What is the difference between...?

[stephanie_hassell]

I was curious as to what the difference was between black and white/color

accented/monochromatic photos. I am mostly interested in knowing the difference

between color accented and monochromatic.

 

thanks!

[lutz]

Hi Stephanie, as far as I am aware "color accented" describes the use of just one color/hue within an otherwise black and white image (say, red lips, blue eyes, green grass, etc.), an effect that you will achieve digitally only. Monochrome describes the use of one color/hue over the entire picture, with each shade of gray translated to an accordingly light or dark shade of the chosen color. This effect can be obtained digitally as well as with darkroom toning techniques of b&w prints. Besides that, duotones (or tri-, quadtones, etc.) are often considered monochrome as well, although this is not 100% correct. A duotone will cover the whole range from white to black but with the grays in between translated to a mix of black and color "ink". Duotones nicely mimic the look of vintage b&w prints. Cheers.

[jtdnyc]

The only thing I can add to Lutz's comprehensive response is that color-accented photos did indeed exist before the digital age. They were created by the partial hand-coloring of monochrome prints. Digital simply makes the process easier and more easily repeatable.

[ken munn]

In my view monotones are black & white (& gray). Sepia, cyanotypes and the various digital

versions like duotones, tritones, etc, are toned, or tinted.

[mkelton]

To continue Jonathan's comment, all of these printing styles were around before digital.

[stephanie_hassell]

thank you all! I was having this debate with a few friends and all of you are helping to support my answers! Thanks again :)

[lutz]

Well, good if we could be helpful, Stephanie... :-) But for future reference I would like to humbly question Matt's as well as Jonathan's posts. Which "printing styles" (plural) are you referring to, Matt? The darkroom toning techniques - or the hand-coloring? The former I already mentioned as originally analog, the latter can hardly be regarded as a printing style. It's a mixed media approach, rather, not a photographic technique. Oil on canvas was around before photography, for that matter... Cheers.