Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Creative Use of Color
In This Chapter
Reimagine Your Pictures
•
•
Converting Color into Black and White
•
Digital Sepia Toning
•
Selective Colorizing
•
Colorizing Black and White Images
Reimagine Your Pictures
GIMP is the ideal program to reimagine your favorite images. Transport pictures back in time by
converting them into black and white or sepia tone. You can give an old black-and-white portrait a new
dimension by colorizing it. With GIMP and some imagination, you can be as creative as you want with the
images you work with.
Converting Color into Black and White
The widespread availability of color photography certainly revolutionized the industry. I mentioned in the
previous chapter how color opened up a new world to our photograph-viewing pleasure. However, black
and white is still enjoyed by many. Some images you capture will just naturally seem to lend themselves to
black and white—it's basically working with color in reverse (for lack of a better phrase).
It might seem that converting a color image into black and white is just a matter of draining the color
away. You can simply use the Hue/Saturation dialog and reduce the color saturation to zero. While that does
work, in the sense that it removes color, it will often leave behind an image that is flat, dull, or even unnatural
looking, depending on the colors in the original image (see Figure
5-1
). There is usually some tweaking
required to achieve optimal results. An ideal black-and-white image has a wide range of grays, with deep,
rich shadows for the darkest areas and bright highlights, without being washed out to pure white (except for
specular highlights, such as reflection of light off of chrome).
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