Professional photographers use filters — thin lenses that fit over a camera or enlarger lens — to correct lighting conditions, enhance specific colors, and create special effects such as fog, vignettes, and cross stars. (Have you ever wondered how cameramen created those wonderful soft vignette shots of actresses in old black and white movies from the 1940s? The photographer smeared Vaseline around the outside edge of the lens to diffuse the light on the edges of the image but keep the center sharp, creating a portrait with a "halo" effect. Stretching a sheer black stocking over the camera lens sometimes created soft focus effects.)
You can apply photographic-style filters in Photoshop using the Photo Filter command. The Photoshop photo filters recolor photographs by enhancing warm or cool colors, or by completely retinting the photograph to a specific hue such as yellow, magenta, brown, or blue.
In this technique, you find out how to apply Photoshop's photo filters to recolor your photographs. Also, you discover how to make your photographs look like old-time sepia-toned photos. So, find an interesting photograph and experiment with photo filters!
Recoloring with photo filters
You can apply photo filters directly to a layer or as an adjustment layer. If you apply a photo filter directly to a layer, the layer's pixels are permanently altered. But, if you apply the photo filter as an adjustment layer, you can always change the photo filter being used, modify its effect by lowering opacity or changing blending modes, or completely remove the photo filter without changing any image pixels.
Consider using an adjustment layer to apply a photo filter. It's infinitely more flexible. But, in the spirit of completeness, here's how to apply a photo filter either way:
1. Open the image to which you want to apply the photo filter.
2. In the Layers palette, select the layer you want to apply the photo filter effect to.
3. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Photo Filter from the menu.
If you want to apply the photo filter command directly to a layer, choose Image --> Adjustments --> Photo Filter. The Photo Filter dialog box opens.
4. In the Use area, choose a preset photo filter from the Filter drop-down list or click the color square and select a color using the Color Picker.
Preset photo filter effects range from Warming Filter and Cooling Filter to Underwater.
5. Move the Density slider to adjust how much the filter affects the photograph.
The higher the setting, the more the photo filter affects the image.
6. Click OK to apply the photo filter to the photograph.
Creating old-time sepia photos in Photoshop
You can create a sepia-toned photograph in Photoshop in several ways:
- Apply a sepia-toned photo filter.
- Use the Hue/Saturation command to colorize the photo.
- Use an action that ships with Photoshop that automatically creates a sepia-toned look for you.
Which works best? Well, which method you use depends upon the qualities of the photograph you're using and the look you're after. Open a photograph and try these different methods.
If you want to apply a sepia photo filter, follow the directions for applying a photo filter in "Recoloring with Photo Filters," above. There, in Step 4, choose Sepia from the Filter drop-down list. When you apply a sepia-toned photo filter, the results are a brighter brownish-yellow cast, but retain the original colors in the photograph.
The Hue/Saturation command produces a monotone brownish-red sepia look. Here's how:
1. In the Layers palette, select the layer you want to look like a sepia-tone.
2. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Hue/Saturation from the menu.
The Hue/Saturation dialog box opens. If you want to apply the photo filter command directly to a layer, choose Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation.
3. Put a check in the Colorize check box.
4. Set the Hue to 25 and the Saturation to 25.
These settings give you a nice-looking sepia color. If you need to, adjust the sliders until you get the look you want.
5. Click OK to close the Hue/Saturation dialog box and apply the color adjustment to the photograph.
To apply a sepia-tone using an action that ships with Photoshop:
1. In the Layers palette, select the layer you want to look like a sepia-tone.
2. Open the Actions palette by choosing Window --> Actions.
3. In the Actions palette, click the tiny arrow next to the Default Actions set to view the actions in that set.
4. Select Sepia Toning (Layer).
5. Click Play at the bottom of the Actions palette.
The action goes to work and recolors your photograph, producing a good-looking sepia-toned photograph.
You can also use the Photo Corner action found in the Frames Action set to add an interesting photo album border.
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