Colour replacement in CS3

Mike L · 03-01-2010, 08:21 PM

Hi all,

I'd like to remove the blue from above my daughter's head in this pic, I've tried using the colour replacement tool in Photoshop (CS3) but I don't get a good result. I'd appreciate any "how to" suggestions.

Thanks,
Mike

graphicgr8s · 03-01-2010, 08:42 PM

Is this what you're looking for?

Mike L · 03-01-2010, 10:59 PM

Originally posted by graphicgr8s

Is this what you're looking for?

Yep, that's pretty much it. Care to share you technique or are you too upset that she is much cuter than G4?

graphicgr8s · 03-02-2010, 06:53 AM

Originally posted by Mike L

Yep, that's pretty much it. Care to share you technique or are you too upset that she is much cuter than G4?

All I did was make an adjustment layer and played with saturation. On the mask I filled with black then painted in the area I wanted. Well actually I made a selection of the blanket and filled with white. It's really 2 ways of doing the same thing.
PM me with your email and I'll sent the layered file.

She better be cuter. She's a girl after all.

I wasn't all too careful about the selection though. I can see a fine wisp of blue still. But easy enough to fix if you wanted to

mysticcowboy · 03-10-2010, 11:06 PM

Replace color works fine but takes a bit of adjustment.

First select the blue towel so you don't change the eye color. Either the quick select tool or the magic wand will make quick work of it.

In the Replace Color dialog box, play with the sliders.

I sampled the top towel for the replacement color
Notice that I had to kick the Fuzziness way up, reduce saturation and increase Lightness.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

graphicgr8s · 03-11-2010, 07:12 AM

Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road.

Blue · 03-11-2010, 08:55 AM

Originally posted by graphicgr8s

Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road.

Another option is to keep an unaltered file whether it is dng/pef or a jpg/tiff.

Mike L · 03-11-2010, 07:45 PM

There's always several ways to skin a cat with Photoshop, thanks for the tip Mike I'll put that 1 in the memory bank.

I usually keep the DNG for all my "important" shots but I see the value in keeping a PSD instead since you can quickly make adjustments to the image without having to recreate the whole workflow.

graphicgr8s · 03-11-2010, 08:56 PM

Originally posted by Blue

Another option is to keep an unaltered file whether it is dng/pef or a jpg/tiff.

That's always SOP. Trouble is most times you might have hours of work on a file. PS gives you 20 steps of history. If the step you want to go back to scrolls off you're screwed. I've learned that no matter what I am doing to a file to use the same procedure. And to do it in a fashion that will let me modify or even delete what I've done. I treat the small changes just like the large ones. Clients are fickle. I've had to go back months later for the next printing and they want a change. Using non destructive methods whenever possible always benefits you in the long run. I use the heck out of layers, adjustment layers, masks, alpha channels and spot channels.

mysticcowboy · 03-12-2010, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by graphicgr8s

Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road.

Yeah, I understand that. Using adjustment layers is a good practice and how I typically edit photos. And the question was about the Replace Color image adjustment. I just showed the settings that worked for the image in question. As they say, there's always multiple ways of arriving at any end point in Photoshop.

I also understand the good reasons for keeping layers around. As a former graphic designer, I've saved more layered files than I care to think about. Now, when I get a good result and print a test image to make sure it works, I flatten the image. Simple storage of original .PEFs and finished .TIF files, along with more than a couple .HDR files so quickly adds up. Add layered 16 bit Photoshop images on top of that and file sizes quickly balloon past the point where I want to deal with storing them. But then, it's not my business anymore. ;-) Add a few adjustment layers and an image can quickly run 200 MB.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

graphicgr8s · 03-12-2010, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by mysticcowboy

Yeah, I understand that, graphicgr8s. Using adjustment layers is a good practice and how I typically edit photos. And the question was about the Replace Color image adjustment. I just showed the settings that worked for the image in question. As they say, there's always multiple ways of arriving at any end point in Photoshop.

