Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Chapter 8. Draining, Changing, and Adding Color

When you want to make a big difference with one simple change to a photo, you can’t beat converting it from color to black and white. The Ansel Adams approach doesn’t just evoke nostalgia, it also puts the focus on the subject in a powerful way. Going grayscale also lets you salvage an image that you can’t color-correct, as well as beautify a subject whose teeth need heavy-duty whitening or whose skin needs retouching. Those problems all but disappear when you enter the realm of black and white.

Does that mean you should set your digital camera to shoot in black and white? Heck, no! It’s much better to photograph in color and then drain the color in Photoshop. That way, you have a truckload of artistic options like bringing back just a touch of the original color for a partial-color effect.

And, speaking of color, Photoshop has several tools that let you change the color of anything, whether it’s a car or the hair on your head. You can also breathe new life into vintage black-and-white photographs by adding a dash of color, and a similar technique lets you add digital makeup to your subject.

This chapter teaches you how simple it is to drain, change, and add color to photos in a variety of ways. The following pages are packed with creative color techniques you’ll use again and again!