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Open a new blank file (mine is 1094 px wide by 1550 px high, you can work out what size you need later)
Now, click on "File/Place" and click on a photo (my photo is 700 px high and 467 px wide) to select it, then click "Place".
Your photo will open in your new Photoshop document with a big diagonal
cross from corner to corner on it. Left click and hold on this photo
and move it to where you want it, I went to the top left corner. Now
press the "Enter" key on your keyboard and the photo is now placed as a
smart object.
If
you now press "Ctrl+J" on your keyboard, you will copy this smart
object exactly where it is, select the "Move" tool, and left click/drag
this copied smart object to the right, so you now have the Photo 2 up
(if you hold down the shift key as you click and drag..it will move
straight left/right/up/down and stay aligned with the previous photo).
Repeat this process to give you a 4 up document.
I've renamed all the layers to specify where in this document they are.
We
will leave the photo top left as the original so "Ctrl+Left click" on
the photo top right now to select it (You'll now see it highlighted in
your layer palette)
At
the bottom of your layer Palette you will see a half white, half black
circular icon, click on this and select "Black and White", 2 photos top
left and top right will turn black and white now but we want this
change to only affect the photo top right so "right click" the Black
and white layer you just made in the layer palette and select "Create
Clipping Mask" from the menu, the photo top left will be all colour
again and the new black and white layer will only affect the photo top
right.
"Ctrl/Click"
the third photo (bottom left) to select it, go to layer palette, click
the circular half black/half white icon and select "Hue/Saturation", in
this dialog drop the saturation to zero. Now we have to create a
clipping mask again for this new adjustment layer, so right click the
"Hue/Saturation" layer and select "Create Clipping Mask" from the menu.
Repeat
this process for the fourth photo, bottom right but instead of choosing
"Hue Saturation" choose "Channel Mixer" and put a tick in the box next
to Monochrome, then right click the Channel Mixer layer and create
clipping mask for it...you should now have this.
Nearly
there now, "Ctrl/Click" on the colour photo to highlight the layer in
the layers palette, then double click on that layers name so you can
change it. Rename it to "MASTER".
Now save this document with a name of your choice.
Here
comes the magic bit, in the future your working on a photo and wonder
how it will look in Black and White or you want to know which is the
best method for that particular photo your currently working on. On
that Photo press "Ctrl+A" then "Ctrl+C" (Ctrl+A selects all of that
photo, Ctrl+C copies that selection).
Now you open the file you just made and go to the layer palette. On the
"MASTER" layer double click the square window to the left of the layer
and a dialog will pop up..click "OK" to this dialog and the colour
photo will open for editing.
Now
press "Ctrl+V" (this pastes what you copied from your photo) then press
"Ctrl+T" (Transforms) then holding down the "Shift" key drag the
corners of the pasted photo to match what was previously there, then
press "Enter".
Now
go to "Layer/Flatten Image" then close the photo down..it will ask you
do you want to save before closing, click Ok. Go back to your template
and it will have been updated with the new photo..and all of the
B&W versions have auto updated too.
Choose the one you like the look of most and "Ctrl/Click it to select that layer,
then in the layer palette, click the adjustment layer above it
and drag it into the main work area and onto the photo you where previously working on
...hey presto its now B&W!
You
may be thinking "What's the point, I can quickly make these layers
every time I want a black and white Photo" and you would be quite
correct, but this was only a four up template to show the method...look
at these templates I have made!
Multiple Black & White versions on this one..
I used some of Tony's chemical toning curves to
create this one...from his tutorial here library/toning/digital_toning.htm
And this one used Tony's settings from his tutorial
"Digital Colour control filters in PhotoShop" that
can be read here library/cc_filters/colour_filters.html
Thanks Tony.
Its endless what can be achieved using this method
as its incredibly powerful, if you think that all
adjustment layers, plugins, filters and effects
can be utilised with it. So have fun exploring it. |
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Here
is a Photoshop file (6.26MB), you can download
to see this template idea in operation. When you
have it open in Photoshop, double click the "MASTER"
layer, click ok to the dialog and the photo will
open for editing, now you can paste in your own
shot, then close that file using the cross top
right corner, when you do this it will ask you
do you want to save, click yes and it will close...the
template will now have updated itself with your
photo.
http://www.focal-pla.net/shopfiles/BWTemplate.psd
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