Hallo. 9th of May. This is a great day for our country and not only ours. This is a great victory day over the fascism. This is why I've decided to make this tutorial. This is going to be a color fill tutorial, specking in other words we will take a black and white picture and add color to it.

So let's go.

Here is our picture. This is a well known shot that is called red flag over the Reichstag and it was made by a Russian photographer.

Create a new layer to begin to paint on.



But firs change the image mode from grayscale to RGB or CMYK.

Click image to expand.

Before begin to color my image I've decided to apply a gradient map (adjustments layer).







Set this very gradient map layer to linear burn blending mode.



We got this sepia look to our picture. Now another goal here is to show that our picture is Old with all the scratches and so on.

Now let's work over some tones and value.

Grab an eraser and erase a little bit of our gradient map layer. I've chosen this brush with torn edges, you could use and ripped edges brush to do this.

Click image to expand.

Click image to expand.

Note to switch directly on the mask and not on the map itself.


Here you can see how I've done my erasing. I've erased the part near the top right corner that means that the light will come from over there. This will be our lightest point, somewhere over there.

Click image to expand.

The details should be painted in the last part of the work, but I've decided to set a little bit of lighting on my character.



I also like to create another adjustment color balance layer.



I will let's say erase the part of my adjustment by using black to white gradient. Note to stay on the mask.

Click image to expand.

I also want to get rid of my adjustment a little bit more, go to the Channels box, choose COLOR BALLNCE (mask) and work a little bit with brushes.

Click image to expand.

Click image to expand.

Now I don't now why but I like to pant some fog spreading through the city.



Choose COLOR as the mode to your brush. Create a new layer (FOGY).

And begin to paint the fog. I'm also using a ripped edged one.











And some color to the fog and for and the image corner area. Use soft low flow brush.





Now I will ad some color to the uniforms of the soldiers. I don't really sure that they were green. But I want them to be green.
brush here, setting the flow to about 30 – 50 % (depending on the tablet you use), setting the color mode to COLOR and toggling it to normal some times.



Enjoy.