How to Create a Duotone Image in Adobe Photoshop

Posted on 17th June 2023

What is a Duotone Image?

A duotone image is a two-toned image, usually consisting of a dark color and a light color. Duotone images were popularized in the early days of printing when color separations were made using two colors of ink. Today, duotone images are often used for their retro or vintage look.

How to Create a Duotone Image in Adobe Photoshop

1. Open your image in Adobe Photoshop.

2. Go to Image > Mode > Duotone.

3. In the Duotone Options window, select the type of duotone you want to create from the drop-down menu. For this tutorial, we’ll be creating a standard duotone.

4. Click on the “Duotone Curve” button to open the Duotone Curve Editor.

5. In the Duotone Curve Editor, click on the “Add” button and select “Dark Color” from the list of colors. Select a dark color for your image from the color picker.

6. Click on the “Add” button again and select “Light Color” from the list of colors. Select a light color for your image from the color picker.

7. Click “OK” to close the Duotone Curve Editor.

8. Click “OK” to close the Duotone Options window.

Your image is now a duotone image!

When you’re ready to create your duotone, open up your image in Photoshop. You’ll want to start with a high-resolution image so that you don’t lose quality when you print it.

To create a duotone, you’ll need to convert your image to grayscale. You can do this by going to Image > Mode > Grayscale. A dialogue box will pop up asking if you want to Discard Color Information. Click OK.

Now that your image is in grayscale mode, you’ll need to adjust the levels. You can do this by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels, or by pressing Command + L (Mac) or Control + L (PC).

A Levels dialogue box will appear. You’ll want to click the Auto button to let Photoshop automatically adjust the levels.

Now it’s time to add your duotone curves. To do this, go to Image > Adjustments > Curves, or press Command + M (Mac) or Control + M (PC).

A Curves dialogue box will appear. You’ll want to click on the drop-down menu and select Duotone.

A Duotone Options dialogue box will appear. You’ll want to select the first color from the drop-down menu and then click on the color swatch to choose your color. I like to use a dark blue or black.

Next, you’ll want to select the second color from the drop-down menu and click on the color swatch to choose your color. I like to use a light blue or white.

Once you’ve selected your colors, you’ll want to click on the OK button.

Your image is now a duotone! If you want to adjust the colors, you can do so by going back to the Curves dialogue box and playing around with the curves.

And that’s it! You now know how to create a duotone image in Adobe Photoshop.

Duotone is a printing process that combines two colors to create a third, unique color. Duotone images are usually made up of a dark color and a light color, but they can also be made with any two colors that you choose. You can create a duotone image in Adobe Photoshop by using the Duotone mode.

To create a duotone image in Photoshop, start by opening the image that you want to convert to duotone. Then, go to Image > Mode > Duotone. In the Duotone Options window, select the color mode that you want to use for your duotone image. You can choose from CMYK, RGB, or Grayscale.

Next, select the two colors that you want to use for your duotone image. You can use the color picker to select the colors, or you can enter the hex code for the colors.

Once you have selected the colors, click on the “Create” button. Photoshop will now convert your image to duotone.

You can adjust the colors of your duotone image by going to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation window, you can adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of each color.

You can also add a gradient map to your duotone image. To do this, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. In the Gradient Map window, select the colors that you want to use for your gradient map. You can also adjust the opacity of the gradient map.

Once you have added the gradient map, you can adjust the colors of your duotone image by going to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation window, you can adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of each color.

You can also add a second gradient map to your duotone image. To do this, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. In the Gradient Map window, select the colors that you want to use for your second gradient map. You can also adjust the opacity of the second gradient map.

Once you have added the second gradient map, you can adjust the colors of your duotone image by going to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation window, you can adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness of each color.

You can also add a levels adjustment layer to your duotone image. To do this, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. In the Levels window, you can adjust the input levels and output levels of your image.

You can also add a curves adjustment layer to your duotone image. To do this, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. In the Curves window, you can adjust the input levels and output levels of your image.

Once you have adjusted the colors of your duotone image, you can save it as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file. To save your image, go to File > Save As. In the Save As window, select the file format that you want to use.