Coloring question

ok. lets say you’re gonna color a picture in photoshop.
if you have a pencil work and want to preserve the pencil (or ink) what’s the best way to go about this?
do you select color range of the white paper then delete it leaving only the outline?

when i do this it seems to get too grainy, or the line work doesn’t look the same.

tips please?

Leave your pencil layer as is and go ahead and make a new layer and set that new layer on multiply. There should be a tab next to it that will let you multiply it. Color on the multiplied layer and tada. Hope that helps.

The method I use is this:

-Start in greyscale.

  1. Clean up linework with levels or curves. I use levels.
  2. Go to Channel Menu. There’s a bunch of buttons at the bottom of the menu. Click the leftmost one. This button selects everything that is white in a picture.
  3. Invert the selection.
  4. Make a new layer, name it “Inks” or something.
  5. Choose Black and fill the selection.
  6. Change color mode to RGB or CMYK. Don’t merge the layers.

This should leave you a layer that is just your pencil/ink and transparency. Leave this your topmost layer and color underneath it. Using this method you can have other layers on whatever mode you want them on, not just multiply. Also, this method allows you to change the color of your linework without affecting the rest of the pic(just click the “lock transparency” button on the layers menu.) Have fun :slight_smile:

slick rick chain guy. I’m try that out. Is that the pro way or something?

Ok just tried out this technique and this shit is off the heezy. This is what i have been looking for. I hate searching for ps tips online cause you always end up with crap ass tutorials. Thanks chain guy.

that’s how I’ve been doing it also. And if your inking sux(like mine)

u can blur the lineart layer a bit, or if you’re crazy b4 you fill in the lines, do select>contract by 1 pixel, it makes the line smaller but some how there are still grayness where the old line should be. smooth.

bump. you guys got aim? the first explanation sounded easy to do. but the chain guy’s explanation was hard(or at least i couldn’t picture it in my head like i could with the other exp).