This past weekend I ventured back to my hometown for a friend’s wedding. I was anxious to try out my newly acquired tripod, a gift from my photojournalist dad, so I carted it to the wedding. I never thought I was going to be one of those people who brought their tripods to weddings, but I’m so glad I did! Besides a few jokes from friends, everyone enjoyed playing with my camera, plus I was able to get a sweet shot of my sister and her boyfriend. Without the tripod, this shot would have been blurry.
 
I loved this picture of the two of them, but I wasn’t fond of the background. To eliminate some distraction, I created two layers and erased the black and white layer so the color below would come through. This is a simple trick and easy to do in Photoshop Elements.

Here’s how:
• I created a duplicate layer of the picture and then went to Enhance>Adjust Color>Adjust Hue/Saturation>
• I clicked the colorize button and adjusted the saturation to eliminate all color. It makes it appear to be black and white.
• I then made sure I was on the black and white layer, and with my eraser tool, deleted the black and white so the color came through underneath.
 
As you can see in the before and after shots, the black and white background puts the focus on the happy couple. Do you have any photo tips to share? Click here to share your digital tips and tricks in the forum.

Create something. Inspire everyone.
GinaMarie