How do i colour one item in a photo that is b & W using photoshop elements?

Question

I want to colour a flower after desaturating a picture. How do i do this in photoshop elements? Step by step please!

Answer 1

Hold on. Wait. Please stop. You keep the flower the original color, and desaturate it's surroundings -- NOT desaturate the whole thing, then add color back into the flower. Make sense?

I would put a feather of 2 or 3 pixels on the lasso tool, then carefully select the flower. Invert the selection, and then desaturate. this is one possible way.

Answer 2

There are a few methods. Desaturate the picture. Use the magic wand or lasso tool to select the area that you want to colour. Create a new layer and fill in the selection. Use the layer options to change the blending mode to Overlay, and adjust the opacity until it looks right - this will depend on how vibrant you want your colour.

That's the fastest method. However, the best method is to create a new layer, grab your paintbrush tool, zoom in as much as you can and just paint a block over the outline of what you want, in the colour you want. Then again change the layer blending mode to Overlay and adjust the opacity.

Both methods take time and practise to get it right, but once you start messing around with it, you'll see the effect you want to get, and from that point it's just how accurate you want it to be.

Answer 3

Cut the flower out with the pen tool, go to paths and make selection. Go to image menu and select hue/saturation. Select colorize then bump up the saturation, then just play with the hue and lightness. That's one way.

You could also copy and paste the flower to a new document and make it grey scale. Then you could colour it by making it anything from monotone up to a quadtone which could look rather groovy. Obviously then paste the flower back on the original file!

Have fun!

Answer 4

Black n White w/color process

Your procedure will depend if you are starting with a color or BW image.

If color, make a copy of the original layer on top… desaturate (do not make grayscale) the layer and use the “eraser” to erase the BW where it is you want color. Tedious but easy!

If BW, make a blank layer on top… use “brush” to paint (opaqe) your color on the blank layer over where you want it in the image… then use “multiply” as your blend mode and you will have the color in the BW.

Beaux

Answer 5

I'm SORRY, - I can't HELP you, as such, - but, what I WILL say, is, that it HAS to be POSSIBLE, - a similar thing was done, to the RED COAT, of a little Jewish girl, in the early part of the film, "SCINDLER'S LIST"! The remainder, of the screen, was a "SEPIA" colouration, - only the girl's COAT was coloured! Put the film title into a search engine, - you NEVER KNOW! Good luck, with whatever it is, that you're doing!