Why is the picture only in black and white?

Why does my picture turn into black and white in photoshop?

• I just finished editing an image (erasing some parts to make a transparent background). Then I copied it into another layer. Why does the picture turn to black and white even both layers are in RGB mode?

• Answer:

  layers aren't what get set to RGB, greyscale, indexed, etc... modes. The whole document is set to a color mode, so I think you mean both documents. Documents aren't layers.. I've been seeing this confusion a lot lately for some reason so let me just clarify that layers make up a single image in one document.... a background layer, an adjustment layer, text layers, shape layers, etc... make up one image in a document. You have to understand this so what I tell you next doesn't confuse you. If the document you're copying to is in fact set to RGB mode, then you might be copying it to below an adjustment layer that makes things look grayscale/black and white (by doing this you haven't changed the color mode, you just created an effect using an adjustment layer). Just move the copied/pasted image above all the other layers in your document. If that isn't the problem, then are you SURE both documents are set to RGB mode? Check the title bar of both... do both say "RGB/8" after the document title? If you can't see the whole title bar for some reason, go into "Image > Mode" and see if "RGB Color" has a check mark next to it. If one of them is in Grayscale mode, just change it to RGB (by clicking the RGB color mode). It won't make a black and white photo a color photo, but you'll be able to add color and paste color images into it now.