You can make photos pop with a simple technique in Photoshop. This is a guaranteed method, whatever image you use. It will work like magic. You can also do this in Photoshop7.
Step 1 : I have opened this free stock image in Photoshop. It is quite an ordinary photo of a family picnic by the look of it. You can download it here
You can use any image.
The same image after processing.
Step 2 : Press CTRL+J to duplicate the Background Layer. In Photoshop 7 you have to drag the Layer to the New Layer icon at the bottom, the fifth from the left at the bottom to duplicate the Background Layer.
.Step 3 : Press CTRL+SHIFT+U to desaturate Layer 1.
Step 4 : Press CTRL+I to invert the image. It will appear like a negative.
Step 5 : Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.
Step 6 : In the Gaussian Blur dialogue box set the Radius to as high as 40 pixels and click OK.
Step 7 : The image blurs and nothing can be made out. Now for some magic.
Step 8 : Change the Blend Mode to Overlay and see the magic. Sometimes it helps to lower the Opacity of the Layer a bit. Do so by all means. It is not needed here.
Now look at the difference!!.
I have opened this free stock image.
The same image processed in just a similar way.
Here is another group photo.
The same photos after exactly the same processing. You can see therefore that this technique works for a variety of images. That is all.
Other Photoshop tutorials are here
