How to Add a Touch of Color to Black & White
Black and white photographs are still common today, long after the introduction of color photography. Black and white can sometimes be too simple for certain applications, so sometimes a touch of color can be added to increase visual interest. With photo-editing software and the right technique, you can add a touch of color to black and white photographs.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Scan a black and white photograph you wish to add a touch of color to and save a JPEG copy to your desktop.
-
2
Open the scanned JPEG with your photo-editing software.
-
-
3
Make a duplicate layer of the image you wish to add color to.
-
4
Make a selection of the area where you wish to add color in the duplicate layer.
-
5
Click on the "Select" menu and select "Inverse." This will select everything in the photo except the area you will be adding color to.
-
6
Create a clipping mask of this area by clicking the "Add Layer Mask" icon. This will create a mask that will allow your changes only to affect the selected area of the mask.
-
7
Select the color you want to add from the color palette. In most photo-editing software, the color palette is available as a mini-window in the main interface.
-
8
Create a new layer above the background image and beneath the mask layer.
-
9
Select the new layer, click on the "Edit" tab on the task bar and select "Fill." This will fill the layer with the color you selected.
-
10
Adjust the opacity of the color by clicking on the "Opacity" slider by the color layer. To add just a touch of color, reduce the color to 0% and slowly increase the percentage until color is added to the black and white image.
-
11
Click on "File," select "Save As," and save the final image as a JPEG.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always save a copy of the original, unaltered photograph for your records. That way you can make future changes without losing the original image.
References
- Photo Credit cappuccino black and white image by Paolo from Fotolia.com
