How to Edit: Using Multiple Duotones?.

In one of my earlier blogs I did a very quick and simple edit using a simple Dutone filters and a colour filter.  I wanted to show you how 2 Doutones set into different blend layers could look.

This photo is a little more complex than the last but still does use the same ideas of layering colour filters over the photo and blending the in using the colour mode settings. The last Blog had a photo that was lighter and softer than the original photo, so this time i am going to make a darker moodier photo. But, I am still going to use the VERY SAME Duotone file, just in Colour Burn Mode, and not Lighten mode when overlaying them.

This is the Final File

Step One:  Get your photo !!

The photos I am using for this blog are prefect as there is plenty of room for the tones to come though from the development process. This sort of highly colorized process can work better on photos where there is room to color the backgrounds. Close ups might not take so well, as the development process can be quite disruptive to fine detail.

The fantastic Claire Randle is our model. We love Claire. www.clairerandle.com

Step Two: Skin Work.

Once again.. I have used the lovely Plug-in by Imagenomic for the early skin work. Claire`s skin is pretty much perfect as it is, but I wanted that polished skin look. I used the plug-in to do the early smoothing and a Layer Mask and the Brush Tool to give me 100% control of the layer. After the skin is perfected, make another layer from the two layers you should have and sharpen up the detail, once again using the Layer Masks and the Brush Tool to control the effect. (If you follow my work you may be familiar with this part.)

Step Two:  Start to color your photo .

Now we should have out photo edited and sharpened to the point at which we can begin to add our creative colorizing. For me the next step would to make your Duotones that you wish to use for this photo, have a think about the overall effect and what you are trying to say with the photos. I have decided that I want a dark overall finish. I have used a Blue tone as my base colour with amber as my top coat for the highlights. I have also decided to really drive that dark moody feeling, that some grain should be added in at some level. We shall come to this later. To create your Duotone file, duplicate a merged layer file into a new document, Convert to Grayscale > Convert to Duotones > select tone range and number of inks used, create a curve to affect the shadow or highlights for each tone map. I have used blue for the shadow and amber for the highlights. My curves on the Duotone setting should match this. After you have your blue base layer set, drag it over into your main working document and set your mode to revel your new layer. I have used Color Burn, then played about with the opacity levels to balance the color effect on to my shadow layers.

The next little step I have used was to a merge the layers together again using ctrl-alt-e ( not lose the other layers !!!). When I had my layer I flipped this into Overlay mode, or maybe it was Multiply.. I forget. Anyway.. I did this to increase my color and contrast for the next step.

Step Three: Add some Coolness  (texture)

I was reading a Digital Photo magazine when I saw they had some things on using grain and texture, so I have stole there idea and combined it to my idea. One of the problems with new high-end digital cameras is the lack of grain and noise. Creating cool looking grain could not be easier. Create a new document > shift backspace ( fill with 50%gray ) > add grain using the top layer. Done. oh.. make sure a good size grain for the effect your looking for. Have a play around with this. When you have you new grain layer, maybe add some contrast for extra cool points, then place on the very top layer of your working document.

Once you have your gray grain layer, place your photo on the very top in a duplicated layer, flip this into a mode that will let your grain shine though. Lighten maybe or overlay. For extra fine control, you will find that if you adujst the opacity of the grain layer you can get the perfect balance of grain and detail. If you add on some Layer Masks to really fine tune your effect. At this point you should have a pretty dark photo. Like the sample below

Step Four: The Final Layer

The final step is the last Duotone. This is our Amber color layer, mine is a red / amber color if I am honest. This layer is going to be in screen mode or some kind of mode to lighten and affect the overall tone once again. Drag your remade tone mapped color slide onto the document that has the main photo, flick to a color mode that looks cool, add your photo credits, sit back and enjoy at a photo well edited. Maybe you could add some dodge and burn to really pull the levels about, some more grain at different sizes to give that old camera look, some gentle photo filters to adjust little things. I would not sharpen after adding grain effects, but adding blurs in corners or such tweaks could be cool. Have a play and send me your finished photos !!

The photos below are photos that have been edited in the same fashion, using the same tone maps, just layered other ways round and using other blending layers. Enjoy !!