Tip of the Week - D is for Duotone
D is for DUOTONE
Duotone images are images with two colors (this refers to ink) that increases the printing range of a grayscale image. A duotone image will have a slight tint of color creating an amazing ALMOST black and white image.
In PHOTOHOP CS and newer….
To create a duotone image you must start in grayscale (not black and white, because black and white forces your greys to one end of the scale or the other). To do this you go up to the MENU BARclick on IMAGE > MODE > GREYSCALE. Once you do that go back up to IMAGE > MODE > DUOTONE and in the dropdown box that says MONOTONE, dropdown the menu and choose DUOTONE.
This will give you a secondary color option below the black. Click on the color box and choose any color that you’d like to use and then click on OK.
In PHOTOHOP CS and newer or PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 4.0 and newer….
OR you can use IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > HUE/SATURATION and put a check mark in the colorize option box in the lower right hand corner of the dialogue box.
OR you can create a new layer (LAYER > NEW > LAYER or click the new layer icon in the layers palette). Then use the PAINT BUCKET tool and FILL the layer with a solid color of your choosing. Next set the layer opacity so that it is a tint over the photo. (25% works pretty well, start here and adjust to your taste).
ENJOY!!
Note from Jessica:
One thing I realized was that I had to change the image back to CMYK or RGB in order to save it as a JPG.
My example is really not a Momshot. It was taken by me, a mom, but not of a kid. So technically, not a Momshots… Example of Duotone Process done on a wild sunflower.
We received a fantastic example of a Momshot done with Duotone. I got an email the other day from Momshots reader Aubrey. She said:
I tried out the duotone one & loved how it worked on a pic of my son. The original pic was a little too bright; the red of his shirt really stole the focus away from his face. I tried black & white, but it wasn’t giving the image the soft angelic look I felt it needed. So I tried the duotone with a blue cast and I love it!
Here are the photos Audrey sent. I’m sure you will agree with me in saying that her son is just totally adorable.
You can see what she means by the red in the color photo being a bit much. Your eye is drawn away from his cute little mug and onto his shirt. The black and white is lacking something but the blue duotone definitely gives it that look she was going for.
I’m so glad you emailed me Aubrey! Thanks for showing us all a fantastic practical application and example. I love, love, love that you tried all three versions and sent copies to me. It is so helpful for not just me, but I am sure, many other Momshots readers.
Did you notice that I totally just copied and pasted this from this post? I was too tired to rewrite it from scratch. It’s been a long day and my eyelids are feeling pretty heavy. :)
