How to Create a Duotone Image Using Adobe Photoshop CS3

Duotone images are an interesting spin on traditional black and white photos. This will be easiest for photographers using Adobe Photoshop CS3 or better.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Select a black and white or color photo. Run any levels, contrast, or crop adjustments. If color, desaturate 100% or run image>adjustments>black and white...

2. 

   Select Image>Mode>Grayscale. Even if your image is already black and white, it's probably in RGB color, so you'll need to convert to grayscale.

3. 

   Select Image>Mode>Duotone and pick "duotone" from the drop-down menu.

4. 

   Pick which color you want to replace.

5. 

   Replace black:
   
   Click the black square and select a color. White and color duotones are often "smoky" in appearance. For best results, use a dark shade. My image shows a mid-range shade. Any lighter than this will produce very low-contrast results.

6. 

   Replace white:
   
   Click the white square and select a color. This generally has a more natural appearance, but using too dark a shade will sacrifice clarity of details. Again, I've used a mid-range shade, and the results are much darker than above.

7. 

   Replace both:
   
   Click each square in sequence. This has the same basic feel of replacing white, but with a greater level of control. I chose two shades of blue for a soft tonal range. Remember to keep your black replacement color darker than your white replacement color for a good visual balance.

8. Convert to RGB color (Image>Mode>RGB). Otherwise you won't be able to save as a JPEG. JPEG is the easiest to share, so it's important not to forget this step!