Kitten Hatching

Quick Tip – Add a little “pop” with Photoshop

Here is a simple way to add a little pop to your images:

1.  Open your image in Photoshop

2. Create a duplicate layer

3.  Change the blend mode of the duplicate layer to “Overlay”

4. Adjust the opacity of this layer to your liking (try 30-40%)

Before

After

Lomo Effect

Lomography is a photographic style achieved via the use of a Lomo-type camera. Lomography is characterized by saturated colors, blurring, vignetting, and other artifacts. In addition, Lomo film is often cross processed resulting in interesting color shifts.

The lomo effect can also be created digitally. Here are the general steps I used to create the following image:

BEFORE

AFTER

1. Open original (RAW) image in Aperture and make minor adjustments
2. Open tweaked image in Photoshop Elements
3. Apply the cross-processing action from http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com
4. Apply a high pass filter in overlay mode to add an over-sharpened effect
5. Adjust saturation in an adjustment layer
6. Add vignette by selecting an area with the elliptical marquee tool and filling with black

At this point, my lomo effect was essentially complete. I did, however, choose to add a bit of texture to complete the image.

lomography

Technorati Tags: lomography

New Blog – Free Textures and Templates

Looking for Photoshop backgrounds and textures? Check out my new blog!

Give your images a vintage newspaper look using Photoshop Elements

If you are looking for a way to liven up your images, check out the actions available (for free) over at Coffee Shop Photography. Here is an example of what you can accomplish with the Vintage News action: