3 Types of Green

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:08 pm

What's wrong with this picture?

Am I overweight?

Emerald Tiger...

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:29 am

Very nice images Craig.

It is not easy to see foreleg on #1 pic.
This funny sluggish guy on #2 really needs some kind of diet.

Besides insect, nicely captured bark also. - #3

Sven Bernert · Post by **Sven Bernert** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:54 am

The third would make for a good color key image (everything but the insect in b/w and just the beetle in its original green color).

Nicely done Craig, the tiger is my favorite!

Sven

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:14 am

That frog/toad photo is a money pic Craig. The colour, exposure and composition are all supurb and the subject has character, expression and great body language.

Very well done.

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:09 am

I too like the frog, excellent comp on this one. Yeah the bee in photo #1 seems to have lost a limb or has it tucked away.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:44 am

WOW Craig, all three pictures are incredible. The frog is stunning, the colors, DOF & focus on the bee are excellent and the tiger is beautiful.

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:20 am

Thanks a lot everyone.

Your comments are really appreciated. Sven - the color key image is a really interesting idea. I have never done this, but would like to try it. Using photoshop is there a simple way to do it or would it involve complex masking of the beetle?

Sven Bernert · Post by **Sven Bernert** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:13 am

It is really simple, basically you just double your image as a new layer above the original layer and turn that new layer into b/w. Using the razor tool on the layer mask you can then recover color in those areas of your image that you want to stay in color. It might be helpful to zoom in the image to 300% or so. At the end you just flatten the two layers.

There are many ways in PS to do color key work. One other possibility would be to just mask your subject using the path tool, then to turn that selection the other way around (selection menu) and then to desaturate the areas that you want without color by using the saturation tool or the channel mixer!

I tried to google an English photoshop tutorial on color key work for you but I wasn't successful (the only good ones that I digged out were all in German). Maybe you are able to find one on your own.

Here is an YouTube video that shows how to do it but it is for Paint Shop Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BHhtqcuF5Y

Hope my English is good enough to be understandable.

Best,
Sven

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:29 pm

Sven - Thanks a ton for the info. Your English is just fine. I intended to do this procedure and have a reworked image the next day to share, but I have been too busy to get to it yet. Anyway, thanks again.

Mike B in OKlahoma · Post by **Mike B in OKlahoma** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:51 pm

For the second pic, I'd have chosen "Does this outfit make me look fat?"

Sven Bernert · Post by **Sven Bernert** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 2:15 am

After getting Craigs okay here is a color key rework of the third image above. Took not more than 3 mins in PS (image is small). If one gets a hang to it color key work really isn't that complicated. This here is done by using the two layers technique described above.

But to be honest, color key images unfold their beauty often only when printed big hanging on a wall.

It might look a little funny because of the now twice applied jpg compression and yes, there are variations to this ...

Sven

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:38 pm

Thanks for taking the time to demonstrate this, Sven. It really is a cool effect. I will be trying it myself.