Learn how to work with softening techniques, blending options and adjustment layers in order to turn ordinary photos into vintage spectacles!
Step 1
Copy and paste in this photo of a guitarist, resizing it to 600px Width
Step 2
Duplicate this layer and go to filter>blur>gaussian blur. Apply a 3.5 strength gaussian blur and then change this layer’s opacity to 60%. This should nicely soften your image:
Step 3
Now open your adjustments panel, and apply a color balance adjustment layer (settings below):
Step 4
Now apply a second adjustment layer (photo filter) – see the settings below:
Step 5
Now paste in this great paper texture.
Go to image>adjustments>desaturate to grayscale it, and then apply the levels settings shown below:
Step 6
Reduce your paper texture layer’s opacity to 10%:
Step 7
Create a new layer called ‘image border’. Then fill this with whatever color you want. In your layer’s palette reduce this layer’s FILL opacity to 0%, leaving it’s main opacity at 100%. This means that your color used to fill your canvas will not be visible, but any blending options and layer styles will be!
Then apply a 10px stroke (position: inner), opacity: 20%, to create a nice border to your image:
Step 8
Create a new layer called ‘radial gradients’. Use your radial gradient tool (ranging from various bright colors to transparent) and create some highlights over your image (see below):
Then change this layer’s blend mode to ‘overlay’ and reduce it’s opacity to 15%:
Step 9
Create a new layer called ‘white bar’. Using your marquee tool or rectangle shape tool create a white bar spanning across the bottom of your image.
Then reduce this layer’s FILL opacity to 50%.
Go to blending options and apply a 1px white stroke effect. This should create a nice subtle area to place text:
Step 10
Now add some text over your bar area. I chose to apply a very high kerning setting to space my text out nicely.
Then I added a black outer glow blending option to my white text to add some subtle emphasis to it:
And We’re Done!
