Why it Works | Tinting a Photo

Discussion in 'Learning Pad' started by jenn mccabe, Mar 1, 2017.

  1. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    [​IMG]

    Welcome to another edition of Why it Works, where we share and highlight a page from an awesome scrapper in our gallery that utilizes a really cool technique, a design trick, a photography tip, journaling ideas or any number of other things to get you scrapping outside your comfort zone. We hope to share and inspire you to try something new, revisit an old technique you may have forgotten about, or maybe just approach that blank canvas in a new way. So, here are some of the things you can do to be involved in this thread:

    1. Ohhh and Ahhh over the awesome layout or project that has been highlighted and head over to the gallery and show the scrapper some love.
    2. Learn something new from the tip or tutorial. It's all about becoming better at our craft!
    3. Try the technique yourself and post it in this thread for us to see.
    4. Show off other pages from the gallery that use the technique as well. Be sure to link them so we can give them the love they deserve!
    5. Ask questions about the technique that you may have or tell us how you may do it differently.
    There are many ways to do these things and this thread is all about the learning!

    *note: this is not to be a critique of the page/project in any way, it's all about learning to emulate the awesome technique highlighted. Any negative comments about the highlighted page will be deleted.*
    --------------------------------

    For this edition of Why it Works, lets switch gears and talk about the processing of the photos themselves. I fell in love with this page by Kristina @klee73010 the moment I saw it. (And she also got a FF and GSO for it too!) Sometimes it is just super refreshing to be a little playful with our photos. I love the fresh green tint she gave this photo.

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    It’s such a great way to add fun and whimsy to your page. But it can also be functional too. You can see how Kristina’s tinting completely matches the kit she chose. The result is beautiful. It’s a great way to take a photo you love and pair it with a kit you love, but maybe the colors just do not work together at all.

    Tinting your photo globally is easy peasy. If you are a Photoshop scrapper, one of my favorite ways to do this is using a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer. Seriously, one of the easiest things ever, and the best part is that it is non-destructive.

    (TIP: Just make sure you save the file as a PSD or Tiff with layers when you are done or use your Save As feature to give the tinted image a new name to be saved as a separate file image.)


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    1. Click on the Create New Adjustment Layer
    2.
    Select Gradient Map
    3.
    The default is a Foreground to Background gradient (and it will pick up whatever colors you currently have set to Foreground and Background - often black and white). Click anywhere in the gradient area to edit.
    Note: this is a great way to do Black and White conversions - where you can easily customize your lights, darks and mid-tones... but back to Photo Tinting.
    4. To edit the Gradient, you select the Stops (tiny little boxes). By default there are two : the one all the way to the left represents your Darks and is usually pure black and the one on the right is your lights, usually pure white. Click on the one all the way to the left - the darks. You'll see the Color box fill with that color stop (in this case it is black). Click on the black swatch next to Color to edit.
    5. And in the image below, you can see I want to keep my darks, dark ... so I am staying in the dark areas of the Color Picker and choosing a very deep shade of purple. Choose any color you like or sample a color from your layout for a perfect match. Click OK to close out all the Pop Up windows and you are done!


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    And here is my quick and easy tinted photo:

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    A few other ideas to consider when tinting a photo:
    - You can also layer gradient maps for different effects. (Ex: Place a pure black and white gradient adjustment layer on the bottom and maybe a tinted one with a soft light blend mode on top.)
    - You can alter the white f stop to change the lightest areas of your photo to a tint as well.
    - You can add extra f stops - just by clicking anywhere along that horizontal line in between the Darkest f stop and the Lightest f stop.
    -You can work with more than one color tint for some funky and creative results!
    -If you want your darks to be lighter and softer, choose a lighter tint. This will beautifully soften the whole photo and give it that matte look. And choosing a soft grey instead of black for the Darkest f stop (all the way to the left) is my favorite way to create a soft black matte look on my photos!

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    I'm a huge fan of Gradient Map Adjustment layers!

