how to remove all colors except one.

[ashflash]

ok, let me try to explain,
I want to have a photo that is copied 7 different times. Each transperancy has a different color from the original. for instance: the first one just has the red. the next one just has the blue etc. Eventualy when I put each one on top of the other it will be the complete photo. Make sense? I am working in PS 7 .
PLEASE HELP ME...ASHLEY

[tim]

I can't run PS right now, but I think there's a channel mixer that lets you turn the red, green, or blue channels on and off individually. It might depend on what color mode you're in (RGB, CMYK, etc). Have a poke around and see if that helps.

[ashflash]

still not sure. Tried chanell mixer but can't figure out. If you can help it would be great...

[tim]

Click window, then channels. Click on the eye beside the red, green, and blue channels to turn them off. I just did it in PS CS and it works fine.

[Bodog]

Ashflash, it's not clear to me what you are trying to do. Are you wanting to generate color plates for printing? I don't think Photoshop will do that.

[PacAce]

Actually, you only need 3 colors to make any color. Those colors are RED, GREEN and BLUE.

To extract the data from these 3 colors, you will need to work with the Channels palette. Using the Channels palette, make a copy of each of the 3 color channels by dragging each channel over to the "Create new channel" icon at the bottom of the palette (the one to the left of the trash can). You'll end up with 3 more channels called Red Copy, Green Copy and Blue Copy.

Select one of the copied channels (say Red Copy) and do a Select > All, followed by Edit > Copy. Then go over to the Layers palette and do a Layers > New > Layer.... Then Edit > Paste.

You have just created a copy of the RED channel but it's in B&W. To give it a Red color, go back to the Channels palette and click on the Red channel so that it is the only channel visible. If you have to click on the Eye icon of the other channels to make them invisible.

Now, go back to the Layes palette and you'll see that you have a Red image of the Red channel. Save the image so that you can make a transparency out of it.

Go back and do the same for the BLUE and the GREEN channels. When you combine the three transparencies together, you should get an image with the original colors. Or, at least in theory, you should. Good luck.

[ashflash]

thank you so much, I havent had time to try this yet but can't wait to try I appreciate all of you so much!

[PacAce]

Click window, then channels. Click on the eye beside the red, green, and blue channels to turn them off. I just did it in PS CS and it works fine.

LOL :lol: Tim, talk about an engineer trying too hard to figure out why a TV isn't working by opening up the back and disassembling the circuitboard, when the only thing the matter with the TV is that is wasn't plugged in!

Well, it looks like that's exactly what I did, in a very convoluted way, to achieve the same result as your simple "turn off all channels but one" process. That just dawned on me after I re-read your post. :o :o :o

[PacAce]

thank you so much, I havent had time to try this yet but can't wait to try I appreciate all of you so much!
OK, none of the procedures above are going to do what you want. Actually, they do to a point but when you try to save them, they either go back to their original colors or they are grayscales with no color at all. So let's try this again. Starting with Tim's suggestion:

1. Make sure you have history turned on. If you don't want to use the history feature, then that's OK. You'll just need to reopen the original file again.

2. Open your file
3. Open the Channels palette if it's not open yet (Windows > Channels)

4. We'll start with the RED channel so click on the GREEN channel to select it.
5. Select thte entire channel with Select > All
6. Erase this channel completely by hitting the Delete key. The entire image should turn green.
7. Go to the Tools palette and change the foreground color to Black.
8. Click on the Fill Bucket tool and then click on the green image to turn the whole image black.

9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 for the BLUE channel now.
10. You will not have an image which is a duplicate of the RED channel which you can save with the correct color (Red).

11. Go to your history palette and click on the first (Open) instruction to restore your image to the original cndition.
12 Repeat steps 3 to 10 for the GREEN channel but this time you are going to black out the BLUE and the RED channels.
13. Repeat for the BLUE channel, blacking out the RED and the GREEN channels.

And I guarantee it'll work this time. :o

[gramps]

Open the picture, go to Image, Adjustments, Desaturate........this will give you a "black & white photo. Click on the History Brush Tool and use it to "paint" the areas you want the color back.