment
with stuff like the masking. I wish there was a way to mask the individual channels after I had applied the filters. I would
love to see what I could do with that.
Colorizing a Photo
This method used a Hue/Saturation layer with a Channel Mixing layer and a Curves layer to create a colorized photo. I followed
all the steps and changed the photo of the jade vessel into the colorized photo shown below. I realize that somewhere there
is a need for colorized art, but I personally prefer the beautiful original color.
Making a Duotone
This is another of those "artsy" type photo effects that I will probably come to appreciate when I start drawing
Social Security. Oh, wait! I am drawing Social Security. I better start learning to love it fast. The photo is from my
daughter and is a picture of her cousin taken last Fourth of July. Here is my blue duotone creation.
Hand-Tinting a Greyscale
Ok, last one. This was fun. The photo is of my grandson, Kian. I had previously doctored the photo before I got to this
exercise. I took the photo and added Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges to a copy of the background layer. Then I used
a mask to reveal his original face. This gave his shirt and the surroundings a nice strange glow. I thought this was a good
starting place for a fun photo to colorize.
I added a Hue/Saturation layer and ran the Saturation to zero to get the Greyscale image. Then I added a new layer and
called it Colorize. I changed the layer from the Normal to Color mode to allow the color to seep through to all the original
definition. Then I painted on the Colorize layer. The fun part was getting the neon-like colors for the glowing edge-effects
that were previously in the photo. I enjoyed this one. The before and after shots are shown below.
| Kian - with Glowing Edges |
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