How to Create a Sin City Look in Photoshop
The 2005 film "Sin City," based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, combined classic film noir with digital elements. One of these elements was the choice of selective coloring. Using high contrast black and white imagery paired with splashes of red, "Sin City" created a rich, dramatic look that gave the film even more interest. This method of selective coloring is actually easy to achieve using Photoshop. You can easily take your favorite photographs and turn them into "Sin City"-esque masterpieces.
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Instructions
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Open your photograph in Photoshop. If you are working with photos from a film camera, scan the image into Photoshop by going to "File" > "Import," then select your scanner from the list. Keep in mind that scans meant to be printed should be at least 200 pixels per inch. The photograph layer will appear as "Background" in the Layers palette.
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Click on "Layer" > "New Adjustment Layer" > "Levels." Then, adjust the shadow, mid-tone and highlight tabs on the Input Levels bar until the image has a high contrast. This means the darks become darker, the lights become lighter and the colors will pop more. Do not adjust the levels so that any details in the highlights and shadows are lost. Once you have achieved the desired look, go to "Layer" > "Flatten Image."
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Go to "Select" > "All" or hit "Ctrl-A" to select the entire layer. Then, go to "File" > "Copy" or hit "Ctrl-C" to make a copy of the "Background" layer.
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Click on "Layers" > "New" > "Layer," label the layer "Grayscale" and hit "OK." Go to "Edit" > "Paste" or hit "Ctrl-V." This will paste the copy of the "Background" layer into the "Grayscale" layer.
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Go to "Image" > "Adjustments" > "Desaturate." This will make the image on the "Grayscale" layer black and white.
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Use the Eraser Tool with a soft, round brush to erase selective objects on the "Grayscale" layer. Doing this will reveal the color beneath the layer, making it pop from the black and white.
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Tips & Warnings
This look can also be achieved with a photograph that is already black and white. Adjust the Levels of the image, then create a new layer with the "Multiply" mode selected. Then, use the Brush Tool to paint selective objects such as lips, shoes or ties red.
