How to Make a New Image Look Old with Adobe Photoshop

Sometimes you may have a photo that is ok, but seems to be lacking something. This picture of Times Square in New York is not a very dramatic picture, but by making it look like an old photograph it takes on a new life and becomes a better image. It is easy to do this sort of transformation in Adobe Photoshop.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Photoshop 6.0 or later running on a MAC or PC Computer
• A copy of an image for experimentation.

1. 
   Desaturation

   The first step is to remove the color from the image. Open your image in Adobe Photoshop and select IMAGE/ADJUST/DESATURATE. This will remove all color from the image. You can also achieve the same result by selecting IMAGE/MODE/GRAYSCALE to discard the color information.

2. 
   Cropping

   Part of the problem with this image is that there is too much wasted space in the foreground. Using the MARQUE tool select the part of the image you want and then select IMAGE/CROP to crop. Only the image part selected with the Marque tool will remain.

3. 
   Dust and Scratches Control Panel

   The image is now in black and white and cropped correctly. However, it doesn't look "old". To make it look like an old photograph, first we will add some dust and scratches. Select FILTERS/NOISE/DUST & SCRATCHES to open up the filter control panel.

4. 
   Setting the amount of dust and scratches

   Use the PLUS and MINUS controls to see your image in full frame and in detail. You will also see the changes in the image as you adjust the sliders. Use both the RADIUS and THRESHOLD controls to manipulate the effect until you get the image looking the way you want. Then click OK.

5. 
   Adding some grain

   Old photographs exhibit some grain. The grain comes from the clumping of the silver halide crystals during development. High speed films exhibit more grain and slower speed filters exhibit less grain. Select FILTERS/NOISE/ADD NOISE to add grain to your image. Use the sliders until you get the image looking the way you want it and then click OK.

6. 
   Final Image

   The final image looks like an old photograph. Only the cars and large LG sign give away the fact that it is really a current image. This actually provides a point of interest to the image and makes the viewer look longer at the image.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t add too much noise; it will make your image look unreal.
• Don’t add too many scratches; it will make your image look distorted.
• Always work with a copy of your image to maintain your image archive.

Resources

• Adobe Photoshop

[raco1]

on 11/11/2008 Very helpful. thank you

[showpup]

on 12/4/2007 Fantastic. I love great Photoshop tips like these. 5 stars.

[Elitchka]

on 11/29/2007 Very good article too. Thank you