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Just playing around with layer masks etc... in PSCS.
Which version do you like the most....and why ?

Version 1: Full Colour



Version 2: Colour Subject/B&W Background



Comments appreciated

Aussie Dave

Hmmm, i think i prefer the second one as it seems to work well as a colour/B&W image. The intensity of the yellow stands out really well on greyscale.

However, the image looks a little too soft and you havent really got the best angle of the bee. I wonder how he would feel about having his bum photographed. It just goes to show how important it is to see the eyes of an animal. It makes the photo more 'intimate' when you can see eyes.

Just my thoughts.....

Thanks for sharing.

Firstly: Love the shot.

If I have to choose? Definitely the second. The way I look at it, this treatment draws the eye to examine the bug and flower in detail and takes away the distraction of the background colours overlapping the main subject.

Yep, the second one. I seldom like that kind of color treatment, Dave, but I think it works pretty nicely here. There's still just a bit of yellow residue on the stem, especially near the top that needs to be de-saturated then I think you've really got it nailed.

As they use to say some years ago "that one is the bee's knees!"

Dave, I prefer the first one. The colours are rich and beautiful, and I like seeing the bee in the context of all that colour. I do like BW/colour treatments, and your work on the second one is great, but I am drawn to the first one. Love the OOF yellow flowers and the foliage.

Excellent shot.

cheers

I love the second one. There's something about color/b&w that I love so much.

i think i like the first one.

Great shot Dave,

The 2nd, Please describe your process for the conversion in the 2nd.

Cheers,

Mic.

mic wrote:Great shot Dave,

The 2nd, Please describe your process for the conversion in the 2nd.

Cheers,

Mic.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I cannot decide which one I like the best as they both have a certain quality about them. I only worked on the "web-sized images", just experimenting to learn how to use the mask function more effectively. It is such a useful tool.

As for my process:
- took a copy of version 1
- made duplicate layer then added a mask to this layer
- masked out the flower and bee (what I wanted to leave in colour)
- opened channel mixer
- selected "monochrome" then adjusted colour sliders
(red=10%, green=90%, blue=0%)
The green channel kept good contrast with the background, as it is mostly green, so I left the bias to this channel.
- flattened layers and saved for web.

Do many of you use this method, or something similar ??

Cheers
Aussie Dave

I usually desaturate and use the history tool. Am I doing it wrong?

Neeper wrote:I usually desaturate and use the history tool. Am I doing it wrong?

No, I wouldn't say that there's a wrong way to do it. I think it might just give different results.

I used to desaturate, but I've read, and since found for myself, that when you use the channel mixer, you can fine tune more and better mix the contrast between light and dark, depending on how you mix the channels together. By using the channel mixer, you are manipulating how each colour channel in the picture is desaturated (turned to grey/B&W), whereas desaturating "generally", flattens all the colours to grey using the same amount.

Clear as mud ?? I guess it depends on what look you want.

For example:
Below is the same picture, 1st with the green bias (as the original above) and the 2nd is red bias. The 3rd is simply desaturated.

Green=90%, Red=10%


Red=90%, Green=10%


Desaturated



Notice how in the green bias, the foliage in the bottom right hand corner is in better contrast to it's background, where as the red bias tends to lose this to the background. The desaturated one is similar to the red bias, for the foliage, but the OOF daisies in the background are much darker, compared to either of the versions changed with the channel mixer.

Hope this explains a little of my thought process....?!?

Aussie Dave

Hi Dave,

Excellent shot. Both are appealing, but I'd go with the 2nd one. I think the background is just a little destractive. I like the way the main object is singled out in the 2nd version.

Cheers
Alex

I actually prefer the colour version. To my unqualified eyes the B&W background seems too artificial - maybe a hint of colour in the background would balance it a bit

Aussie Dave wrote:

Neeper wrote:I usually desaturate and use the history tool. Am I doing it wrong?

No, I wouldn't say that there's a wrong way to do it. I think it might just give different results.

I used to desaturate, but I've read, and since found for myself, that when you use the channel mixer, you can fine tune more and better mix the contrast between light and dark, depending on how you mix the channels together. By using the channel mixer, you are manipulating how each colour channel in the picture is desaturated (turned to grey/B&W), whereas desaturating "generally", flattens all the colours to grey using the same amount.

Clear as mud ?? I guess it depends on what look you want.

For example:
Below is the same picture, 1st with the green bias (as the original above) and the 2nd is red bias. The 3rd is simply desaturated.

Green=90%, Red=10%


Red=90%, Green=10%


Desaturated



Notice how in the green bias, the foliage in the bottom right hand corner is in better contrast to it's background, where as the red bias tends to lose this to the background. The desaturated one is similar to the red bias, for the foliage, but the OOF daisies in the background are much darker, compared to either of the versions changed with the channel mixer.

Hope this explains a little of my thought process....?!?

Aussie Dave

Dave,

I agree with your method vs desaturating. I like mixer much more, although you can desaturate selectively on separate channels. But I wonder why you use mask. I never used it. Just select the bit with a lasso tool and then use mixer on that bit. Does it make sense?


Alex

Dave,

Just to show a different method:


1. In LAB mode select lightness channel
2. Switching Mode to grayscale drops all other channels, leaving only selected one
3. Switch back to RGB
4. Copy layer (Ctrl-J)
5. Change mode to Multiply
6. Adjust Opacity as you like

Then again History Brush

EDIT: I wasn't very accurate - just quick example