How To Create A Duotone Effect In Photoshop

Duotone effects are a great way to give your photos a unique, vintage-inspired look. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a duotone effect in Photoshop. This effect works best on images with a limited number of tones, so it’s best to start with a black-and-white image.

Step 1 – Convert Your Image To Grayscale

The first step is to convert your image to grayscale. To do this, go to Image > Mode > Grayscale. If you’re working with a color image, this will remove all the color from your image and leave you with an all-gray image.

Step 2 – Select The Color Range Tool

Once your image is in grayscale mode, the next step is to select the Color Range tool. You can find this tool by going to Select > Color Range. This tool lets you select a particular range of tones in your image and adjust them.

Step 3 – Select The Lighter Tones

Once you’ve selected the Color Range tool, the next step is to select the lighter tones in your image. Click the “Highlight” button on the Color Range dialog box, and then drag the “Fuzziness” slider until you’ve isolated the lighter tones in your image. This will create a selection of the lighter tones in your image.

Step 4 – Fill The Selection With Your First Color

Now that you’ve created a selection of the lighter tones, the next step is to fill them with your first color. To do this, go to Edit > Fill and choose the color you’d like to use. This will fill the selection with your chosen color, creating the first part of your duotone effect.

Step 5 – Select The Darker Tones

Next, you’ll need to select the darker tones in your image. To do this, go back to the Color Range tool and click the “Shadows” button. Then, drag the “Fuzziness” slider until you’ve isolated the dark tones in your image. This will create a selection of the dark tones in your image.

Step 6 – Fill The Selection With Your Second Color

Once you’ve created a selection of the darker tones, the next step is to fill them with your second color. Again, go to Edit > Fill and choose the color you’d like to use. This will fill the selection with your second color, creating the second part of your duotone effect.

Step 7 – Adjust The Intensity Of Your Duotone

At this point, you should have a duotone effect applied to your image. However, you may find that it needs some adjusting. To do this, go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and adjust the brightness and contrast until you get the desired effect. This will let you adjust the intensity of your duotone effect.

And that’s all there is to it! With just these few simple steps, you can create a stunning duotone effect in Photoshop. Just remember to start with a black-and-white image to get the best results.