Bringing back one colour only from a black & white converted image.

[Dazzy]

I am fairly new to Photoshop. After converting a photo to black and white how can I then bring back one colour - for example all the orange pumpkins in a Halloween pic, but let all the rest stay black and white. Or - perhaps it is done the other way, by retaining the pumpkins colour and making all the rest black and white. Many thanks in advance.

 

[IamSam]

Once an image has been opened into Ps and converted to Black &White, the only way to go back to a color image is to hit Cmd/Cntrl + Z to back step.


However to answer your question more literally, take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmTl2Hbdsc

 

[Tom Mann]

To expand a bit on what Sam and the video are suggesting, just desaturate (...or do a "real" B&W conversion) everything but the part of the image that you want to remain in color. The way to do this is to learn how to select various objects, hence Sam's suggestion of that video.

One could, in principle, desaturate the entire image, and then use the history brush to reveal the previous state of the image in certain areas. The problem is that very few people work this way because one can get much better selections using all of the wonderful selection tools that Photoshop provides, compared to painting part of an image pixel by pixel with the history brush to return that area to its original state. In addition, if you use a layer mask, you haven't made any destructive changes to the image itself. If you don't like the results, you can tweak the mask to your heart's content till it looks good without any loss in quality.

Personally, I would simply put a B&W adjustment layer above your image, adjust the sliders to get a nice conversion, and then put a layer mask (on the B&W adjustment layer) that is white everywhere except the area you want to remain in color, and make the mask black in that area to stop it from showing up in that area. Don't forget the old memory jogging expression about layer masks: "Black hides, white reveals".

HTH,

Tom M

 

[IamSam]

One could, in principle, desaturate the entire image, and then use the history brush to reveal the previous state of the image in certain areas. The problem is that very few people work this way because one can get much better selections using all of the wonderful selection tools that Photoshop provides, compared to painting part of an image pixel by pixel with the history brush to return that area to its original state. In addition, if you use a layer mask, you haven't made any destructive changes to the image itself. If you don't like the results, you can tweak the mask to your heart's content till it looks good without any loss in quality.

Thanks Tom, I did think of this but did not mention it. if I remember correctly, PSE does not have an actual History Brush. I think there's a script for one that can be used but I'm fairly unfamiliar with PSE and I could be totally wrong.

edit: I did find this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsLWZbasao

 

[Dazzy]

Thanks Tom, I did think of this but did not mention it. if I remember correctly, PSE does not have an actual History Brush. I think there's a script for one that can be used but I'm fairly unfamiliar with PSE and I could be totally wrong.

edit: I did find this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsLWZbasao

thank you IamSam and Tom
the YouTube thing is helpful, with a nice slow commentary for new users like me. your message, IamSam sounds like a foreign language to me! - I need someone to explain it in a very elementary manner to a new user of Photoshop like me - if anyone can do that please. Many thanks, Dazzy

 

[IamSam]

@Dazzy

For me, I'm going to have to stop right here because I'm so unfamiliar with Elements 7 that I will be of no help to you at all. I just learned that layer masking must be "faked" in Elements 7 and that they did not introduce masking until Elements 9.

Hopefully someone will come along who knows more about Elements 7. Sorry. I do wish you would upgrade to one of the free Photoshop versions.

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/other-downloads.html

 

[Dazzy]

Oh thank you IamSam - YES! How do I upgrade to one of the free Photoshop versions, as you mention? Have just been looking at prices online - so many versions since mine - but am not sure I need to be that wonderful - and it is so much more expensive in UK to buy them. Even Elements Version 12 is $50 online. I have just found David A Cox's video on YouTube, which is helpful..thanks so much, Dazzy

 

[IamSam]

Well now that I have looked, I'm not sure it's free. (I apologize, I'm super busy and don't have time to do a thorough search)

Look at this article: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-get-photoshop-for-free/

 

[Tom Mann]

Thanks Tom, I did think of this but did not mention it. if I remember correctly, PSE does not have an actual History Brush. I think there's a script for one that can be used but I'm fairly unfamiliar with PSE and I could be totally wrong.

edit: I did find this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsLWZbasao

Thanks, Sam. I didn't realize that the OP used PSE, not PS. Unfortunately, I also know very little about PSE.

T