This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Adding color and depth blur
You can use Neural Filters to colorize black-and-white images and add depth blur.
In Bridge, double-click the 15Colorize.psd file to open it in Photoshop. If the Embedded Profile Mismatch dialog box appears, click OK.
Save the document as 15Colorize_Working.psd in the Lesson15 folder.
Choose Filter > Neural Filters.
In the filters list, scroll down to the Color category, and click the toggle switch next to the Colorize filter to enable it. Make sure Auto Color Image is selected.
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The Colorize filter applies assumed colors to objects and regions it recognizes, such as the leaves on the tree and the boy’s skin and clothing. If you disagree with a color choice Colorize made (for example, if the shirt is not all the same color), you can apply custom colors to specific areas.
In the preview image on the right, click to add a new color focal point over an area you want to change, and set its color using the color picker below the image. Repeat for other areas where you want to change the color.
In the Photography category in the filters list, click the toggle switch next to the Depth Blur filter to enable it (download it if needed).
Adjust filter options as needed until you like the result. We disabled the Focus Subject option because it included part of the tree, and we set our Focal Range to 40 so that more of the bicycle remains in focus.
You’ve brought this image back to life! For Output, choose Smart Filter, and then click OK to exit Neural Filters. Close the document, saving your changes.
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About Output options in Neural Filters
A Neural Filter may provide several options for applying filter results to the document, in the Output menu. The number of options you see may be different than in the figure below, depending on which filter and filter options are selected. Your choice affects the amount of editing flexibility you have later.
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Current Layer applies the result to the selected layer. This permanently alters the original layer. The only way to back out of it is to undo it before you close and save the document. We recommend using one of the following options instead, because they leave the current layer intact.
New Layer applies the result to a full copy of the selected layer, leaving that original unchanged.
New Layer Masked applies the result to a copy of the selected layer with the changed areas showing through a layer mask. This helps ensure that areas of the image that were not supposed to be changed remain as they are on the original layer.
Smart Filter applies the result to a Smart Object created from the selected layer. You can edit the filter settings later by double-clicking that layer’s Neural Filters instance in the Layers panel.
New Document applies the result to a duplicate document containing the filter results on one layer.
The choice you make can depend on the balance you want between flexibility and file size. Additional layers and Smart Objects provide more editing freedom, but tend to create larger file sizes.
When you make multiple edits within a filter, such as changing multiple faces differently in a group portrait, all changes are included in the output. For example, if you apply Smart Portrait and Style Transfer to the same layer, all of those results are applied to a single layer or Smart Filter.
Neural Filters might not produce perfect results right away. By applying Neural Filters results as a separate masked layer, you can freely blend them with the original layer to achieve a more convincing result, while still saving many steps compared to traditional, more labor-intensive methods.