# Digital Photo B&W to Colour



## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

Just after a bit of advise chaps 

If a photo has been taken in B&W mode on a digi camera - can you get it back to colour on photoshop ?

I can see there are RGB , Red , Green & Blue (4 channels) is there a way of getting the colour back ?

TIA:thumb:


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

Not sure about that - in CS3/2 you should a have a colour replacement function under adjustments.....


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

I think I need photoshop lessons 

Found the menu as you said but it doesnt do anything. 

Will have more of a play tomorrow when the brain is more in gear

Cheers :thumb:


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

alanjo99 said:


> I think I need photoshop lessons
> 
> Found the menu as you said but it doesnt do anything.
> 
> ...


Not entirely sure but i think if you select B&W as the filter for the master image you will not be able to replace the colour


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

My (limited) understanding is that if the source image is in B&W then you cannot make it colour as the source itself has no colour image to reference to.

I learnt this lesson early on in my digital photography and now if I want a B&W photo I will, 99% of the time, take it in colour and use Photoshop to make it B&W


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

cheekeemonkey said:


> My (limited) understanding is that if the source image is in B&W then you cannot make it colour as the source itself has no colour image to reference to.
> 
> I learnt this lesson early on in my digital photography and now if I want a B&W photo I will, 99% of the time, take it in colour and use Photoshop to make it B&W


Yeah just checked on PS forum - spot on


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Short answer is no.

Slightly longer answer is, yes it can be done but it would take hours and hours of work for a digital artist to "repaint" the colour in or there are some algorithyms that when teamed with a highly skilled person who can also analayse the photo based on known colours such as you telling them what colour clothes the person was wearing or, etc then can restire/extrapolate the colour but again this is serioiusly time consumung work for seriously clever people!


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> Short answer is no.
> 
> Slightly longer answer is, yes it can be done but it would take hours and hours of work for a digital artist to "repaint" the colour in or there are some algorithyms that when teamed with a highly skilled person who can also analayse the photo based on known colours such as you telling them what colour clothes the person was wearing or, etc then can restire/extrapolate the colour but again this is serioiusly time consumung work for seriously clever people!


Sorry for the hijack but you fancy doing my HDR pic?


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

yeah what images you got?


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> yeah what images you got?


can you take the image i posted and reset the exposure rates?


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

the problem you've got with that is there is no detail in the sky/rear portion of the car so no matter what i do to it if there is no info there it will remain white!


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> the problem you've got with that is there is no detail in the sky/rear portion of the car so no matter what i do to it if there is no info there it will remain white!


OK i'll pm the original.....


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ok...


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

done :thumb:


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

got it


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> got it


LOL good team work


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

Cheers chaps 

didnt think it was possible - but worth an ask !


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