In this follow up post to the popular ‘Tilt-shift’ article, I demonstrate how the Nokia N82 and indeed the N95, can be used to create stunning duotone images.

Duotone is the generic name for multi-tone printing, which can be done with two, three or four inks. Perhaps the easiest way to describe a duotone photo, is to say that it’s a black and white image underpinned by one other base colour.

So why Duotone?

The Nokia N82 is a great camera phone, however it does have numerous limitations, one of the most evident is the constrained nature of it’s colour gamut - colours in the highlights are often washed out and colours in the shadows are regularly muddy. Hence, if you have less than perfect lighting conditions you may end up with a rather dry, lifeless image. What can be done about this?

You might consider turning such photos into duotones, the images on this page were all adjusted using Apple’s very own iPhoto, but most decent image editors have the capability to at least fake a duotone.

The key is to look for images in your collection that have striking shapes and textures but don’t have a great deal of colour detail.

It’s surprising how often I’ve discovered a lovely image lurking under the murky surface of dull colours simply by shifting to duotone.

Here’s a challenge for you. Why not go through your photo collection this evening and see if you can restore an N82 or N95 photo, you might find a classic! When you do don’t forget to add it to the N95 and N82 Flickr Groups.

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