On the previous page, I talked about changing colorful images into a monotone one. On this page, I will teach you how to do the opposite.

 

1) If you have a black and white image, then follow this tutorial (Changing Color Theme 1) to add a single color. Make a reasonable color such as dark blue or dark purple, a color that looks closest to an originally coloured photo. Then change the brightness and contrast. Make your picture brighter and more contrasting.

2) When you have completed the first step, create a new layer.

3) Then, open your brushes thing and select a soft brush of value 35 to 100. Select a color for the hair of the person. If the person has dark brown hair, light brown would be a good choice. If the person has brown hair, select dark red etc. As a general rule, choose a brighter color than the original.

4) Now, roughly brush out the shape of the hair, you do not have to be precise, just make sure that most of the hair spaces are covered with your color. If some goes out of place, erase it. Make sure that none of your colors goes onto the skin or the foreground.

5) After you have done so, change the layer options of the layer. Choose multiply. Other choices are also possible, choose the one that suits your picture most.

6) Now, you have to open a new layer and use a smaller brush to dot out the eyes. Again, use a brighter color than the original. Choose light blue if you have blue eyes, blue if you have navy blue, light brown if you have brown...etc. After that, choose Colour burn as the layer options, or any other suitable option.

7) When you're done, create a new layer. Select the skin color for your brush and brush the person's skin. Brush the face, the neck, the hands etc. You can also add a bit of light pink onto your cheek to add more variation. After that, choose Multiply as the layer option, or any other suitable option.

8) When that's done, create a new layer again. This step is very crucial, especially if you want to make yourself look pretty. Due to the lack of colors and textures (as it started off being black/white or with only one color), it is very important to make your face look realistic and to make your facial elements stand out. Select a thinner but still a soft brush, and choose a dark color such as brown or dark brown. Follow the upper line of your eyes and draw it out for both eyes. Do not fill the whole space between your eye brows and your eyelids, just draw a line on top of your eyelids, like you would have done when you put on eye shadow. When you're done, change the layer option to Hard Light. Your eyes should now stand out.

9) Last but not least, you could add some color to the very pale lips on the photo. Create a new layer, then choose a light pink or dark pink, depending on what you like, and brush it onto your lips. After that change the layer option to Soft Light, and you're basically done!