Color key effect

On this page: Color key effect — Parents: Fotografische Techniken — Photography, Technology & Science at the Tenckhoff Photo Archive.

The color key effect is a photographic technique where an image is converted to black and white while specific color details are highlighted. This method creates a striking contrast and draws attention to certain elements of the subject, achieving a dramatic impact.

Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima

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The Red Torii of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island
The Red Torii of Itsukushima Shrine in front of Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture is world famous. You can walk out to it at low tide, and ships pass through the torii at high tide to reach the Shinto monastery of Itsukushima Shrine.

Autumn in the Husum Castle Park

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A maple tree in the palace gardens of Husum
The Husum palace gardens offer many beautiful motifs and are reminiscent of the sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies with monuments.

Photo technique: Color-key

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Technique for creating color key recordings
With color-key recordings, one object of the picture is left in its color, while the rest of the picture is displayed in shades of gray.

Market halls in Color-Key

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The market halls in Ljubljana are reflected in the Ljubljanica

The market halls in Ljubljana, which are reflected in the Ljubljanica, the river of the capital of Slovenia.

The "three bridges" in Color-Key

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Ljubljana's "Three Bridges" with the red Franciscan Church "Annunciation"
The "three bridges" of Ljubljana with the red Franciscan church "Annunciation" as a color-key image.

Color-key pictures of Passau

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The Luitpold Bridge over the Danube in Passau

Passau, the city of the "Three Rivers", can be photographed as a reflection at good weather conditions in the surrounding rivers at night.

Color-Key pictures of plants

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Cherry blossom in Kyoto, Japan
If the photo already tells a good story, the color key technique can add another facet to the arc of suspense.

Kinkaku-ji the Golden Pavilion Temple in Kyoto

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Kinkaku-ji - the "Golden Pavilion Temple" near Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion, captured as a Colorkey photograph: the gilded façade shines in color while the surroundings fade into black and white.

Color-Key pictures of Kyoto

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Along the Kamo River in Kyoto, Japan
Highlighting details is the way that transforming a shot into a Color-Key pictures offers it.

Color-Key pictures of Tokyo

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Tokyo's skyscrapers at night as a Color-Key picture
The light pullers of the Colorkey picture of the street canyons of Tokyo make the skyscrapers appear even bigger.

Color-Key picture of the Shinkyo Bridge

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Shinkyo Bridge of the Futarasan Shrine in Nikko
The impressive Shinkyo Bridge of the Futarasan Shrine in Nikkō, Japan, is well suited due to its color to be displayed as a Color-Key picture.

Color-Key picture of Osaka Bay

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Light scrapers in the Osaka Bay
Light scrapers from taillights and headlights from automobiles give pictures a dynamic effect.

Color-Key pictures of Stockholm

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Stockholm with buildings as a reflection
Stockholm in Color-Key: A red brick building stands out against the gray cityscape, with its reflection in the water amplifying the effect.

Color-Key pictures of Düsseldorf

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Buildings in the Medienhafen in Düsseldorf as Color-Key picture
The "Düsseldorfer Medienhafen" offers many interesting photo opportunities even in changeable weather conditions.

Color-Key pictures of Frankfurt am Main

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Frankfurt am Main at night
Night shots of cities are particularly impressive due to their reflections in rivers and bodies of water as color-key images.

Color-Key pictures of the Millennium Bridge

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The Millennium Brücke in Newcastle upon Tyne
The colored reflection of the lighting of the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne is particularly effective as a Color-Key picture.

Color-Key pictures of a red bridge

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The red bridge in the Korakuen garden in Tokyo
The colors red and black direct the viewer's eyes to the essentials of the impressive layout of the Korakuen Garden in Tokyo.

Color-Key pictures of a "Red boat"

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Loch Linnhe at Fort William in Scotland
It is windless and the surface of the Loch Linnhe at Fort William in Scotland is very calm - no wave sways the red boat.
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