How do you achieve pictures like this?

Being a keen fackbook-er, i come across pics like this below from time to time, and wonder if any of you guys know how you achieve it? Is it the camera? or is it some form of photo editing? Thanks. Dave.

i do not know.. cool look though.

some cameras have built in color filters that do that , I suppose theres probably software that can do it too .

Photoshop.
Selective masking and desaturation.
Maybe other graphics apps also.

cradom got there before me

that's exactly how I would do it, I would use a mask on an effects layer like Hue Saturation

You could open up the original photo covert it to black and white, open up the colored version and start to select the objects you want in color by cutting them out using the lasso, magic wand etc. The overall quality of the photo will depend on how well you can cut and merge them.
You could try also just open the original coloured version and select the objects you want black and white and use hue and saturation to turn them black and white.
Lastly maybe you could use a b&w and coloured layer on top of each other and remove objects using that, there maybe easier ways to do it im sure.

nirvana said:

You could open up the original photo covert it to black and white, open up the colored version and start to select the objects you want in color by cutting them out using the lasso, magic wand etc. The overall quality of the photo will depend on how well you can cut and merge them.
You could try also just open the original coloured version and select the objects you want black and white and use hue and saturation to turn them black and white.
Lastly maybe you could use a b&w and coloured layer on top of each other and remove objects using that, there maybe easier ways to do it im sure.

Click to expand...

No offense, but your first suggestion about sutting and pasting sucks. The second is better and the third is close to what I use and is probably the most used way

Either way, you need a photo editing program. Photoshop = expensive, Gimp = free.

From another thread, regarding how to do it in PS:

Village Idiot said:

I like painting better than erasing.

Ugh...It's hard without PS loaded up infront of me. You might be better off looking up how to do these things in google.

First, do what the others have said and create a 2nd layer. You can do this easily by clicking on the picture in the layer pane and dragging it down to the create new layer icon at the bottom of the same pane. It's like a sheet of paper being peeled back if I remember correctly.

Then desaturate the new layer.

Next, create a layer mask. I think it's the black circle icon close to the create new layer icon.

That creates a layer mask which should be black. Choose a brush and the color white. What ever you paint over the masked layer will reveal the layer below it, which is the original color layer. As said above, if you make a mistake, just change your brush color to black and paint it back.

If I'm not mistaken, you can't control the flow and opacity of the eraser, where as you can with the brushes. This will let you blend in certain parts if you need too.

Flow = how feathered the brush edges are. Higher number = harder brush edge, lower = a softer, more blended brush edge.

Opacity = how much of the brush effect shows when using it. That one's pretty self explanatory.

Click to expand...

cheers for the advise chaps, good old google came up trumps.. it looks like most canon cameras have a function called color accent! I think its time for an upgrade..

What I would do is have the color picture, duplicate the layer, desaturate, and erase with a soft brush the parts you want to be colored.

Montie Da Champ said:

What I would do is have the color picture, duplicate the layer, desaturate, and erase with a soft brush the parts you want to be colored.

Click to expand...

Rather than erase, place a layer maxk on the top layer(the b&w one) and then just paint over the arears you want in color. This is so if u ever want to change what is in color and what isnt you can go back to this psd file cover up the parts you dont want in color and then open up the new parts.

You can try this, or a variation of it:
http://tutorialoutpost.com/view/10245/color-black-and-white-photos/

[email protected] said:

cheers for the advise chaps, good old google came up trumps.. it looks like most canon cameras have a function called color accent! I think its time for an upgrade..

Click to expand...

I don't think you could achieve something to the effect of the examples purely through the camera. I've seen cameras like that in action, or at least something similar to it. The one I saw only selected a specific colour (for photographers here, think custom white balance) and removed or replaced it with another colour. It's not very accurate, as a photograph naturally has many many colours, so it would be practically impossible for current cameras to differentiate between the shadow of a skin tone and a highlight on a dirt road. In other words, it probably wouldn't be able to mask that well.