    ****And if you don't have Photoshop, there are tons of phone or tablet apps with photo filters that can give you similar results.

    So ... have any layouts with tinted photos? Please feel free to share what you've created here or be inspired by Kristina's page and create a new one! We'd love to see them! You are welcome to share your favorite tips and tricks you use to tint your photos. Also if you have any Android, iPhone, iPad fave apps to recommend let us know about them!
     
    Iowan, bellbird, bbymks5 and 6 others like this.
  2. klee73010

    klee73010 I might have a thing for drummers

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    :beat thanks so much!


    Another way.... and how I do it.... is to use a solid color adjustment layer is Photoshop/Elements and then change the blend mode. I really like playing with blend modes, and the video tutorial that was linked for the MOC challenge really helped me understand which blend modes I liked best... but otherwise, I just scrolled through all of the blend modes till I found one I liked. :D
     
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  3. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    Thanks for sharing your method Kristina! :)
     
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  4. IntenseMagic

    IntenseMagic Some grannies cuss a lot. I'm some grannies.

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    I love this!! I don't play with gradients and colors on photos enough. I'm itching to give it a try!!!
     
  5. Chippi

    Chippi Those chicken nuggets are just waiting to attack

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    Ooh I really like it. I often steer clear because it never turns out right for me, this makes me want to give it a go. Thanks for the tutorial and also how you did it Kristina!
     
    klee73010 likes this.
  6. StefanieS

    StefanieS Think it over, think it under

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    Wow, love this idea.
    Something different to play with.
     
  7. fruitysuet

    fruitysuet Well-Known Member

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    I'm with you on that!
     
  8. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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    This picture came to mind. It was a regular yellow and orange sunset, but I wanted a cooler photo for the page.... so I tinted it purple... :) I was very happy how it turned out.

    I regularly change the photo in some way to match a little better to the kit or colors that I'm using. In my mind, it's a little more cohesive.

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    GREAT post, Jenn! I love learning new things, and that is a great way to add tinting!
     
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  9. cfile

    cfile My bags are packed for Platform 9 3/4

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    Very cool Jenn.. thanks for showing!! I do it similarly :) You can also change to B/W and then use a photo filter!
     
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  10. cfile

    cfile My bags are packed for Platform 9 3/4

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    Jenn this is beautiful.. I know I posted a note when you first posted it.. still gorgeous!
     
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  11. Karen

    Karen Wiggle it, just a little bit!

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    What a cool effect! LOVE the samples shown above too! :)
     
  12. Lynne-Marie

    Lynne-Marie there is beauty in everything

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    I have a set of colour overlays in gradients that work well for this technique! Have you seen these?

    I find that using blending modes allows you to interact more with the original colours of the photo. Using gradient colour overlays will bring out different tones in different parts of the photo.
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  13. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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    I :beat those @Lynne-Marie! I still need to work with them! I didn't see them for SOSN until after I finished my Press Play 4 layouts last week! Soon, I will!

    They are perfect for this technique!
     
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  14. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    that is so beautiful jenn! i love the way the purples in the photo perfectly match the paper. so rich and gorgeous!
     
  15. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    I have used these ... and they are AWESOME! Also easy peasy & a great way to get a multi colored tinted look without a lot of effort!
     
  16. bbymks5

    bbymks5 Where oh where can it be?!?

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    This is really cool!! I've never done this technique before!

    @jk703 The purple tint looks amazing!!!
     
  17. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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  18. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    I have to share this amazing page ... by a brand new member of the community @Nancy Barton . It's not literally tinting a photo but her gorgeous photography shines on this page ... and I adore how each photo takes on an almost unique monochromatic look ... the black, the blue and the red wine. Stunning and so inspirational ...

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  19. Nancy Barton

    Nancy Barton Member

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    Wow! Thank you very much. :)
     
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  20. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    How about this tinting idea? A gradient across a whole strip of photos to document a special milestone? Love it! @GlazeFamily3
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    lorieh, jk703, janedee and 2 others like this.

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