The good news is, you don’t have to have one of these cameras to produce your own “Lomo styled” photos. With 3 simple steps in Photoshop you can create some very interesting Lomo looks.

First up, you need a good photo. Actually it doesn’t necessarily have to be good, just a photo that you like. I found this one, which I think we’ll work well for this tutorial.

Step 1 – Create a Strong Vignette

To create our vignette effect we’re going to add a gradient fill adjustment layer. We’ll need to set this adjustment layers blending mode to soft light.

Now we need to add a gradient overlay layer style to the adjustment layer using the following settings.

You should now have a nice vignette with a brighter center.

Step 2 – Add a Little Cross Processing

Cross processing a photo means that it is color film developed in a different chemical than what is intended for that particular film. For example, color 35mm film developed in chemicals intended for slide film. The result is unusual coloring.

For our purposes, we’re going to use a cross processing technique in Photoshop to produce the often bright and interesting colors of Lomography.

Lets create a new curves adjustment layer. There are no rules for these curve settings. The trick is that we want to adjust the RGB channels separately. I’ve included my settings below, but you may choose something different, especially if you are using a different photo.

Step 3 – Blur the Edges

Next we want to blur everything in the photo except for our focal point. To do this, copy the original photo layer, then choose (Filter | Blur | Lens Blur). Don’t worry about specific settings, just create enough blur with the filter. We’ll be removing some of it with a mask.

Now create new layer mask for the blurred layer. And use a large soft black brush paint in the center to reveal some of the focused layer beneath.

That’s it… These simple techniques can create some interesting and fun “Lomo” type effects. Try them on your photos and experiment to see what you can create.

Using Live Trace in Adobe Illustrator we can create some very interesting pop art in a matter of a few clicks. First up lets grab a good photo to use. I chose an image of Marilyn Monroe, to create something with a little Warhol flare. There are lots of great Marilyn image here.

In Illustrator lets create a new swatch library containing the colors we want to use for our artwork. The trick here is to choose bright colors of 4 or 5 different tones to represent highlights, midtones and shadows.

Click and drag colors to the swatches palette to create new swatches. You can see the colors I chose below. Once you’ve selected your swatches, click the icon in the bottom left of the swatches palette and choose “Save Swatches”.

Now load your newly created swatches palette by clicking the down arrow in the upper right of the swatches palette. From the menu choose (Open Swatch Library | Other Library…) and navigate to the file containing your swatches. Now your swatches should be open in a new swatch library window.

Next up, lets place our photo on the canvas. Select the photo and choose (Object | Live Trace | Tracing Options…). Within the Live Trace dialog click the preview box so you can see your changes as you make them.

For mode, choose “Color”. For Palette, choose the swatch library that you created in the previous step.

That’s it. For this photo, I didn’t make any further adjustments for the trace. Simply click “Trace” and you’re finished.

To add a little grunge to the piece, I copied it over to Photoshop and placed one of the textures, from the Noise Effects set, on a layer above the art, and set the blending mode to screen.

Try some different color schemes and different photos to see what you can achieve with this quick and simple technique.

Here’s a look at what we’ll be creating.

Step 1

After some searching I found this excellent photo to use for our poster. The girl in the photo is very sinister looking, which is perfect. But I want to exaggerate her evilness a little bit further. We’re going to use the Liquify Filter to accomplish that.

Click ( Filter | Liquify ) to load the filter window. Will be using the Bloat Tool (B) to make her eyes larger, and we’ll use the Forward Warp Tool (W) on her mouth and eyebrows. Below you can see the brush strokes that I made with these tools.

The animation below shows the before and after effects of the Liquify Filter.

Step 3

Next I want to brighten her eyes to the point where they look inhuman, and I also want to darken the shadows under her eyes and around her face. I used the Dodge Tool on her eyes and the Burn Tool on the shadows. Below are my results.

Step 4

Lets sharpen the image using the High Pass filter trick. Duplicate the layer and select (Filter | Other | High Pass). Enter 15 for the amount.

Set this layer’s blend mode to Opacity.

Step 5

Now we’re going to add some adjustment layers to enhance the contrast and detail of the image. First up, a levels adjustment.

Next, we need a Hue/Saturation adjustment. We’ll remove some of the saturation and slightly adjust the hue to a cooler tone.

Now lets add a Photo Filter adjustment to further the cooling effect.

Finally, lets add a Curves adjustment.

Step 6

Now we need a new layer above the image, but below our adjustment layers. With a large, soft white brush, with an Opacity and Flow set to 30%, begin to lighten the image taking the edges to completely white.

The adjustment layers apply the same cool blueish tone to our white brushed area, completing the cold effect we want for the image.

