I was asked to create a color eFlyer, which would’ve been emailed to people who signed up for our customer database. So, I made this (click on the thumbnail to see a full-size version):

And I thought was project was over. Finito. Ended. Tapos na. But then, oops! We aren’t distributing this via email! We’re printing it out as a flyer!

Do’h! Unexpected changes are a part of a graphic designer’s life (though having clear project requirements is a big help). But what made things a bit difficult was that we were using a RISO printer to produce the flyers. Which meant I only had two colors to work with: black and white. No grays, just black and white.

So how did I convert the original eFlyer, with its different colors and photographs, into something suitable for a two-color production?

Good thing I knew how to use Photoshop’s Find Edges filter. It may be a straightforward function located at Filter > Stylize > Find Edges (in Photoshop CS2), but it allows a designer to create a different effect. Or in this case, convert images into line art. That’s what I used to create this black and white version:

As you can see though, it wasn’t a simple adjustment. I had to a use a new picturenew pictures, change the layout, and take out the shadows of the new product images (the Find Edges filter makes them too prominent unfortunately). But the whole process was a relatively quick way to solve a problem, without starting from scratch making use of what you already have.

By the way, the Find Edges Filter is also useful for artistic purposes.