Getting the Ansel Adams Look

Is it a color photo? You'll need the channel mixer or levels

Color Issues
-----------------------
Ann from Columbus, Ohio, using Photoshop Elements 2.0 with Windows, writes in with:

[Quote:] How do I colorize a black and white photo like ansel Adams?

Reply:

Shaun replies:

I don't know if this is how he did it, but this is a "quick and dirty" way
of colorizing a Photo:

1. Select File > Save As.. and save your existing photo by giving this new
one a different name (very important).

2. Select Image > Mode and change the mode to RGB

3. Go to QuickMask Mode, and set QuickMask Options "to Selected Areas".

4. Use a Paintbrush to fill in the first area you wish to colour (should appear red) For example, on a picture of a tree you would want to paint the leaves etc. in preparation for colouring them in with a green tone.

5. Go back to Standard Mode (press Q) and a selection should now be around the area you that filled in with the Paintbrush. Save these selections for future editing (Select > Save Selection).

6. Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance.

Set the opacity to somewhere between 50-70% (depending on how much of the original background detail is to show through).

Click OK.

A new dialogue box will open up with colour sliders. Adjust the sliders until you have the colour tone you want.

7. When you have the colour you want for that area, repeat the whole process
over again for the other areas that need colour tinting.

Shaun Pearce
from LearnPhotoshopFast.com

Fred replies:

Shaun, that's a good tutorial, but I'm not sure the patient's symptoms justify that treatment. Ansel Adams to my knowledge never tinted or colorized images. To my recollection, all the Adams shots I've seen have been stark, deep-contrast black and white; or with an occasional sepiatone.

In Elements 2, it's easy:

In Elements your best tool is the Levels dialog.

First, desaturate by using the Hue/Saturation function (Go to the Layers Palette and choose "Hue/Saturation" from the Layers pop-up menu,) sliding the "Saturation" slider all the way to the left.

Now, use the Levels Dialog (Ctrl/L or Mac: Command/L) and tighten the highlights and shadow sliders (far right and far left) in towards the middle until they meet the color ramp. Now, move the center slider left or right until the desired effect is achieved.

You need to read our tutorial on Sepiatoning for more detailed info and pictures of this process. See: Sepiatone Seminars

For Photoshop users...

To obtain the signature look of Ansel Adams, use the Channel Mixer.

Open the color photo patient.

In the Layers Palette, choose Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer (Or from Layers menu)

Click "Monochrome" at the bottom to convert the photo to black and white.

Note that the sliders allow you to change and modify the values in the photo based on the RGB values in the original photo.

Slide the RED slider to the right. (RED will be the color most associated with cont

rast.) Make sure Preview is checked. You can click it to toggel off/on to see the difference. The GREEN slider should also be moved to the right.

Now use the BLUE slider to begin reducing high tones. Slide it to the LEFT.

Finally use the "Constant" slider to fine-tune the brightness. Go easy on this one.

For the sepia-toning or other "colorizing" go to:
this online seminar in Photoshop Tips & Tricks

Comments

[Manda]

I have come across the following information on getting the AA look -
Channel Mixer
Adjust the sliders as follows

Red 160
Green 40
Blue-200
OK

Merge layers then convert to greyscale.

[Shabbir]

hello,
I am a fresh interior designer / decorator . i need to know which is the best product from Adobe family for me to design rooms and offices.
Your help is appreciated .

thanks

[Arindam Chakraborty]

Dear Sir,
I'm a student of Photoshop. I'm from India. If you assist me to learn it then I will be oblidge very much. If you kindly give me some tips about layer mixing and channel mixing.

[Ryan]

Hi, I'm stuck! i'm trying to make my pencil scan layer match the flat colors of the layer underneath, in order to make the image look like it is blended, like an illustration. I was told to use the preserve transparency box but i cannot find it anywhere, after hours of searching, or to lock the pencils layer but that doesn't work either. I'm using photoshop 7.0 and am losing my mind trying to get that nice illustrated bleded look to the picture. Please respond with help at your earliest convenience.

REPLY FROM PS911

I assume you've got a white background from your scan.

Since we really can't see what you're doing -- the best advice for
working with the set-up you've described is to test the blending
modes for the scan layer.

I would start with "Color" ... but if that doesn't do it, just
experiment. Blending modes button is found on the layers
palette and you can pull-down and select your poison.

See if that works

[Bill Kittredge]

I got some great photos during a recent AK vacation. I also got *.JPG but they display either in sepia or b/w. When I check properties, it shows 24 bit TrueColor. Is there a way to get them displayed or changed so they are color photos?
--------------------------

Unless they were shot in color, then converted to Sepia, B/W there's no magic button that will make them color again. Do you still have the raw photos on disk or camera card?

(NOTE: We've had readers shoot photos in "special" settings on their cameras, giving B/W or Sepia results and they didn't know they had mistakingly switched camera settings. Could this be the case?)