Step 7

Now we need to apply some type to complete the poster. Your typography can make or break your poster design. It seems that there is sort of a go too style when it comes to movie posters. If you choose to go outside of that style make sure you do it with the intention further the impact your poster is trying to convey. Here is one great example of going outside the typical film poster style.

For the list of actors at the top, I went to IMDB and chose some actor names at random. I used Myriad Pro Condensed for the first names and Condensed Bold for the last names. Any condensed sans-serif font will work well for this step, if you don’t have Myriad Pro.

For the title I chose Trajan Pro. Love it or hate it, it’s a good looking font, and it’s used a lot for movie titles for it’s dramatic look and feel.

I applied a slight drop shadow and inner glow layer styles to the title font.

For the credits, I used a font called SF Movie Poster. This is a great condensed font, excellent for adding a ton of names into a very tight space.

Below is the finished poster. I hope these techniques gave you some insight into how fast and easy a dramatic film poster can be created.

Here’s a look at what we’ll be doing with this portrait. If you want to use the same image, you can download it here.

Step 1

First up, lets add a Levels adjustment layer, and adjust the levels to something close to what I have below. Basically, we’re bumping the contrast with this adjustment.

Step 2

Now lets add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and take the saturation down. If you like, you can also adjust the color tone in this step using the Hue slider.

Step 3

Now lets add a Curves adjustment layer to further adjust the contrast and highlights. You’ll need to add three dots to the curves line and adjust to something similar to what I have below.

Step 4

Now we’re going to increase the sharpness considerably using the High Pass Filter. Make a duplicate of the original portrait layer, and select (Filter | Other | High Pass). Choose a setting of at least 10.

Now set this layer’s blending mode to Overlay.

Step 5

For this final step we’re going to bring out some of the details in his face using the dodge and burn tools. You can see from the photo below that the face is too hot.

Use the Burn Tool (O) with Exposure set to 50% to darken the following areas.

I also used the Dodge Tool to highlight the eyes.

Below is the final image. Experiment with these techniques on one of your own photos. You will be surprised by the dramatic effect you can add to your photography in a matter of minutes.

First lets take a look at a typical tilt shift photo. The blur effect helps to trick your eye into thinking your looking at something close up versus far away. So you naturally think the items in the photo are very small.

The same effect can be applied to a portrait. It makes the subject appear a little closer to the lens than they actually are, and it helps create a focal point. The result is a softer and more intimate style portrait. Lets take a look.

Here is a photo I found on flickr. You can grab it here if you want to follow along.

To start lets jump over to Quick Mask Mode (Q). Using a large soft brush paint the area of the photo that you would like to be the focal point. In this instance I painted an area over the girl’s face.

When you leave Quick Mask Mode, you’ll see that the entire photo is selected minus the area that you painted.

Next, open (Filter | Blur | Lens Blur). There are no specific settings for this filter, just adjust the controls until you have a blur that suits your photo.

For a final touch I added an adjustment layer to add some contrast.

My final result is below.

Below is another example, using the same effect.

Here is a list of the WeGraphics elements that I used for this piece.

Painted Light Effects Brushes
Grunge and Retro Mountains

For those non-WeGraphics Members, I’d like to suggest these free resources as an alternative.

Psionic Storm Brush Set
Grunge Stone Wall Texture

Step 1

Lets start by grabbing the stock photo of the boy jumping. You can download it here. Now use you favorite selection method to pull the boy from the background. I used a combination of the Quick Selection Tool (W) to make the initial selection, and Quick Mask Mode to clean up the edges.

Now copy and paste the boy onto a new black canvas 725 x 990 pixels.

Step 2

For the next step lets go ahead and create the background. I pulled a texture from the Grunge and Retro Mountains set. I sized it down and placed it on a layer behind the boy. I set the layer’s blend mode to Overlay.

Then on a layer below the texture I used a large soft gray brush to paint some of the texture behind the boy.

Step 3

Next lets desaturate the boy (Image | Adjust | Desaturate). Then make a few random selections, and cut and paste them to offset sections of the boy’s legs. To tilt your selections at an angle use (Select | Transform Selection).

Now combine (Cmd + E) the layers containing sections of his legs with his original layer. Then duplicate the layer and set that layers blend mode to “Overlay”. That should punch the contrast on the boy a little.

Step 4

In this next step I’ve simply applied a few brushes from the Painted Light Effect Brush Set each to its own layer with a blend mode set to Overlay. Below is the progression of brushes being applied.

Step 5

To create the ribbons wrapping around the boy, we need to head over to Adobe Illustrator for this next step. In Illustrator create a new canvas with some random rectangles in an orange/gold color. You’ll have to experiment a little in order to get the variety and pattern correct for these ribbons. Adjusting this initial layout is how to accomplish that.

