A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a question to the list about changing
colors in graphics using PhotoShop. I have been working on this
intermittently, and while I'm not quite done, I have learned a lot,
and thought I'd share what I'm doing. (I think it's time to ask my
boss to invest in a good PhotoShop book. Any recommendations?)
I'm starting with a graphic of some bubbles. Most of it is fuschia and
there is also some green and a very small amount of other colors in
it. The target is to have everything in shades of green for one
graphic, then two more graphics that are shades of yellow and shades
of blue, respectively. These are the steps I'm following to get there:
1. Convert the original fuschia image to grayscale. The easiest way to
do this is using Image>Mode>Grayscale, but I've read that there are
better ways. The method I'm using:
a. Convert the image to Lab Color. (Image>Mode>Lab Color)
b. Go to the channels palette.
c. Select the Lightness channel.
d. Convert that channel to grayscale. (Image>Mode>Grayscale) You
will be asked if you want to discard other channels. Click OK.
I highly recommend you save the grayscale image in PhotoShop
format and gif format at this point.
2. Use a duotone to add the color you want into the grayscale image
(Image>Mode>Duotone). This process is not intuitive, and I have not
found any good resources to figure out how to use this feature. But,
by trial and error, I've been able to make the green graphic.
a. Select two colors to make the duotone. I used black and a
medium green to make mine
b. Click the curve to the left of the color swatch to change how
the colors mix and blend. (This is an extremely unintuitive part to
me!) Click and drag points on the curve or change the numbers in the
boxes.
3. Once you have the colors the way you want them, convert the graphic
back to RGB or CMYK.
4. Save as a gif or whatever filetype you need.
Clear as mud? That's what I thought. ;)
Have a great day,
Lisa G.
______________________________________________
Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help.
New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help
technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp.
DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE
April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour
40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com
_______________________________________________
Technical Communication Professionals
Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info:
http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com
Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
