Changing the colours of lines

[Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru]

Hey guys
I wander if you could advice me. I'm creating illustrations using colour pencils, then I scan and play with colour reversing. However I am not completely happy with the fact that black contours after reversing colours, change into white, it's too agressive. I would like to be able to change the white into something else, for example yellow, and to do it with one action for the whole drawing. That's one thing.
After being able to change white into something else, I was wandering if instead of using plain colour to replace white, I could use textured colours.
Here is a link to my works, have a look and tell me what you think, please. http://kalpek.deviantart.com/gallery/
Really appreciate!! Cheers

 

[Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru]

No one? Pliseeee

 

[Tom Mann]

There are a bunch of ways one could do this. The first that came to mind was to select the whites using the "color range" tool. Set the size of the sampling to 1x1 or 3x3, and the tolerance low, and you should come up with a mask like this:



Then use that to mask a color adjustment layer set to yellow. That should produce something like this:



I know it isn't the one-step process that you asked for, but it's only 2 steps, LOL.

Of course, the real problem is getting a good mask, especially if there are near white areas that you don't want to turn to yellow. My guess is that you will simply have to manually paint black in the mask in those areas.

HTH,

Tom M

 

[Tom Mann]

Sorry ... I forgot to answer your question about patterning the yellow (or other changed color). Again, there are several ways I can think about doing this, especially now that one has a mask for the changed areas. Here's a fun approach:

1) Make a pattern that's small enough to be visible within the tiny yellow (formerly white) areas. I used a simple grid:




2) Put the yellow color adjustment layer (together with its mask, of course) inside a folder, and use your pattern to mask the folder:




And, here's the result - a checkerboard pattern of yellow and white in the formerly white areas:



HTH,

Tom M

 

[Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru]

Thank you Tom! I'm a masking virgin, so I have problems with processing some things you said. But here is my doubt: doing your way, all white pixels will change colour, and I want only the contours to do that. i was thinking to scan my drawing before I colour it. Then finish colouring and scan again. Then take the uncoloured contour scetch, change the colours of black contours into other colour and somehow place it on top of colored drawing after all the processing I've done on it. So that's my vague idea, but dont know how to go about it and if it even makes sense. What you think?
I would appreciate step by step instructions, like talking to a kid Thank you so much, I really appreciate all the work you put into it!

 

[Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru]

here is a drawing of some artist, I dont know who, but thats what Im aiming for. In my way all the orange areas would be white and I would like to get the effect he/she got.

 

[Tom Mann]

Hi Marcin - Unfortunately, I have to run out and do some photography for a client and won't be back till late tonight (east coast USA time), so I can't devote any more time to your problem at the present time.

However, let me make one quick comment: In my experience, I doubt you will ever be able to take two scans of your artwork, separated in time, and be able to get them in good enough registry to do what you want. There are some automated programs for stitching together panoramas that might be able to help with this, but it's just asking for trouble, IMHO. Issues of placement and angular orientation of the object on the scanner can be dealt with. However, real-world physical objects like paper or canvas stretch and warp with handling, changes in temperature and humidity, etc., and that's where the problem will arise.

My suggestion would be do just one scan, when you are done, and then if you need to include or exclude certain areas from color changes, this is relatively easy to do by painting on the layer mask in PS using a stylus and a tablet, especially for someone like you that is used to painting / drawing in the real world. There is a huge amount written on this. Just Google {photoshop layer mask painting}, and you will find many tutorials and explanations.

Sorry...got to run!

All the best,

Tom M

 

[Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru]

Thanks for the tip, will check it. Take care!