Select all of the rectangles and drag them over to the symbols palette. This new dialog will appear. You can name the symbol, if you like, and you can ignore the rest. Press Okay to add the symbol to the palette.

You can delete the group of shapes after adding them to the symbols palette.

Now create a simple line drawing with the pen tool similar to what I have below.

Now select (Effect | 3D | Revolve). Inside the dialog choose “Front” for the position, and check “Preview”.

Now click “Map Art”. You’ll need to make several selections in this dialog. First choose the number 5 for the Surface (this may require a little experimentation, so choose a different surface if number 5 doesn’t work right for you). Choose your newly created symbol in the symbol drop down box.

Now choose “Scale to Fit”, and check “Shade Artwork” and “Invisible Geometry”. Click Okay. You should now have something like this.

Again, you may need to experiment with the size and number of rectangles for your initial symbol, until you get something you are happy with to wrap around the boy back in Photoshop. Once you have something you like, move on to the next step.

Step 6

Copy and paste your ribbons onto your Photoshop document. I ended up with 3 different ribbon layers, and I placed them in between some of the light layers. Experiment with different arrangement to see what you like the best.

I erased portions of the ribbons so that it appears that they are wrapping around the boy. I also used the dodge and burn tools to create subtle shadows around the ribbons where they overlap.

Step 7

For the final step, I copied the mountain texture layer onto a new layer above all others and set that layer’s blend mode to Overlay.

Then I created a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer and placed it above all others. I used a dull olive color for the gradient.

Below is my final image. I hope this tutorial help to illustrate how easy it is to use custom brushes to create a stunning effect in a very short amount of time. I’d love to see your results, feel free to share them using the comment fields below.

First up, lets activate the perspective grid in Illustrator by clicking the Perspective Grid Tool (Shift+P).

The grid will appear over your document.

You’ll also notice the small icon above the grid. This icon controls which side of the grid you are working on. Click the sides of the cube to choose the different angles in the grid to place objects.

Using the Type Tool (T) click your document and enter some text.

Using the Perspective Selection Tool (Shift+V), select and drag the text onto the grid. The text will conform to which ever side is selected on the cube. In this case, it is the left side.

The text remains editable, but you will have to double click it to open it in isolation mode in order to do so. Lets go ahead and do that to change the color. I’ve changed mine to orange.

Press ESC to exit isolation mode. You can also turn the grid off by clicking the X next to the cube icon, or select (View | Perspective Grid | Hide Grid).

Now lets apply a 3D effect to the text. Click (Effect | 3D | Extrude & Bevel). Inside the 3D effect dialogue box, place a check in the box next to preview so that you can see your changes take place. I used the following settings for my text. Yours may vary depending on which side of the grid you placed your text.

Here is my final result. One really cool aspect of this technique is that the text remains fully editable.

By experimenting with the perspective grid and 3D effects in Illustrator, you can achieve some really impressive effects.

I’m not going to walk you through step by step on this one because there are so many repeating steps and processes. Instead I’m going to discuss each technique used to create the different elements that make up the letters. With that information you should be able to design and create your own letters using mine as a reference point.

Here’s a look at the finished type treatment. Click to view a larger version

Pipes

First up, lets take a look at the technique used to create the pipes. Using the Rectangle Tool (U) draw your pipe shape, and apply the following gradient overlay layer style.

This is the same style I applied to all of the pipes. The only variation is the width and height of the initial shape, and the center color for the gradient. Keep these items varied to create more detail.

The shine applied to the pipes in the above image, are simple selections that are filled with a white to transparent gradient. Apply this effect to create a shiny copper or brass pipe.

Clamps and Rivets

For the clamps I created a more horizontal rectangle and placed it over a group of pipes as though it’s holding them together. I applied the same gradient as the pipes, but just varied the color a bit.

For the rivets I used a single pixel pencil brush with spacing set to 400%. Hold the shift key down in order to draw the rivets in a straight line.

I applied the following layer style to the rivet layers.

A gradient overlay similar to the pipes. This creates that rounded effect, as if the rivets are wrapping around the pipe.

This black outer glow creates the shadows for the rivets.

Hoses

For the hoses I created a small rounded rectangle.

I applied the following layer styles.

Light gray gradient with dark gray edges.

Apply a thin black stroke to create the separation between segments.

Now copy and paste the shape several times and place them on top of each other with a one pixel separation. Once the hose is log enough merge all of the layers.

To create the bend in the hose that was needed for the letter P, I used the pupped warp tool. (Edit | Puppet Warp). Place three points by clicking the top, bottom, and middle of the hose.

You can then drag the points to warp the hose to the correct shape.

You’ll need to rotate top and bottom points by holding the Options key. This will reduce the amount of bend in the center of the hose.

