Sepia lends a distinct monochromatic tone to photos.
Sepia is a variation on the gray color scale. Instead of the blacks and whites that come out in the gray scale, sepia deals in the brown scale. Sepia ink has been used by the photography and video world to invoke certain moods that are distinct from black and white, and even color.
History
Sepia ink was found in various types of cuttlefish. These cuttlefish secrete the sepia ink to fend off predators much like an octopus. Though it is a safety mechanism for the cuttlefish, people use sepia in a different way. The ink can be extracted from the cuttlefish and used by people.
Uses in Photography
The brown scale of sepia is used in photography as an alternative to other color scales. According to Photography.com, "Photographers still use it [sepia] today to lend their pictures a somber, serious and dramatic tone." It also gives photos an antiquated look, as sepia was used much more often in early photography.
Uses in Video
Sepia uses in video are much like those in photography. Sepia filters can be applied to a video camera to capture the gray scales of moving pictures. Post-production techniques also can use the brown scale of sepia to touch up the video quality to accentuate or downplay the browns of video footage.
Tags: brown scale, scale sepia, much like, used photography