Expert: LizaL - 1/5/2005

Question
Dear Lizal,
  first let me take this opportunity to thank you for answering my question about removing backgrounds on my butterfly photos.  Perfect answer.  Let's discuss duotones I get up to the part of using the channel mixer.  And the adjustment layers.  What I need is step-by-step instructions how to bring up duotones.  But most important how to arrive at the different colors.  That you can create with duotones.  Step-by-step instructions would be very much appreciated.  I am using Windows XP.  Photoshop No. 7.  Epson printer 1280.  The canon  scanner F. S. 4000 U.S. and a gateway computer with more memory than I need.  Thanking you in advance Stewart Arno

Answer
Hi Stewart!

I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner -- I've had a busy couple of days, and wasn't able to answer.

I'm glad I could help you before, and I hope I can help you this time, too.

You can create duotones independent of adjusment layers and channel mixing. Duotones aren't hard to do at all. Here's how:

1. When you open your photo, you'll need to make it into a grayscale. Only 8-bit grayscale images can become duotones in Photoshop, by the way. So go to the Image pulldown menu, and select Mode. Then select Grayscale. When you're asked to discard color information, say OK.

2. Now go back to the Image pulldown menu, and select Mode again. Then select Duotone. Now the fun begins!

3. You can make your duotone any combination of colors you like. If you're looking for a sepia-type tone, you might choose a gold or yellow over a black.

Watch this little movie I made and you'll see how I did it.

http://little-works.com/all_experts/dutones.mov


You'll notice that for the top color, I chose a "custom" color -- it's really a color out of the Web palette that's available in Photoshop (the color picker that's the default when you click on the color swatches in the toolbox).

For the bottom color, I chose a Pantone black by clicking on "Custom" in the color picker menu.

You can also specify an overprint color (at the bottom of the duotone dialogue box), and this color will blend with the duotone colors -- it will sort of mix with them, and cause them to become different in hue.

So the bottom line is, when you pick colors for your duotone, you can choose any method that you would normally use in Photoshop -- whether you pick them out of the Web palette, or use the Pantone colors, or any of the other color models available in the pop-up menu.

What you want to be clear on, if you're having this image printed at a printer's, is what kind of color *they* need for you to use. So keep that in mind if you're doing this for a freelance job, or any job that will wind up going to a printer.


Some other things about duotones in Photoshop:

-- When you create a duotone, you can edit the curve of the colors. That is, you can open the duotone dialogue box, then click on the box to the left of either color, and edit the way the color appears within your image. It's just like using the curves adjustment (Image pulldown menu>Adjustments>Curves).

It's also easier to show than to explain in writing, so take a look at this little movie:

http://little-works.com/all_experts/duotones2.mov

It's just like using curves for overall color adjustment to an image. Notice how when I drag a point down on the curve, the cat's fur gets lighter, and when I drag up, it gets darker.


-- You can also create tritones in this same area of Photoshop; they require 3 colors. And you can do quadtones, too, which require 4 colors. Look under the Image pulldown menu where you chose duotone, and you'll see tritone and quadtone.



Hope this helps! If anything's unclear or you need any more help, please don't hesitate to post back!

Lisa