Computersight -

Two toned: Greyscale background; colored foreground

 For this tutorial, we used a freeware program called photo filtre, which is available for download here:

 If you already have experience in photo editing programs such as photoshop or PSP, then this is nothing for you. If you’ve never done any sort of photo retouching, this will show you how.

 After opening your photo of choice, crop it down to a size you can work with. Larger photos take longer. Make sure that your photo isn’t too noisy; meaning it should be free from blur or “grainy” looks. Try to avoid “snapshots”, photos that just appear to be random snaps.

 The picture should be easy to choose a background and a subject.

Step One

 The cat in the photo is our “focal point”; our eyes are naturally drawn to the main subject. Click the selection tool from the menu, and begin to “outline” the cat, being careful not to make your lines too messy.

Step Two

Bring your lines as close to your subject as possible! You’re not going to want too much extra stuff in the finished product. Don’t worry about outlining every precise detail such as hair. You can fine tune everything in the end.

Step Three

 After you have selected your subject, click the invert tool to select the background. This will make sure that you’re not going to mess up your subject.

 Putting a “blur” or “soften” on the background makes the photo “pop” more, bringing more interest to the finished product.

 Step Four

Now, click the greyscale button. This will turn the selected part (the background) grey, making your subject more noticeable.

 There are other things you can do as well; play with contrasting, blur more, reinforce, or even choose another color for your background.

 Step Five

Zoom and Magnify to see the close details. Use the precise blur and smudge tool to “smooth” out the edges, getting the last few bits of color out.

There are other things you can do to your photo as well. The filter menu has a lot of options.

 You can also add text, gradient effects, and clone with other photos. Be sure to save by clicking the floppy disk icon, and you’re done!