Use the Lasso Tool to Add Small Areas of Color Pop

Remember my lady bug picture from my brier nature walk with my husband? Well, today I am going to show you how to create small areas of color pop on an image by using the Lasso tool and using Hue and Saturation to intensify the color.

Photoshop users this tutorial works perfectly for you also!

Here is the image SOOC:

My edits BEFORE the color pop layer:

• Levels adjustment, pulling in the black and white sliders a good bit
• I added two Florabella textures, set to different blend modes
• Added layer masks to the texture layers and brushed off in areas with the masks and black brush
• Gave it a slight vignette

Now, onto the color pop…

Grab your Lasso tool and set to an appropriate feather. What the heck is a feather? That is what is going to help blend your change into the area around the selection you make.

• If you are selecting a small area,  you can use a smaller feather.
• If you are selecting a larger area, you choose a larger feather.
• Want the area very defined, not much blending? Use a small feather for a large area.

I used a feather of like 10 and lassoed the lady bug (see image above), then did a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. I went to the Red channel and pulled it to the left, which increases reds and magentas. I also increased the saturation and reduced the lightness. I wanted the area I selected more red, more saturated and darker and that is the result I got.

Look in the layer screen print below and to the “Bring out RED” layer, you can see the area of the bug, it is a black mask with just a small white area. If you have another areas you want to pop with that same change  you can use a white brush and brush it on those areas. For instance, if there was another lady bug, I could use a white brush and brush over that one to bring out the enhanced red color.

What are the other layers in there and why? I made the leaves a little more green with the same lasso & hue/saturation trick. Then I added a B&W gradient map, pulled down low to desaturate the image some, but brushing OFF of the lady bug because I wanted her (yes, it could be a him, but I’m going with a her) to be nice a red.

I brightened the image with a screen layer and brushed off the lady bug so she would stay darker, then flattened and saved.

Note: Not getting the results  you want with Hue and Saturation adjustment layer? Use Levels and go into the color channels and tweak that way.

Here is a comparison of the SOOC image and the edit:

Because I paid a tidy sum for the video program (Camtasia) and I’m a little addicted to doing them, as usual, I made a video tutorial showing how to do the steps I listed above. If you watch and think that the bring out greens layer did nothing, you’re partly right. LOL No, it did help make the greens more vibrant before I desaturated them.

Good Golly, I am not making any sense today am I? I actually am writing this tutorial on very little sleep Monday night and have it schedule to post Tuesday morning, so blame it on my sleep deprivation.