Gold Tone

There is no color such as Gold, but it can be created in Photoshop. It can be used to create gold tones in photoshop. The gold can be used to give a golden shade to photos.

This is a free stock image.

The same image with a gold tone.

The tutorial is here

Darkening background

Dark backgrounds help to focus on the subject. But when shooting this may not be possible sometimes. You can darken the background in Photoshop. It works on any version.

This is a free stock image. Note the background.

The same image with the background darkened.

The tutorial is here

Pale Skin with Photoshop

A pallor in photographs can be achieved in Photoshop. This is particularly useful when you want to make the skin tones and the entire image look almost without color. It can be done in a few steps with a number of Adjustment Layers.

This is a free stock image.

The same image with a pale tone.

The tutorial is here

Motion Blur

Neither the Motion Blur, nor the Gradient Tool are new to Photoshop users. They are some of the basic tools. We can combine both and use it in a slightly different way for a special effect.

This is a free stock image.

After applying the Motion Blur and the Gradient. The tutorial is here

Sketch in Photo

Turning any image into a sketch can be done in a few steps. What happens if you want to turn part of an image into a sketch. It is still easy enough.

This is a free stock image.

Part of the image has been turned into a sketch.

The tutorial is here

Color Sampler in Photoshop and how to use it

Some find the Color Sampler tool in Photoshop tricky to use because it leaves behind numbers on the image and are stumped on how to remove them. The Color Sampler Tool is used to correct basic color in a few steps. I will show you how the Color Sampler works and also how to get rid of the numbers that appear.

This is a free stock image.

The color corrected image. Some more steps are given in the tutorial which you need to follow.

The tutorial is here

Other tutorials are here

Lens Blur and Depth Map

The Lens Blur  has more control than the Gaussian Blur which we are accustomed to. A Depth Map enables you to selectively shift the focus in an image and blur the rest, the degree of which you can also set at will.

This is a free stock photo

The same with selective blurring with Lens Blur and a Depth Map. The tutorial is here

Other tutorials are here

Pastel Look

Some images look good if they are given a soft pastel look, which can be achieved in Photoshop. All you need are some Layers, the Curves, the Gradient Map and Gaussian Blur. 

This is a free stock photo.

The pastel effect.

The tutorial is here

Vintage Look with Photoshop

Making an image black and white from color takes just a single step -- CTRL+SHIFT+U. But it leaves an image flat. How does one overcome this and add a vintage look with a slight tint? It is not difficult to do if you know the secret of the Black and White Adjustment Layer, as also Gaussian Blur, Layer Masks, besides Adjustment Layers.

This is a free stock image to which I will give the vintage look.

The vintage look.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Lab Color and Levels - Making Colors Pop

You can make colors in an image pop in a variety of ways in Photoshop. The easiest is to turn the image into Lab Mode and use Levels. Learn this little trick and you will be able to do it too.

I have opened this free stock image.

The same image after turning into Lab Color and applying the Levels trick.

The tutorial is here

Other tutorials are here

Curves Adjustments Layers Secrets

You must have used Curves and Curves Adjustment Layers. There are some secrets in using this powerful tool in Photoshop. Curves should not be used in an arbitrary manner, but there are ways to use it correctly. You can work on selected portions of an image with Curves, but you must know how to do it.

This is a free stock image.

The same image after correction with Curves Adjustment Layers. You can do it too. Learn the secrets of using Curves with full control.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Content Aware and Protect skin tone

Content Aware is a feature of Photoshop CS4 and above. Among the many uses that Content Aware can be used is for resizing in an unusual way after checking the 'Protect Skin Tone' icon. It works better than crop.

Here is a free stock image. Note that there is a lot of space at the left and a bit at the left. The easiest option would be to crop it.

I have used the Content Aware with Protect Skin tone to resize the image. It is very simple and can be done in a few steps.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Adjustment Layers - Desaturated Look

You can give a deliberately desaturated look to images in Photoshop, while some color still remains. It is a question of using Adjustment Layers and Blend Modes. It can be done quite easily.

This is a free stock image.

The desaturated or muted color effect.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Adjustment Layers for tweaking complextion

If you want to tweak the complexion of the subject of an image without affecting the Background, the best way is to use Adjustments Layers. These are non-destructive layers which allow you to mask out certain portions and concentrate on others.

This is a free stock image.

The same image after applying the tweaks with Adjustment Layers.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Adjustment Layers and Blend If

Sometimes small tweaks to an image make all the difference. The best way to do this is to use Adjustment Layers. You can fine tune color and tone quite easily. To make sure that the effect is not overdone, use the Blend If in Blending Options for advanced blending.

This is a free stock image.

The same image with the tweaks applied.

The tutorial is here

Other tutorials are here

Spotlights to bring out details

Sometimes details are lost because of deep shadows in an image. Sometimes the image itself is too dark. You can correct it very quickly by turning on spotlights created in Photoshop. The process is easy and can be done in any version of Photoshop.

This is a very dark and shadowy image of Durga.

The same image after turning on the 'spotlights'.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Sketch and Halftone pattern

You can turn any image to a sketch in just a few steps and then us the Halftone Pattern for added effect in Photoshop.

This is the effect you can create.

The original images are below

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Textures for Special Effect

You can add a Texture to an image and use a couple of Adjustment Layers for a special effect with Photoshop in any image. It is not difficult and is quite easy to do.

This is a free stock image.

The same image after adding the effects.

The tutorial is here

Other Photoshop tutorials are here

Blown out Highlights

Nobody likes Highlights in an image to be blown, unless it is done deliberately  for effect. Some like this style which can be done in photoshop.

I have opened this free stock image.

The same image with the Highlights blown deliberately.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Lights and Darks

You can change the light and dark portions in an image to bring focus in Photoshop. This can be done in a variety of ways. It can be done in a couple of steps in this tutorial in any version of Photoshop.

This is a free stock image. Note the shadow beneath the model's eyes and her chin.

The same image with the shadows lightened and the background darkened a mite.

This is another free stock image.

The same image after following the same steps.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Luminosity Mask New Photoshop tutorial

Luminosity Masks in Photoshop help tweak light and dark areas in an image very subtly and gives get liberty in controlling lights and shadows, which you cannot do directly with Levels and Curves. Luminosity Masks allow you to control the lights and shadows without affecting other portions of the image. I will explain the process step by step so that you can follow easily.

I have opened this free stock image in Photoshop.

The same image with tweaks with Luminosity Masks.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Lomo Effect Quick Tutorial

The Lomo effect can be achieved with Photoshop. What is the Lomo Effect?  The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of St Petersburgh, Russia. It can be replicated in Photoshop.

This is a free stock photo.

The same image with the Lomo Effect. The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

If you have a photoshop question or would like a particular tutorial please email me at pradip.chowdhury@gmail.com

Focus with Adjustment Layer

Just as you can change the focus of light in an image with Adjustment Layers in Photohshop you can also change the hues with a Color Adjustment layer. It is not difficult to do and does not need special skills.

This is a free stock image which is a tad too bright.

The same image after using a couple of Adjustment Layers, including a Color Balance Adjustment.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here