Shuttered Life

Let’s start with a 125×125 pixel graphic. We’d like to have a hi-res version of this image.

Let’s blow it up to 2000×2000 pixels.

Then, you’ll notice that the image itself is pretty crappy.

Let’s make it better by adding some Gaussian blur. The amount of blur will vary depending on how pixellated your image is. For this one, we will try a value of 10. Type 10 in the field and then hit ENTER.

Now we will select Brightness/Contrast. To do this, click Image menu on the top>adjustments>brightness/contrast. On this example, check the USE LEGACY checkbox and we will set the brightness and contrast to +96 . Then hit OK.

The final result?
Before:

After:

Note: You are only limited to a black and white image for this technique. I haven’t tried a colored image but feel free to do so.

Again, if you like this post or you are about to use it, please leave some comments here. Thanks!

Step 1:
Open a photo you want to edit into Photoshop. This effect works well with portraits and landscapes. To open a photo, go to File> Open and browse for the photo you want to edit.

Step 2:
We begin this tutorial by duplicating the layer. This effect will appear on its own layer so you always have a backup copy of the original image in the “Background” layer. To duplicate the layer, press Ctrl+J or go to Layer>Duplicate Layer. You should now have a new layer called “Layer 1″.

Step 3:
Now we’ll use the Threshold tool. Go to Image>Adjustments>Threshold. The Threshold tool will create a high contrast black and white effect that’ll separate the lights from the darks.

In the Threshold tool, move the middle slider around to get the effect you want. Move it to the left to make the image lighter or move it to the right to make it darker. It’s important that if you have any faces in your photo, that they be visible. For example, the image I used for this tutorial, I had to brighten the image to a threshold level of 81 to reveal the face. This rule applies for other important objects you may have such as animals, logos, and other objects you want to be visible.

Step 4:
In the Layers pallet, change the blending mode to Overlay. You should now see this nice posterized effect. I’ve seen in a few forums many people using this effect and if you like this, you may keep it like this and end this tutorial. But if you want a softer, less pop-art-like effect, continue with the tutorial.

Step 5:
To make the effect less pop-art looking, we’ll use the Gaussian Blur filter. This filter will blur the layer so that the edges between the blacks and whites aren’t so hard. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

In the Gaussian Blur tool, you can adjust the radius of the blur. This will specify the amount of blurring. You can set this to a very high amount to minimize the contrast or use a lower amount such as the setting I used in the image below. Using a small number will create a high contrast effect. It’s up to you whether you want a high contrast effect or not. Some people don’t like the effect if it’s too strong so they use a large radius such as 250, but others like it and use a small number. I’m going to use a small number for this step.

I find the effect way too high in contrast and too many parts of the photo become black and hidden. To fix this, I’m going to reduce the opacity to the amount that looks right. Do this with your photo too and see if you like the effect. You don’t have to lower the opacity if you think it looks nice at 100%; it’s all up to your personal preference.

Now, here is original image:
Click to enlarge

And this is the final image:
Click to enlarge

If you like this tutorial or you are about to use it, feel free to write some comments.

First, open the desired image.

After opening the image, convert it to monochrome. You can do this by selecting the channel mixer or the black and white option for the image. In this tutorial, I prefer to use the channel mixer then click on the monochrome checkbox then click ok. You can play the RGB channels of your choice.

Then focus on the toolbar on the left. Make sure the color picker is set to BLACK and the BRUSH TOOL is currently selected. Then paint on the image you wish to be colored again.

Here are the results:

Before:

After:

Comments will be highly appreciated.

Reduce slight freckles naturally without using the Healing Brush. In this Photoshop tutorial, you’ll learn how to subtract freckles using a layer. This process provides the most natural results for light-brown freckles but will not work for dark freckles .

Step 1: Open an image into Photoshop

Open the photo with the freckles you would like to remove. To open a file, open the File menu and select Open. Then, browse for the photo and click OK. This tutorial only works for light-brown freckles; not dark freckles.

Step 2: Convert to CMYK color

To subtract the freckles, we need to find a channel that shows the most freckles. This is usually shown in the Yellow channel but to access that channel, we need to convert the image mode to CMYK. Convert the image to CMYK color by opening the Image> Mode menu and selecting CMYK Color. When you convert to CMYK color, the colors will shift and look different, but we’ll show you a way to get around this issue later.

Step 3: Select the yellow channel

In the Channels pallet, click on the yellow channel to view it. You can see that the yellow channel shows a lot of freckles and this is what we’re looking for.

Step 4: Copy the yellow channel

Now we’re going to create a new layer with the yellow channel in it. Press Ctrl+A or open the Select menu and click All. This will create a selection of the canvas. With the selection created, Press Ctrl+C or open the Edit menu and choose Copy.

Step 5: Convert the image back to RGB color

We’re done taking the yellow channel from the CMYK mode and we need to switch back to RGB color. But all this color conversion means that there will be a lot of color shifts. Earlier we told you that we’ll show you how to get around this issue and here it is. Simly go into the History pallet and click on the first step to revert the image to the way it was.

Step 6: Paste the contents as a layer

Press Ctrl+V or open the Edit menu and click Paste. You should now have a new layer with the yellow channel we copied earlier.

Step 7: Invert the layer

To subtract the freckles, we need to invert the layer so that it shows the opposite of the layer below. To invert the layer, press Ctrl+I or open the Image> Adjustments menu and select Invert.

Step 8: Blend the layer

Now that we have the right formula to subtract the freckles from, change the blending mode to Overlay and adjust the opacity so that the freckles disappear. You should see the effect of this subtraction technique real time as you adjust the opacity slider.

Once you’re done, you may notice that the contrast for the entire image has changed. For the image used in this tutorial, the result is pleasing and makes the overall image look better. If you are happy with the results, you’ve completed the effect. However, if you don’t like the effect that it creates, follow the next steps to learn how to make this effect only visible on the skin.

Step 9: Add a layer mask

To manually specify where the freckle removal effect should appear, we’ll be using a layer mask. Add a layer mask by opening the Layer> Layer Mask> Hide All. This should create a black layer mask that makes the entire layer invisible.

Step 10: Paint over the freckles

First, make sure that you have the layer mask selected by clicking on the thumbnail of the layer mask. It should have a white outline around it to indicate that it is activated. Select white as the foreground color and use the Brush tool with a soft edged brush to paint the affected areas. This will feel like an eraser tool for the freckles because the area you paint is the area that the freckles disappear.

Final Result:

Before:

After: