Have you ever seen a picture that looks like it belongs in the past? It’s not just due to the subject matter, but also because of the overall color and tone of the picture. In this article, we’ll explain what sepia is and how you can use it in your own photos.

What is a Sepia Effect in Photos?

The sepia effect is a cool color tone that gives photos an old-fashioned look. It is characterized by a brown-yellow color and is usually used to give people and places an antique appearance.

The effect can be achieved when you use photo editing apps like Photoshop or Apple Photos, but you can also add it to your photos without using any special tools if you have the right app.

History of Sepia

Sepia is one of the oldest forms of color photography. Sepia is a natural pigment that comes from the ink sacs of certain types of sea snails. It was used for thousands of years in ancient artwork, particularly in China and Japan, where it was called “sepi”, from which we get our word “sepia”.

Sepia as a film type has been around since shortly after 1900 when it was first used by Kodak under the name Verichrome. Today, you can find sepia tones on most black-and-white films that are available for purchase.

Sepia tones are great for creating moody images with a vintage feel to them, especially portraits but also landscapes and cityscapes too!

The Modern Sepia Effect

The modern version of sepia is much more subtle than its predecessor. The reason is that our eyes have become accustomed to seeing images on screen that is bright and colorful. In order to make your image stand out, you will need to apply a color treatment that is different from what most people are using.

The easiest way to do this is by using filters in Photoshop or Lightroom. You can also adjust the settings directly inside your camera’s menu if it has one (and many do).

When to Use Sepia?

If you have a black-and-white photo that you’d like to turn into a grainy vintage-style image, then Sepia effect is perfect for you. The following are some examples where Sepia effect could be used:

• When you want to create a vintage feel
• To add warmth to your photos
• To add a vintage feel
• To add a more dramatic effect to your photos

The best part about using this effect is that it’s easy to apply. All you need is an editor that can do the job for you.

3 Ways to Achieve the Sepia Effect Using Colorcinch

Now that we know what sepia is and when to use it, let’s move on to actually applying it to your photos. We will be using Colorcinch for this tutorial.

1. By Using Filters

Step 1: Open Colorcinch and Upload your image.

Step 2: Navigate to Filters — Vintage.

Step 3: Choose a Vintage filter and adjust the Slider to change its effect.

Step 4: If you want more control over the filter you chose, you can use the “Advanced” option. Just click on Settings and try moving the Sliders around. Once done, hit Apply.

Here is the before and after:

2. By Manually Adjusting the Color Settings

Step 1: Start by opening Colorcinch. Upload your image.

Step 2: Click on Edit — Color.

Step 3: Adjust the Temperature Slider favoring the warmer tone to achieve the sepia look. Then click on Apply.

Step 4: To complete the whole vintage look, we can add texture. Navigate to Overlay — Floating Dust.

Step 5:  Choose any Floating Dust Filter and move the Slider around to change the intensity.

Let’s take a look at the result:

3. By Adjusting the Tint

Step 1: Like in the previous method, open Colorcinch. Upload the image you want to edit.

Step 2: Go to Edit and click on Tint.

Step 3: Adjust the Tint Slider and bring the value to around 60-90%.

It’s that easy! Now let’s take a look at the final result:

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you understand the history and use of Sepia color in photos. Now, you can try different effects with your photos using this color. You can also share your experience of doing this with us in the comments section below!

The post The Easiest Ways to Add Sepia Filter to Your Photos (Without Photoshop) appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

Turning a picture into a silhouette is one of the many artistic ways to express your style and creativity. It is also a great way to make an image stand out in posters, flyers, and other cover designs.

You might think it is not beginner-friendly, but trust us! There is now a super helpful photo editor software that can easily transform photos into beautiful silhouette images.

All you need is the new Colorcinch, your number one photo editor and cartoonizer! This editor is entirely web-based, which means you don’t have to download or install anything. The best part is that it has a very simple design so it won’t take much time to learn how to use all its available photo editing tools.

How to Make Silhouette Pictures Using Colorcinch Photo Editor

The tutorial below will show you two different ways of turning any image into a cool silhouette effect with the Colorcinch free software. We will show you direct step-by-step guides to help you get the job done in just a matter of minutes.

Make a Silhouette Image in Just a Few Clicks

Step 1: Open the Colorcinch website on your browser and choose an image

The first step is to go to the Colorcinch site and open the photo you want to edit. You can either upload your own file or choose from the readily available stock photos, as can be seen below:

If you want to upload your own photo, just click on “UPLOAD” and select a file from your device.

For this tutorial, we will be using the portrait image in the middle. Just click on the photo and you will be automatically redirected to the Standard Photo Editing interface.

This is what you will see:

Step 2: Click on Effects and select Sketcher

Colorcinch has created beautiful effects for users to choose from. Click on the “Effects” icon, it’s the third one from the top and it looks like a white magic wand.

