Photoshop is a robust graphics software package available as part of the Adobe Creative Suite. The program puts creative control of images into the hands of photographers, graphic designers and artists; users are no longer tied down to exactly what their image looked like when they pressed the shutter button or digital flash. Photoshop lets users transform their images into creative pieces of artwork, but it also allows the opportunity to step back in time. Those who long for the days of 35-mm film or even further-gone sepia-toned effects will find that Photoshop can help them take digital images and perform these film effects onto their pictures, all in just a few quick clicks.
Sepia
Sepia-toned photographs are often relegated to amusement park dress-up portraits where you can pose as if you have entered a Wild West saloon, but this effect is easily created with your latest photographs. Use Photoshop's "Styles" palette, which has a sepia color block setting. To achieve the look, you simply open your image in Photoshop, add a new (blank) layer, then click the sepia color on the "Styles" tab. The picture will instantly take on the old-timey look. Of course, you can transform your film into other shades as well, just about anything under the rainbow. Using the same palette, you can make an entirely blue-hued image or one containing a variety of shades of purple.
Black and White
One of the easiest things to do in Photoshop is to remove color from a picture, making it look like an old black and white film shot. This is done via Photoshop's "Image" and "Mode" menus, using the "Grayscale" option. Grayscale is Photoshop's term for a colorless photo--you only see shades of black, white and gray. A cool effect to combine with this is spot color. Once you turn your photo into grayscale, you can use Photoshop's "Lasso" tool to select a small area of the image, such as someone's eye or a flower, then change that back to color and add in a pastel or vibrant hue. It will draw someone's eye and add depth to the image. After making changes, you can save your image with a different version so you can always go back to the original full-color one.
Filters
Through Photoshop's "Filters," a collection of tools you can use to transform your image into looking like a mosaic, watercolor or underwater picture, you can also make your image more film-like. For example, the "Color Halftone" filter option allows you to set a number where you break apart all the colors represented in your image. The "Solarize" option shows you how your picture would look if you shot the film directly into the sun (it comes out looking overexposed). If you want your image to look like a Las Vegas neon sign, the "Glowing Edges" filter option traces every sharp line in your image, then turns it into a colored neon tube.
Tags: your image, black white, filter option, images into, look like, sepia color
