Coloured stencil effect

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a coloured stencil effect in Photoshop. You will need to use the threshold adjustment tool for this effect. I have used a free stock image which is available from sxc.hu.


Coloured stencil effect

Step 1

Open an image in Photoshop you wish to add the coloured stencil effect to. This effect will work best on a self portrait image. Duplicate the background layer by selecting Ctrl + J, and then reset the colour palette by pressing the ‘D’ key on the keyboard.




Step 2

Select Image > Adjustment > Threshold and give a threshold level of 131. You can experiment with the levels in your image as it may be different. The threshold adjustment represents an image as pure white or pure black, depending on the slider position. You will image something like below.




Step 3

Select the magic wand tool and select the white areas of the image and hit delete. Then using the paint bucket tool colour the empty spaces with your favourite colours. I have filled the background in #06965b colour in the face with various shades of red.



You should now have a coloured stencil effect.