The process of adding a splash of color to a black-and-white photo is called colorization. Colorization is often used to draw attention to a specific object or aspect of a photo. If you have seen a colorized photo, you might have wondered mimic the effect. Fortunately, it is not very complicated.
Instructions
1. Acquire a digital image. This can be done by transferring from a digital camera or by scanning a photo to your computer.
2. Open the image in your photo-editing software.
3. Make a copy of the image onto a separate layer.
4. Convert the top layer of the photo into black and white. Most photo-editing software will have an option to convert to black and white automatically, or desaturate the photo. If not, you can do this manually by setting the saturation of the photo to zero.
5. Select the eraser tool.
6. Use the eraser tool on the black-and-white layer of the photo. Erase the section of the photo you want to be in color.
7. Select the empty region of the photo on the black-and-white layer.
8. Increase the selection by about five pixels to start.
9. Feather the image by five pixels.
10. Repeat steps eight and nine as needed until the edges of the erased section blend well with the rest of the photo.
11. Save your photo as a JPEG file or other format of choice.
Tags: black white, black-and-white layer, eraser tool, five pixels, layer photo, photo-editing software