Pixia Sepia Image Effect
Pixel-based image editors open up all sorts of creative possibilities and one of the most popular is converting a picture to look like an antiqued sepia picture.
This step by step describes how to produce the effect using the free pixel-based image editor Pixia. This isn't one of the best known free image editors, but we've also got other articles covering the steps to produce sepia effects using other free editors, including GIMP, Paint.NET and PhotoPlus SE.
This is a simple technique and even beginners should be able to follow this to produce striking results.
It's a simple truth that you'll end up with better results by starting with a good image, but this technique can very often change a dull and boring image into a much more impressive and attractive picture.
To open your selected image, go to File > Open and navigate to your chosen file and then select it and click the Open button.
If you're using a color image, you'll first need to desaturate it – you can obviously skip this step if you're using a mono image.
This is easily done by going to the Image menu and selecting Color Balance... which opens a new dialog with four adjustment sliders. The only one you need to adjust in this technique is the Vividness slider, which is really a saturation control. You just need to click on the thin white vertical line in the black bar at the bottom of the Vividness slider and drag it across to the left. You could also click on the arrow to the left to move the slider in increments. Once done, click the OK button.
Note: This doesn't completely desaturate the image, but the effect is sufficient.
To add a new layer, go to the Layers palette and click on the Edit button which opens a new menu, from which you select Add. This opens the Add Layer dialog. If the Full Size radio button isn't selected, click on that and then the OK button.
You will now see that a new layer has appeared in the Layers palette. It appears to have been placed below the background layer, but don't worry about that, it's just a quirk of Pixia that layers are stacked in the palette in reverse order.
Now you can select a sepia color from the Color Mixer palette. You just need to click on the circle filled with different shades of color to change the color that is selected in the box in the palette. Try to select a color that's a brownish sepia tone. I slightly adjusted the color I selected by dragging the Black/White slider, that is just below the color circle, slightly to the left. This has the effect of darkening the sepia tone that has been selected. Finally in this step, click on the Fill button (can of red paint being poured into a puddle) in the tool bar at the top to fill the new layer with your selected sepia color.
Move your cursor to the Layers palette and click on the layer that you have filled with the sepia color to open the Layer Options dialog. You can now change the Layer Mode drop down to Hue and Saturation before clicking the OK button. This has a similar effect to Color Blending modes in many other graphics software applications. You'll see that the result is that your image now appears with an overall sepia tone.
This is a nice and easy step by step tutorial that is suitable for complete newcomers to Pixia, resulting in a sepia tone effect on any image. You could use this technique with different colors, other than sepia, to produce very different results.
This step by step describes how to produce the effect using the free pixel-based image editor Pixia. This isn't one of the best known free image editors, but we've also got other articles covering the steps to produce sepia effects using other free editors, including GIMP, Paint.NET and PhotoPlus SE.
This is a simple technique and even beginners should be able to follow this to produce striking results.
1. Open Your Selected Image
It's a simple truth that you'll end up with better results by starting with a good image, but this technique can very often change a dull and boring image into a much more impressive and attractive picture.
To open your selected image, go to File > Open and navigate to your chosen file and then select it and click the Open button.
2. Desaturate the Image
If you're using a color image, you'll first need to desaturate it – you can obviously skip this step if you're using a mono image.
This is easily done by going to the Image menu and selecting Color Balance... which opens a new dialog with four adjustment sliders. The only one you need to adjust in this technique is the Vividness slider, which is really a saturation control. You just need to click on the thin white vertical line in the black bar at the bottom of the Vividness slider and drag it across to the left. You could also click on the arrow to the left to move the slider in increments. Once done, click the OK button.
Note: This doesn't completely desaturate the image, but the effect is sufficient.
3. Add a New Layer
To add a new layer, go to the Layers palette and click on the Edit button which opens a new menu, from which you select Add. This opens the Add Layer dialog. If the Full Size radio button isn't selected, click on that and then the OK button.
You will now see that a new layer has appeared in the Layers palette. It appears to have been placed below the background layer, but don't worry about that, it's just a quirk of Pixia that layers are stacked in the palette in reverse order.
4. Fill the Layer with Sepia Color
Now you can select a sepia color from the Color Mixer palette. You just need to click on the circle filled with different shades of color to change the color that is selected in the box in the palette. Try to select a color that's a brownish sepia tone. I slightly adjusted the color I selected by dragging the Black/White slider, that is just below the color circle, slightly to the left. This has the effect of darkening the sepia tone that has been selected. Finally in this step, click on the Fill button (can of red paint being poured into a puddle) in the tool bar at the top to fill the new layer with your selected sepia color.
5. Change the Layer Mode
Move your cursor to the Layers palette and click on the layer that you have filled with the sepia color to open the Layer Options dialog. You can now change the Layer Mode drop down to Hue and Saturation before clicking the OK button. This has a similar effect to Color Blending modes in many other graphics software applications. You'll see that the result is that your image now appears with an overall sepia tone.
6. Conclusion
This is a nice and easy step by step tutorial that is suitable for complete newcomers to Pixia, resulting in a sepia tone effect on any image. You could use this technique with different colors, other than sepia, to produce very different results.
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