How to Colorize Black and White Photos in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop includes numerous tools for editing photographs. The software lets you retouch faded colors, balance lighting and trim the photograph to only include its subject. Numerous other features have been added to Photoshop over the years to greatly expand its use to professional and amateur photographers alike, and to reduce the time it takes to produce the perfect shot. Colorizing a black and white photograph was once a painstaking ordeal of painting by hand, but with Photoshop, users can streamline the process.
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Instructions
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Open a black and white photograph in Photoshop, click Image in the top menu bar and then hover the cursor over Mode in the menu. Select "RGB Color" if the mode is not already selected. The RGB values of the image must be manually changed throughout the process of colorizing the photograph.
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Press the L key to select the Lasso Tool, right-click the Lasso Tool icon that is high-lighted by pressing the L key and then select Magnetic Lasso Tool. The Magnetic Lasso Tool favors the edges of subjects in the image, so it is great for isolating the different elements to be colorized. Use the Magnetic Lasso Tool to select areas of the image that will share the same color. Hold down the Shift key before making further selections and then continue adding to the overall selection area.
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Click "Select" in the upper tool bar and then click "Save Selection." Enter a name for the new channel in the text field next to "Name" and then click "OK." Press the F7 key if the Layers window is not already opened and then click the Channels tab. Click the new channel to show the selected area in white over a black background. Creating channels allows the user to save selections for later editing. Press the Tilde key (~) while holding down the Control key (Ctrl) to return to the combined RGB channel.
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Create and save channels until the major elements of the photograph have saved selections. If the subject of the photograph is a person, then that person's skin, clothes and props should have separate channels. If parts of the person's clothes are different colors, then those parts should also have different channels.
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Select a channel in the Layers window, select the white area with the Magic Wand Tool accessed by pressing the W key, and then return to the combined RGB channel. Press the B key while holding down the Control key to open the Color Balance window. Select "Shadows" under "Tone Balance" and then manipulate the sliders under "Color Balance" until the shadows of the selected color reach the desired color. Alter "Midtones" and "Highlights" until the selection area is colorized as intended. Access Color Balance with the other channels and continue colorizing the photograph.
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Tips & Warnings
If two channels overlap, use the right-click option "Subtract from Selection" of the Magic Wand Tool to pare down the selection before working on the channel.
Quick Mask, accessed by pressing the Q key, allows the user to select areas using the paintbrush. Press Q after painting an area to have it become selected.
Colorizing a photograph is a long process of trial and error.
It is difficult to replicate true-to-life color.
