How to Make a portrait background black and white in Photoshop

Hey everyone,

In my latest tutorial, I'm walking you through a simple but effective way to tweak the background of a photo using an adjustment layer in Photoshop. We're going to play around with the color and brightness of the background, and I'll even show you a quick tip on cropping to enhance the composition.

First up, I'll guide you through duplicating the background layer to keep our original safe. Then, it's all about selecting our subject cleanly. Photoshop's 'Select Subject' feature really does the heavy lifting here, making it easy to focus on just the background.

With our subject selected, we jump into using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. This tool is where the magic happens, allowing us to dial down the saturation for a subtler background or tweak the lightness to get the vibe just right. Whether you want to darken the backdrop or lighten it up, this step lets you adjust the mood of your photo with just a few clicks.

Cropping is the final touch. It's all about cutting out unnecessary space to make sure the subject shines, adding that professional polish to your photo.

Once done, saving your edited photo is a breeze, and you're left with a visually appealing image where your subject stands out against a perfectly tuned background.

This tutorial is perfect for anyone looking to add a bit of flair to their photos or just wanting to learn more about the power of adjustment layers. It's a straightforward process that can dramatically change the look and feel of your images.

Catch you in the tutorial!

Cheers,

Mr.Camera