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Wanna Learn How: Selectively Color a B&W Photo
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #5, Kathi Heifner who commented:
I have Photoshop Elements and haven’t learned all the tricks. Thanks for the tip, can’t wait to try.
Congratulations Kathi!
Hey RP fans! Deena Boese from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another quick and easy Photoshop tutorial! This week’s tip comes from the request of last month’s tutorial reader Melinda. She wrote:
We’ve all seen those stunning black and white photos with a single item highlighted with a bright pop of color. If you’ve ever wondered how to recreate this look yourself, today is your day! There are probably a dozen different ways to add selective color to a black and white image in Photoshop. But today I’m going to show you my favorite quick and easy technique that can take a photo from blah to beautiful in under 5 minutes.
With just a few clicks of the mouse you can transform an ordinary photo from this:
to this:
Wanna learn how simple it is to selectively color a black and white photo? Read on! (more…)
Wanna Learn How: Seamless Photo Backgrounds
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #2, Linda Palmer who commented:
Thank you for an excellent tutorial. Easy to understand and follow. I love learning something new.
Congratulations Linda!
Hey RP fans! Deena Boese from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another quick and easy Photoshop tutorial! This week I was talking with a reader who was in love with magazine ads and wished she knew how to design her layouts with a similar look. As we talked, we agreed on a couple of factors that contribute to the designer look she was after:
1) A large focal point photo that spans the width of the ad, and
2) Bold graphic text that’s integrated with the image.
She immediately said she was drawn to full-page photos but didn’t know what to do when her photo background ran out before her layout canvas did. Ah ha! Enter Photoshop!
With an array of Photoshop super tools at our fingertips it’s easy to duplicate or clone backgrounds to get that margin to margin image we love. While this technique won’t necessarily work on photos with busy backgrounds, it’s a gem on photos with backgrounds featuring solid colors (think walls and fabric) or nature (think grass, sky, water and sand). By extending your photo backgrounds you create the perfect place to house titles, journaling, and even design elements! Here are a few examples of the impact an extended photo background can make on a layout.
Turning 3 by Deena Boese, as seen in the July/August 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
My SuperHero by Deena Boese, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
God’s Beauty by Deena Boese, as seen in the April 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Uncontainable Joy by Deena Boese, as seen in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Wanna learn how simple it is to create seamless photo backgrounds? Read on! (more…)
Wanna Learn How: Replacing Color
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #2, Chrystiana Miller who commented:
Thanks for the tutorial!
Congratulations, Chrystiana Miller! Please send us an email to claim your prize.
Hey RP fans! Deena Boese from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another Photoshop tutorial! This week’s tip comes from the request of last month’s tutorial reader Tenika. She wrote:
The fact that we, as digital memory keepers, can alter and recolor any item is one of the major benefits of digital scrapbooking! We can create custom looks, recolor any paper to match our photos, and double (or triple) the life of every product we have in our digital library! While using the well-known Hue/Saturation Adjustment will change the entire color value of a product, there are sometimes we just want to alter a single color while leaving the others intact. What to do? Let me introduce you to “Replace Color”!
Wanna learn how simple it is to replace color in papers and elements? Read on!
In Photoshop, open the patterned paper you wish to recolor. Select Image>Adjustments>Replace Color.
With the eyedropper tool already selected, click on the area of the paper you wish to recolor. Here I sampled the tan background color. In the dialog box, you’ll notice the image portions in the tan value have turned from black to white.
For this example, we’re changing the tan background color to a crisp white. To do this, simply adjust the Lightness slider all the way to +100 and click OK.
Let’s say we have a photo with a green background and want to change the blue flowers in the paper to green. Once again, select Image>Adjustments>Replace Color.
With the eyedropper tool already selected, click on the blue color value in one of the flowers. Again, you’ll notice image portions in the dialog box have turned from black to white. This time adjust the Hue slider until you reach the desired green value. You can also play with the Saturation and Lightness sliders to get the exact color you desire.
Success! Use this technique to create custom looks and breathe new life into digital papers and elements you already own.
And now you know! Try altering a single color in a paper or element, or go crazy and adjust them all to create a one-of-a-kind product, color-designed specifically for your photos! I hope you have fun discovering creative ways to use this fun and easy technique in your layouts! For easy reference, I’ve included a PDF handout you can download and add to your “Wanna Learn How” library.
As always, we want to hear from you! Have you seen a digital technique that made you say, “Oooh! I wanna learn how to do that!”? Leave a comment to let us know what techniques you want to see here. I have a free one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine in my hands that will go to one random (and lucky) commenter. So be sure to drop us a line to be entered in the drawing! Good luck!
