Hi, In need of help creating a simple effect to image.

[Jay_...@adobeforums.com]

Attached is an image which shows more or less the effect I am needing to achieve.

<http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn149/Jaybeedubya/FotoliaComp_635945_xs3N3VFLwPNTIOm1.jpg>

I created the image above by desaturating the colour image of the man and then adding a new purple layer and selecting 'vivid light' from the layer palette drop down box. In doing this the man became purple but the white area surrounding him stayed white...I then adjusted the layers on the first layer so that the white part became purple - the final result is what you see in the attached image.

The problem is this - I need to create this effect for 15 or so images all with a specific purple pantone colour, I need to create these for print ready artwork. All the pictures (ie the man) I will be using, need to look the same kind of shade. The way I was creating these before was to adjust the bottom layer so its grey rather than white so that the white area becomes purple.

Confusing huh, If you dont understand my question (and I dont blame you!) then all I need is to create a set of 15 images that look like the attached image (using a specific pantone) but I have no idea how the best way to do it is.

How would you guys achieve that? Any help greatly appreciated.

[christoph_pf...@adobeforums.com]

What are Your output-needs? Will the images be output from Indesign or Photoshop directly? How many colors will be used in the printing process? Because if the background color is supposed to be a solid area of the Pantone-color, will the photographic parts be printed in CMYK or as Spot Colors? If You do work for print You should probably create a Duotone or a file with Spot Channel(s).

But as for achieving that in RGB:
One could create an Adjustment Layer to make the image black and white (either Hue Saturation of Black & White for example), a Curves-Adjustment Layer to control the contrast, a Solid Color-layer of the dark blue-color and set that to Blending Mode Color (if no black areas turn up increase the contrast in the Curves-Layer), then a Solid Color-layer of the lighter violet and set it to Blending Mode Multiply.
Those Layers could then be simply dragged onto any other images.
But the result would of course be no good for printing in actual Spot Colors.

[Mike_O...@adobeforums.com]

This is going to be a CMYK plus spot job. If you run this a just spot or duotone is will look flat.

[Jay_...@adobeforums.com]

Hi and thanks, it's going to be for print & I will be using the images in an indesign document - the final print may be from a hi res PDF. I guess when it comes to printing, I will be able to specify what I want.

The company this project is for have a certain corporate dark purple colour (of which I would like the 'man' to be mostly made from) and the lighter surrounding purple can be any pantone of my choosing.

Anyone know the best way to go about creating this?

[christoph_pf...@adobeforums.com]

So it’s gonna be a two-color-job?
Because with the extreme depths adding Black at least might be beneficial.

You could make a Selection of a black&white-version-of-the-photograph’s luminance, inverse it and, in the Channels-Panel’s PopUp-menu, choose Add New Spot Channel for the Foreground color and select the Pantone color.
Then Add New Spot Channel for the background-color and fill that solid black and hide the layers that contain the composite of the photograph.
This should leave You with blank composite channels and the two Spot Channels visible.
Indesign can handle either psd- or DCS2-files containing Spot Channels.

The problem I perceive here is that depending on the print-process and the background color selected it might proof necessary to knock out the foreground elements if the company is very strict on their CI colors. Unfortunately simply inversing the foreground selection would probably not work as this might leave the mixed-color-areas greyish.
Are the prints gonna be offset or silkscreen?

[Jay_...@adobeforums.com]

Hi, No it's not a 2 colour job...Theres more to the design, this image is just a part of it that i'm not sure how to tackle.

I'm pretty sure it will be offset.

I'm not a photoshop pro so I will try and follow your instructions - thanks very much for that! Any additional info tips or input would be much appreciated!

[christoph_pf...@adobeforums.com]

But just to make sure: Your customer’s Pantone Color is gonna be printed as a Spot Color, so the job’s price has definitely been estimated for 5-color-printing?
(It seems that oftentimes one gets a Pantone-definition even if the actual product will be printed in CMYK and some customer’s seem patently unwilling to comprehend the unattainability of certain Pantone colors in process.)
Because if You can use the 4 process-colors You might consider printing the background color as process, too, just to save costs.