[Through comments, it has been discovered that a blue button/pin is desired which retains highlights. The shadow across the center of the orange button in the photograph is the reflection of a person -- that reflection also needs to be retained. The white swoosh, the text, and the tree/lamppost artwork should be removed.]
I am a beginner to photo manipulation. I have been trying to achieve the following two independent tasks using photoshop on the image:
- make the badge white (remove all text and color but retain the metallic finish and the reflection and highlights)
- change just the text
My approach was to separate the photo into luminosity and color layers; which I then believed would be easy enough to achieve the two tasks by just modifying the color layer. It didn't work.
I would like some help in achieving the above two tasks. I have similar images of other badges from other sources that I need to have the same tasks done.
Here is what I was trying to do based on this tutorial. The "Gradient Map 1" is the rasterized luminosity layer. The "Background Copy 2" is the rasterized color layer. I tried making the badge a red or blue color but as you can see, the dark shade or orange remains. Painting with white got me the luminosity layer revealed.
Based on @cockypup's answer, I was able to erase existing text by using the spot healing brush on the luminosity layer.
- My attempt at using the spot heal brush.
Please note that it works good when removing small area like one or two letters. When I try to apply it over the entire surface, it results in loss of highlights, loss of reflection (look near the F of Foto in third row of text) in the image. And I have been unable to get the white or orange area to move. Using a brush as big as the size of the badge doesn't work either.
From what I understand about spot healing brushes, they work based on its surrounding information in the image. What I am trying to achieve is change those very surrounding information.
I apologize as I do not seem to be able to convey exactly what I am trying to achieve. So I am going to focus on just this one thing for now: how to make this image look like it was a full uniform/plain blue. Here is my attempt. I painted blue in the color extract layer, which makes the badge blue, but not uniformly same shade of blue. I would like the entire circular area of the badge to look like the area in 1 while retaining the highlights and reflections.
I would like to be able to take the above image and have it look like this
or this
all the while retaining the reflection, specular highlights and texture of the surface.