Photoshop Tutorial #1: Vintage Photography

Did you ever what to know how to turn an everyday photograph into one of those cool technicolor images from the 1960s - without using that super retro app from the iphone store? Read on...

 From this...                                                           ...to this!

• Select a regular digitized photograph. 
• Duplicate the layer (Ctrl J).
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy
• Select the Background copy layer and change its blend mode to soft light.
  
• Select the Background copy layer and apply a noise filter (Filter>Noise>Add Noise…). 
• In the Filter pop-up window, set the slider around 3 to 9% for desired graininess, select uniform distribution - OK. 
• Create a solid color layer (click the icon - black & white circle - at the bottom of the layers window - choose solid color, or select: Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color - OK). 
• A new color picker window appears -create a dark blue color (i.e. hex# 070035).
  
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1
• Select the color fill 1 layer and change its blend mode to exclusion. 
• Create a levels layer (click the icon - black & white circle -at the bottom of the layers window -choose levels…, or select: Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels… - OK). 
• On the black graph in the adjustments window, move the black and white pointers slightly inwards by about 20 to 30 points.
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1
• Create a solid color layer (click the icon -black & white circle -at the bottom of the layers window -choose solid color, or select: Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color - OK).
• A new color picker window appears -create a mauve color (i.e. hex# DE9B90).
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1 |Color Fill2
• Select the color fill 2 layer and change its blend mode to soft light, opacity 80%.
• Create a solid color layer (click the icon -black & white circle - at the bottom of the layers window - choose solid color, or select: Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color - OK).
• A new color picker window appears - create a rose color (i.e. hex# FEDFEB).
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1 |Color Fill2 | Color Fill3
• Select the color fill 3 layer and change its blend mode to soft light, opacity 50%.
• Create a solid color layer (click the icon - black & white circle - at the bottom of the layers window - choose solid color, or select: Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color - OK).
• A new color picker window appears - create a dark blue color (i.e. hex# 070035).
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1 |Color Fill2 | Color Fill3 | Color Fill4
• Select the color fill 4 layer and change its blend mode to exclusion.
• Select the Background layer and duplicate it (Ctrl J) Background copy 2 layer.
• Move the Background copy 2 layer to the top of the layer stack.
  Layers: Background: original image | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1 |
  Color Fill2 | Color Fill3 | Color Fill4 | Background copy2
• Select the Background copy 2 layer and change its blend mode to soft light.
• Select the Background layer and duplicate it (Ctrl J) Background copy 3 layer and hide the original.
  Layers: Background: original image (hidden) | Background copy3 | Background copy | Color Fill1 | Levels1 | Color Fill2 | Color Fill3 | Color Fill4 | Background copy2
• Now to add a vignette (darkened edges around the photo)
• Select the Background copy 3 layer and apply a lens correction filter (Filter>Lens Correction …).
• In the Filter pop-up window, select custom tab.
• In the vignette section, move the amount slider into the darken side and the midpoint slider into the lighten side for the desired effect - OK.