Colour black-and-white elements

If you want to add a sprinkling of colour to a black-and-white file, you have two quick and easy options available to you. Well, there are probably more than two but these are swift and hassle-free and so we like them very much!
The techniques in question revolve around the Hue/Saturation tool and the blending modes. Each will infuse an image with colour and allow you to quickly add duotone effects to photos or add hue to black-and-white elements. In our examples below, we are using a photo as well as one of the black-and-white texture papers posted on Tuesday (12 January). As you can see, it’s easy to quickly apply colour to an image without obliterating the detail.

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Quick duotone effects

Check the mode

Let’s begin with applying a swift duotone effect to a black-and-white image. We haven’t supplied the start file as it works on anything you chuck at it – our kind of technique! Begin by opening your photo. If it is a greyscale document, go to Image>Mode and change to RGB.

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Let the hue shine through

Take another trip up to the Image menu and this time scroll down to Hue/Saturation. Once the dialog has opened up, click the Colorize checkbox. Now move the Hue slider until you find the colour you want.

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Further tweaks

Try the Saturation and Lightness sliders to further tweak the effect. Chances are you won’t need to touch the Lightness slider (it can just make things look washed out) but keep it in mind just in case.

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