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How to Use the Threshold Adjustment for High-Contrast Art

4 min read

Turn Family Photos into Bold Graphic Art

Sometimes the most striking artwork comes from the simplest techniques. The Threshold adjustment in Photoshop Elements converts your photos into pure black and white—no greys, no in-between tones—creating dramatic silhouettes, bold graphic prints, and eye-catching art perfect for framing or crafting.

Think of a beautiful profile shot of your grandchild transformed into a striking silhouette for a nursery wall. Or that lovely tree from your morning walk turned into graphic art worthy of a greeting card. The Threshold adjustment makes these creative projects surprisingly easy.

What the Threshold Adjustment Actually Does

Unlike converting a photo to black and white (which keeps all the grey tones), Threshold forces every pixel to become either pure black or pure white. You control exactly where that division happens by moving a single slider.

Slide it one direction, and more of your image turns white. Slide it the other way, and more turns black. It sounds simple because it is—but the creative possibilities are endless.

Photoshop Elements includes Threshold as a quick adjustment that works beautifully in Advanced mode, giving you complete control over the final look.

When to Use the Threshold Adjustment

This technique works wonderfully for:

  • Creating silhouette portraits of children or pets
  • Making graphic art from nature photos (trees, flowers, landscapes)
  • Designing custom t-shirt transfers or vinyl decals
  • Producing bold wall art from ordinary snapshots
  • Creating high-contrast images for craft projects like stencils

Photos with clear subjects and good contrast between light and dark areas work best. A person standing against a bright sky, a dark tree against clouds, or a well-lit face against a plain background will give you the cleanest results.

Step-by-Step: Apply the Threshold Adjustment

Follow these steps in Photoshop Elements to transform your photo:

  1. 1Open your photo in PSE and switch to Advanced mode by clicking Advanced at the top of the workspace.
  1. 1Before making changes, preserve your original by going to Layer → Duplicate Layer and clicking OK.
  1. 1Navigate to Filter → Adjustments → Threshold to open the Threshold dialog box.
  1. 1You will see your photo instantly convert to pure black and white with a Threshold Level slider below a histogram.
  1. 1Drag the Threshold Level slider left to make more of the image white, or right to make more of it black.
  1. 1Watch your photo as you adjust—look for the point where your subject has clear definition without losing important details.
  1. 1For portraits, aim to keep facial features recognizable while eliminating distracting background details.
  1. 1Click OK when you are happy with the result.

Fine-Tuning Your Threshold Image

Sometimes the automatic conversion leaves stray black spots or unwanted white gaps. Here is how to clean things up:

Remove Unwanted Specks

  1. 1Select the Brush Tool from the toolbar on the left.
  1. 1Press D on your keyboard to set your colours to the default black and white.
  1. 1Press X to swap between black and white as your painting colour.
  1. 1Paint over any distracting specks with the opposite colour to clean them up.

Adjust the Balance After Applying

If you wish you had moved the slider differently after clicking OK, simply undo with Edit → Undo or press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac), then apply Threshold again with a different setting.

Creative Ideas for Your Threshold Art

Once you have created your high-contrast image, Photoshop Elements opens up many possibilities:

  • Frame it as wall art — A large silhouette of your grandchild makes a stunning nursery decoration
  • Add it to a greeting card — The bold graphic style stands out beautifully
  • Create custom gifts — Print on canvas, mugs, or transfer to fabric
  • Use as a design element — Layer it over coloured backgrounds for modern art
  • Make craft stencils — The pure black and white is perfect for cutting machines

Tips for Better Threshold Results

  • Start with good contrast — Photos where the subject is clearly lighter or darker than the background work best
  • Try different Threshold levels — Small changes make big differences, so experiment
  • Crop first — Remove distracting elements before applying Threshold for cleaner results
  • Consider the background — Busy backgrounds become confusing; simple backgrounds stay clean

Combining Threshold with Other Effects

For even more creative options, try applying Threshold and then:

  • Using Edit → Fill Selection to add colour to the black or white areas
  • Copying the layer and changing the black areas to a colour using Enhance → Adjust Color → Replace Color
  • Placing the Threshold image over a coloured background layer for a two-tone effect

PSE makes these combinations straightforward once you understand how layers work together.

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