I don't know about other photo manipulation software, but if you have a B&W photo that's saved as such, you can't change the color. Why I don't know. And trust me - I've tried.
The secret to a good sepia tint is not that it changes the black to brown, but that it gives a brown tint to everything else. The black should stay black, so changing the hue won't work. Also, if you really study the photos the sepia isn't uniform - some areas are usually more toned than others which is part of what makes this process so darned aggravating.
Altering Old Photos
Re: Altering Old Photos
Yes, I have tried to change them to color, too. Now I always scan everything in color even if it is black and white. Then you can add color. Or with a color picture, desaturate it and then add what color you want back in.pbp908 wrote:I don't know about other photo manipulation software, but if you have a B&W photo that's saved as such, you can't change the color. Why I don't know. And trust me - I've tried.
The secret to a good sepia tint is not that it changes the black to brown, but that it gives a brown tint to everything else. The black should stay black, so changing the hue won't work. Also, if you really study the photos the sepia isn't uniform - some areas are usually more toned than others which is part of what makes this process so darned aggravating.
That's why I liked the Pan Pastel because I could keep the really black areas by erasing the yellow over it. The photos from the 20s are brownish all over but the photos from the 30s still seem to have good black and only the yellowish tinge in the light colors.
-
clamscrapper
- Posts: 3041
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:25 pm
- Contact:
Re: Altering Old Photos
Great job on the restoration. I love that you had a baby photo of your mom. What a precious find! I have lots of my dad but none of my mom as babies. I'd be so thrilled to find one of her.
-
bethrich
Re: Altering Old Photos
Using the pan pastels was a great idea. Scrapper's Guide had a tut last year on sepia, but it is to convert color to sepia. I wonder if the same technique could work for B&W. It's not for sale on their site, but I have it from my subscription. I'll work through it and see how it goes.
Re: Altering Old Photos
Thanks, Beth. I'm open to all suggestions to get more consistent results.