The splash color effect is a cool photo effect that first converts an image to black and white and then adds color to specific parts of the image. This works really well with images with a lot of vibrant colors because it looks much more dramatic when the rest of the image is converted to black and white and one element remains in color.
In this article, I will show you how you can color your photos on your desktop and smartphone (iOS and Android). Please note that I’m only going to mention the tools I’ve used myself, but there are many alternatives across all platforms, so feel free to choose a different tool if you like. The procedure for adding a color splash effect is pretty much the same no matter what tool or platform you are using.
Here’s a quick example before and after a color splash effect added to one of my family photos:
When choosing a photo for your color splash, here are my recommendations for the best results: choose a photo with a lot of vibrant colors throughout the photo and make sure that the part of the photo you are coloring takes up a large percentage of the Photo. If you have a photograph with one very bright subject and the rest with darker or more neutral colors, the colored spots on the bright part won’t matter much.
If the detail you choose is too small, the effect won’t be good either. As you can see from above, the boy in the picture above doesn’t take up much space, so the effect isn’t as dramatic. He’s wearing bright colors, so that helps a little.
Desktop gadget
On the desktop, the best way to colorize a photo is by using an online tool. They are free, easy to use, and don’t require installation on your hard drive. The first online tool I recommend is Fotor Click “Get Started” and wait for the editing interface to load.
Now click the “Open” button and select the location where you want to import the image from. After loading the image, click on Color Splash on the left side of the effects.
You can choose from several free effects that don’t have a small diamond icon in the upper right corner. I chose the top one with a flower, and I really liked it. Now you adjust the size of the brush and start painting the part or parts of the photo to which you want to add color again.
After you’ve added the effect to your image, click the Save icon at the top next to the Open button. Now you can save the file to your computer for free and it doesn’t contain watermarks or anything like that.
IOS app
My favorite color splash app for iPhone is Color Splash by Pocket Pixels It costs $ 0.99 but worth it. I find the app on a phone or iPad to be much better to use than the online tool I mentioned above.
In fact, using your finger is the perfect way to bring color back to a photo, and squeezing and scaling with your hands makes it easy to edit only the parts you need.
As you can see, using the application it is very easy to paint complex objects with many curves using only your fingers. Once you upload the image, it will turn gray and you can start coloring by clicking Color at the bottom and then swiping over the image. If you want to move the image, tap Pan + Zoom or just pinch your fingers together.
Click on gray if you’ve added too much color and again want black and white parts of the image. In the upper right corner, you can easily undo your actions. When you’re done, just click the icon in the top left corner to save the image to your camera roll, share an image, or upload a new image.
Android application
On Android, I used Color Splash Effect from City Photo Editor. There are many other free options out there, so you have a fairly large selection. Some of the other programs are full-fledged photo editors, and there is one small feature – the color splash effect.
This program is almost the same as all other color splash maker apps. Tap the magnifying glass to magnify and move the image. Then click Free Color or Smart Color to start coloring the image. Use the Eraser to make the details black and white again.
Overall, splattering color is really easy to do on all platforms and usually takes time and patience. Now you can post cool photos to Facebook or Instagram and impress your friends or followers! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to comment. Enjoy!
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