photoshop help

[JDeMoss]

I have a glass project that is really cool, but I need some help. I want to do a sculpture that consists of 10,000 pieces of glass. But I need some help figuring out photo shop in order to do it.

I need to take a photo and make it completely black and white. When I do it now, it actually has like 15 different shades of gray as well as the black and white. I need to make the pixels only black or white. All of the shading would be done with the black and white pixels.

I also need to figure out how to take a colored photo and make it into a photo with only a handful of pixel colors instead of the billion that a photo normally has on photo shop. Four or five would be great.

It is probably relatively easy to do this stuff for someone that isn't computer illiterate. Unfortunately, that is not me.

Thanks

[Hels]

Hi Jesse.

Depending on which version you have, and HOW you want the b/w conversion (greyscale or B/W 2-tone?)...

For BW, in CS3, it should be in Image > Black and White for BW
And Image > Desaturate for Greyscale

Another way to do it is to change the "Mode" (also in Image) to Greyscale)

There's a few other ways to do it also, but the above should suffice.

If your version of Photoshop does not put these functions in the same place I listed,
do a search in the Help Files for Desaturate and Black White Conversion, or Mode - Change. Any of those 3 will get you closer I think.

Good luck.

[Ellen Haskell]

What are you going to do with the pictures once you have worked on them? The reason I ask, is it will make it easier to tell you how to accomplish what you want done.

Another way to eliminate all the color is to make duotones or tritones, etc. I'm a photoshop whiz, so if you would like to pm me, I could help you a little better.

[Mandra]

Hi Jess!
First, forgive me my English but I will try to help you anyway
1. Black and white pixels based image. Usually I do it in two steps. Image>Mode>Grayscale and then Image>Mode>Bitmap. The result is exactly you are looking for. There are few another ways to get this. For example, if you are not worry about details in shadows you can use Image>Adjustment>Threshold function.
2. As for 5 colors based image. Do next Image>Mode>Indexed Color. In the Indexed Color dialog box set
Palette: Local (Perceptual or Adaptive)
Colors: 5
Forced: None (or Black and White)
the Transparency box must be unchecked
Dither: None (sure you can play with Diffusion Pattern or Noise, the result will be slightly different)
Original image

B&W

5 color based image (Dither: None)

5 color based image (Dither: Diffusion 75%)


Good Luck
Andrey

[Hayley]

Andrey - that's great information and examples! Thank you so much. Your English is PERFECT!!!

[JDeMoss]

Awesome, that is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks.

When I get done with the project I'll show everyone, but it will probably take a long time.

Thanks again everyone.

Jesse

[Mandra]

You are welcome!