Reverse Sepia

An impossible task...

Whether or not you can reverse a Sepia effect, depends on whether or not the effect was truly Sepia in the first place.

Let me be clear from the beginning, a proper Sepia photograph is completely monochrome. This means that there is no color data left in the image. In turn, this means that there is no way to reverse the effect, by turning the image back to a color photo. The only reversal possible would be to make the image black and white.

Many people refer (incorrectly) to aging photos as being Sepia however. These photos mostly still do have color data left in them, and can be reconditioned to look like normal color photographs again.

This difference is illustrated below. On the left is an old photo, which has faded, but was a color image to begin with. On the right the photo is shown as it would look had it been a Sepia photograph. It would have been this color right from development.

Click the images to enlarge them.

Old Photo

Sepia Photo

So which photo do you have? Are you trying to restore an old picture? Or do you want to reverse the Sepia effect in a truly Sepia toned photograph?

Restoring Old Photos

If you are trying to restore an old faded photo, then you are in luck. I have several articles on Restoring Photos. Take a look to find out how to repair dated images.

Restoring Sepia Photos

As I have just explained, it is impossible to turn a Sepia photograph into a color photograph, but you can revert the image into a black and white form.

To do this, first open the image in Photoshop. Then select 'Enhance - Adjust Color - Adjust Hue/Saturation' from the menu.

In the dialog box that appears, drag the Saturation Slider all the way to the left, and then click the 'Ok' button.

Your image should now appear grayscale, instead of Sepia toned.

Kind Regards

Robert Redwood Robert Redwood - Bio
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