How to create a Lomo Effect in Photoshop

Lomography is a special brand of photography that was first introduced in the 1980s with the introduction of the Lomo LC-A camera. This cheaply constructed camera gathered a loyal following among photo enthusiasts and hobbyists because of the unique quality of the photos it took. Lomo pictures are often recognized by their vibrant, but saturated colors, exposure quality, and darkening around the edges of the photos. Actual Lomo cameras have become collector’s items and hence potentially very expensive, but you can mimic the effect of the Lomo camera using Adobe Photoshop image editing software.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer (PC or Mac)
• Adobe Photoshop (version 8.0 or higher)

1. 
   Image before Lomo effect has been applied

   Open the image you want to edit in Adobe Photoshop. Select “Layer” then “New Adjustment Layer” and “Brightness / Contrast.”Name the layer whatever you want - "Color” should be set to None, “Mode” should be Normal, and "Opacity" should be set at 100%. Add about 20-30 points to the brightness.

2. Create another Adjustment Layer for Hue/Saturation by selecting “Layer” then “New Adjustment Layer” and “Hue/Saturation.” Again, name the layer - Color” should be set to None, “Mode” should be Normal, and "Opacity" should be set at 100%. Increase the image’s saturation by roughly 20-30 points.

3. Choose the Rectangular Marquee Tool (shortcut, press M). Set the Feather amount to about 1/12 of the width of the image. For example if the image is 800 pixels wide set the Feather amount to 67 (800/12). You can check the size of an image by clicking “Image” then “Image Size” or by pressing Alt+Ctrl+I.

4. Select the entire image by clicking and dragging the mouse cursor to place the marquee around the entire image.

5. Click “Select” and then “Inverse.”

6. Add a new layer by selecting "Layer", then "New", then "Layer" or pressing Ctrl+Shift+N. Name the Layer whatever you want - "Color” should be set to None, “Mode” should be Overlay, and "Opacity" should be set at 100% - then click OK.

7. Set the foreground color to black. You can do this quickly by pressing “D” on your keyboard.

8. Choose the Paint Bucket Tool (shortcut press G), and then fill the layer with black.

9. De-select the layer by selecting “Select” then “Deselect” or by pressing Ctrl+D.

10. Duplicate the layer by selecting “Layer” then “Duplicate Layer.”

11. Choose the Gradient Tool (shortcut press G or click and hold the mouse over the Paint Bucket Tool) and select Radial Gradient.

12. Choose “Foreground to Transparent” in the Gradient Picker. Then switch the foreground color to white.

13. Start with the cursor in the center of the image, and then click and drag the gradient tool out to a far edge of the image.

14. 
    Final result after effect is applied

    Decrease the opacity to roughly 50% to 60%.

Tips & Warnings

• This effect works best on bright, well lit (daytime) images with vibrant colors.
• You can create more darkening around the edges by increasing the Feathering on the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
• Play with the levels of Brightness and Saturation as well as the Opacity to achieve the maximum desired affect.