Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
rest of the photo turns black and white. You can also use one of the methods described in the
following sections.
TIP
The Smart Brush's black-and-white conversion settings aren't always editable. Depending
on which conversion style you chose, you may see a confusing message that claims that
the Adjustment layer was created in Photoshop, even though you just created it in Ele-
ments. That's because Adobe uses the Smart Brush to make some Photoshop-only conver-
sion styles available in Elements, so you can
apply
them, but not tweak them once you're
done. The Blue lens filter is one example of a style where all you can change is how much
of your photo it affects, not the settings for the conversion style itself.
Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
You can also easily remove colors from parts of an image with the Eraser tool. With this
method, you place a color-free layer over the colored original, and then erase bits of the top
layer to let the color below show through. Here's how:
1.
Open a photo and then create a duplicate layer
.
Press Ctrl+J/
⌘
-J or go to Layer→Duplicate Layer. This new layer will become the
black-and-white version.
2.
Remove the color from the new layer
.
Make sure the top layer (the new one you just created) is the active layer, and then go
to Enhance→“Convert to Black and White” or to Enhance→Adjust Color→Remove
Color. You should now see a black-and-white version of your image.
3.
Erase the areas of the top layer where you want to see color
.
Use the Eraser tool (
The Eraser Tools
)
to remove parts of the top layer so the colored
layer underneath it shows through. Usually you'll get the best results with a fairly soft
brush.
If you want an image that's mostly colored with only a few black-and-white areas, reverse
this technique: Remove the color from the bottom layer and leave the top layer in color; then
erase as described above.
