The Toolbox: Black And White Photo Effect
The Toolbox is going to be a series of articles in which we go one by one discussing the tools available in iPiccy Photo Editor and we’ll talk about the strengths, weaknesses, and appropriate times to use these tools. Last time we talked about the Crop Tool, but today we’re talking about the Black and White Photo Effect.
How To Use The Black And White Tool
- Upload your image and open the Photo Effects Tab
- Select Black and White (It’s under the color section in the basic editor or the first option in the photo effects menu)
- You can select the amount you want to fade the Black and White
- Hit Apply and it will apply that effect
The Black and White is very much a personal preference tool. As a user you should pick whatever pleases your eyes the most, or what you think your audience will appreciate the most. However, I will give you a couple of reasons I find the Black and White tool to be useful.
Contrast
There are multiple reasons to use the Black and White effect. When deciding to make a photo black and white or not, ask yourself if the color is just a distraction to the main piece.
In this case, I personally believe that some colors run together a bit and having the black and white contrast each other would significantly benefit making the model the main focus. This is because pictures that are black and white often look best when they have the blackest blacks and the whitest whites, and a spectrum of greys in between.
Notice that her black and white hood provides a stark contrast between the a dark black and a very light white. Contrast creates a spread to allow the different greys to really be noticed. The lightness of her hair is contrasted by the darkness of her glasses. The background is less of a distraction, and focus is immediately grabbed by the model.
Drama
Black and White in general just adds drama to any photo. Especially those without already clear emotions.
This is a really beautiful picture. The color does really add a lot, but does it feel like there’s a story to be told? To me, no. It simply promotes a very relaxing feeling, nothing wrong with that at all, but what if we black and white it?
And now I feel like questioning the why the sand is so shiny and has so many ridges. Eyes are also immediately pulled to the darkness of the clouds clashing with the light bursting from the sun. The black and white version of this photo raises a million questions in my head right away. Where as when it was in color, I just thought it was simply a nice photo.
Color Splash
Using the Color Splash is a great way of bringing one object or person into the main focus of a picture. It draws eyes to whatever is in the selected area. It can really up the importance of a particular subject.
When you look at that picture you automatically begin to wonder why the roses are in color, and everything else is black and white. From there your eyes are free to drift. Your eyes move all around the rest of the photo, but you will always come back to the colored roses.
- How to use Color Splash Effect
1. Select BW effect
2. Click little brush icon at the top right corner of effect
3 Clicking Effect will add black and white to that spot, clicking Erase will bring back color to that spot.
4. Paint over objects as desired
The best way to get a feel for when to Black and White a picture is to test it and play with it. Experiment, and try it on various photos, see what happens! So go start editing!