Return colors to black and white photo.

Returning colors back to black and white photo in Photoshop is very easy to do, but mant peoples don't know how this can be done. This is a tutorial about basics of returning colors but you can learn a lot from it and it is realy easy to follow. Let's start.
Photo we'll use:

desaturate photo
Step 1

Open the photo in Photoshop first and take the brush tool.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 1
Step 2

Make a new layer, set its mode to color and choose a blue color for the sea. In this 1st layer we will return back the color to the sea.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 2
Step 3

Select a proper size for the brush tool, make it soft and lower the opacity a little bit.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 3
Step 4

Look ath the next image. You should avoid to brush over the boats. Their color should remain white! Look at this small details because they affect the final photo very much and they can make it look not proffestional.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 4
Step 5

When the sea is finish we can continue with the houses. Start with the first house, take the pen tool and start to make paths on a new layer. Also look at the settings I have choosed for my pen tool in next image:

return colors to photo in photoshop image 5
Step 6

After you're done with the path around the house, chose substract from area tool.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 6


Step 7

Now start to make paths around the window, this is because we don't need them in the selection.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 7
Step 8

Now when we're ready click with the mouse and choose to make a selection.return colors to photo in photoshop image 8

--- feather radius: 0

return colors to photo in photoshop image 8 - 2
Step 9

Take the brush tool again, choose a color you like. Don't forget to change the mode of the layer to color.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 9
Step 10

Whe u're ready with that you can select Hue Saturation and play a little bit with the colors. You should do this only while having the selection otherwise it will affect the other area.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 10
Step 11

A good thing is to reverse the selection and try to change a bit the colors of the windows.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 11
Step 12

Importand part here is to make the reflection of the house on the surface of water. Make a new layer and set it's mode to color again. Play with the brush tool again.

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Step 13

Always look about the details, everything must have different color and should look natural. Those timbers need to have brown colors here.

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Step 14

Here what we have until now:

return colors to photo in photoshop image 14
Step 15

Let's make the sky. On new layer choose the proper color and start brushing again.

return colors to photo in photoshop image 15
Final

So following those steps you can continue and return the colors to all houses of this photo. Here what I have at the final:

return colors to photo in photoshop image Final image 16

Thanks for reading this tutorial. I hope you like it and maybe you've learned a lot of useful things here. You can also download my PSD file from the download link and look at what other methods I have used to return the colors to all houses in this photo.

See ya, next time. ;)