Colorization++ - Potatoe's

[HoboSong]

Yes, Dan Quayle approved this Subject

I searched for something to colorize tonight and decided on this one:




There is a much bigger version if you cut the "600" from the URL. Please dont constrain yourself to colorization; add/subtract/change/dramatize/enhance anything, let's just make the best final product possible.

[Toots de la Footsjelly]

Hobosong where's them taters? They supposed to be in those sacks? I'll fix it.

[libranoelrose]

[cbleek]

[HoboSong]

Great job so far, guys. Dont know how you guys get them out so fast, Im not even half done with the masking

[libranoelrose]

HoboSong Wrote:Great job so far, guys. Dont know how you guys get them out so fast, Im not even half done with the masking

Do you have a pen and tablet? If so you can just color them like a coloring book, I'm not even sure what masking you're talking about. What techniques is that?

[HoboSong]

libranoelrose Wrote:

HoboSong Wrote:Great job so far, guys. Dont know how you guys get them out so fast, Im not even half done with the masking

Do you have a pen and tablet? If so you can just color them like a coloring book, I'm not even sure what masking you're talking about. What techniques is that?

I have a tablet, but I dont use it. I should...but in the desk real estate wars, beer cans always seem to beat the tablet.

But, I always mask stuff out when colorizing.....I must be the exception here.

[libranoelrose]

Do you have a link to the type of technique you're using? I really like how you do your colorizations and am always wanting to learn more stuff!

[ElectronChaser]

libranoelrose Wrote:Do you have a link to the type of technique you're using? I really like how you do your colorizations and am always wanting to learn more stuff!

That and I would really like to finally pick up on this masking voodoo. Terrapin did a tutorial once, but it wasn't for Photoshop, and there was a step missing.

[HoboSong]

libranoelrose Wrote:Do you have a link to the type of technique you're using? I really like how you do your colorizations and am always wanting to learn more stuff!

I dont have a link because Im making it up...but, currently it's something like:

create_masks();

while (!satisfied)
{
while(true) {
foreach(mask) {
create ColorBalance filter layer, apply mask;
adjust blending mode;
merge layer;
}
}
}

[libranoelrose]

Yeah I'm even more confused than before...are you talking about layer masks?

[GbyP]

HoboSong Wrote:But, I always mask stuff out when colorizing.....I must be the exception here.

No I do the same thing. I
- Apply a (color) gradient map adjustment layer.
- In the layer mask remove the applied color from everything but the target area.
- When finished, I change the layer blending mode to Overlay.
Repeat.
Rinse
Profit

Or something like that.

[attachment=0]

[libranoelrose]

I hate to be so dense, but is this kinda like adding a whole layer of color and then subtracting that layer from where you don't want the color?

If so then I'm thinking that my failure to grasp this concept is because I first learned how to colorize by adding color to specific portions on separate layers, rather than subtracting.

[GbyP]

Yes.

There is no one way of colorizing. In theory, gradient maps with Overlay blending mode pick up the subtle shading of the underlying source image so it supposedly makes the color more realistic. But other than the facial funnays you added to your pic, that looks fantastic - it looks like a color photo taken last week. So it's just a style preference more than anything else.

Here are links to before/after pics I did on the old site:
Before: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa318/kjd03842/ecidiggrayscale.jpg">http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa31 ... yscale.jpg</a><!-- m -->
After: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://snk.smugmug.com/Squirrelopolis/Squirrel-Challenges/ecidiggrayscale-color/365994827_mNgsf-XL.jpg">http://snk.smugmug.com/Squirrelopolis/S ... gsf-XL.jpg</a><!-- m -->
I did this using the technique described.

The trick is sampling a similar color photo and getting a good range - not-quite-the-darkest thru not-quite-the-lightest color range; you can also set a mid-tone to push the layer darker or lighter per artistic license.

What's nice about this method is that it is really easy to play with different color schemes - you don't like a blue dress, double click on that gradient map layer and change the color to a range of red colors or whatever.

[libranoelrose]

I think I'm getting this now dude.

I'm gonna play around with the technique.

I've never used a Gradient Map (that I know of) before.