Split Toning in Photography — An Interactive Tool
Split toning colors the shadows and the highlights independently — the technique behind the teal-and-orange look. This page includes a working editor, so you can pick two hues and see the result on a real photo, with no installs or uploads required.
Photo
landscape-sunrays.jpgDrag the divider to compare (double-click to center).
Split tone
Biases the split toward shadows (−) or highlights (+).
Choose an image
Six varied samples — or upload your own. Files are processed locally and never uploaded.
Privacy-first: your photo stays on your device — no server upload.
What is split toning?
Split toning applies one hue to the shadows and a different hue to the highlights, leaving the midtones to blend between them. It began as a film and darkroom technique and is now a standard color-grading step in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Shadows, highlights, and hue
Each end has a hue (the color, in degrees) and a saturation (how strong the tint is). At 0% saturation a tint has no effect; at 100% it becomes a strong duotone. Choose complementary hues for maximum separation.
Balance
The balance control moves the crossover between shadow and highlight tints. Negative values push more of the image toward the shadow tint; positive values push it toward the highlight tint.
The teal-and-orange look
The most famous split tone is teal and orange: shadows shift toward teal while highlights (often skin) shift toward orange. Because the two hues are complementary, the subject separates cleanly from the background.
Frequently asked questions
What is split toning in photography?
Split toning applies one color tint to the shadows and a different color tint to the highlights. It was originally a darkroom and film technique, and it is now a common way to color-grade a photo in Lightroom or Photoshop.
What is the classic teal and orange look?
Teal and orange is a split tone where shadows are pushed toward teal (cyan-blue) and highlights toward orange. It is popular because teal and orange are complementary colors, which creates strong separation between skin tones and backgrounds.
What does the balance control do?
Balance moves the crossover point between the shadow and highlight tints. Negative values bias more of the image toward the shadow tint; positive values bias it toward the highlight tint.
Do I need to desaturate the photo first?
No. The shadow and highlight saturation controls determine how strongly each tint blends with the original image, so you can apply a subtle grade or a strong duotone without converting to black and white.