How to Use Photoshop CS2 to Create Selective Coloring

Selective coloring is the process of enhancing certain colors in an image while removing or decreasing the amount of saturation of other colors. It is usually used to create a focus on the central part of an image while deemphasizing the background. Photoshop CS2 makes it moderately easy to create selective coloring in photographs by following a few specific steps.

Instructions

1. Select an image to use to create selective coloring and open it in Photoshop CS2. It is best to start out using an image that has only a few main color elements if you are a beginner at Photoshop CS2. The fewer shades or hues of each color in your image, the easier the process of creating selective coloring will be.

2. Choose "Window" in the main menu bar and make sure that "Layers" is selected. You will need to have the Layers window open the entire time during the selective coloring process.

3. Click on "Create New Adjustment Layer" button, which looks like a small circle that is cut in half, at the bottom of the "Layers" window. Select "Hue/Saturation" from the menu that appears and click on "Master" from the drop-down menu. You will be presented with a list of colors.

4. Pick the color group from the list that matches the color you would like to remove or decrease in saturation in your image. Move the button in the row labeled "Saturation" all the way to left to remove that specific hue from your image. Notice that some other areas of your image which appear to be a different color may actually contain the hue you have removed, while the area you are trying to remove may also contain other hues that will still appear in that portion of the image.

5. Use the eyedropper tool to select the exact hue you would like to remove using selective coloring. This will prevent you from accidentally removing a similar hue from a different portion of the picture or having to remove more than one hue to alter one specific area. Select the eyedropper tool from the "Tools" menu and click on the desired hue on your image before proceeding with the same steps of using the "Hue/Saturation" in the "Layers" window to remove the hue.

Tips & Warnings

• Use "Reset Palette Locations" under the "Workspace" menu in the "Window" settings to restore all of the palettes in your workspace to their original locations. This function can be used at any time during the selective coloring process if you find yourself getting disorganized or confused as to what layer you should be working on.