Home >> Hobbies >> Photography

How to Color Photos With Pastels

Digital technology and advanced photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop CS5 and the consumer version of the program known as "Elements" have changed the way pictures can be edited. Using these programs, you can color your photos with pastels, giving them the appearance of painted pictures. Whether the original picture is a black-and-white or a color image, adding pastels using the "Brush tool" will completely change the appearance of your image.

Instructions

- 1
  Turn your computer on and open up Adobe Photoshop CS5 or Elements on your computer. Click "File" in the navigation bar and select "Open" from the drop-down menu. Use your computer's cursor to navigate to the image you want to colorize. Click the file and the "OK" button located in the bottom right of the window to open the image.
- 2
  Click "Layer" in the navigation bar and select "Background Copy" from the drop-down menu. Click the "Brush Tool" in the margin on the left side of the program window to select this tool.
- 3
  Change the "Mode" setting in the toolbar to "Overlay" and change the "Opacity" setting to the 35 to 45 percent range. This changes the intensity of the color that is being added to the picture.
- 4
  Click the colored boxes in the bottom of the left margin. A color palette will open up in a new window. Use your cursor to select the first pastel color you want to paint with.
- 5
  Click and hold your computer mouse to add the color to the regions of the image you want to paint. When done with this color, select a new color and repeat the process until your picture is completed.
- 6
  Click "Layer" and select "Flatten Image" from the drop-down menu. Give your edited picture a new name and save it to your computer's hard drive.

Photography