Muted effect with Photoshop/Cross Processing

This is a tutorial on changing the tone of an image to something called muted or where the colors are no longer brilliant, yet still quite pleasing. You can go a step further and cross process the image. It is quite easy to do. Just follow the steps.

This is the effect I intend to create.

Step 1 : I will be using this free stock image. You will find it here

It belongs to night-fate-stock

Step 2 : Duplicate the Background Layer by pressing CTRL+J. Layer 1 forms.

Step 3 : Click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer Button.

Step 4 : Click on Gradient Map from the pop up.

Step 5 : The Gradient Map dialogue box appears.

The image becomes desaturated.

Step 6 : Drag Layer 1 over the Gradient Map 1 layer. Change the Blend Mode to Color. Reduce the Opacity    

to 40%.

Step 7 : Click the Add  New Fill or Adjustment Layer button.

Step 8 : Click on Curves from the pop up.

Step 9 : Click on the Red Channel from the drop down.

Step 10 : Click two points on the diagonal as shown.

Step 11 : Drag the upper point clicked on the diagonal up gently as shown.

Step 12 : The image acquires a reddish tinge.

Step 13 : Drag the lower point down slightly.

Step 14 : The image loses some of the reddish tinge, while the greens appear.

Step 15 : Drag the upper point a mite upward.

The reds become a bit more pronounced, while the greens remain.

Step 16 : Make another Adjustment Layer as in Step 7 & 8. Click on Curves again. 

Step 17 : Now click on the Blue Channel.

Step 18 : Click a point at the top, middle and bottom as shown. Drag the midpoint (1) down slightly first. Next drag the upper point (2) slightly upwards and lastly drag the bottom point (3) slightly downwards.

The image looks like this after applying he 2nd Curves Adjustment.

You can see the Curves 2 layer in the Layers palette.

Step 19 : Add another Curves Adjustment layer. It becomes Curves 3 adjustment layer.

Step 20 : Click on the Green Channel.

Step 21 : Click three points on the diagonal. Drag the midpoint (1) upwards slightly. Drag the top point (2) downwards slightly. Drag the bottom point (3) slightly.

The finished image. But remember these are the settings for this image. I have shown how the Curves work. Do not hesitate to experiment if to are using another image. Use the Curves Adjustment Layers one by one to make your own adjustments. That's all. Have a nice day.

Other photoshop tutorials are here 

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Split Toning with Curves

This is a split toning Photohshop effect which can be achieved easily with desaturation and Curves. You can make it work on any image.

This is a free stock image. You will find it here

Step 1 : Press CTRL+J to duplicate the Background Layer. A new Layer 1 forms.

Step 2 : Press CTRL+SHIFT+U to desaturate the image.

Step 3 : Click the New Fill or Adjustment button and click on Curves.

Step 4 : Choose the Red Channel.

Step 5 : In the Curves dialogue click two point like shown on the diagonal.

Step 6 : Drag the upper point up so that the diagonal curves at the top as shown.

The image acquires a reddish hue.

Step 7 : Drag the lower spot down gently as shown. The image will acquire a greenish hue.

The split toning. This can be done in any version of Photoshop.

Other Photoshop tutorial are here

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Making photos pop

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

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