Amazing Photoshop Effects That Might Interest You
Above: An image like this one can be created by first transforming the photo into a black and white or sepia toned image, and then applying a filter, in this case a dusty pink.
In case you are wondering, did you know that “post processing” of digital photographs is half the work when it comes to taking great photographs? Those gorgeous photos you see everywhere partly professional equipment and partly digital enhancement, in almost every case. The good news is that for those who do not have expensive camera equipment or knowledge, by simply using the right program to enhance your photos you can achieve professional looking images!
As a graphic designer and blogger, I use photography in most of my work, and have been using Photoshop practically since day 1. I use it for everything from minimal dark/light adjustments, white balance adjustments, color balance adjustments to retouching and cropping. Ah yes, and lets not forget adding titles and watermarks to the photos I post here on the blog! But truthfully, there is much much more to Photoshop that I really should be familiar with. My use of Photoshop might be compared to driving a Lamborghini in the slow lane, and now that I’ve admitted to that, it is time to get up to speed!
Photoshop has been an irreplaceable tool in photography, graphic design, and many other creative fields for over two decades. What makes Photoshop one of the best graphic tools ever made is the constant innovation that goes into upgrading it every year. From web design to architecture, Photoshop is integral to several industries that rely on it for special effects and editing. Whether you’re new to graphic design or an expert, it’s hard not to incorporate some of Photoshop’s effects in your work. Staying up to date on the newest effects and editing tools will help you become better at what you do. (Note to self!) So lets learn about some of the latest and most effective Photoshop effects, no time like the present!
Color and Lighting
If you’re a photographer or someone who wants to edit their own photographs, Photoshop offers a variety of options that can help you create dazzling color palettes and conveniently control the lighting in a picture. Many good photographs have lighting as their strongest foundation, which can be a problem in certain photographs. If you’re shooting in a dark environment with an unsuitable camera, you’ve got yourself a problem. To some extent, you can fix your photos’ lighting and touch upon the colors to compensate for the original picture. Color effects are becoming quite common due to the rise of Instagram filters and vintage-style pictures.
Depth of Field Manipulation
Tilt-shift photography is a popular way to give photographs a special effect that manipulates the usual sizes of objects. To get that effect, you either need to use a special lens with a professional, high-grade camera, or you can just edit normal photos in Photoshop. Naturally, the most impressive and authentic version will be the one with the professional camera, but that doesn’t mean that Photoshop’s effect can’t be amazing. The key to creating tilt-shift images is by manipulating the depth of field, creating background blur that adds to the sharpness of the object in focus. You’ll find many different effects and tutorials that can help you control the depth of field to create professional-looking tilt-shift photos.
Curves Adjustment
Curves adjustment is a very popular tool in Photoshop that’s used for multiple purposes, but the most popular one is color correction. You can use curves adjustment to your advantage by creating matte and soft effects that can cause the subject to blend well with the background in a portrait or landscape shot. What makes the curves tool special is the highly specific tweaks that it allows you to perform on your images, without affecting the integrity of the entire image. It’s quite versatile and can be used to apply tonal changes, remap black & white images, and match colors between multiple shots.
Cinematic Effects
We’ve all noticed how different our photographs can look when compared to a cinematic movie. The great thing about Photoshop is that it’s full of different effects that you can use to recreate the cinematic feel in a photo. You can also use cinemagraph to transform your still photo into a GIF or a short video, which is done by moving an element in the photo continuously. This effect can be used to simulate snow, rain, or even some coffee poured from a pot while the rest of the picture remains un-animated. You don’t really need a professional camera or special equipment to create these types of images in Photoshop.
Vintage Effects
One of the most popular uses of Photoshop is the vintage feel added to photographs. No matter how modern the photo is, you’ll be able to delicately apply black & white filters to it until it looks like something shot many decades ago. There are other vintage effects that can be applied as well, such as grainy footage, yellow hue, edge burns, and many others. If you’re trying for nostalgia, you’ll do it effortlessly with Photoshop effects.
HDR
HDR is one of the most famous effects and methods of photography used. It allows you to capture a scene that doesn’t contain a normally sufficient amount of light with complete ease by maintaining the colors and sharpness of the objects in the frame. Some photographers tend to avoid HDR because they believe it can mess up the originality of the colors, but that’s a debate for another time. You can either shoot with an HDR-supported camera or use Photoshop to apply the effects yourself.
Photoshop offers many handy tools that easily make it the most versatile editing software out there. Not only can it be used for photo editing and digital art, but it can also be used for web and graphic design. Regardless of your specialty or experience, these effects will surely help you create professional-looking results. Go for it!
