Create Striking Color Splash Photos

Before and after image of woman walking on street with phone in hand, showing application of color splash effect for vibrant final look.

Our color splash tools + your photos = total eye candy. With PicMonkey, it's easy to create color splash photography that stops the scroll, turns heads, and makes people say, "Show us more!" Start your free trial today.

Before and after image of woman walking on street with phone in hand, showing application of color splash effect for vibrant final look.

How to make color splash photography in PicMonkey

Open your image

Open your image in PicMonkey. Or, choose from millions of royalty-free pics in our stock photo library.

Add a Black and White effect

Click the Effects tab on the left. Choose from any of the following effects: Black and White, Super B&W, Tri-X, or Silverscreen.

Create your color splash

The Black and White effect will be applied to your entire image. Then, just use the eraser tool to remove the effect from your color splash area.

Share it!

Color splash photography HAS to be shared. Download your design or share it directly to social from PicMonkey!

Color splash photography using PicMonkey's Background eraser, featuring man in yellow rain jacket in front of black and white lighthouse.

Get the color splash look with Background Eraser

PicMonkey Pro subscribers have access to our magical Background Eraser tool, another option for easily creating eye-catching color splash photography:

  1. Duplicate a color photo and turn your copy black and white.

  2. Use the Background Eraser to remove the color photo's background.

  3. Place your backgroundless pic overtop the B&W copy.

  4. Boom! That's a stylin' color splash photo.

Color splash photography using PicMonkey's Background eraser, featuring man in yellow rain jacket in front of black and white lighthouse.

More effects — more color popping

The fun doesn't stop when you’re playing with color. Explore other unique photo effects for the perfect kind of extra.

Or maybe you want a text-based color splash? Throw that photo of yours into B&W, then add your text. Use the Text Tools menu to customize your font, size, spacing, and more.

Red hot air balloon color splash with super black and white effect applied in PicMonkey.
Red hot air balloon color splash with super black and white effect applied in PicMonkey.
Shoe advertisement design on PicMOnkey for desktop and PicMonkey mobile.

Color splash with our mobile app

When you use PicMonkey’s mobile app, you get the same TLC of our desktop editor in the palm of your hand. Create color splash photography on your iOS or Android device!

Shoe advertisement design on PicMOnkey for desktop and PicMonkey mobile.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make color splash photography?

Choose an image (any photo works), then use our color splash tools to get the job done right. Background Eraser is great if you want your focal point to pop with color; otherwise, our black and white effects and eraser tool will allow you to control exactly where your color splash effect appears.

How do I share my color splash photo?

PicMonkey designs can be shared directly to Facebook, Instagram (business account), Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, Buffer, YouTube, and Etsy. Just click Share in the top toolbar, connect your account, and enter your posting info.

Are there other meanings of color splash?

Yes! Some seekers of the "color splash" are looking for its more literal meaning — a legitimate splash of color, or "color splash background." You can make one of these lickety-split with PicMonkey's watercolor textures, or get the look supa fast with a gorgeous stock photo.

Check out other color-centric info and tutorials

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