Single-Colored Image Effect

Single-Colored Image Effect

I wonder what should I call this picture effect. Basically, we are changing the color of the original picture to achieve a single colored image...or mono-colored image, doesn't matter what color, you decide..there are no boundaries. I also add some blurry effect to get that glowing and dreamy look on the image. Some examples shown below. I believe below examples are the most popular coloring when applying this effect. The matrix green, dark purple or maroon, blue-ish coloring and somewhat yellow-ish coloring are just examples illustrated below. 1. Open your image in Photoshop. 2. Duplicate the image. 3. In the layer palette, select the duplicate layer by clicking on it once. Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Now, you'll have a black and white image. 4. Next, duplicate your black and white layer. 5. With the new duplicate selected in your layer palette, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to 3.0 6. Set the blending mode of this layer to Linear Light. And adjust the opacity to around 35-50% depending on what looks nice for your picture. 7. Now, take a look at your image. If it's too much black or too much white, carry on with the next step. If your image looks ok ie good balance between blacks and whites, you can skip step 8 and 9. 8. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. A small window will appear, just click OK and you'll see the Levels setting window. You'll see 3 sliders --> black, grey and white as circled in the image below. Below are 3 ways you can improve the look of your image. Depending on your image, you may need all three options or you can choose one or two of the options. Just experiment with the settings. See what looks nice. - Slide the black slider to the right to increase the blacks in your image or make your image darker. - Slide the black slider to the left to increase the whites in your image or make your image lighter. - Slide the grey slider to the left or right to get a good balance between blacks and whites depending on your image. 9. Below are my image before and after I applied the level change. And below is the setting I use for the level adjustment. Remember, yours can be different. 10. Next, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Pick a color you want. Again, experiment with the colors to find what's the perfect color for your image. And for my 4 examples above, I use the following colors: - Emily Deschanel --> color code: 057a23 - Gilmore Girls --> color code: df3d3d - How I Met your Mother --> color code: 023569 - Heroes --> color code: 635202 11. Set the color fill layer to Soft Light and opacity around 50%. And we're done. Maybe you can try this effect on your next poster or get that nostalgic look in your photo album.

Read more: http://best-photoshop-tutorials.blogspot.com/2009/05/single-colored-image-effect.html#ixzz1IcltDEVU

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Turn your Image into a Pencil Sketch

Turn your Image into a Pencil Sketch

This is a pencil sketch tutorial for Photoshop. There are various techniques to turn your photo into a pencil sketch and this is one of the simplest techniques you can learn. It doesn't take a lot of hard work to do a pencil sketch of your favorite people nowadays. Try finding a good portrait of them and fire up Photoshop. Follow this tutorial and you'll get a perfect (I hope) sketch at the end of it. Before and after image as shown below.

Pencil Sketch Effect: Before and After Image

And as requested by one of our readers, we've extend the tutorial to get a colored sketch effect..

1. Open your image in Photoshop. This effect will look better with large-sized image.

Duplicate your image once. Choose the duplicate layer then go to Image > Adjustment > Desaturate.

2. Duplicate the desaturated layer twice, so that now you have 3 black and white layer.

Here's what your layer palette should look like:

3. Next, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Set the master saturation to -100.

Here's your layer palette now:

4. Then, select the Background copy layer in your layer palette.

Go to Filter > Artistic > Colored Pencil. Adjust the setting on the right until you get something like this:

Here's the settings I used. Yours can be different depending on the image.

5. Next, select Background copy 2 in your layer palette. Then, go to Filter > Brush Strokes

> Dark Strokes. Adjust the setting on the right until you get something like this:

Here's the settings I used. Yours can be different depending on the image.

6. Then, select Background copy 3 in your layer palette. Go to Filter > Stylize > Find Edges.

After that, go to Filter > Brush Strokes > Dark Strokes. Adjust the setting on the right until

you get something like this:

Here's the settings I used. Again, your setting can be different depending on your image.

