I wanted to share a selfie of Jynx from Neko Ngeru Cat Cafe cafe. His photograph is black and white with a touch of fascinating colour for added fun. If you have a simple portrait of your own it will be perfect for this very short and simple tutorial.
If you are using a coloured digital photograph, remember you can turn it black and white using your app or computer software. The fun part is auditioning yur photographs to see which one you like best. Just keep it simple.
CAT CAFE UPDATE: The Cat Cafe hopes to be re-open in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, towards the middle of 2023.
Jynx The Tabby Cat Model
Jynx is a lovely tabby and white cat who settled into my local cat cafe’s environment quickly and made plenty of friends. He also posed very well for a cat.
I managed to get plenty of cute photos as Jynx settled in but wanted to show you this one because it is black and white, and also in portrait format. Holding a DSLR camera upright is not the natural way for you to hold a camera (try it and see, it feels a bit weird), but this can give you a different look for your cat photo. It’s a bit easier for a smartphone, so try that if it feels more comfortable for you as a camera user.
How To Add Green Eye Colour
Most photo apps and programs have something called a Lasoo or Freehand Selection Tool and this is the tool you use to create this effect. Your program might have a different name and you can usually find it by checking your manual or doing an online search.
- Duplicate your photo as a second layer**
- To make sure I defined Jynx’s eyes accurately I zoomed close (Cmd/Ctrl -/+) so that the eyes filled the screen.
- I used the Lasoo to outline the eye shape as carefully as I could
- Then I selected the Fill (Flood) tool to fill the boundary of the area I had drawn.
You may need to try it a few times if you have not done this before but keep trying and be amazed by the fun effect you get.
Why didn’t I crop the photo?
A good question. This is a portrait format photograph which is a little bit different from the standard rectangle people often find comfortable to use. And because I like it as it is, really. There is lots of space around and above Jynx. I think, personally, that the image might have looked odd had he been looking off to one side or directly at the camera but, because he is looking slightly upwards, for me the photograph works.
Duplicating a Photo:
Most software has several ways for you to duplicate an image. For a quick exploration using this project use something quick and easy.
- Affinity Photo: Highlight the image > right-click > select Duplicate
- Photoshop: Super quick: Ctrl-C > Ctrl-V
I love it. With it being B&W, and color for the eyes, they really pop! Makes it a really cool portrait. And Jynx is beautiful and this style of edit really enhances his beauty. Pinning this to share with others!
I love the effect of a monochromatic photo with a color accent. Looks so powerful, doesn’t it?
Wow, I can’t believe his eyes are edited in this photo, his green eyes look so natural! I’m amazed you were able to draw the green so carefully without messing up the dark pupil area. Stunning photo!
Now, I think I should be able to get to that same kind of change…I hope! Might be a good way to fix those laser or red eyes if the rest of the picture is good.
What a beautiful photo and a lovely technique, Marjorie! I’ll have to try it for Henry. You always make everything look so easy. But I will try this one. It might look really nice on a Christmas card. 🤔
I love black and white photos, they are so dramatic, adding the green eyes just adds more drama, amazing
Gorgeous photo, I love the way the green eyes look!
I do love those green eyes. Thanks for joining our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
I love adding color to a black and white photo! Many times, I find a photo of the girls where the color is off, so I change it to black and white. I try to add green to fill in their eyes. Love the result
It is a simple but very effective technique for making a photograph look amazing isn’t it?
That’s a beautiful photo Marjorie. Jynx has a very expressive face. I wouldn’t have cropped the shot either. Adding the color to his eyes really makes it stunning.
Thank you.
You did a great job! I’m glad you didn’t crop it, I like the way it is too. I also love that you made the watermark the same shade of green.
Thank you!
Love the way this effect looks! I was never really sure what that lasso tool was for.
If you are lucky enough to have a digital tablet. I suspect you can do amazingly detailed work.
I really like the photo with those green eyes. Great touch!
Wow, you did a great job! His beautiful green eyes look totally natural, you can’t tell at all that the photo’s been edited. I love it.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
All magic smoke and mirrors! Your photo app can do it too!
Wow! How did you do that with a lasoo, and still make those lovely eyes look so real?
When I ‘color’, there is no shading, the color I choose is the same for the whole section I choose.
Jynx is so handsome!
That’s totally stunning!
Purrs xx
Athena and Marie
That’s really outstanding.
That really makes those gorgeous eyes stand out. XO
Such a magical example of the colorful eyes!
We like this photo a lot, Marjorie! It’s so dramatic, and really makes handsome Jynx’s eyes stand out.
What a handsome boy. I love that you showed his eye color, it really pops in the B&W photo.
With or without the added colour, the image is a delight. But the colour adds an extra dimension that makes it even more appealing. Bravo!
This was something that the Victorians did to a lot of their images too, to great, and occasionally not so great effect. Thank goodness for camera tech!
Purrs
ERin