Before color photography became widely available, artists used to find creative ways to add color to a black and white photo. In the absence of a fast way to take color photos, photo studios would add hues to images through processes like tinting and dyeing. People used brushes and even their fingers to add paints and oils to photos. This process is surprisingly not that different from the one we use to create this effect today, even when editing with contemporary design software. So if you’re wondering how to add color to a black and white photo, you’ve come to the right place.
Adding color to black and white photos has long been, and still is, a manual art. The difference is that when you colorize a digital image in the 21st century, you dip your finger in digital rather than physical paint. You still make selections by drawing outlines on a digital screen, much as one would have painted directly onto an image in the analog age. Luckily, today’s process is less messy and faster, but it still feels artful.
Modern creative suites help speed up the digital coloring process. Once you’ve digitally painted color on a black and white photo, you can give some nuance to the look by using a filter that tilts the shades into warmer or cooler territories. This approach allows for color to be both expressive and expressionist. While it might not look hyper-real, your edited image will look like an update of an already great photo instead of a brand new one. While editing, you can also use photo enhancement tools like HD Portrait to restore old images. Alternatively, you can add futuristic effects that abstract your vision, turning a black-and-white image into the kind of avant-garde graphic art that only modern computers can make.
Why should you add color to black and white photos?
Why spend so much time, effort, and care colorizing a photo? Adding color to black and white photos is a way to bring life back into old photographs. You can scan important, nostalgic images from the past, edit them, and share them with your family. Additionally, shifting the hues of any composition makes for a fun effect. After mastering this digital process, you’ll be able to leave certain parts of a photo in grayscale while adding colorful emphasis to focal points.
How to add color to a black and white photo
Ready to learn how to add color to a black and white photo? Here’s everything you need to know:
1) Open the Picsart mobile app and click on the plus sign (+) at the bottom of the screen to start a new project. Choose an image you wish to colorize from your photo library or search for a black and white photo among our Free to Edit images.
2) With your black and white image on the editing screen, scroll across the Editor toolbar and tap on the Tools icon. Then, tap on Selection in the pop-up menu.
3) Now, use the Brush tool to define the first area you wish to colorize. Keep in mind that you have to work section by section, just as if you were doing a paint-by-number activity. So, if you want to make all the fur on a cat one color, you can go ahead and highlight the entire area in this step.
Pro tip: before drawing on your photo with the selection brush, adjust the tooltip’s size to make it easier to get around curves and any harder-to-reach details. You can do this by tapping on the small white arrow in the corner of the Brush icon and adjusting the Size slider. If your image has easily recognizable features that you want to turn all one color (think: faces, sky, etc.), you can use our ready-made AI Select tool for a speedy helping hand.
4) Once you fill in the area(s) you wish to colorize in this first hue, choose FX from the toolbar above your canvas.
5) Scroll along the bottom toolbar until you find the Colors effects. Choose the Colorize function and play around with the Hue and Fade slider until you land on the right shade. The colors on this slider include vibrant greens, bold purples, and rich blues. And don’t worry if the tonality isn’t quite right because you can shift the intensity and brightness of the colors in the photo later using other filters.
6) Repeat steps three through six for every color selection in your composition. When you are satisfied with your results, select Apply in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and get ready to have some fun with filters.
7) Now, choose the FX icon from the menu at the bottom of the screen. This will bring up our wide selection of filters.
8) Narrow the effects down by tapping on the FLTR category at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the miniatures of the filters to find ones that approximate the color scheme you’re going for. Don’t be shy about trying them out. Nothing is ever permanent until you hit the Apply button, and even so, you can always use the back arrow at the top of the screen to undo your last step. We recommend filters like VHS and 1992 to preserve a vintage look on your photo. If you want something bolder, try out SUN2 and BLH1. For a cooler palette, opt for VNYL or PLRD.
If you want to make your masterpiece look more like a painting than a photo, explore the funky filters housed in the ARTISTIC and MAGIC categories. For Van-Gogh-esque brush strokes, try out the Oil Painting filter from the former category. Or, for a kitschy, futuristic effect, try out Pastel from the latter.
9) When you’re happy with your composition, share it with your loved ones and followers by downloading your image to your phone or using our quick-share options for easy social media uploading. Simply click on the downward arrow icon at the top of the screen, and save the photo to your image library.
Create at the Speed of Culture
Picsart is a photo and video editing platform and creative community. A top 20 most downloaded app worldwide with over 150 million monthly active users, its AI-powered tools enable creators of all levels to design, edit, draw, and share content anywhere. The platform has amassed one of the largest open-source content collections in the world, including photos, stickers, backgrounds, templates, and more. Used by consumers, marketers, content creators and businesses, Picsart tools fulfill both personal and professional design needs. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today, and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!
