Elements 5

I just purchased Elements 5 and I am unable to find any information on selective coloring. I want to take a color photo and convert it to B&W and then paint in some of the original colors from the photo. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Try a search dor selective coloring. I know there have been a lot of threads on this.

edit: I mean for not dor. Typing too fast!

The easiest way I've found is to

1. Create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
2. Decrease the saturation to 0, in effect converting to b/w
3. Click on the layer mask (the white square to the right of the adjustment layer)
4. Select a brush (B) and set the brush foreground color to black (D then X)
5. Start painting on the layer mask in black. Wherever you paint in black will allow the color background layer to show through. If you paint too much, then switch your foreground color to white (X) and paint over the parts you don't want colorized.

Now this doesn't create the best b/w conversion. If you want to use a more sophisticated conversion for the non-colorized portion, then do the following to use an adjustment layer as a layer mask.

1. Create a duplicate layer
2. Convert your duplicate layer to b/w using your favourite technique.
3. Add an adjustment layer between the background and your duplicate layer. It doesn't matter what type, but Hue/Sat or Levels works fine as you won't be doing any adjusting, just using its mask.
4. Link the Adjustment Layer with your new b/w layer by either selecting both and using right-click then Link or just Alt-Click on the boundary between the layers.
5. Click on the layer mask for the Adjustment layer and paint as you would in the first technique.

The second technique can be used for selective sharpening as well, since Elements is missing true layer masks and some of the Adjustment Layer types.

Good luck.

[Edit] These instructions work with PSE4, but Elements 5 should have the same capabilities and keystrokes.

Steve, thank you very much for the information, I will give it a try.

Al