Digital Handcoloring for Photography

Adding a touch of color to your black and white photographs is artistic, fun, and adds even more life to your images. Using imaging software like Adobe's Photoshop, you can achieve this look two ways:

For both methods we will be working with layers. Think of a layer as a transparency over top of your image, on which you can draw and create, while preserving the image underneath. If you don't achieve your desired results, you can simply remove the layer, while maintaining the original image.

To create a new layer, select "Layers" from the toolbar at the top of the screen, and then "Add layer via copy". You should now see in your layers palette your background (your original image) and a layer overlaying it (called Layer 1).

If your original image is color

1. Open your file in Photoshop, and create new layer.

2. Select: Image>Adjustments>Desaturate to remove the color from your image.

3. Go to the toolbar and use the history brush (2nd row, 5th tool from the top, it is a paintbrush icon with a circular arrow surrounding it) to bring the original color back into your photograph in those areas that you wish to preserve the color. Make sure you select a brush type and thickness that will allow you to work most easily within your project.

4. Once you are finished, click Layers>Flatten Image to compress your two layers into one, and save your file with a new file name.

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