Creating a ‘difference’ in portraits

I was reading a magazine where each article had the photo of the author besides it, but in a unique way: looking like something like on the right.

How to get this effect yourself? I will show you today.

In addition to Photoshop you need Microsoft Photo Editor to get this effect. You may have this already on your system, if you have MS Office or you may not - it has been discontinued by Microsoft. If you do not, you can download it from here or here: http://www.brothersoft.com/microsoft-photo-editor-128651.html.

First, open the photo in Microsoft Photo Editor, and then go to File->Properties. In the ‘Type’ field select Monochrome (1 bit) from the drop-down, and press Ok. Save the image.

Microsoft Photo Editor

Second, open the original photo in Photoshop (or any other photo editing tool like GIMP). Also open the photo modified through the photo editor. Drag the modified photo over the original, as to form a new layer on top.

Third, (for the modified image layer) bring up the Selective Color panel, by clicking on Image->Adjust->Selective Color. For ‘Colors’, select ‘Black’ from the drop-down - and choose suitable values for the sliders (or as shown below in the screenshot).

Photoshop

Fourth, select a suitable blending type from the layers window, and suitable Opacity which suits. For this image, we used ‘Overlay’ and 55%.

Blending

Save the image - flatten it before saving if you want, and you are done. If there is a way to do this without using Microsoft Photo Editor, please post comments.

There are variations possible, if you prefer. One is to ‘Invert’ the original image in Photoshop before submitting it to the MS Photo Editor (by going into Image->Adjust->Invert) and then proceeding as described.

The other is to use only the unicolor image produced by the MS Photo Editor, without blending it with the original. You could use a plain single color layer as the lower one, and do the selective color on the other.

Variation I

Variation II

Photo by Hamed Saber