1) Preserve your original file.
If you haven't already done so, go to
Preserve
Your Original File.
2) Create a Background copy layer.
If you haven't already done so, go to
Create a Background Copy Layer.
Indexed Color Mode
Your photograph is in the RGB color mode.
You'll change it to the Indexed color mode.
Whereas the RGB mode has more than 16 million colors, the Indexed
color mode has only 256.
1) Go to File > Duplicate.
This will make a duplicate of your photograph.
2) Make sure the duplicate is selected.
At the top of your screen, you'll see the name of your photograph.
Make sure copy is appended to the name, such as DSC_12345 copy.
Or, check the name of the thumbnail in the photo bin at the bottom
of your screen.
3) Go to Image > Mode > Indexed Color.
You're changing the color mode of the copy, so don't be concerned
about changing the color mode.
4) If there are multiple layers, you'll be prompted to flatten the
layers.
Click OK.
You're flattening the layers of the copy, so don't be concerned about
flattening them.
The Indexed Color window will open.
5) Enter the values below in the Indexed Color window.
If you don't need 256 choices, change the value in the Colors box
to a lower value, such as 64.
| Palette |
Local (Perceptual) |
| Colors |
256 or less |
| Forced |
None |
| Transparency |
Checked |
| Dither |
None |
More about the Indexed Color Window
The following information may be useful in the future, but not for
this tutorial.
Palette Box Choices
In the Palette box, you selected Local (Perceptual).
Go to Indexed Color Window Palette
Choices for descriptions of Local (Perceptual) and the other palette
choices.
Forced Box Choices
In the Forced box, you selected None.
In other situations, you can use the choices in the Forced box to
prevent certain colors from being changed when your photograph is converted
from the RGB mode to the Indexed Color mode.
Next
6) Go to Image > Mode > Color Table.
The Color Table window will open.
7) Go to Window > Info.
In the Color Table window, place the cursor on the color that you
want to use.
Write down the RGB values that appear in the Info panel (Info palette).
Skin Tone Color Swatches
If you need a color swatches for retouching, c
Other Ways
You can use the websites below to create color palettes.
Color Hunter
Color Palette Generator
Jeff Minard
Color Palette Generator
degraeve.com
colr.org
Palette Generator
pic2color
Stop?
You can stop here.
You probably don't need to save the color table.
If you close it, and need it again, go to Image > Mode > Color Table.
If you do want to save the color table, read on.
Otherwise, jump to Posterization.
Saving the Color Table
7) To save the color table, Click Save.
8) The Save window appears.
• Use the Save in box to browse to the the Presets folder.
Windows
Go to My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista & Windows 7), and use
the path below.
If you can't find the folders below on your computer, go to
Hidden Files &
Folders.
C: > Program Files > Adobe > Photoshop Elements
> Presets
Mac
Open Finder, and navigate using this path:
Applications > Adobe Photoshop Elements > Presets
Everyone
• Right click inside the Save window, and select New > Folder.
Create a new folder called Color Tables.
• At the bottom of the Save window, enter a name for the color table.
• Click Save.
The Save window will disappear.
The color table has been saved in the Color Tables folder.
9) The Color Table window is still open.
Click OK.
10) Open the Color Swatches panel (Color Swatches palette) in the palette bin by clicking
the triangular icon.
If it isn't present, go to Window > Color
Swatches.
11) Click More at the top of the Color Swatches palette.
12) Click Replace Swatches.
13) At the bottom of the Load window, change the file type from .aco
to .act.
14) Select the color table you created.
15) Click Load.
The color table will open in the Color Swatches palette.
16) Close and don't save the copy of the original photograph.
17) Return to the original photograph and use the colors in your
custom color swatch.
Save Using the Color Swatch Extension
Above, you made a new Presets folder called Color Tables.
You saved the color table to this folder.
The color table file has the extension .act.
You can save the file in the Color Swatches folder in Presets.
This may be a more easily accessible location.
You must rename the file with the color swatch file extension of
.aco.
You can't create the file with the .aco extension, but you can rename
it later.
The new color table won't appear in the Color Swatches palette menu
until you restart Photoshop Elements.
You can use a the Indexed Color mode to create a posterization effect.
There are two methods.
Method #1
This method reduces the existing colors in the photograph.
1) Go to File > Duplicate.
This will make a duplicate of your photograph.
2) Make sure the duplicate is selected.
3) Go to Image > Indexed Color.
4) If there are multiple layers, you'll be prompted to flatten the
layers.
Click OK.
5) Enter the values below in the Indexed Color window.
In the Colors box, experiment with small values.
| Palette |
Local (Perceptual) |
| Colors |
Experiment with the Quantity |
| Forced |
None |
| Transparency |
Checked |
| Dither |
None |
In the example below, the photograph was reduced to six colors.
6) Save your photograph using the GIF format instead of JPEG.
Method #2
In this method, you replace the colors of the photograph with colors
of your choice.
This writer doesn't understand how Photoshop Elements applies your
color choices to the existing colors.
Experiment.
1) Go to File > Duplicate.
This will make a duplicate of your photograph.
2) Make sure the duplicate is selected.
3) Go to Image > Indexed Color.
4) If there are multiple layers, you'll be prompted to flatten the
layers.
Click OK.
The Indexed Color window will open.
5) Change the quantity in the Colors box to 7.
| Palette |
Local (Perceptual) |
| Colors |
7 |
| Forced |
Custom |
| Transparency |
Checked |
| Dither |
None |
6) In the Forced box, select Custom instead of None.
The Forced Colors window will open.
If the Forced Colors window doesn't appear, switch from Custom to
None, and then reselect Custom.
7) Click on the first dotted square to open the Color Picker.
Choose a color, and go on to the next dotted square.
Picking a color for six of the squares.
Six is the minimum number of colors.
Photoshop Elements will add white.
8) Click OK in the Forced Colors window.
9) Click OK in the Indexed Color window.
10) Save your photograph using the GIF format instead of JPEG.
Eyedropper Icon
There's an eyedropper icon in the Color Table window.
There are two uses.
Locate a Color
If you click the eyedropper icon in the Color Table window, and click
a color in the table, the color becomes transparent in your photograph.
You can easily see where each color is located.
Click the color again to restore the color.
Use the Transparency
You could make a color transparent, and then place a layer under
the photograph.
The new layer will appear where the color (that you made transparent)
used to be located.
Saving the Photograph
If you haven't already done so, go to
Saving Files.