DOWNLOADS
Tutorial: How to Replace Color
Wanna Learn How — Create Your Own Text Paths
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #1, Julia M in MI who commented:
I am new to the blog, so I hope I am not mentioning something that has been done before. I have not learned how to do extractions. I would like to learn that technique. Thanks for the chance to win!
Congratulations, Julia M in MI! Please send us an email to claim your prize.
Hey RP fans! Deena Boese from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another Photoshop tutorial! This week’s tip comes from the request of last month’s tutorial reader Sharon Grey. She wrote:
While text paths look complex, they are actually super simple! The secret lies in a little icon in the options bar called “Paths”. I’ll introduce you in a bit! First, a little disclaimer/history lesson.
Photoshop has always had the capability to create text along a path. Photoshop Elements, however, has taken a little longer to jump on board. I was excited to see that the new release of Photoshop Elements 10 provides text path capabilities! Users of PSE 9 and earlier, however, aren’t so lucky. If this is you, be sure to check out the DOWNLOADS section at the end of the post. I’ve created a downloadable text path that will work in PSE!
Now, back to using text paths.
Shaped text adds great interactive movement to a page and engages the reader. It can also serve as a great design element on a page and is perfect for those layouts where journaling space is limited. Here’s a layout where I wanted my photos to remain center stage so I added my journaling in a rectangle text path which highlights, instead of distracts, from my photos.
The Undeniable Bond by Deena Boese, as seen in the February 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
But text paths aren’t just limited to straight edges. You can create paths along circles, ovals, or any custom shape you desire. In this layout, the text path follows an oversized exclamation point.
Mom! by Deena Boese, as seen in the June 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Wanna learn how simple it is to create your own text paths? Read on!
1. In Photoshop, create a new layer and select the ELLIPSE TOOL (U). Make sure the PATHS icon is selected in the options bar.
2. Select the HORIZONTAL TYPE TOOL (T) and choose your font, size and text color. Ensure the alignment is set to LEFT ALIGN TEXT. With your cursor, click at the beginning of your path where you want the text to start.
3. Type your text and adjust the point size and tracking to create the perfect fit. Once completed, you can use the MOVE TOOL (V) to move and rotate your finished text.
And now you know! Once you’ve mastered the basic shapes, try experimenting with the Custom Shape Tool for endless shaped-text possibilities or use the Pen Tool to draw your own designs! I hope you have fun discovering creative ways to use this fun and easy technique in your layouts! For easy reference, I’ve included a PDF handout you can download and add to your “Wanna Learn How” library. And as a bonus gift, I’ve also included this word art graphic you can download for FREE!
As I mentioned before, if you own Photoshop Elements 9.0 or earlier, I’ve included a PSE compatible circle text path template just for you.
As always, we want to hear from you! Have you seen a digital technique that made you say, “Oooh! I wanna learn how to do that!”? Leave a comment to let us know what techniques you want to see here. I have a free one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine in my hands that will go to one random (and lucky) commenter. So be sure to drop us a line to be entered in the drawing!
Good luck!
DOWNLOADS
How To Wrap Text Around A Shape
Word Art Graphic
Circle Text Path for PSE
Wanna Learn How: Create A Pop Art Effect
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #1, Amy H who commented:
Thanks Deena! I’ve been using PS for years now but it’s hard to keep up on all the new bells and whistles. This top is just what I need to add to the fun of my hobby. Can you do a tip on how to tweak the settings of the magnetic lasso? I’ve tried to use it to extract the subject from the background but I think I’m missing some important piece to help smooth the edges without getting the background.
Congratulations, Amy! Please send us an email to claim your prize.
Hey RP fans! Deena Wuest from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another Photoshop tutorial! It’s wonderful to hear from so many of you who are just starting out in Photoshop! Isn’t it exciting?!? The day I created my first digital layout I felt like a whole new world of creative possibilities was unleashed. The more I learned, the more I WANTED to learn. And it sounds like this is ringing true for so many of you out there as well. That’s awesome! So let’s do what we love and talk digi!
Last month, I got excited when I read this reader comment…
Yes! Thank you, Mary! Special photo effects like this is where the digi girl can shine and impress the socks off her traditional paper scrapping sister. There are many complex ways to achieve the Andy Warhol-inspired pop art look in Photoshop, but I’ve discovered a super simple way that takes just minutes and will transform a photo from…
Here’s how! (more…)
Wanna Learn How: Creating Digital Brushes
The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription is commenter #4, Anna. Please contact us at info@reneepearson.com to claim your prize.
Hey, RP fans! Deena Wuest from Creating Keepsakes back with another “Wanna Learn How” tutorial! Have you had one of those “wanna learn” moments this last month? I appreciate all the comments and emails I’ve received which are quickly lengthening our How To list! That’s awesome! I’ve had several readers shout, “Hey, I wanna learn how to create brushes!” so today we’re talking digital brushes! (more…)