Aperture tutorial: How to use select Black and White brushes

You’ve mastered the basics of image editing, now to get creative. Photographic editing has come on leaps and bounds as technology has evolved. Photos can be edited creatively, with effects being applied not for technical or practical improvements, but for artistic reasons. You don’t need to be David Bailey to know how to do it. Sometimes, in even the most obvious of image subjects the point is missed. Using the selective Black & White tool, you can highlight the most important part of your image – whether that’s a particular person, landmark, animal or event – making sure it catches your audience’s eye first. Pull up a chair, get comfy, stick the kettle on and before it’s even finished boiling you’ll know how to brighten up the most monochrome of images with a splash of colour – but don’t forget to open Aperture first.

Step 1: Getting started

Choose a photo to adjust. The best ones to use are landscapes or those with not much activity going on. Select Photos on the left-hand side of the interface.

Step 2: Choose your image

In the Photos Library, find the image that you want to apply the selective Black & White effect to. Click on the image – it’ll be highlighted with a white box.

Step 3: Open your image

Double-click on the image to open it up. It will appear in its full-size glory in the Viewer. Click on the Adjustments tab on the left-hand side of the interface.

Step 4: Begin the transformation

Click on the Adjustments box and choose Black & White. This will transform your image to black and white in preparation to add the colour back.

Step 5: Make adjustments

Scroll down to the Black & White box on the left-hand side of the interface. Drag the colour sliders to adjust the colour intensity until you’re happy.

Step 6: Be prepared

Click the cog icon in the Black & White box. Select Brush Black & White away from the drop-down menu. Get ready, because this is where the fun really begins!

Step 7: Brush sizes

Use the pop-out box to adjust the size of the brush you want to use. Make sure it is the right size, otherwise you risk over-brushing the colour back in.

Step 8: Play it smooth

For more precise results, check Detect Edges. This ensures that the brush doesn’t go over any lines – great for landscape photos or images with people.

Step 9: Brush away

Brush the areas that you wish to be coloured, leaving the rest of the image black and white. That’s it! You will have beautifully edited images in just minutes.

Click on the image below to zoom in and view the annotations.