This assignment, like the next one, is meant to encourage you to learn Photoshop and to take advantage of a special feature of our software. You can produce beautiful B&W prints that have just one or two areas colored. The results can be striking, if you choose the right image. You may have done something similar in Photo I, but this assignment asks you to produce an image that is more complex.
Step I
Go back through your negatives and pull out one that will look good colorized. Not every negative will work: spend some time looking for the right one.
Step II
Scan the negative, using these specifications:
• Grayscale
• 16 bits
• 4,800 dpi on the Epson flatbed scanners. This is the maximum optical resolution of these scanners.
Step III
In Photoshop, go through these basic steps, in this order:
• Adjust the whitest and blackest points. Go to ImageAdjustments and adjust levels. Use the “auto” button or ask me for help.
• Adjust all the middle grays. Go to ImageAdjustments and adjust curves. Just do a rough adjustment at this point. A curve usually has two “handles” and looks like a mild “S.” Again, ask for help if you need it.
Step IV
Under Layers, add a new, blank layer. You will be coloring on this layer, not on the image itself. Set that layer as a “Soft Light” layer. Ask if you need to see where this command is located.
Step V
Change that new blank layer to a “Soft Light” layer under the pull-down menu in the layers dialogue box. Some images don’t work well with the blank layer set as a Soft light layer. In that case, change the blank layer back to a normal layer, but change the layer opacity instead.
Step VI
Choose your color in the Swatches window, select the paintbrush and start coloring. Here are some things you need to know:
• The space bar changes the paintbrush to a hand and lets you quickly move to different areas.
• The square bracket keys will either increase or decrease the size of the paintbrush.
Step VII
Use at least four different colors and color an area this is at least 20% of the total image area, so that the color is a significant element of the overall impact.
Step VIII
See me for help printing the image out through our RIP, Imageprint. You can’t just use the “print” command in Photoshop.
What should you see?
Something with power and beauty, an image that, if it were up on a wall among other photos, would make people passing by stop and come for a closer look, and then stop again the next time they pass.