I also understand the good reasons for keeping layers around. As a former graphic designer, I've saved more layered files than I care to think about. Now, when I get a good result and print a test image to make sure it works, I flatten the image. Simple storage of original .PEFs and finished .TIF files, along with more than a couple .HDR files so quickly adds up. Add layered 16 bit Photoshop images on top of that and file sizes quickly balloon past the point where I want to deal with storing them. Add a few adjustment layers and an image can quickly run 200 MB.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

Well I still am a GD. How about this file:

Damen

Quote:

Damen
This is my latest and most ambitious digital painting of a Chicago scene unveiled at Photoshop World in Miami on March 22, 2006.
It is a panorama of the Damen Station on the Blue Line of the Chicago Transit Authority.
Adobe Illustrator was used for generating the majority of the basic shapes as well as all the buildings in the Chicago skyline.
The rest was created in Photoshop.
• The image size is 40 inches by 120 inches.
• The flattened file weighs in at 1.7 Gigabytes.
• It took eleven months (close to 2,000 hours) to create.
• The painting is comprised of close to fifty individual Photoshop files.
• Taking a cumulative total of all the files, the overall image contains over 15,000 layers.
• Over 500 alpha channels were used for various effects.
• Over 250,000 paths make up the multitude of shapes throughout the scene.

1.7 gig in size. I've met this guy. He teaches NAPP seminars.

mysticcowboy · 03-12-2010, 09:54 PM

Originally posted by graphicgr8s

Well I still am a GD. How about this file:

Damen

1.7 gig in size. I've met this guy. He teaches NAPP seminars.

That's impressive, Damen, oh yeah. I never spent quite that much time in a single file but have certainly worked with gig plus Photoshop and InDesign ones.

I'm not saying that I'd never save a layered file, just that most photographers probably don't need to most of the time. If you're doing graphic layout, yes. If you're doing special effects, or compositing, yes. If you throw a few quick adjustments to sweeten a photo, probably not, unless you're doing it as part of learning PP.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

graphicgr8s · 03-12-2010, 10:11 PM

Originally posted by mysticcowboy

That's impressive, Damen, oh yeah. I never spent quite that much time in a single file but have certainly worked with gig plus Photoshop and InDesign ones.

I'm not saying that I'd never save a layered file, just that most photographers probably don't need to most of the time. If you're doing graphic layout, yes. If you're doing special effects, or compositing, yes. If you throw a few quick adjustments to sweeten a photo, probably not, unless you're doing it as part of learning PP.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

Wish I had his talent.

I'd save the layered file for a while. Or burn all the client's files to dvd then delete from hd. It all depends on the client. And the job.

It's like the file I did for rustynail. He happened to like what I did to his photo. Since it was a low res jpeg I deleted the layered file. Then he wanted me to fix his hi res file. Now normally I could just pop in the new layer and I'm done. Wish I hadn't flattened it. And sure enough I couldn't remember exactly what I did. I didn't follow my normal protocols and got bit in the butt.

mysticcowboy · 03-12-2010, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by graphicgr8s

I'd save the layered file for a while. Or burn all the client's files to dvd then delete from hd. It all depends on the client. And the job.

It's like the file I did for rustynail. He happened to like what I did to his photo. Since it was a low res jpeg I deleted the layered file. Then he wanted me to fix his hi res file. Now normally I could just pop in the new layer and I'm done. Wish I hadn't flattened it. And sure enough I couldn't remember exactly what I did. I didn't follow my normal protocols and got bit in the butt.

What you're describing the is the difference between PP as a job or a hobby. For a client I saved everything. I still always save a full res file before reducing resolution. If I don't think it's important I'll save a jpeg instead of a tiff, but I still save. I learned the hard way, doing exactly what you described. Painful. When I first started working in a design shop I had saving beat into my head. Every file, every version went into the file server. That had multiple backups, one of which was always off site. Backups are almost a religion for me.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

03-01-2010, 08:21 PM	#1
Mike L Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canberra, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,488	Colour replacement in CS3 Hi all, I'd like to remove the blue from above my daughter's head in this pic, I've tried using the colour replacement tool in Photoshop (CS3) but I don't get a good result. I'd appreciate any "how to" suggestions. Thanks, Mike

03-01-2010, 08:42 PM	#2
graphicgr8s Guest	Is this what you're looking for? Last edited by graphicgr8s; 07-30-2010 at 06:13 AM.

