PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour

Students use coloured pencils or markers to colour a colouring page, then use it as a guide to use Photoshop to match and add colour to the same digital image.

Required Time

150 Minutes

Grade Level

Grade 6 to Grade 10

Subject

Art Techniques
Visual Arts
Media Literacy

Vocabulary

brightness digital image hue photo editing saturation

Materials

Crayola Coloured Pencils - 24 Count Crayola Fine Line Markers - 24 Count Digital Image - Downloads Photoshop

Shop Crayola Products

Steps

PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step One

Step One

  1. Choose the image you want to work with. (Downloads -Adding1_Colour.pdf; Adding2_Colour.pdf; Adding3_Colour.pdf; Adding4_Colour.pdf)
  2. Use coloured pencils or markers to colour it.
  3. These will be the colours you will work with in Photoshop.
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Two

Step Two

  1. Choose File > Open to open a Photoshop document.
  2. Select the same file as you just finished colouring, for example, Digital_Adding_Colour1.pdf.
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Three

Step Three

  1. Click on the Set Foreground Colour (colour picker) in the toolbar to change the foreground colour.
  2. Use the colour picker to pick a colour that is as close as possible to your hand coloured drawing for the Hue, Saturation and Brightness. In this case we have selected a green tone.  
  3. Click on the slider bar to move the green tone to your desired HSB. You will see the numbers change as you make this change.  
  4. Once you are happy with the colour, click OK.

 

PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Four

Step Four

  1. Choose the Paint Bucket tool from the tool bar. When you attempt to fill in the area a warning message will appear asking you if you want to rasterize the image. Rasterizing is the process of turning vectors, or text layers, or layer effects, or any other kind of graphics, into a simple bitmap image made of pixels. 
  2. Click OK.
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Five

Step Five

  1. Confirm that the following boxes in the top menu are set as follows:
    Mode - Normal
    Tolerance - 40
    Anti-alias - checked
    Contiguous - checked
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Six

Step Six

  1. Click on the Background layer found on the right of your screen.
  2. Go to Edit > Duplicate to make a background copy
  3. Make sure you work on the Background Copy and do not make changes to the original just in case you need to go back to it.

 

PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Seven

Step Seven

  1. Choose the Paint Bucket tool from the tool bar menu.
  2. Place the bucket inside the area you want to fill with colour, and click the mouse.
  3. Colour will fill the area inside the outline of the shape.
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Eight

Step Eight

  1. Click on File > Save As and save your document as yourname_PS_colouring.jpg
PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Nine

Step Nine

  1. Click on the Set Foreground Color in the toolbar to change the foreground colour.
  2. Use the colour picker to pick a color for the HSB Colour.
  3. Use your slider to get the colour as close as possible to the colour you used in your hand coloured colouring page.
  4. When you are satisfied with the colour, click OK.

 

PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Ten

Step Ten

  1. Choose the Paint Bucket tool from the tool bar.
  2. Place the bucket over each area of the Ferris wheel you want to fill with that colour, and click the mouse.
  3. Colour will fill the areas inside the outline of each shape.
  4. Click on File > Save to save your changes. 

 

PHOTOSHOP BASICS – Adding Colour - Step Eleven

Step Eleven

  1. Repeat these steps until the image is completely filled with colour.
  2. Try your best to match the HSB on your digital image as closely as possible to your hand coloured image.
  3. Remember to click on File > Save to save your document after each change you make to it. 
  4. Check to be sure you have completed all the steps and do one final save. 

Learning Goals

Student will be able to:

  • add several colours to one digital image;
  • match colours used in a hand coloured colouring page image with colours created in Photoshop;
  • open a Photoshop file;
  • save a Photoshop file;
  • use the Foreground/ Background tool, Colour Picker Tool and Paint Bucket tool from the Photoshop tool bar.

