After the area is colored in, we want to soften it a bit. We don't want it to be in hard contrast compared to the rest of the image, but rather a subtle hint of color. We can get this effect by reducing the opacity of the layer we just colored. Figure I shows how to reduce the opacity, or make it more transparent, by adjusting the Opacity slider from the Opacity drop-down in the Layer window.

FIGURE I


Adjust the Opacity slider to make the layer more transparent. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Make sure you've actually selected the layer you want by clicking on it in the Layer window. Adjust the Opacity until there is just a hint of color. Figure J shows the final result of hand-coloring the lips and adjusting the opacity of the layer.

FIGURE J


The end result of our hand-colored lips. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Once you're satisfied with the coloring of a layer, make sure you save the image at that stage. Do this after each layer you color to preserve the work you've completed up to that point.

We don't want to add a whole lot of color, but a little more would fill out the picture quite nicely. We could color in the dress, but that would be too much. We could do the hat, but if we left the bow uncolored it just wouldn't look right. And if the bow were colored in it would be lost in the color of the hat. This leaves us with the shirt under the dress as a good choice for coloring. Let's do the bows too, they'll provide a nice splash of color in the middle of the hat and dress.

I've created another layer like I showed you earlier, and colored in the visible areas of the shirt and the two bows. Then I've reduced the opacity of the layer so the color is just visible, providing a nice contrast to the duotone of the rest of the image. Figure K shows the image with the shirt colored in.

FIGURE K


Here, the shirt and bows are hand-colored, providing a nice contrast. Roll over picture for a larger image.

We're almost done, but we need one more bit of color to break up the yellow, so let's color the buttons on the bows. With another color, we need another layer. I chose the color for the buttons using the color selector on the buttons in the original, colored image. In Figure L, you can see the buttons being colored in.

FIGURE L


These purple buttons will break up the all the yellow in the image. Roll over picture for a larger image.

After all this, I decided I didn't like the color of yellow that I used and wanted it a little deeper. Photoshop has a nice feature called Replace Color for just such an occasion. Choose Image->Adjust->Replace Color and the color replacement window will appear. I used the color selector, again on the original image, to choose the yellow from the original image.

Now all I had to do was paint over the yellow areas on that layer and only the yellow color was replace, leaving the rest of the layer intact and uncolored. You can see the Color Replacement window in Figure M, note that only the yellow areas of the layer show up.

FIGURE M


The Color Replace feature allows you to swap one color for another. Roll over picture for a larger image.