How to colorize black-and-white photo – Guide

Tina Triforos, an artist and educator, says that she prefers to paint in black and white because it allows her to add color where she wants it and eliminates the need for accuracy. Kenton Waltz, a photographer, agrees that simplicity is the key to great color photos. “The elegance of the photo is the simplicity of the color,” he says. ..

The quick and dirty way to color a black and white photo

Thanks to artificial intelligence, colorizing photos is now an option on many platforms. After importing the photos, one tap converts them to color. The app is free to download and try, but requires a subscription or per-image fee to download the new photo version.

Colorize Images is a similar app from another developer for Android users. The download is free, but the app requires a per-image or subscription fee to save the recolored photos. To recolor photos on a desktop, Photoshop Elements has added a new AI-powered recolor tool that works with just a few clicks. In addition to just recoloring the photo, Elements offers several different options, so you can choose the result that looks best. Google Photos has also released a colorization tool, but it hasn’t been released outside of beta yet. ..

How to color a black and white photo in Adobe Photoshop

Make sure the image is in CMYK.

To get started, make sure your photo is in CMYK mode and not grayscale. Go to Image > Mode and check the CMYK color. ..

Select a single colored object.

To recolor an old photo, you need to make selections, one for each color you want to add. Photoshop has a dozen different ways to make a selection – there’s no wrong way, but some options will be easier than others. I’ve found that the fastest way to make selections to recolor a photo is the Select and Mask tool, accessible from Select > Select and Mask.

Inside the Select and Mask window, make your selection using the brush tool, the first tool in the toolbox on the left. Then refine that selection using the Refine brush or the second brush in this toolbox. Use the plus and minus icons at the top to determine whether you want the area added or removed from the selection, and adjust the brush tool size as needed. On the right, use the smooth and feature sliders to avoid edges in the selection. When you are satisfied with your selection, click OK.

Create a solid color adjustment layer.

To make your selection look more like the original object, create a new fill layer and choose a solid color. ..

To get the right color, use the opacity option in the layers panel.

Refine the selection.

After recoloring an object, it is often easier to see the mistakes made when making the original selection. This is because you are using adjustment layers and not editing the background layer itself, which means these errors are easy to adjust. With the adjustment layer selected, go back to the Select and Mask option to make further refinements. Alternatively, you can also click on the layer mask in the layers panel (the black and white version of the layer) and use a white brush to add to the selection and a black brush to subtract. For semi-transparent objects, reduce the brush opacity. ..

Repeat steps 2-4 for each color in the photo.

To add colors to a photo, you need to repeat the process for each color you want to add. If two objects are the same color, you can add them to the same selection and adjustment layer.

Adjust the blacks.

After recoloring, you may need to add some contrast to the image, especially if it is an old photo. The black areas in the photo do not need to be selected and recolored because by definition black has no color, but if it is an old or scanned photo, the blacks may not look quite right. ..

To adjust the colors in your image, select the background layer and go to Image > Adjustments > Curves. Choose black from the channel drop-down menu to adjust blacks only. Adjust the curve as per your image in our sample image, lighten the whites and darken the midtones and blacks. Once you’re satisfied with the adjustments, save the image as a JPEG to share or print. You can also save the image as a PSD file in case you want to go back and make more adjustments.

Final note

How to colorize black-and-white photo If you want to colorize black-and-white photos, there are a few things you need to know. First, the colors in a photo will be different depending on the light source. Second, there are various ways to colorize black-and-white photos. Here are three methods:

  1. Add a tint: This is the most common way to colorize black-and-white photos. Just add a little bit of white or yellow pigment to each pixel, and then take a picture. This will give your photos a slightly different look and feel.
  2. Use software: There are many software programs that can help with this task. Some of the more popular options include Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Paint. Just open up the program and start editing your photos. You can also use online services like Picasa or Google Earth to help with this process.
  3. Use an app: If you have an iPhone or Android phone, there are many apps that can help with this task. These apps usually cost money, but they offer great features that make coloring black-and-white photos easier than ever before.