The effect brush is probably PicMonkey’s most underrated tool. If you don’t know how amazing it is, you’re about to.
There are three popular ways to use the effect brush:
Applying an effect to a part of your original image.
Applying different levels of one effect.
Combining multiple effects in the same image.
So what’s this to you? If you wanna add a splash of color to a black and white image, this is it. Each one takes about a minute or two, depending on how much of a perfectionist you are.
In the video above, we demonstrate these steps for adding color to parts of a black and white image:
Pick a black and white effect (we went Infrared because it’s great for landscapes).
Click the brush icon to bring up the effect’s Paint palette.
Make sure you’re in the Original tab.
Paint the original color back on with the brush settings of your choice.
From there, it’s pretty easy to paint on different levels of the effect using the Brush strength slider. This is essential for subtle effects. In our example, it’s the best way to transition from the bright yellow sun to the Infrared foreground.
Cool cool, right? Two tricks down, one to go. Here’s how you can apply different effects to certain parts of your image:
Pick your first effect.
Before you click Apply, click on the brush icon to open up the Paint menu.2a. You can either paint the original image back on from the Original tab, or:2b. Paint your effect from the Effect tab (remember to check Reverse effect)
Apply your first effect.
Pick your next effect.
Repeat step 2b. Overlapping effects are unpredictable, and 2b gives you a better perspective on where you can paint your effect onto the original instead of the other effect.
Apply your effect.
For more effects, just repeat all those steps. And if you’re all like, “this is the coolest thing ever, how do I do it?” Get thee to the Editor.
