annmariedwyer aka ‘Red’ left this comment on my Rosebud post:
*Idly hopes sepia is in the future* and here it is.
I use sepia toning infrequently and sparingly. I see too many images that IMHO should not have been sepia toned or that have been toned poorly. Sepia toning, when done properly on carefully selected images can be lovely. Thanks for the nudge Red, I like the way the sepia version of my rosebud turned out.
How did I do this sepia toning? I used Picture Window Pro 5.0 (PWP).
ADDENDUM
I’m adding this information quoted from the PWP user manual. It describes the tint transformation using a sepia photo as an example.
“The tonality scale in a sepia photograph goes from black to a sepia color to white. We already have the black and white end points. We just need to create an intermediate sepia point. To create a new point, place the mouse cursor in the center of the range, hold down the shift key and click the left mouse button. A new point is created. Notice that it is assigned the number 2 while the end point is now number 3.
The new point 2 must be set to a sepia color. To set it, double click on the 2. The Color Picker is displayed. Select the sepia color you want. Lighter tones are generally preferable to darker ones because they preserve the most contrast. “
I’ve tried converting B&W to sepia using other photo editors and found the process tedious and not nearly as powerful as the tint transform in PWP. By setting the new point to the midpoint, you are operating on the mid-tones of the image. The black point and the white point remain unchanged. There is also a percentage slider that you set for how strong you want the sepia toning to be. Most of the time, I set that percentage low for a subtle effect. This time I tried three different settings before I decided that 100% worked well with this image. 100% not only tones the image, it darkens the midtones as well, affecting the midtones the most while maintaining the gradual transition from black, through sepia to white.
Oh, wow, John! This is so different and such different emotion and balance. It has a wistful quality to it.
The glow on the petals is muted, so its statement is more a whisper than the monochrome’s declaration. The leaves’ contrast makes them appear to be emulating thorns. The nearly black accents at the mouth of the bud and on the fore petal are reminiscent of tears. And the focal loss on the left petal is far softer.
This one just whispers, but beckons you to listen. Just beautiful.
Thank you for indulging me.
Red.
Thank you for turning my mind in a new direction Red. This was fun and I agree, the rosebud takes on a whole new dimension. Yes, Red, this version is quieter and whispers. Glad you talked me into this.
John
John, playing with Sepia can be amazing, this is so delicate. Try warming and intensifying the sepia in Picasa to remove the white –and see what happens. I love sepia!
Thanks for the suggestion Raymond. I added an addendum to the post that explains the process I used and why in more detail.
Funny thing about your post. I’ve seen tons of sepia images and never really cared for them, probably for the reasons you suggest.
This, on the other hand, is quite spectacular. The delicate veins are subtle, yet nicely detailed. The bud gently emerges from the background, so it stands quietly proud.
I’m going to research this topic a bit more. Thank you and thanks to annmarie for suggesting!
Thanks Wayne. I find that PWP works well on a B&W image. The transformation from B&W to sepia maintains the monochrome character of that image. I added an addendum to the post. You might want to read through the PWP manual. It’s available as a free pdf download from their web site. http://www.dl-c.com/