Combine a Color and Black & White Image

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com Guide

You've probably seen the effect before — a black and white image with a splash of color. Learn the basic instructions for two different ways to achieve this effect. These are general image manipulation instructions. You'll need to know how to perform the following tasks in the graphics software of your choice:

• Create a Copy/Duplicate of an image
• Create and work with selection masks
• Convert an image to grayscale and RGB
• Desaturate an image
• Combine two images

In addition to the grayscale and desaturation methods described in this tutorial, you can experiment with other conversion methods to obtain the B&W portion of your image.

Steps in This Tutorial

1. This Page: Overview

2. Method 1 - Convert a Duplicate to Grayscale
3. Method 1 - Select/Mask the Desired Color Portion of Your Image
4. Method 1 - Combine the Color Image and Grayscale Selection

5. Method 2 - Mask the Portion of Your Image You Want in Color
6. Method 2 - Desaturate the Unmasked Portion of the Image

Previous

• Use Masks, Grayscale, Desaturation
• Method 1 - Convert a Duplicate to Grayscale
• Method 1 - Select/Mask the Desired Color Portion of Your Image
• Method 1 - Combine the Color Image and Grayscale Selection
• Method 2 - Mask the Portion of Your Image You Want in Color
• Method 2 - Desaturate the Unmasked Portion of the Image

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