Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual

Creating Spot Color

Removing almost all the color from a photo but leaving one or two objects in vivid tones, called spot color, is a very effective artistic device that's long been popular in the print industry. (In the commercial printing business, the term "spot color" refers instead to the use of special inks for a particular color in a multicolor image.)

Figure 10-3 shows an example of spot color. To practice the maneuvers you're about to learn, download the photo (caboose.jpg) from the Missing CD page at www.missingmanuals.com.

This section walks you through four of the easiest methods to create spot color. (The fifth way, explained earlier in this chapter [Method One: Making Color Photos Black and White], is to select the area you want to make black and white, and then to use the Convert to Black and White feature.) You can paint out color, erase your way back to color, change only a selected area to black and white, or use an Adjustment layer. With that last method, you'll also learn how to edit the Adjustment layer's layer mask so you can control which area the adjustment affects.

The end result looks the same no matter which method you choose. Just pick the one you find easiest for the particular photo you want to change.

Tip

If you have a newish digital camera, check your special effects settings for a spot or accent color setting. Many cameras can now create a black-and-white image with only one shade left in color.

Figure 10-3. With Elements, you can easily remove color from ...