One of the most striking and iconic effects that can be achieved in image editing software is the Silhouette effect. A Silhouette is an image where the main subject is represented in black while the background is completely white.
This can be used to create a striking image with a lot of impact and to emphasize the subject.
Creating a Silhouette effect can be done relatively easily in any photo editing software, such as Photoshop, GIMP or even Pixlr Editor. The basic idea behind creating a Silhouette is to remove all colour from the image and then make sure that all of the subject’s edges are black.
Step 1:
The first step is to open up the image you would like to convert into a Silhouette in your chosen photo editing software.
Step 2:
Once you have opened up your image, select the ‘Adjustment’ tab on the left hand side of your screen. Here you will find options such as Brightness/Contrast, Curves and Hue/Saturation.
Select Hue/Saturation or Brightness/Contrast and adjust these settings until all of the colours in your image have been removed and it appears completely grey-scale. Once this has been done, click ‘OK’ to apply this change.
Step 3:
Once you have removed all of the colour from your image you will now need to select the ‘Select’ tool on your left hand side menu. This will allow you to draw around your subject and select only them, not their background. Once you have selected everything that makes up your subject click ‘Inverse’ which will then select anything outside of what you originally chose – i.e., everything else except for your subject – which should now be highlighted in blue.
Step 4:
With everything else outside of your subject now selected, it’s time to turn this into a pure black Silhouette against a white background. To do this simply go back over to the adjustments tab and select Brightness/Contrast or Levels depending on what software you are using and adjust them until everything outside of what was originally selected has turned completely black.
Step 5:
The last step is easy – simply save as jpg or other preferred file type and voila! You should now have a beautiful Silhouette effect with an eye-catching, impactful result!
Conclusion:
Turning an image into a Silhouette is really quite simple when following these five steps outlined above using any photo editing software available online or downloaded onto your computer at home! With just a few clicks of a mouse button, anyone can transform their images into stunning Silhouettes!