Selective Colour Photography

What’s Selective Colour Photography?

It’s exactly what it sounds like—you take a photo and turn most of it black and white while keeping just one colour (or a small range of colours) untouched. It’s a great way to draw attention to your subject and give your photo a cool, almost surreal vibe.

People use this trick a lot in:

Portraits → Keeping bright red lipstick or striking blue eyes in colour.

Street photography → Highlighting something bold, like a neon sign or a bright umbrella.

Nature shots → Making a flower or a single autumn leaf stand out.

Product photography → Focusing on a brand colour to make it pop.

Fine art photography → Just for the fun of creating something dramatic.

How to Set Up Your Shot for Selective Colour

Technically, you can apply this effect to any photo in editing, but some images work better than others. Here’s how to get the best results from the start:

1. Pick a Strong, Standalone Color

This works best when the color you want to highlight is clearly separate from the rest of the scene. Bold reds, blues, and yellows are perfect. If the colour is scattered all over the image, it won’t stand out as much.

2. Keep It Simple

Too much clutter in the background can make selective color look messy. The best shots are clean and well-composed, with a clear subject that’s easy to isolate.

3. Think About Contrast

Colors pop more when they contrast with their surroundings. A bright green plant in a sea of gray? Perfect. A red car in a mostly warm-toned street? Not as effective.

4. Shoot in RAW for Better Edits

If you want full control when editing, shoot in RAW format—it’ll give you way more flexibility when tweaking colours.

How to Create the Selective Colour Effect in Editing

Most cameras don’t have a built-in selective colour mode, so you’ll need to do this in post-processing using Photoshop, Lightroom, Snapseed, or even phone apps like PicsArt.

Method 1: Quick & Easy Color Selection

1. Convert your image to black and white.

2. Use a colour selection tool to bring back the colour you want.

3. Fine-tune saturation, contrast, and brightness to make it stand out.

   
   

Method 2: Layer Masking for More Control

1. Duplicate your image in Photoshop.

2. Turn the top layer black and white.

3. Use the eraser tool or a layer mask to reveal colour in just the areas you want.

   
   

Method 3: HSL Adjustments for a Subtle Look

1. Go to the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) panel in Lightroom or Photoshop.

2. Desaturate all colours except the one you want to keep.

3. Adjust contrast and exposure to make the effect more striking.

   
   
   
   

Cool Ideas for Selective Colour Photos

A bright red umbrella on a rainy city street.

A single green leaf in a pile of dead brown ones.

A neon sign glowing in a dark alley.

A model with piercing blue eyes while everything else fades into grayscale.