Take Your Photos to the Next Level Using Adobe Photoshop : Converting Color to a Sepia Tone

Have you ever wondered what a particular photo would look like in a sepia tone rather than in color? Sepia toned photographs have become popular recently. It warms up a black and white, and gives a person a sense of simplicity. It is not as formal as a black and white photograph. Family photos and portraits are great for converting into a sepia toned photograph as it gives a sense of yesteryear, togetherness, and warmth. If you would like to convert a photograph to sepia, this is how to accomplish that goal using Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Step 1: Take a photograph in color. This can be a digital photograph or a photograph that is put onto a photo CD.

Step 2: Load the image you would like to convert onto your computer, or pick from a photograph already loaded on your computer.

Step 3: Right click on the image and choose Open With... Adobe Photoshop CS2 from the menu.

Step 4: When Adobe Photoshop CS2 opens, familiarize yourself with the screen and the location of important tool bars.

a. Across the top of the screen you will see the following menu items : File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View, Window and Help

b. Down the left hand side you will see various tools. If you mouse over each tool, it will tell you what the tool is. Click on anyone of these. You will notice that when you do, your cursor changes when you mouse over the picture. A tool/information bar just below the menu also changes.

c. Down the right hand side you will notice a series of small windows. The top one will be navigator, info and histogram window that will have a small version of the picture on it. With the navigator tab chosen, move the slider at the bottom of the small picture. This is how you zoom in and out. Notice how there is a red box on top of the small picture now. You can move that around to see a particular part of the picture when it is zoomed.

d. The second window down the side is the Color, Swatches, Styles toolbar. You can use this do adjust the color if needed.

e. The third window down is where you can see the history of what you have done to edit the photograph.

f. The last window down the side is the Layers, Channels, Path toolbar. You will see a tiny picture of the one that you have pulled up with an eye next to it. It will be marked "Background". If you click on the eye, you will notice that your picture turns to checkers. You will need to click the eye later to turn on and off certain layers that we will create. Make sure the eye is on next to the picture.

Step 5: Go to the menu bar. Choose Image. When the menu comes up, choose Adjustments. Choose Desaturate from the next menu. The picture will turn black and white.

Step 6: Go to the menu bar. Choose Image. When the menu comes up choose Adjustments. Choose Hue/Saturation from the next menu. A dialog box with three slider bars will appear.

Step 7: On the Hue slider bar, drop the cursor from the center to the left until you have a yellow brown color. Adjust as necessary.

Step 8: If the color seems intense in yellow or brown, move the slider on the Saturation bar down until you are happy with the result. Click OK.

Step 9: Click File, Save As, and choose a name for the picture. Congratulations! You have a sepia toned photograph.