SELECTIVE COLOURING

Add a  Splash of  Colour to Your Favourite Black and White Images

Adding a selective area of colour to a monochrome image is a creative way to grab your viewer’s attention. Jordan Butters shows you how to do it in minutes using four simple steps

     IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN the award-winning Hollywood blockbuster Schindler's List. you'll most likely be able to recall the haunting scene in which a young girl appears wearing a red coat in an otherwise monochromatic movie. Director Steven Spielberg used a technique known as selective colouring, or colour popping, to dramatic effect, drawing the viewer's eye towards the girl in a crowd of people. This effect can be easily applied to your photographs too. 

     For this tutorial, I've used Adobe Photoshop CS4, but the basic technique can a.so be applied in Adobe Elements and Apple Aperture. I've also used a Wacom graphics tablet for more precise control over the Brush Tool, but by taking your time and zooming into your image, the same results can be had using a mouse.
     

     Popular subjects for colour popping include flowers, balloons and colourful clothing, with red providing the most impact. Bear in mind that the effect doesn't suit every mage, and some consider it cliche, so be careful not to overuse it. Nevertheless, it is a good tool to have in your bag of Photoshop tricks, so pick your image and start getting creative with a splash of colour