!!HELP!! from B/W TO COLORS IN PHOTOSHOP

[danlop]

Hi there,
Can anyone tell me how or which one is the process to go from your b/w midtones in Photoshop to the final colors on a piece?
I know there are two approaches to do a color illustration, one is to do the color right away from the beginning, and the other one is to place the colors after a B/W or midtones sketch.
How do you do that in Photoshop?

thanks!!

Daniel.
http://danlop77.cgsociety.org/gallery/

[otis]

place the colors after a B/W or midtones sketch.
How do you do that in Photoshop?

Adjust the whole image subtly either in a cool color, or warm hue like sepia.
Then start painting over it with a brush in color mode.

It's a good way to "block-in" where color will play-out in your image.

[danlop]

Otis: Thanks 4 the quick response, I knew about the color mode and have tried my fingers to the bone to make it work using it but still don't get the results I want, I found this from the absurdly talented David Levy (http://www.vyle-art.com/) and was wondering how on earth he does that (apart from the custom brushes that is)...is there another way besides color mode? maybe something about layers that i don't know in photoshop? does anyone know about a link or something where I can find some info regarding this?
THNX!!


IMAGES BY DAVID LEVY (damn amazing artist!)

[otis]

Davy is doing the exact thing I was talking about. But after you ESTABLISH your color in the piece, you still have to go back in and paint over with the appropriate colors. To establish my colors, I typically use brushes using modes in; color, color dodge, color burn..and ofcourse normal mode.

If you still are not getting what you want, I don't know what else to say other than maybe you should learn more about color. Photoshop isn't going to teach you that.

[Farvus]

Or new layer with blending mode turned to "Color". You will get the same result.
For greater variety of colors at the beginning I sometimes use brush with Scattering + Color Dynamics.

[danlop]

Farvus thanks for the tip, it is working, specially the Scattering + Color Dynamics seting. I'll post the results in these days.

Thanks!!
http://danlop77.cgsociety.org/gallery/

[Lohan]

danlop, one of the things I noticed is that you need to have a REALLY solid black and white piece for the colors to look good over it. all of the values have to be nice. when i first tried this process i thought i was doing it wrong or something because it was always looking like shit, but as my black and white's started getting better, the colors started to look more like what i was thinking..

if you look at david's paintings it seems like they could be finished at any step in the process.

[danlop]

Hi Lohan, yes, you are absolutely right about the solid B/W, I came to the same conclusion while experimenting with this process, I desaturated some pieces done in color and tried the hole thing on them and i am getting the results I wanted..( kind of but for sure way better than what I was getting at the begining.
Thanks for the help!!

Dan.
http://danlop77.cgsociety.org/