Tuesday, May 31, 2011

CoffeeShop Mocha Velvet B&W Action UnWrapped Tutorial!

I wanted to post my newest Action UnWrapped tutorial  for Photoshop and PSE: CoffeeShop Mocha Velvet B&W. If you want to save time,
just go download the CoffeeShop Mocha Velvet B&W action.  This is a fun B&W editing technique and it looks great on portraits.

I love to write and post free actions, but I have to confess I even have more fun trying to teach you what is going on behind the actions.  You might not like this exact effect, but if you follow the tutorial you might learn some new editing tricks you can use in your own edits.  I also try to make sure all of my actions and tutorials can be used in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

CoffeeShop Mocha Velvet B&W Action UnWrapped Tutorial:



This action/tutorial has quite a few layers, and PSE users will have to download my free Boost action to follow this tutorial.  This tutorial uses the same settings I programmed in the action, so please adjust the layers to taste for your image.

1. LIGHTEN DARKS:  Step 1 can only be done manually in Photoshop, so PSE users need to download my free Boost action to do this step.  PSE users, please read the bottom of this step after downloading the action.

Photoshop users, open your image. Click on the Channels tab next to your Layers tab.  Go to the bottom of the pane and click on the first little button on the left that looks like a dotted circle.  This loads the highlights of your image as a selection.


Click back on Layers and your highlights are all selected.   Go to Select, Inverse and then Ctrl-J to put the shadows on their own layer.  Put this layer in screen blending mode, 25% opacity.  This lightens the shadows.

PSE users:  Run Boost on your image and then click on the image (not layer mask) on the Boost layer and Ctrl-I (inverse).  Make sure the layer is in screen mode, and dial down the opacity to 25%.  This is not the exact same method used in Photoshop or the action, (I will be posting the free action in a day or two), but it works fine. 

2.  MIDTONES BOOST:  Add a levels adjustment layer and put the left slider on 5, the middle slider on 1.2, and the right slider on 250.



3.  CONTRAST BOOST:  Add a gradient map adjustment layer, black to ivory (hex#f9f5ea) and slide the ivory slider to the left so the Location (under the slider) is 95%.


4.  IVORY TINT:  Add a color fill layer (hex#f9f5ea) and put this layer in color blending mode.

5. MOCHA TINT:  Add one final color fill layer (hex#4e3c2a) and put this layer in color blending mode, 50% opacity.

6. Adjust all layer opacitites to taste and paint on layer masks if needed.

I hope you enjoyed this new tutorial! I have more B&W actions and tutorials coming out, so please check back.  And if you are looking for the CoffeeShop Mocha Velvet B&W action, just click here!

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for more information! For complete info on installing all of my actions, click here.

5 comments:

  1. A great effect Rita. Thank you for tutorial!

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  2. Great tutorial! :) I had fun trying to figure this out. (I'm a PS beginner!

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  3. Thank you ever so much for this and all your wonderful actions

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  4. I just worked through this one and learned a several new things and loved my end product. Thanks!

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  5. Hello, I just wanted to thank you so much for providing photoshop actions!

    I do have a question, and couldn't find your email (I don't have a fb to contact you), I tried the faded daydreams and it says it isn't compatible with pse10, but I clicked the one for pse. Is there a way to fix this?

    http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/2009/10/coffeeshop-faded-daydreams-pspse-action.html

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a message, I love reading them! All comments are personally moderated by me and I will post and answer them them as soon as possible.
Rita