Color splash (selective color) turns a photo black and white while one chosen color survives at full strength: the red dress in a gray street, the yellow taxi, the green eyes. By silencing every other color, the surviving one becomes impossibly loud — it is one of the most dramatic single-click transformations in photo editing, made famous by that red coat in Schindler’s List.
Just tap the color in your photo you want to keep — the tool reads the exact hue from the pixel you touch. Then adjust Color range: narrow keeps only precise matches, wider forgives natural variation across fabric and skin. Works brilliantly on flowers, vehicles, clothing, doors, umbrellas — anything with a distinct color story. Free and fully client-side.
How to add the color splash effect to a photo
Tips for the best color splash look
- Tap the mid-tone of your subject’s color, not its brightest highlight — you’ll capture the truer hue.
- Widen Color range if parts of the subject go gray; narrow it if unwanted objects keep their color.
- Strong single-color subjects against neutral scenes (red umbrella, gray rain) are the classic — seek them out.
Color Splash effect — FAQ
How do I choose which color stays?
Tap it directly on your photo — the editor samples the pixel under your finger and keeps everything within the chosen range of that hue. You can also fine-tune the hue with the slider afterward.
Why did objects I didn’t want also keep their color?
They share a similar hue with your subject — skin and wood both live near orange, for example. Narrow the Color range slider until only the intended object survives, or pick a subject whose color is rarer in the scene.
What is this effect actually called?
You’ll see it as color splash, selective color, color pop or color accent — all the same technique: full desaturation with a protected hue range. Whatever the name, this tool does it in two taps.