Although there are many ways to do this task in Photoshop, we
have chosen a technique which is beginner friendly.

1. Open an image and create a duplicate layer: CTRL + J. You now have two identical layers.
   If you can’t see the ­layers palette, press F7 on your keyboard.
   
2. Select Layer 1 and then go to “Image > Adjustments > Black & White”. Play around with the sliders until you are happy with the result (make sure that the Preview box is checked), and then click on OK.
3. Layer 1 will now be B&W, but in your
   Layers palette window, the Background layer should still be in colour.
4. Select the eraser tool from the left hand tools column.
   
5. Select an eraser brush tip of appropriate size from the top drop-down options. The size needed will vary from image to image – use your judgement here. Soft brushes work better than hard brushes for these kind of jobs. You can see a preview of your eraser tip size if you move your mouse cursor over the image (make sure that Caps Lock is off). I have selected soft brushes of sizes ranging from 21 to 70 for this job.
6. Eraser tool’s top bar options:
   Mode: Brush
   Opacity: 100%
   Flow: 100%
   Erase to History = Off
   
7. Erase the parts where you want the colour to shine through. Don’t do it all in one brush stroke. Using multiple strokes (releasing the mouse button after each stroke) will allow you to Undo the last stroke when you have made a mistake.
8. To undo the last action, simply press CTRL + Z. This will
   toggle between the last two states. To undo further back, press CTRL + ALT + Z. To redo,
   CTRL + SHIFT + Z.
9. To save, select File > Save As.... Select a new filename – never replace the original file – it’s safer that way.

You can only learn Photoshop by practice and experimentation. If at first you do not succeed, try, and try again. The Photoshop Teacher will be appearing regularly on techsmart.co.za.

For easy to follow Photoshop courses call him today on 084-88-000-55 or visit www.teachmephotoshop.co.za.

Click here to download the picture used in this tutorial.