Extensions

Have students:

  • create and scan their own line drawing - see the lesson plan Compare and Contrast Colour Schemes available on this website;
  • colour several versions of it in Photoshop;
  • compare and contrast the results.

Prepare

  1. Prior to the lesson:
    - Introduce students to Photoshop and what it can be used to do, the basic screen layout, and the icons found in the Photoshop toolbar.
    - Have students familiarize themselves with the school computers.
  2. Pre-load the Digital_Adding_Colour.pdf files onto the computers.
  3. Pre-load the 3 colouring page Adding_Colour.pdfs onto the computer so students can select and print the one of their choice, OR print copies of each image ahead of time.
  4. Download the Colour poster available on this website,
  5. Gather images from the Internet that show colour manipulation, for example,
    Helicopter
    Monument
    Landscape
    Contrast

Introduction

  1. Show students several examples of how colour has been digitally manipulated.
  2. Have a class discussion based on the examples, e.g., likes, dislikes, simplicity, complexity, shading, colour choice, etc.
  3. View the Colour Picker window as a class and discuss how it is used, 
    - What are Hue, Saturation and Brightness?
    - How can they be changed in Photoshop?
    - Why are Hue, Saturation and Brightness important in an image? 
  4. Discuss how Hue, Saturation and Brightness are being changed with their own photos through apps found on their personal devices such as Instagram and Snapchat, for example,
    - Look at the editing features found in Photos & Camera on your personal device. How can you change the HSB?
    - Look at the editing features found in Instagram. How can you change the HSB?
    - Look at, or research apps like Snapseed. Have students download it and discuss HSB changes.
  5. Ask students to look through their personal device for the best picture they have shot, then have them change the Hue, Saturation and or Brightness. 
    - Is their photo better or worse?
    - What do they see that makes them say that?
  6. Introduce the challenge.

Activities

The Challenge

  1. Add several colours to one digital image.
  2. Match colours used in a hand coloured colouring page image with colours created in Photoshop.
  3. Open a Photoshop file.
  4. Save a Photoshop file.
  5. Use the Foreground/ Background tool, Colour Picker Tool and Paint Bucket tool from the Photoshop tool bar.

The Process

  1. Ensure that everyone understands the challenge.
  2. Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
    - Colours in digital image match colours in hand coloured colouring page.
    - Digital image is completely coloured.
    - Digital image is saved throughout the process, and upon completion.
    - Self-assessment sheet is fully completed with thoughtful answers.
  3. Have students select and colour a colouring page.
  4. Review the Photoshop tool bar icons specifically the Paint Bucket, Foreground/ Background Colour and Colour Picker
  5. Demonstrate how to open the file in Photoshop.
  6. Demonstrate how to save the file in Photoshop as well as what to name it. (yourname_PS_colouring.jpg)
  7. Observe students as they work.
  8. Provide individual assistance and encouragement.

Sharing

  1. Once the work is complete ask students to share it in small groups.
    Ask them to:
    - Look closely at the hand coloured image as well as the PS image and determine whether they are a colour match.
    - Determine whether the individual followed the step-by-step instructions accurately.
    - Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of colouring with a computer vs. by hand.
    - Talk about what was difficult about hand colouring an image and then replicating it digitally.
  2. Ask some of the students to share both of their images with the class.
  3. Display the images in and around the classroom and school so students can view them as a body of work throughout the next few weeks.

Assessment

  1. Observe students as they work – attention to detail, transfer of knowledge from lesson to activity, collaboration with classmates
  2. Observe students as they discuss their work – active listening, insightful contributions, supporting ideas with evidence found in the work and from personal experience.
  3. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads – Photoshop-Adding_Colour_tracking.pdf)
  4. Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads – Photoshop-Adding_Colour_self-assessment.pdf)

Downloads

Similar Lessons

GRAPHIC DESIGN – Semiotics, Symbol, Icon

COMPARE AND CONTRAST COLOUR SCHEMES – Colour Relationships

IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND – Emotions, Feelings, Line, Colour