How do I Choose One Object in a Picture to Be Color & Make the Rest Black & White?

Edit photos with software at home instead of paying for processing.

Manipulating pictures on your home computer lets you become creative when editing your photos. Software programs help you edit your pictures in ways not possible for the average user just a few years ago. Making a black-and-white picture pop with a touch of color is one way to make your photo stand out from the rest.

Instructions

1. 

   Easily create duplicates with graphic software.

   Open your graphic software and open the photo you want to edit. Make a duplicate of the picture and name your duplicate; pick a name similar to the original. Naming your copies something easy to remember will help, because you will be working with copies of the original.

2. Close your original photo. You do not want to work with your original picture, because if you make a mistake, you will always have the original available as a backup.

3. Duplicate your photo one more time and name that layer with a different name. Now you have two layers, both copies of the original color photo. These are the two layers that will combine to make your black-and-white image with a spot of color.

4. Change the top layer, or photo, depending on your software, to black and white. You can do that by using the "Desaturate" button. Now lower the opacity of the top layer to somewhere around 60 percent, or enough for you to see the color photo under it.

5. Find the eraser tool in your toolbox. Choose a small oval or round eraser, somewhere between a size 10 or 12. Zoom in close to the area of the picture that you want to color. Click on the area and start erasing the top black and white layer to reveal the color layer below.

6. Work slowly and enlarge the area as much as you need to in order to see the detail of your work area. When you finish erasing the top layer, you will see the color in the area you chose. When you are satisfied with your work, increase the opacity of the top layer back to 100 percent.

7. Flatten or merge the two layers when you are finished. You will now have one original layer of your work. Save your finished project.

Tips & Warnings

• Save often during the erasing process, that way if your computer locks up or crashes, you will not have to start the project from the beginning.

References

• Web Design: How to Make Some Parts Colored with Rest in Black & White
• Asta Host: Adding Color To Black and White Photo
• Two Peas in a Bucket: Black & White Photo with Color Spot