COLORIZING IN PSP7

Created June 3, 2002 © Copyright Moon's Designs
Property of Moon's Designs
This is my creation, any similarity to other tutorials on the Internet is unintentional.
Please do not copy or place this tutorial or any graphics to any other place without written permission directly from me. Thank you.

 

There are several different ways to colorize using PSP7. While exploring Adjust in the Colors Menu, I changed all pink roses to the above colors using different functions. Wanting to share with you how I accomplished this, another tutorial was borne. *Smiles*

We will be using only PSP features for this tutorial. You will learn the following functions ~~ Point to Point selecting using the Freehand tool; Coloring with Hue-Saturation-Lightness, Brightness/Contrast, and Gamma Correction; Increasing Color Depth using Curves and using the Unsharp Mask.

Screenshots are resized and compressed for faster loading. Don't forget to SAVE your work often.

My tutorials are only guidelines to help you accomplish a certain creation. Please feel free to be inventive and take whatever liberties you would like. I encourage each of you to do your "own thing" and make your creation yours! Your finished creation is yours to do with as you please.

This tutorial is written in and for PSP Version 7.04 and assumes you have a working knowledge of PSP at a beginners level. I am sure this can easily be done in Version 6 with a few adjustments in paths but I have only used Version 7 so I can't make promises *S*

FOR THIS TUTORIAL YOU WILL NEED:
JASC's PSP (30 day free trial)- You can get it HERE
A Graphic ~~ I used Floral Rose graphic. I have no idea whose original graphic this belongs to. If anyone does know, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. If you would like to use the same graphic, please right click and save to your hard drive. Do not link to this graphic.

Step 1:
Open your graphic in PSP and make a copy of it (Shift+D). The main reason for making a copy is in case I want to use the image again and forget to change the name when I save *S* You may close out your original, we won't be using it again for this tutorial.

Step 2:
Go to Layers-->Promote to Layer. Activate your Freehand tool on your tool palette. This is commonly referred to as the lasso or rope. On your tool options box, choose Point to Point, feather=0, antialias checked. I also select Use precise cursors and Show brush outlines. This assists me to see exactly where my cursor is on my image.

Step 3:
I colored the larger rose first. Carefully select the outer edge of your rose. Zoom in your image by clicking on the plus (+) key on your numeric keypad. This will make it easier for you to see what you are selecting. Click the cursor on the point where you would like begin your line. As you move your mouse, a straight line connects it to the starting point. Click the image where you want to anchor your line and change its direction. When you have enclosed your rose and connected to the starting point, double-click or right-click your point. You will now have "marching ants" around your rose. Keep selected.

Step 4:
Go to Colors-->Adjust. The following menu will come up. I have arrows showing each of the functions we will be using in this tutorial.

For our first rose, choose Hue/Saturation/Lightness. I opted to colorize this rose blue. Use the Hue slider for the color you would like. I wanted a deeper saturation of my hue and just a tad lightness. Play with the sliders until you get the effect you desire.

When you are happy with the way your first rose looks click OK. Deselect (Ctrl+D) and Save.

Step 4:
Using your freehand tool, carefully select your rose bud. Double click when you have enclosed your rose.

Go to Colors-->Adjust-->Brightness/Contrast. I chose to deepen the color of the bud until it was a deep red. Below are the settings that I used.

When you are happy with your color, deselect and save.

Step 5:
One last rose to change. Using your freehand tool, carefully select the last rose. Double click when you have enclosed your rose.

Go to Colors-->Adjust-->Gamma Correction. I wanted each gamma color different, so I UNchecked the link and played with sliders until I had the desired color. I really liked the soft gold color, below are the settings I used to achieve this.

When you are satisfied with your color, click OK. Deselect and Save.

Step 6:
Although I thought the colors were very pretty, I wanted to increase the color depth of the entire graphic. Go to Colors-->Adjust-->Curves. Instead of using the sliders, I placed my cursor on the curve and moved it around until I was satisfied with the results.

When you are happy with your result, click OK and Save.

Step 7:
To sharpen the details, I used the Unsharp Mask feature in Effects. Go to Effects-->Sharpen-->Unsharp Mask. The Unsharp Mask locates adjacent pixels with the difference in lightness values that you specify, and it increases their contrast by the amount you select. The Radius indicates the number of pixels around the outer edge that are affected. The Strength controls the intensity of the sharpening. Clipping determines how much contrast two pixels must have before they are sharpened. Here are the settings I used.

When you are happy with your effect, click OK and save.

What a difference a few seldom used effects can make. You can now add your watermark and frame it to your liking. I just added a simple 8 pixel border and an inner bevel.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did creating it for you.