|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quite often I will have clients bring in old photographs of their "elder" relatives that were taken before colour photography was around.
This generally means that the photos in question are either black and white or, in many cases, the photos have been tinted, usually a muddy brown colour better known as Sepia.
Some clients will ask for their restored photos to be produced in pure black and white even though the original is in Sepia.
Others will ask me to retain the warm Sepia tone and in fact there are some clients who bring in old black and white prints who ask that we produce a Sepia toned restored version because they like the "old world" feel that a Sepia toned print gives.
Not only can you create a Sepia print from your old black and white photographs, but it is just as easy to create that "old world" feel from a colour photograph as well.
The example image on our web-site is a simple colour floral arrangement which we will apply a Sepia tone to using Adobe Photoshop CS.
Step 1
After opening the image up in Adobe Photoshop CS, the first step is to remove all of the colour information from the image by choosing Image-> Mode-> Greyscale.
All of the colour information will have been removed leaving you with a pleasing black and white photograph with, hopefully, a full range of tones from pure white to pure black.
Step 2
If your image appears a little flat, or is too dark or light, then use the Image->Adjustment->Levels command to "tweak" the left and right sliders below the histogram (looks like a black "mountain range") to get the desired result prior to toning.
Step 3
Because we set the image "mode" to Greyscale in the previous step we do not have the ability to re-apply any "colour tinting" while the image is left as is.
So the next step is to select Image-> Mode-> Duotone.
Step 4
This is where the fun really begins ...
Make sure the upper left "Type" option pull-down is set to "Duotone".
This will activate Inks 1 and 2 field entries.
Step 5
You will now be able to select two colours (hence the term "duotone") which will then be applied to your photo to produce the toned effect we are looking for.
Click on Ink 1's colour swatch and select a "black" colour of your choosing.
I generally set Ink 1 to "PANTONE Black C".
Step 6
Now click on Ink 2's colour swatch and select a "warm reddish brown" colour of your choosing.
I generally set Ink 2 to "PANTONE 145 C" (which looks like a nice "warm mustard brown" to me), but you can select any brown (or in fact any colour at all) and watch what effect a particular colour has on toning your photo.
As you will see we have been able to turn a colour photo into a very pleasing Sepia toned print in less than five minutes using the "Duotone" feature in Photoshop.
But we are not quite finished yet ...
As you have seen you have total control of the tone colour by changing the value of the Ink 2 setting.
What if the tone colour is correct but the photo is still too dark or too light and/or flat?
Step 7
You can fine tune the final result by applying a "Hue/Saturation" adjustment layer.
You will notice that if you try to add a "Hue/Saturation" adjustment layer to your duotone print it is "greyed out".
You now need to revert back to a mode of "RGB Colour" by selecting Image-> Mode-> RGB Color.
You will then be able to add a "Hue/Saturation" adjustment layer and make final adjustments to the overall appearance of your Sepia tone print.
By the way ... Want to know where the term Sepia comes from?
Sepia comes from the Greek word for the rich reddish-brown pigment obtained from a fluid that is secreted by the cuttlefish from their ink sac.
The cuttlefish is a relative of the squid and octopus family (cephalopods).
If you find the steps being taken are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.
© Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved
You can see this method complete with example images at Sepia Tone Prints from Colour or Black and White Photos
Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.
Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business. He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
Here are examples of two basic videos you can create... Read More
Do you like to take photos? Are you always standing... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
Setting up your own photography business it easy, you don't... Read More
Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills... Read More
Some of the best images can be captured during the... Read More
Once you have clicked photos through your digital camera, then... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that... Read More
Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More
Looking at the most intricate details of the digital camera... Read More
The warm feelings are flowing all around when the pet... Read More
The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More
Your wedding day is without a doubt one of the... Read More
The path to picking a digital camera usually leads to... Read More
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More
Pre-Production:It's all got to start somewhere, so before you even... Read More
There are many different types of photography. You can take... Read More
Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More
You may have already started to make money from your... Read More
Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you... Read More
Most digital cameras today boast of greater resolution and picture... Read More
There are a large number of top 10 digital camera... Read More
Using a tripod is essential when taking photos - and... Read More
Let's get something straight right out of the box. If... Read More
Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More
In a device such as a digital camera it is... Read More
Some compact cameras are small enough to fit in your... Read More
The digital camera is but a technological advancement of the... Read More
What Is... Exposure BracketingExposure bracketing is a simple technique professional... Read More
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned... Read More
Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More
In the age of home phones and 8x10's we all... Read More
Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer,... Read More
So you have rushed out into the malls in a... Read More
Purchasing a digital camera is a wise decision, particularly if... Read More
So you are a small business person or web designer... Read More
There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats... Read More
Imagine being able to frame all your own photographs just... Read More
If you are buying a new underwater camera or video... Read More
Are you having megapixel envy each time you walk by... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
By now I'm sure you've used Either a digital or... Read More
Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More
The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More
As you might imagine the paradigm shift from traditional film-based... Read More
There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
Photography Photography |