Last month I posted an article on how to create colorized photos quickly and easily in Photoshop. Since not everyone has access to the wonders of Photoshop, I thought I should share how you can get the same results if you are using HJ eDesign (or any other online program, for that matter.)

For eDesign users, check out this awesome video tutorial. It explains how photo colorization is just a couple of simple clicks away, without leaving the eDesign program. Once you’ve completed the colorization of your photo, the new colorized image will be saved directly to your eDesign photo library!

Picnik Video Tutorial  (See update below.)

If you are using any other program for your yearbook production, the process is just as simple using the on-line photo editing tools at Picnik.com.

Once you’ve uploaded your photo, choose the Create tab, and then Effects. Under Basics, choose Black and White.

When you select that opiton, your image will change to black and white. The Effect Painting box also opened. From there you can choose the size of your brush and the hardness, just like in Photoshop. Click on the Original tab, and paint away, revealing the color underneath. If you make a mistake, clikc on the Effect tab, and it will reapply the black and white effect on the photo.

Once the photo is colorized the way you want it, click on the Save and Share tab. It will save the completed colorized photo to a location of your choosing on your computer. Here’s the final image of my nephew, William.

That’s it! Colorized photos–no Photoshop necessary.

UPDATE

We love the process of colorizing photographs, but are sad to say that Picnik is no long available. For our Herff Jones customers using eDesign, you know you have photo editing built into the program, so there is no need to use an additional photo editor. For other yearbook staffs, there are lots of other free online options available for stand alone photo editing. We shared this blog post  earlier this week via Twitter: 10 Free Programs Similar to Photoshop. Try several of these options and use the one that works the best for you. The process of colorization will most likely be very similar to what we described above.

Of course, there is always the chance that one or more of them will go the way of Picnik–but we think they are great alternative options to Photoshop as long as they are available. 

Happy editing!