Color Range in Photoshop

I have been requested to post a tutorial that involves use of the Color Range in Photoshop. I will show you how to acess it. It is simple enough. There are other features of Color Range which I will deal with later.
Step 1 : I have opned this photo in Photoshop. It is a free stock image which I have also used before.
Step 2 : Go to Select>Color Range.
Step 3 : The Color Range dialogue box opens. By default Selection is selected. Leave it at that.
Step 4 : Drag your cursor over the image keeping the SHIFT key pressed. Look at the preview window.
Step 5 : This is how the image looks in the preview window in the Color Range dialogue box. Drag till you are satisfied.
Step 6 : Click ok in the Color Range dialgue box. You might see this dialogue if the image you are using is a high resolution one.

Step 7 : A selection forms.

Step 8 : Press CTRL+J. The selection is copied and pasted into a new layer -- Layer 1.

Step 9 : Look at the Foereground Color. It has changed to the shade that the Color Range has picked up.

Step 10 : Now with Layer 1 active or it is the layer you are on press CTRL and click the New Layer icon. A new layer -- Layer 2 -- forms below Layer 1.

Step 11 : Now click on the Foreground Color. The Color Picker opens. Look at the panel at the right. The cursor points to the current Foreground Color.

Step 12 : Now click on a darker shade. Notice that the 'New' at the top changes to the color you pick i.e. the new Foreground Color.

Step 13 : Press ALT+Backspace. Layer 2 fills with the Foreground Color picked.

This is how the image looks. This is basically how this effect is done.

Step 14 : Click the New Layer icon in the Layer pallette. A new layer -- Layer 3 forms over Layer 2.

Step 15 : Go to Filter>Render Clouds.

This is how the image looks after applying Render Clouds.

Step 16 : reduce the Opacity of the layer to 15 %.

Step 17 : Go to Filter>Distort>Twirl.

Step 18 : The Twirl dialogue box opens. Drag the Angle slider to the extreme left. Click ok.

This is how the image looks.

You can add Text. That is all.

Other Photoshop tutorials are here.

Posted in: Color Range in Photoshop