I think images like this should be used very sparingly, as they appear pretty cliched now - at least to me they do. There have been times when it was used to great effect (if anyone saw Schindler's List) but aside from that, I don't think it really does much for the image.

But as for technique, as mentioned above, I think masking an adjustment layer is the best bet. You're not destroying or losing any detail at any time, so you can easily fix the image. It gives great control and accuracy.

It can be done in camera with some cameras. My g/f has a Canon G7. Her images look exactly how these do. It's quite accurate.
It can be done through image editing as described already.

I've done stuff like that before by creating a duplicate layer on top, then desaturating that layer. using the desaturated layer I will then take the eraser and erase the desaturated part of the photo revealing the color.

veratus (sp?) Fluid Mask - makes this VERY easy to do, alot easier then layers and such in PS.

dtownley1 said:

I don't think you could achieve something to the effect of the examples purely through the camera. I've seen cameras like that in action, or at least something similar to it. The one I saw only selected a specific colour (for photographers here, think custom white balance) and removed or replaced it with another colour. It's not very accurate, as a photograph naturally has many many colours, so it would be practically impossible for current cameras to differentiate between the shadow of a skin tone and a highlight on a dirt road. In other words, it probably wouldn't be able to mask that well.

I think images like this should be used very sparingly, as they appear pretty cliched now - at least to me they do. There have been times when it was used to great effect (if anyone saw Schindler's List) but aside from that, I don't think it really does much for the image.

But as for technique, as mentioned above, I think masking an adjustment layer is the best bet. You're not destroying or losing any detail at any time, so you can easily fix the image. It gives great control and accuracy.

Click to expand...

my powershot has this feature and it captures it exactly like that. the first one would look way better if it was done in photoshop

simple. Open in photoshop (CS onwards best) and make duplicate layer. (CMD-J). Now go cmd-U and desaturate red and whichever you want to lose. Or use hue/saturation in the adjustment layer drop down menu in the layers palette.
Flatten layers and save.

sure theres quite a long way to do this through photoshop
but considering this is facebook and the pictures are definitely not by a photographer
id say they were done by a compact canon camera of their digital elph series
they all have a feature (not used by much) called Color Accent. and in that mode you can choose to have everything be b&w except for one or two particular colors

Two words.... PHOTO SHOP;D

Village Idiot said:

No offense, but your first suggestion about sutting and pasting sucks. The second is better and the third is close to what I use and is probably the most used way

Either way, you need a photo editing program. Photoshop = expensive, Gimp = free.

From another thread, regarding how to do it in PS:

Click to expand...

UMMM WAY TO HARD!!!!!

1.) Buy photoshop (elements or CS3 will both work for this)

2.) Import your pictures.

3.) Select a Picture. Click on Layers (On the top bar of your program)

4.) Select (Duplicate layer)

5.) Rename your layer as B&W (so you don't get confused of which layer is which.

6.) Click "ok"

7.) Hold down the apple key and press the letter "U" this will give you the saturation option. (There is a shortcut to make the picture black and white, but I forgot what it is.) On the saturation bar, bring the arrow all the way to the left. This will cause the top layer to be Black and White.

8.) Select the eraser. At the top of your program you will see a couple of options. Eraser size and Opacity level. Set the opacity level to 100% and teh eraser size to your preference. (By not setting the opacity level to a 100% you will have what appears to be a black outline around whatever you erase.)

9.) Erase any part of your black and white picture, and the color from the bottom layer will show through.

10.) When you are done click on "layers" again and select "flatten layers" Now save your file and Voila you got a great lookin picture like everyone else.

NOTE: If you would like to do a little bit of desaturation and etc than it is better to do it on the original picture. It makes it quite a bit easier than adding extra steps. AND ALWAYS KEEP AN ORIGINAL COPY OF YOUR PICTURE!!!