7. Now, we're gonna adjust the property settings of our layers. Here's my recommended settings:

Background copy 1 is set to Lighten with 40% opacity

Background copy 2 is set to Lighten or Hard Light (whichever looks better) with 50% opacity

Background copy 3 is set to Multiply with 25% opacity

Here's how you change the layer setting -- click on the layer in the layer palette then adjust the

property and opacity as shown in the image below:

8. And here's the final outcome of this tutorial. A nice pencil sketch effect on your photo.

Okay now you've got your classic black and white pencil sketch. Well, it's a pencil after all,

of course there's no color. But if you'd like a color sketch..don't worry, there's still hope for

you.we'll try to convert this effect into a colored pencil sketch. Go ahead and follow the the

rest of the tutorial.

We're gonna continue with a different image now..just for variety =)

9. Remember, after you're done with step 8, below is your layer palette:

Select the Hue/Saturation layer. And you see that small eye icon to the left of it. Click on

the eye icon to make it disappeared. But doing this, you're actually making

the Hue/Saturation layer invisible (which means it has no effect or whatsoever to your image).

10. Here's your image now. Not so much miracle but the color is back. If you're satisfied

with the coloring, you can stop here. But if you feel like making the color more intense..go on.

11. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Increase the saturation until you

get a bright coloring on your image. You can adjust the brightness too if you want. Below is my settings:

12. Your layer palette should look like this now:

And my final image below...

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Glamorous Glowing Model Effect on Your Image

Glamorous Glowing Model Effect on Your Image

Remember reading a magazine and wishing you could somehow apply that glamorous glowing look on the models to one of your photo? Well, now with photoshop..you can. This beginner friendly tutorial (I hope it's friendly enough) will show you how to get that smooth glow effect on your photo. Do you have what it takes to be America's Next Top Model?..Well, maybe not everything but at least now you got the glow.

Supermodel Glow Effect

1. Open your image. Duplicate it 3 times. Here's your layer palette now:

2. Select the 1st duplicate layer, in this case it's called Layer 1 copy and set it to soft light

with 15% opacity.

3. Next, select the 2nd duplicate layer, in this case it's called Layer 1 copy 2 and set it to soft

light with 100% opacity. Next, still working with this layer, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

Set the radius to be 4.5 pixels.

4. Then, select the last duplicate layer and set it to Soft Light with 55% opacity.

Still working with this layer, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to 8.5 pixels.

5. Now, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Type in this color code (cec08f) and click OK.

On the layer palette, set this color fill layer to Overlay with 15% opacity.

6. Create another fill layer. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Type in this

color code (c1ca9a) and click OK. On the layer palette, set this color fill layer to Soft Light

with 15% opacity.

7. Create another fill layer, promise you this is the last one...Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color.

Type in this color code (c7c0b4) and click OK. On the layer palette, set this color fill layer to Soft Light

with 100% opacity.

And your done =) Simple as that..now you've achieved the glowing model look in Photoshop.

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Black and White Image with a Hint of Color

Black and White Image with a Hint of Color

This is an extension to our previous black and white tutorial. This tutorial will show you how to have a black and white image but at the same time, you can have one or more object in red, blue or any other colors. It's a good way to keep the focus on the main subject while leaving everything else black and white. Some people may call this a selective color effect. Guess it's from the fact that you select one or more object to be brightly colored. Sample result are shown below.

1. First, open your image. For this tutorial, we'll have to start with a colored image.

2. Next, we're gonna convert this colored image into a black and white image. Follow our tutorial on Converting your Picture into a B&W Photography to complete this step.

3. After you're done with step 2, your layer palette should look like this:

Click on the eye icon to the left to make the original image invisible.

Then, click CTRL+SHIFT+E to merge all the visible layers. Here's your layer palette now:

4. Set the original layer back to be visible by clicking the box where the eye icon is.

5. With the B&W layer selected on the layer palette, click the 'Add Vector Mask' icon at the bottom of the layer palette.

6. Make sure the foreground color is set to black and the background color is set to white. If it's not, click D on your keyboard to set it to default and use the small arrow to switch back and forth between background and foreground color.

7. Select the Brush Tool and choose a soft, round brush. Set the brush size depending on the size of your image. Mine is set to size 13.

8. Then, just paint on the area where you want the color to be visible. I chose to make the red color of the car to be visible and everything else around it is black and white.

9. From the picture above, you'll see that the red is not really intense and I want the red to be more vibrant. To achieve this, with the original background layer selected in the layer palette, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Just follow the instruction in the picture below.

10. Here's your layer palette now.

And your image before and after the level adjustment.

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