03-12-2010, 09:16 PM	#10
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Originally posted by graphicgr8s Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road. Yeah, I understand that. Using adjustment layers is a good practice and how I typically edit photos. And the question was about the Replace Color image adjustment. I just showed the settings that worked for the image in question. As they say, there's always multiple ways of arriving at any end point in Photoshop. I also understand the good reasons for keeping layers around. As a former graphic designer, I've saved more layered files than I care to think about. Now, when I get a good result and print a test image to make sure it works, I flatten the image. Simple storage of original .PEFs and finished .TIF files, along with more than a couple .HDR files so quickly adds up. Add layered 16 bit Photoshop images on top of that and file sizes quickly balloon past the point where I want to deal with storing them. But then, it's not my business anymore. ;-) Add a few adjustment layers and an image can quickly run 200 MB. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365 Last edited by mysticcowboy; 03-12-2010 at 09:41 PM.

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03-01-2010, 10:59 PM	#3
Mike L Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canberra, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,488 Original Poster	Originally posted by graphicgr8s Is this what you're looking for? Yep, that's pretty much it. Care to share you technique or are you too upset that she is much cuter than G4?

03-02-2010, 06:53 AM	#4
graphicgr8s Guest	Originally posted by Mike L Yep, that's pretty much it. Care to share you technique or are you too upset that she is much cuter than G4? All I did was make an adjustment layer and played with saturation. On the mask I filled with black then painted in the area I wanted. Well actually I made a selection of the blanket and filled with white. It's really 2 ways of doing the same thing. PM me with your email and I'll sent the layered file. She better be cuter. She's a girl after all. I wasn't all too careful about the selection though. I can see a fine wisp of blue still. But easy enough to fix if you wanted to

03-10-2010, 11:06 PM	#5
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Replace color works fine but takes a bit of adjustment. First select the blue towel so you don't change the eye color. Either the quick select tool or the magic wand will make quick work of it. In the Replace Color dialog box, play with the sliders. I sampled the top towel for the replacement color Notice that I had to kick the Fuzziness way up, reduce saturation and increase Lightness. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

03-11-2010, 07:12 AM	#6
graphicgr8s Guest	Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road.

03-11-2010, 08:55 AM	#7
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by graphicgr8s Mike that's about what I did but with an adjustment layer since it's non destructive and he could go back and edit the layered file I sent him. We arrived at the same thing in different manner. I just prefer not to use a method that's not adjustable down the road. Another option is to keep an unaltered file whether it is dng/pef or a jpg/tiff.

03-11-2010, 07:45 PM	#8
Mike L Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canberra, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,488 Original Poster	There's always several ways to skin a cat with Photoshop, thanks for the tip Mike I'll put that 1 in the memory bank. I usually keep the DNG for all my "important" shots but I see the value in keeping a PSD instead since you can quickly make adjustments to the image without having to recreate the whole workflow.

03-11-2010, 08:56 PM	#9
graphicgr8s Guest	Originally posted by Blue Another option is to keep an unaltered file whether it is dng/pef or a jpg/tiff. That's always SOP. Trouble is most times you might have hours of work on a file. PS gives you 20 steps of history. If the step you want to go back to scrolls off you're screwed. I've learned that no matter what I am doing to a file to use the same procedure. And to do it in a fashion that will let me modify or even delete what I've done. I treat the small changes just like the large ones. Clients are fickle. I've had to go back months later for the next printing and they want a change. Using non destructive methods whenever possible always benefits you in the long run. I use the heck out of layers, adjustment layers, masks, alpha channels and spot channels.

