The effect that always gets a reaction
You have almost certainly seen it: a photo where everything is black and white except for one vivid detail — a red umbrella in a grey street, a yellow flower in a monochrome garden, a child's bright blue coat against a wintry landscape. The rest of the world fades away and that one colour holds all the attention.
This is called selective colour, and Photoshop Elements offers three different ways to create it — a guided step-by-step route for beginners, a quick brush-painting method, and a manual layers method for the most precise results. All three are worth knowing, and which one you reach for depends on how much control you need.
Method 1: Guided Edit — Color Pop (easiest)
If you have never tried this effect before, start here. The Color Pop Guided Edit walks you through every step and does most of the work for you.
- 1Open your photo and switch to Guided mode using the tab at the top of the screen.
- 2In the Guided panel on the right, scroll to the Fun Edits section and click Color Pop.
- 3The panel changes to show the Color Pop tools. Your photo appears with a black and white preview overlay.
- 4You have two options for defining the colour to keep:
Paint the color to keep — select the brush at the top of the panel and paint directly over the area you want to stay in colour. PSE applies black and white to everything else automatically. Use the slider to adjust brush size. If you paint too far, switch to the eraser in the same panel to remove colour from areas you painted by mistake.
Pick the color to keep — click the colour picker (eyedropper) and click on the colour in your photo you want to preserve. PSE automatically keeps every pixel of that hue in colour and converts everything else. This is faster when your subject is a single, distinct colour like a red dress or a yellow car.
- 1Use the Refine slider if it appears — this controls how strictly PSE sticks to the hue you selected, useful when a colour bleeds slightly into neighbouring tones.
- 2When happy, click Next at the bottom of the panel. You can then share, save, or continue editing in Quick or Advanced mode.
The Guided Edit is perfect for a first attempt and gives clean results quickly. The trade-off is less fine-grained control compared to the Advanced mode methods below.
Method 2: Smart Brush in Advanced mode (quick, flexible)
The Smart Brush lets you paint the effect manually with full control over where it is applied, without needing to work with layers directly.
- 1Open your photo in Advanced mode.
- 2Select the Smart Brush from the toolbar — it looks like a paintbrush with a small star.
- 3In the Tool Options bar at the bottom, click the effect category dropdown and change it to Photography.
- 4Find and select Pop Color from the presets list.
- 5Set a comfortable brush size and paint over the area you want to keep in colour — the rose, the coat, the door. The rest of the photo converts to black and white as you paint.
- 6Painted too far? Click the minus (Subtract) icon in Tool Options and paint over those spots to remove the colour effect.
- 7When done, go to File → Save As to export a copy as a JPEG.
This method is ideal when the area you want to keep in colour is large and paintable — flowers, clothing, a door, a vehicle. It is fast and forgiving.
Method 3: Manual layers in Advanced mode (most precise)
For the finest control — complex edges, fine details like hair or petals, or when you want colour in multiple separate areas — the manual method using layers gives you the most precise result.
- 1Open your photo in Advanced mode.
- 2In the Layers panel, right-click your photo layer and choose Duplicate Layer. You now have two identical layers stacked on top of each other.
- 3Make sure the top layer is selected.
- 4Go to Enhance → Convert to Black and White, choose a style that suits the photo, and click OK. The top layer is now black and white; the original colour layer sits hidden beneath it.
- 5Select the Eraser tool. Choose a soft-edged brush at a size that suits the area you want to reveal in colour.
- 6Paint over the subject you want in colour. The eraser removes the black and white layer in those spots, revealing the colour original directly underneath. You are literally painting colour back in.
- 7Zoom in to work the edges carefully with a smaller brush. For a natural transition, reduce the Eraser Opacity to 40–50% and make several gentle passes at the border rather than one hard stroke.
- 8When you are satisfied, go to Layer → Flatten Image, then File → Save As to export the finished result as a JPEG.
Why lower eraser opacity matters at edges
A 100% opacity eraser creates a hard, cut-out edge that looks digital and obvious. Dropping to 40–50% opacity at the boundary between your subject and the background creates a gradual fade that looks natural — as though the colour simply belongs there.
Which method is right for you?
| Guided Edit | Smart Brush | Manual layers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | First attempts, simple subjects | Quick results, large areas | Precise edges, complex shapes |
| Skill level | Beginner | Beginner–intermediate | Intermediate |
| Speed | Fast | Fast | Slower |
| Control | Limited | Good | Full |
| Colour picker | Yes | No | No |
Photos that work best for this effect
Not every photo suits selective colour. The strongest results come from photos where:
- The subject has a bold, distinct colour that contrasts with its surroundings
- The background converts cleanly to black and white (grey skies, green grass, brown earth all work well)
- The photo is well exposed — dark, muddy originals do not improve with this effect
The effect is particularly beautiful with red and pink flowers, colourful children's clothing, a single lit candle, autumn leaves on a stone path, and a bright front door on a grey street.