Definition of Sepia

Sepia is the name of an effect where photos are colored with a brown pigment. It is often used to warm up an otherwise cold-looking black and white photograph. Although the methods of producing the look have changed, the overall effect is the same.

History

The pigment originally was from various cuttlefish and applied with a brush or a pen and became popular in the middle to late 1800s.

Today's Methods

Although the effect can be obtained using darkroom chemicals, it is most often added today by using electronic photo software, such as Adobe Photoshop. There are also camera filters that can create the effect.

The Look

Many things with a light brown overtone are referred to as sepia. The effect usually adds an element of age to the image.

What's Really Happening

The sepia effect replaces the silver in photos with a light brown shade.

How to Create Sepia Photos

If you're working with film, it will require a special darkroom chemical, but for digital images it's usually a lot easier. Many cameras have sepia options in their photo effects menus and, if not, most photo editing software has a sepia option. Otherwise, it might be possible to adjust colors to create a similar effect.

References

• Dictionary.com
• Photography.com