04 photo art blends manual
By Linda Sattgast
Photo Art Blends | Lesson 4 Lesson 4: Retro Photo Editing In this lesson, we are going to share a fun technique that will give your photos a retro vibe, primarily through the use of color channels. Just like Lesson 4, there is a lot of flexibility, so you can experiment, experiment, experiment, because no two images will respond to the effect in the same way. • Open Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop. • Select File > Open and select the photo you want to edit. • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button (half black/half white circle) located in the bottom (or top depending on version) of the Layers Panel. Select Levels. • Click on the RGB Channel Picker and select Red. • Move the gray slider (center) to the left, between the 1.0 and 3.0 range. Adjust as to your preference. • Go back to the Channel Picker and select Green. Move the gray slider slightly to the right, near the .90 range. Adjust as desired. • Once more, click on the Channel Picker and select Blue. Find the output levels at the bottom of the Adjustments Panel (PSE), or Properties Panel (PS), move the black slider (left) to the right, between 20 and 80. Adjust as to your preference. • If desired, go back through the different color channels and adjust the sliders until your desired effect is achieved. • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers Panel. Select Solid Color. • Pick a medium royal blue color and click OK (I used #0e1ca6). • At the top of the Layers Panel, click on the Blend Modes drop-down menu and select “Exclusion.” • Adjust the opacity to a low percentage, near 15-30%. (If you’re feeling adventurous, click on the blue layer thumbnail and experiment with different colors, such as a green or a deep purple. You may find you like how other colors look better!) • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers Panel. Select Gradient. • Click on the gradient color picker. (If you haven’t already loaded the gradients from the class kit, click the Load button, then browse your system for the class kit where they are located in the Word Art folder and click Load. Select the Black to White gradient. Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
• Set the style to Radial, check the Reverse box, and adjust the angle and scale if desired. • Set the blend mode of the Gradient to “Multiply” and the opacity to 20%. • Select Layer > Duplicate Layer, click OK when the dialog box appears, and set the copy to “Soft Light,” leaving the opacity at 20%. Feel free to increase the opacity if you want more contrast in your image. • Adjust any or all of the above Adjustment layers until you find the perfect coloring for your new retro photo! • Save in .psd format to retain layers and allow for future editing. • Save as high quality .jpg to upload to preferred print vendor for printing. See Printing Tips for print vendor suggestions and other printing advice. Here’s another sample of a retro edit: The before and after, along with the Level Channels and the Layers Panel.
Page 2
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
Photo Art Blends | Lesson 4 Lesson 4: Retro Photo Editing In this lesson, we are going to share a fun technique that will give your photos a retro vibe, primarily through the use of color channels. Just like Lesson 4, there is a lot of flexibility, so you can experiment, experiment, experiment, because no two images will respond to the effect in the same way. • Open Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop. • Select File > Open and select the photo you want to edit. • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button (half black/half white circle) located in the bottom (or top depending on version) of the Layers Panel. Select Levels. • Click on the RGB Channel Picker and select Red. • Move the gray slider (center) to the left, between the 1.0 and 3.0 range. Adjust as to your preference. • Go back to the Channel Picker and select Green. Move the gray slider slightly to the right, near the .90 range. Adjust as desired. • Once more, click on the Channel Picker and select Blue. Find the output levels at the bottom of the Adjustments Panel (PSE), or Properties Panel (PS), move the black slider (left) to the right, between 20 and 80. Adjust as to your preference. • If desired, go back through the different color channels and adjust the sliders until your desired effect is achieved. • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers Panel. Select Solid Color. • Pick a medium royal blue color and click OK (I used #0e1ca6). • At the top of the Layers Panel, click on the Blend Modes drop-down menu and select “Exclusion.” • Adjust the opacity to a low percentage, near 15-30%. (If you’re feeling adventurous, click on the blue layer thumbnail and experiment with different colors, such as a green or a deep purple. You may find you like how other colors look better!) • Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers Panel. Select Gradient. • Click on the gradient color picker. (If you haven’t already loaded the gradients from the class kit, click the Load button, then browse your system for the class kit where they are located in the Word Art folder and click Load. Select the Black to White gradient. Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
• Set the style to Radial, check the Reverse box, and adjust the angle and scale if desired. • Set the blend mode of the Gradient to “Multiply” and the opacity to 20%. • Select Layer > Duplicate Layer, click OK when the dialog box appears, and set the copy to “Soft Light,” leaving the opacity at 20%. Feel free to increase the opacity if you want more contrast in your image. • Adjust any or all of the above Adjustment layers until you find the perfect coloring for your new retro photo! • Save in .psd format to retain layers and allow for future editing. • Save as high quality .jpg to upload to preferred print vendor for printing. See Printing Tips for print vendor suggestions and other printing advice. Here’s another sample of a retro edit: The before and after, along with the Level Channels and the Layers Panel.
Page 2
Photo Art Blends © 2013 CottageArts.net, LLC, all rights reserved.
