Written By Steve Patterson
In this
Photoshop tutorial, we're going to look at how to do a bit of reverse photo restoration, turning a new or recent photo into an
old photo, one that looks like it was taken many years ago, and we'll be doing it by combining several separate effects to create our final result. We'll be looking at how to replace a photo's original colors with a classic sepia tone, how to add a soft glow to an image, how to darken edges, how to add noise, dust and scratches, how to fade an image by brightening the blacks and darkening the whites, and we'll even see how to bring back some of the photo's original color when we're done. Lots of fun stuff!
Of course, as with many photo effects, the results you end up with will depend a lot on the photo you're using. If you have a picture of someone sitting in their new 2008 model car wearing the latest fashions while listening to an iPod, trying to make the photo look like it was taken 40 or 50 years ago isn't really going to work, unless your goal is to use the photo as proof that time machines really do exist.
Here's the image I'll be working with in this Photoshop tutorial:
The original image.
And here's what it will look like when we're done:
The final "old photo" result.