This will show you the different categories under Effects: Cartoonizer, Sketcher, Painting, and Digital Art.

Since we wanted to achieve a silhouette effect, we need to choose Sketcher.

Step 3: Choose the Sketcher Effect you want to use

There are 28 Sketcher styles available, labeled SK001 to SK028. These are not shown chronologically so if you want to know their codes, hover the mouse over each sketcher style and you will see their labels on the top-left portion.

Just by looking at the menu, you can already get an idea of how your photo will be transformed after the edit.

The first three Sketcher Effects (SK003, SK005, and SK020) are great choices to create a silhouette image. In this tutorial, we chose the third one which is the “SK020”.

This is what our photo now looks like:

To see the other styles, just scroll down on the menu. Easily test them on your own photo by clicking on each effect. It will only take a few seconds for Colocinch to apply the changes.

Step 4: Adjust and customize

Colorcinch allows us to fine-tune the details of the photo further. Hover your mouse on your chosen effect and click on the “Settings” icon right beside the heart icon at the top-right corner.

You can adjust the detail anywhere from 0 to 100, depending on your preference.

Alternatively, you can also take advantage of the “Erase” tool to create a unique and beautiful silhouette image as can be seen below.

Click on “Erase” and choose your settings. Then, brush over the portion of the photo you want to erase the sketcher effect. This will return the original colors of the image we uploaded. Use your creativity and create a cool edit with this function!

Step 5: Save your new silhouette image

After you’ve finished your edits, now is the perfect time to save your work! Colorcinch gives us the option to either save the image as a project or straight to the device. And that is how easy you can turn pictures into silhouettes in just a few clicks, no photoshop required!

Make a Silhouette Image With More Advanced Techniques

With Colorcinch, there are definitely more fun and exciting ways to create silhouettes! Are you ready to learn new photo editing tricks? We are going to show you how to change backgrounds and create layers to make captivating silhouettes.

Step 1: Remove the existing background

We will be using the same photo above to create a different type of silhouette. This time, we are going to completely remove the existing background in the frame.

We know, we know. This process already seems hard and tricky on the get-go. But Colorcinch make it so much easier for us with its AI-powered background remover!

All you have to do is click on the “Remove Background” tool that you can find at the bottom of the menu under the Creative Section. And, voila! The hard part of the job is instantly done.

This is what you will see on your screen:

As you can see, Colorcinch removed the original background and we are left with the main subject of the photo. Do not forget to save this picture on your computer as a PNG file.

Step 2: Reset the project and choose a new background

The next step is to click the reset button so we can start on a new project. The website will automatically refresh and you will see this again on your screen:

Now is the time to showcase your own creativity. You need to think of a great background for your project. Again, you can upload your own photo or choose from the stock photos available on the colorcinch website.

Just click “Upload” and choose any file from your computer device.

For this tutorial, we used a landscape version of this photo as our new background

Step 3: Create a new layer by uploading the saved photo from step 1

Now that we have a new beautiful background, we will be adding the photo that we actually want to turn into a silhouette.

Look at the first icon at the top-left of the menu. This is the “Image Manager” tool that will let you upload new images to your current project.

Click “Upload Image” and browse through your computer’s files until you find the image that we saved earlier. You can add more than one file from your computer and they will all appear under the “Your Images” section.

Now, all you have to do is click on the uploaded photo and it will be added as a new layer to your current project.

This is now what your screen looks like:

Step 4: Turn the photo into a silhouette

To convert the main subject into a silhouette, choose your preferred silhouette shade in the color overlay option. In this tutorial, we are using shade #008AFF.

Then, make sure to increase the intensity to 100 as can be seen below.

If you are not satisfied with how the color of the new silhouette blends with your chosen background, you can choose a different color or shade available from the spectrum.

Step 5: Adjust and customize

You can adjust the size of the silhouette image to make it bigger or smaller, depending on your preference. Just click on the image and drag the edges of its handles diagonally.

Since the silhouette is a new layer separate from the background, you can also reposition the image to anywhere you want it to be.

For example, we originally have this silhouette in the center.

Then, we made it bigger and repositioned it to the left side.

Just experiment and play around until you achieve your preferred overall look.

Step 6: Save your new silhouette image

Once you are satisfied with the results, you can save the finished product on your device or on your drive. Alternatively, you can also save the project in your Colorcinch account if you want to go back to it later and make further edits.

Use Colorcinch for All Your Future Edits!

While the second tutorial involves more steps, don’t you agree that Colorcinch makes it a lot easier for us to use advanced photo editing skills? Now, even beginners can make a silhouette like a pro!

Practice once or twice using the step-by-step guides above until you are ready to create your own stunning silhouette image and add your own twist. Go with a classic black and white contrast, or you can experiment with colors and go bold! Nothing is stopping you from being unique and creative.

The post How to Turn a Picture Into a Silhouette for Free: Your Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.