Aspiritual Design

Create a special effect, convey a concept or bring a part of an image to focus by converting a part of a black and white digital photo into color in Photoshop.

How do you go about the black and white to color conversion?  First, duplicate the color image and convert the duplicate image into a black and white picture.  Second, select the portion of it that you want to convert back to color.  For this work, use the pen tool to create a path around the part.  Then, select the path.  Third, with the selection marquee still on, switch to the original color image.  Fourth, copy the part.  Fifth, switch to the black and white layer and paste.

That’s it. You now have a Photoshop picture which is part black and white and part color. With this method, the color and black and white images remain intact.  Therefore, you can edit these images if you wish.

A black and white image with part of it (the petal) in color

Step-by-step tutorial to convert a Black and White Photo into Color in Photoshop

1.  Start Photoshop.

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2.  Open the color image you want to convert into part black and white and part color.  Double-click the layer and type original-photo in the Name field.  Click OK.

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3.  Create a copy of the original-photo layer by dragging and dropping on the Create a new layer icon in the Layers window.  Photoshop creates a copy of the original-photo layer with the title original-photo copy.  Double-click the title, type b&w-photo and press Enter.

Why do you need two layers, each with the same image?  It serves two purposes: your original image remains safe, should you want to switch back to it; copy the part you want to convert back to color.

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4.  Convert the image in the b&w-photo layer into black and white:  There are many ways to convert a digital color image into a black and white one in Photoshop.  I will use the Gradient Map method for this tutorial, as it is an easy method.

Select the duplicate layer.

The b&w-photo layer selected

Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map.

Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map

The New Layer dialog appears.

The New Layer dialog

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5.  Click OK.  The Gradient Map dialog appears.

The Gradient Map dialog

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6.  Click the down arrow in the Gradient Used for Grayscale Mapping frame and click the Black, White thumbnail. 

Click the Black, White thumbnail

Click OK.

Photoshop creates a new layer titled Gradient Map 1. 

Photoshop creates Gradient Map 1 layer

Your color photo now appears as a black and white image.

NOTE:  Your color images in the two layers remain intact.  Because of the Gradient Map layer that overlays the b&w-photo layer, you see the black and white effect.

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7.  Merge the Gradient Map 1 and b&w-photo layers: Click the Gradient Map layer to select it.  Next click the empty square next to the eye icon in the b&w-photo layer.  A link icon appears in the square, indicating the two layers are linked.

A link icon appears in the b&w-photo layer

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8.  Click the right arrow in the Layers window.  From the drop-down menu, select Merged Linked.

Click right arrow, select Merge Linked

Photoshop merges the two layers.

The gradient and b&w-photo layers are merged

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9.  Select the part of the black and white image, in the Gradient Map 1 layer, you want to convert back to color:

Use the pen tool and create a path around the part.  How to Select Objects using the Pen Tool in Photoshop? features the steps to use the pen tool to create a path around an object and select it.

Click the Paths tab in the Layers window.  

Click the right arrow and from the drop-down menu, select Make Selection.  The Make Selection dialog appears.

Select Make Selection from the drop down menu

Type 1 in the Feather Radius field to make the edges of the selection smooth.

The Make Selection dialog: Type 1 in the Feather Radius field

Click OK.  Photoshop displays a marquee around the selected part.  Do not deselect the marquee.

Marquee around the selected part

Click the Layers tab, then click the original-photo layer to select it.

Press Ctrl+C to copy the selection.

Click the Gradient Map 1 layer to select it.

Press Ctrl+V to paste the color part.  Photoshop creates a new layer titled Layer 1 above the Gradient Map 1 layer and pastes the part in it.

Photoshop pastes the color part of the original-photo layer in Layer 1

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10.  Merge Layer 1 and Gradient Map 1 layer.

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