One technique used by photographers to add drama and focus to their images is to include a touch of color in a B&W image. A romantic B&W image depicting a young boy handing a bright red rose to a little girl has more impact then a monochrome image. In the past, a great deal of darkroom skill was necessary to successfully generate this effect. Fortunately, Photoshop allows the digital photographer two simple, but effective methods for adding color accents to B&W images.

Let's begin with a color image that has been converted into a B&W using two hue/saturation adjustment layers. This technique is described in detail in last month's Digital Corner article (see the January archives for the full article). In this first example, we will bring the original color back to a select portion of the image. Ten years ago, I captured a Martial Eagle picture at a rehab center in Kenya. The bird has an intense stare and I want to use selective color to bring out that intensity.

After altering the image from color to B&W, I select the layer mask on the bottom Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Using the brush tool, I select a soft edge brush, set the brush diameter to slightly smaller then the colored portion of the bird's eye (the bracket keys [ ] are a quick way to alter brush size), and set the color to black. I then click on the layer mask and paint directly over the portion of the image I want in color, in this case the eyes. What I am doing is masking, or hiding, the B&W conversion from a select portion of the image. For the best results, I set the brush's opacity (located on the option bar directly above the image) to a value between 20%-30% and paint over the eye several times. Using a low opacity setting results in painting with a light gray instead of black. Each time the mouse button is clicked, the masked area becomes a little darker, eventually going to completely black. This technique results look more realistic image then can be obtained by using a higher opacity.

At this point, the image looks exactly the same. The eyes are not colored. This is because I still have to apply a layer mask to the upper Hue/Saturation layer. This is done in the same manner as the bottom layer, only each stroke of the brush will increase the intensity of the color until it matches the original image color. Once the two layer masks are in place, we have a B&W image with the intense golden eyed stare of the original shot.

The above technique works well when the goal is to return the original color to the portion of the image. This is not, however, always the goal. Sometimes I want to add a new color or I am working on an original B&W and the original color is black or white. To add a new or different color to a portion of the image, I need to take a different approach.

This time I will begin with a B&W image that I want to add some color. The image itself might be a scan or B&W digital image. The point is that there is no original color to return to. Before anything else, I need to make certain that the image settings will permit color. This can be checked in Photoshop by going to Image → Mode. Once there, I determine if the "grayscale" option is checked. If so, I change the setting to "RGB Color." This step does not turn a B&W image into color; instead it tells Photoshop that color is now an acceptable part of the image.

Now that the image is ready to accept color, I determine the color I want to add. In this case, I am beginning with a B&W image of a bull moose. I really wish the image was in color, but the original is grayscale. To make the moose brown, I have to add brown pixels to the image. Once again I turn to the brush tool. Clicking on the foreground color box (the square of color at the bottom of the tool bar), I open the color picker and select a dark shade of brown that I want to use for the moose's hair. Once the color is selected, I create a new layer (not an adjustment layer) where I can add the brown color. Using a soft edged brush, I paint at 100% opacity over every part of the image that I want to be brown. With this example, I cover the moose's hair and antlers with brown paint.

Not surprisingly, this looks awful as the brown color completely hides the underlying image. I have an artistic image of a brown blob. To improve the results, I alter the layer's blend mode. Each blend mode interacts with the underlying layer in a unique manner. My experience has been that "overlay, soft light, and hard light" usually produce the best results (be willing to try out others). Each of these blend modes brings the detail of the underlying image through the color overlay. By cycling through various blend modes, it is easy to determine which works best with a particular image. As a last step, I lower the color layer's opacity. This produces an effect that is reminiscent of hand painted B&W images.

Two suggestions will assist in producing quality results. First, don't worry too much about staying inside the lines when adding color. Many blend modes alter the color effect to such a degree that spillover goes unnoticed. If colors do extend beyond an edge, remove them with the erasure tool. Second, it is a good idea to apply different colors on different layers. If my moose is going to be brown and the background green, I will use two layers. One for the brown moose and another for the green background. If additional colors are desired, additional layers can be added.

Selective color B&W images provide an entertaining and creative tool to the digital photographer. By emphasizing colors and applying selective color techniques in a variety of ways, it is possible to produce unique images that will draw the viewer into the frame.

Chris Gamel has been an active wildlife photographer for the past 14 years. The combination of his biological research and photographic interests has taken him around the world. In 2001, Chris discovered the joys of digital photography and he hasn't looked back. Chris lives with his wife and daughter in Salt Lake City where he teaches courses at Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College. To see more of Chris's photography, visit his web site at www.Animal-Antics.net.

Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the Editor to let us know your thoughts.