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This tutorial demonstrates the art of colour-popping. Colour-popping highlights certain areas of photographs by painting away colour (using the Paint Brush tool), and is often utilised in advertising to add drama and impact to imagery and video frames.
This lesson is for Beginners +; therefore, I am demonstrating the technique utilising a relatively simple image, however, with practise, colour-popping can be implemented to create complex artwork.
Beginner Tutorials!
Understanding Layers
1/
To work along, you are welcome to download the kitten image Here. Unzip the file and open the image onto Paint Shop Pro’s workspace, then extend the image’s grey workspace by left-clicking and dragging out one of its corners.
2/ Important Step
Now, set the Foreground and Background colours to the following Black and White.
Colour Palette For Beginners
Materials Palette For Beginners
 
3/ Paint Shop Pro 7 Only - Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X + Proceed To Chapter 4 Here
From the top menu, choose Layers then choose New Raster Layer. Click OK to the subsequent dialogue box, accepting the default settings. Then (from the Layer Palette), click open the following black triangle; and from the subsequent drop-down list, change the new layer’s Blend Mode from Normal to Colour, by clicking a tick before Colour.
4/ All Versions
From the left-side Tools Toolbar, activate the Paint Brush Tool.
 
Then enter the following attributes into the Tool’s Options Palette or Ribbon.
Paint Shop Pro 7
Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI + Important
Make sure the Blend Mode is changed to Colour.
5/
Now the preparation is complete, it is time to paint over your image - subsequently removing areas of colour.
Therefore, hover your cursor over your image, and left-click and hold. Then begin painting by moving your cursor from left to right. You will notice the Paint Brush has removed your photograph’s colour. This is because the Foreground and Background colours have been changed to Solid Black and Solid White, and (depending on your version), the Layer’s or Paint Brush’s Blend Mode - has been changed from Normal to Colour.
Now, carefully paint around your image, avoiding the areas you want to remain colour, (for example, the kitten’s eyes) - until you have removed most of the colour - as illustrated below.
Correct Errors
If you make an error, (from the upper menu bar), click the following Undo arrow.
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And go back a step or two, and reapply the Paint Brush.
Tip
If you release the left-mouse button regularly, errors can be very quickly corrected by clicking the Undo arrow as soon as you notice them.
Keep applying the brush around the outside of the image, avoiding the eyes.
6/ Precision Work
Then from the Tool Options Palette or Ribbon, Paint Shop Pro 7 - alter your Brush settings to the following. You are altering just the Hardness and Size settings; producing a smaller, harder brush tip.
Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI +
Activate the following Smaller and Harder brush tip (+ Round 10) then click OK.
Note
A harder brush tip produces much less feathering than a soft brush tip.
Tip
You will find this much easier if you Zoom into your image.
 
After activating your Zoom tool, left-click your image to Zoom in, and right-click it to Zoom out. Remember to reactivate the Paint Brush tool.
7/ All Versions
Now, very slowly and carefully, paint away the colour close to the eyes, remembering to click the Undo arrow as soon as you notice a mistake.
Continue to remove the colour close to the kitten’s eyes, then carefully inspect your image; ensuring all specks of colour have been removed. When you have completed this, you are ready for the next step.
8/
Now, to add extra impact, I am going to intensify the eyes’ colour. Therefore, Paint Shop Pro 7 only, from the top menu, choose Layers then choose Merge All (Flatten).
9/ All Versions
From the left-side Tools Toolbar, Paint Shop Pro 7, activate the Retouch Tool.
And enter the following Saturation Up settings into its Tool Options Palette.
And Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI +, from the left-side Tools Toolbar, activate the following Saturation Up/Down tool.
And enter the following attributes into the Tool Options Ribbon.
10/
Now, all versions, left-click over an eye; and keeping the mouse button pressed; slowly move your cursor in a small circular movement. This intensifies (saturates) the kitten’s
eye. After you have applied one layer of colour, release the mouse button, then left-click and apply more colour, if needed. It is better to build the saturation slowly - therefore, keep an eye on your progress. If you apply too much saturation, click the Undo arrow, to remove your last application.
After you have completed the right-side eye, left-click and saturate the left-side eye.
Balance the overall effect by working between the Paint Brush tool to remove colour, and the Saturation Up tool to add colour, and when you have completed this, your work is complete and ready to save.
Note
Whilst you cannot overdo the removing colour (desaturation) step, you can overdo the saturation; therefore, be very careful not to leave your image over saturated, unless of course, that is your intention.
Tip
For added impact, add a Sharpening Filter. To do this, Paint Shop Pro 7, from the top menu, choose Effects then choose Sharpen. Paint Shop pro 8 9 X +, choose Adjust then choose Sharpness then choose a Sharpen filter. To protect the eyes from being over sharpened, isolate (mask), them with a selection marquee before applying the Sharpening filter. To isolate both eyes with a marquee, isolate one, then press and hold the Shift key whilst isolating the second. Then Invert the selection - Selections then Invert.
A good tool for this is the Freehand Selection Tool.
Have fun colour-popping your images; being as subtle, or as daring as you like - however; remember, sometimes, less can be more.
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