How to make a duotone image
A duotone maps a photo's brightness onto two colours. How to choose a pair that keeps the photo readable, how it is made in any editor, and the one-click route with a live example.
Beginner3 min readUpdated 27 September 2026Effects · Duotone
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Choosing the two colours
- One dark, one light. The photo's detail lives in the difference between the two. A navy and a pale yellow keep every fold and shadow; a red and an orange lose them.
- Take them from the brand. The primary as the shadow and a tint of the background as the highlight puts any photo on brand without recolouring it by hand. Load them from your brand kit so they are exact.
- Cool shadow, warm highlight reads as printed and calm. Warm shadow, cool highlight reads as electric. The classic streaming-app look is a deep colour under a bright, saturated highlight.
- Paper, not white. For a print feel, set the highlight to an off-white or cream rather than pure white.
How it works in any editor
Every duotone is the same two steps: convert the photo to greyscale, then map that grey ramp onto a gradient from the shadow colour to the highlight colour. In some tools the second step is called a gradient map; in others it is a duotone adjustment. Do it non-destructively (as an adjustment or a filter layer) so you can change the colours later, and do it after any contrast fix, because a duotone can only redistribute the tones the photo already has.
How to do it in Voidcanvas
- Open Effects, drop in the photo, choose Color, then Duotone.
- Under Parameters, set Shadow Color and Highlight Color. The starting pair is black and white, which is plain greyscale; pick your own two to see the effect.
- Press Download for a PNG, JPG or WebP, or Open in Editor to carry on with the duotone as a live filter layer.
- In the Editor, the same effect is Filter, Colour, Duotone: a filter layer with the two colours in Filter settings, which you can fade with the layer's opacity or paint out of a face with the Eraser.
Common mistakes
- Flat result. The two colours are too close in lightness. Darken one or lighten the other.
- Muddy midtones. The photo had little contrast to begin with. Add a Curves adjustment below the duotone first.
- Skin looks ill. Green or cyan shadows on a face rarely work. Keep the shadow colour warm or neutral for portraits.
What is the difference between a duotone and a gradient map?
A duotone is a gradient map with two stops. A gradient map can have more colours along the ramp, which gives a tritone or a full false-colour treatment.
Can I make a duotone with brand colours?
Yes, and it is the best use of one. Use the brand's primary as the shadow colour and a pale tint of the background or a neutral as the highlight, so the photo keeps its detail.