

Since this image was a Black and White photo, the tonality of the image makes it easy to separate the shadows from the highlights by using a copy of one of the channels as a basis for a mask.Īnd since the Red, Green and Blue channels for a B&W image are the same we can simply make a copy of the Red Channel to use for separating the shadows and highlights. To make this look natural we need to pull some of the saturation out of the shadows, and shift the hue of the color for the shadows and the highlights in slightly different directions.
#Colorize image skin
Finesse the Skin ColorĪfter adjusting the saturation and color for the base skin color layer it’s looking better, but the shadows are clearly oversaturated, and we still have a monochromatic skin color. The saturation and color were adjusted by adding a Curve Adjustment Layer set to Color Blending. With this selection active Photoshop will automatically make a Layer Mask for the new Curves Adjustment Layer, allowing you to dial in the brightness of the Golds without affecting the rest of the image. Before adding the new Curves Adjustment Layer, Command-click on the Gold Trim layer to load the transparency of the layer as a selection. Since the base gold layer was set to Color Blending, adding another Adjustment Layer to that one would not affect the luminosity or brightness of the golds. The final adjustment was adding another Curves Adjustment Layer to brighten up the gold colors. Those layers clipped to the base gold layer using Layer Masks (to be sure they only affected the gold) made it easy to control which Adjustment Layer affected which part. Once the overall gold color was looking close, new Curves Adjustment Layers were added to bring the variety of color to differentiate the golds on the vest, necklace, etc.

The result looked a little duller than I wanted, so the first step was to clip a new Curves Adjustment Layer to the base gold layer and use that to dial in a more pleasing color.

I painted the gold color over all the areas that looked to need this color added. Using one base layer of Gold made painting in the color easier.Īfter choosing a gold color I then added a new layer set to Color Blending and working carefully. Since the original image was a toned Black and White photo, the first step was to add a Black and White Adjustment layer to neutralize that color. Let’s take a look at how the colorizing of this image was done in Photoshop. This allowed the gold rope and medallion etc to have slightly different colors bringing some realism to the end result. For example all of the gold trim on Jimi’s jacket was added in one layer with a few Adjustment Layers masked and clipped to the base gold layer. Using separate layers in Photoshop for each color will make it easier to add some subtle variation in the colors. Keeping the layers at 100% opacity will make sure each color is distinct from the others without any ‘bleeding’ where the lower layer’s color comes through. If we first color the coat entirely with the blue color then paint the gold on top of that, the layers will blend seamlessly, instead of leaving thin white gaps in between the layers. Starting with Jimi’s coat, the gold trim lies on top of the blue fabric. The order the layers are added in will make that easier. It’s important to make sure all the colors and layers butt up against each other correctly, which will help avoid telltale white lines between the various layers and colors. The next step to think about is layer structure.
#Colorize image pro
Pro Tip : As you decide on the basic palette of colors, make it easy to select those same colors over and over again by adding a layer to your file with patches of those colors, or by adding them to your Swatches palette. A quick Google search turned up a few other shots of Jimi wearing this coat, so I knew the coat was a dark blue with gold braid and trim. The first step was to figure out what colors Jimi’s outfit actually was. I colorized this image of Jimi Hendrix, shot by William James Warren at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, using Photoshop. Establishing a color palette, then working in layers along with some Color Adjustment layers simplifies the process and gives you control over subtleties that help make it look “real.” Colorizing StrategyĪdding a little method to the Photoshop madness helps you achieve a more realistic result.
#Colorize image how to
Let’s get into how to colorize a black and white photo. The trick is paying attention to detail, making sure you use a subtle variety of hues while paying attention to how the color interacts with the tonality of the base layer. While some may like the ease of a black and white photo colorizer app or plugin, when it comes to Photoshop all you need to do is paint. Bringing Color to classic Black & White photos is a relatively simple process.