03-12-2010, 09:25 PM	#11
graphicgr8s Guest	Originally posted by mysticcowboy Yeah, I understand that, graphicgr8s. Using adjustment layers is a good practice and how I typically edit photos. And the question was about the Replace Color image adjustment. I just showed the settings that worked for the image in question. As they say, there's always multiple ways of arriving at any end point in Photoshop. I also understand the good reasons for keeping layers around. As a former graphic designer, I've saved more layered files than I care to think about. Now, when I get a good result and print a test image to make sure it works, I flatten the image. Simple storage of original .PEFs and finished .TIF files, along with more than a couple .HDR files so quickly adds up. Add layered 16 bit Photoshop images on top of that and file sizes quickly balloon past the point where I want to deal with storing them. Add a few adjustment layers and an image can quickly run 200 MB. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365 Well I still am a GD. How about this file: Damen Quote: Damen This is my latest and most ambitious digital painting of a Chicago scene unveiled at Photoshop World in Miami on March 22, 2006. It is a panorama of the Damen Station on the Blue Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. Adobe Illustrator was used for generating the majority of the basic shapes as well as all the buildings in the Chicago skyline. The rest was created in Photoshop. • The image size is 40 inches by 120 inches. • The flattened file weighs in at 1.7 Gigabytes. • It took eleven months (close to 2,000 hours) to create. • The painting is comprised of close to fifty individual Photoshop files. • Taking a cumulative total of all the files, the overall image contains over 15,000 layers. • Over 500 alpha channels were used for various effects. • Over 250,000 paths make up the multitude of shapes throughout the scene. 1.7 gig in size. I've met this guy. He teaches NAPP seminars.

03-12-2010, 09:54 PM	#12
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Originally posted by graphicgr8s Well I still am a GD. How about this file: Damen 1.7 gig in size. I've met this guy. He teaches NAPP seminars. That's impressive, Damen, oh yeah. I never spent quite that much time in a single file but have certainly worked with gig plus Photoshop and InDesign ones. I'm not saying that I'd never save a layered file, just that most photographers probably don't need to most of the time. If you're doing graphic layout, yes. If you're doing special effects, or compositing, yes. If you throw a few quick adjustments to sweeten a photo, probably not, unless you're doing it as part of learning PP. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

03-12-2010, 10:11 PM	#13
graphicgr8s Guest	Originally posted by mysticcowboy That's impressive, Damen, oh yeah. I never spent quite that much time in a single file but have certainly worked with gig plus Photoshop and InDesign ones. I'm not saying that I'd never save a layered file, just that most photographers probably don't need to most of the time. If you're doing graphic layout, yes. If you're doing special effects, or compositing, yes. If you throw a few quick adjustments to sweeten a photo, probably not, unless you're doing it as part of learning PP. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365 Wish I had his talent. I'd save the layered file for a while. Or burn all the client's files to dvd then delete from hd. It all depends on the client. And the job. It's like the file I did for rustynail. He happened to like what I did to his photo. Since it was a low res jpeg I deleted the layered file. Then he wanted me to fix his hi res file. Now normally I could just pop in the new layer and I'm done. Wish I hadn't flattened it. And sure enough I couldn't remember exactly what I did. I didn't follow my normal protocols and got bit in the butt.

03-12-2010, 10:28 PM	#14
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Originally posted by graphicgr8s I'd save the layered file for a while. Or burn all the client's files to dvd then delete from hd. It all depends on the client. And the job. It's like the file I did for rustynail. He happened to like what I did to his photo. Since it was a low res jpeg I deleted the layered file. Then he wanted me to fix his hi res file. Now normally I could just pop in the new layer and I'm done. Wish I hadn't flattened it. And sure enough I couldn't remember exactly what I did. I didn't follow my normal protocols and got bit in the butt. What you're describing the is the difference between PP as a job or a hobby. For a client I saved everything. I still always save a full res file before reducing resolution. If I don't think it's important I'll save a jpeg instead of a tiff, but I still save. I learned the hard way, doing exactly what you described. Painful. When I first started working in a design shop I had saving beat into my head. Every file, every version went into the file server. That had multiple backups, one of which was always off site. Backups are almost a religion for me. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365