Using layers to bring out one color with Gimp.

Using your favorite photo editing software you can use layers to create an image that only has color where you want it. Here is a full color picture of a Golden Finch that I used to demonstrate this feature.

I used a program called Paint Shop Pro and created a second layer of the original. Then I used background eraser tool to only erase where I want the color to be.

Using Paint Shop Pro

This is a easy project to do an you will get good results with any photo. It just takes a few minutes but the results are really neat. Here is another example of the same technique with a full color fire suit but I let only the color of the fire extinguisher come through.

If you do not have a photo editor that you use on a regular basis there are plenty of free ones available. Gimp, Paint.net will let you work on layers and Picasa, Photoscape.org will let you do basic photo editing for most projects. I use Gimp for a lot of my work here and Paint Shop Pro as well. I have used Photoshop as well but hate the price tag associated with it, but it is really nice software if you can swing the money.
Green Shirt done with Gimp



Using Gimp to transform image to a special look

The first two photos were done in Paint Shop Pro and the green shirt photo was done with Gimp. There are similar steps in each, for me Gimp takes a little longer to learn but it seems to offer more options than Paint Shop Pro. Plus Gimp is Open source (Free) while Paint Shop Pro is about $60 – $80 depending where you buy. The main thing is you can do it for free if you want to.

Since Gimp is free and can be downloaded at gimp.org here are the steps for it.

Open image into Gimp.
Duplicate image by pressing Shift+Ctrl+D or click on Layer then Duplicate layer.
Make sure that you choose the layer that you duplicated (Mine was background copy) and then right click on it and left click on Add Alpha Channel.
Click on Colors then click on Desaturate, once you do this your copy will look Black and White and your original will still be in color.
Choose the eraser tool and under Brush Dynamics check the Hard Edge.
Start erasing and you will see the color shining through, keep going until you are finished. If you mess up you can choose undo (Ctrl+Z). It is best to do a little at a time to keep from undoing a lot if you mess up. Once you are finished you can save the image into any format that you want and keep the original in tact. Have fun