I also used the same puppet warp method for bending the wires and small tubes.

Clocks and Gauges

To start the gauges, I created a circle shape layer, and applied the following layer style.

This is mostly the same gradient we’re using for the pipes but at a 45 degree angle.

Next we need to create a smaller circle placed in the center of the first.

Apply a lighter gradient, and set it’s angle to 130. Then apply an inner shadow as follows.

Now we need to find a good clock face. After some searching I found a perfect stock image here. Use a circle selection to remove just the clock face from the stock image. Copy and paste it, then scale it down to fit over our center circle. Now set it’s layer style to Multiply.

Gears

For the gears I brought in a little help from Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator I created a black square.

We’ll need to create a new pattern brush from this square. To do that, drag and drop the square onto the brushes palette. A pop-up window will appear. Select pattern brush.

In the brush options window, make sure colorization is set to tints.

Now create a circle with a black stroke, and apply the new pattern brush.

Double click the brush in the palette to open the options for the brush. Adjust the scale and spacing as follows.

Click OK and choose “Apply to Strokes”. Now fill the circle with black, and click Object | Expand.

Now combine the shapes into one using the Pathfinder Palette.

Now draw a new circle in the center of the first. Give this new circle a white stroke.

Now apply the same pattern brush.

Click Object | Expand to expand the shape. And add one more white filled circle to the middle.

To combine the shape into one, and punch out the white areas, we’ll need to use the pathfinder palette again. Select the shapes and the Minus Front option.

That completes our work in Illustrator. When you copy and paste the gear over to Photoshop. Select paste as Shape Layer.

I applied the following layer styles to my gears.

Steam

To create the steam I used the Smoke Brushes Set available here at WeGraphics.

I applied it with the color set to white, and erased some of the top portion with a large soft white brush with opacity and flow set to 50%.

Glass Elements

For the transparent glass elements like the dome and the magnifying glass, I simply created my shape, and set the transparency back to 20 or 30%. For the dome I applied a stroke on a separate layer and blurred it using a gaussian blur filter.

On a layer behind the glass there is a bit of steam applied from the same smoke brushes mentioned in the previous step.

The magnifying glass uses the same technique, but instead of a stroke there is just a single click with a small soft white brush.

Shadows

In order to make the objects appear more 3D, I created shadows around edges where items overlapped. I did this by selecting the shape and using a small soft black brush to paint the shadows on a layer above the selected object.

Placement

To place all of the objects in the letter shapes, I need a reference point. I chose Georgia Bold as my reference font.

I placed all of my objects over the letters. Using the letter shapes as boundaries for my objects. I chose certain points and objects to exceed those boundaries where I felt it made sense from a style perspective.

Textures

For the texture that appears over the letters, I chose an image from the Grunge Wall texture pack here at WeGraphics. I scaled the texture down so it just fite over the a letter, then used a soft eraser to remove the portion outside the letter that I didn’t want.

I then set the grunge layer’s Blending Mode to Overlay.

For the background texture I wanted something that would resemble old cloth or leather. I chose an image from the Subtle Grunge Vol 1 Pack.

With a soft black brush I painted some shadows on a layer behind all of the letters.

Final Touches

For the final touch, I added a Gradient Map adjustment layer above all layers. This helps to equalize all of the colors a bit.

Next, I added a levels adjustment layer to punch up the contrast a bit.

Below is my final image. I hope these techniques will inspire you to create some steampunk imagery of your own. I’d love to see what you come up with. Feel free to share your creations in the comments below.

Below I have an image of a few clouds over the ocean. This image very soft and even in tone, and what I would like to do is give it some hard contrast and bright colors to create more of a sunset scene.

To open the image in Camera Raw, simply drag your Raw files to Photoshop, or if you have a JPG, you can Ctrl+Click in Bridge and select “Open in Camera Raw”

Now that you’re in Camera Raw, go ahead and make a few adjustments to the entire image. I took the exposure and brightness down, and bumped the clarity and vibrance up a bit.

Now select the Adjustment Brush from the top menu in Camera Raw.

Once you select the brush, you’ll notice the options on the right change. These options control the area that you’ve painted with the brush. Go ahead and paint a large area of the sky. Once you’ve used the brush change some of the options to the right and you will see that only your brushed area is effected.

I made some adjustments to the brightness and exposure, and added a warm orange tone.

Now select “New” from the top of the options panel. and draw a new stroke across the beach. You may need to size the brush down a little.

I made some more minor adjustments to the exposure and brightness.

Below is my final image. As you can see it is drastically different from the original. The Adjustment Brush adds some very powerful flexibility to Camera Raw. Keep it in mind, and use it to edit photos in your next design project.