2. Method Black & White Adjustment
The second method we’ll discuss is to use Black & White Adjustment Layer. This method provides more accurate results and is closer to the original photos from the classical era. Compared to the Hue/Saturation method, this technique allows you to control in more detail how the black and white colors are converted into sepia shades, so that the result looks more natural and authentic.
Steps:
1. Open Image and Add Black & White Adjustment Layer
First, open the image you want to edit in Adobe Photoshop. Then, add Black & White Adjustment Layer by:
- Click the Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel, then select Black & White.
- Or through the menu Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White.
2. Click the Tint button
Once the Adjustment Layer is open, you’ll see various sliders to adjust the intensity of colors like red, green, and blue. At the top of the panel, there is a Tint button. Click this button to activate the tint effect. By default, the tint color that appears is close to sepia, so you don’t have to make a lot of adjustments.
3. Reduce Contrast with Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer
To add to the vintage feel, we can imitate the low-contrast effect often found in old photos. How:
- Add Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer via the menu Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast.
- In the panel that appears, slide the slider Contrast to the left until it reaches a value of around -20. This will reduce the contrast of the image, creating the effect of a photo that has faded over time.
4. Crop the Image into a Square Format
As in the previous method, you can add a vintage feel by changing the image format to a square, mimicking photos from the 1940s era that used a 1:1 film roll camera. How:
- Select the Crop tool from the toolbar on the left.
- Set the crop ratio to 1:1 (square).
- Adjust the crop area to your liking, then press Enter to apply it.
Advantages of the Black & White Adjustment Method:
This method provides results that are closer to the original photos from the classic era due to the more detailed control over color conversion.
You can adjust the intensity of the black and white colors before applying the sepia effect, so that the result is more to your liking.
Stronger Vintage Effect: By reducing the contrast, your photos will look like old photos that have undergone natural aging.
3. Method Greyscale Tritone
The third method we will discuss is Greyscale Tritone. This method produces an effect similar to the chemical process sepia toning used on old photographs. This technique is a bit more complicated than the previous two, but the results are very accurate and close to the original sepia photos from the classical era. This method is ideal for those who want to get a very precise and detailed sepia effect.
Steps:
1. Change Image to Greyscale Mode
First, open the image you want to edit in Adobe Photoshop. Then, change the image to Greyscale mode by:
- Open the menu Image > Mode > Greyscale.
- You will be asked to confirm the deletion of the color information. Click Discard to continue.
- If you use this feature frequently, you can check the option “Don’t show again” to save time in the future.
2. Select Duotone from the Image > Mode > Duotone Menu
Once the image has been converted to Greyscale mode, the next step is to convert it to Duotone mode. How:
- Open the menu Image > Mode > Duotone.
- On the Duotone Options panel that appears, click the Preset drop-down menu and look for a preset named “BMY sepia 1”.
- Select the preset to convert the image to Tritone mode, where the brightness of the image will be replaced by a combination of black, yellow, and magenta colors that create a highly accurate sepia effect.
3. Restore Image to RGB Mode
Once you’ve finished converting the image to Duotone mode, you’ll need to revert it to RGB mode to save the image in a common format like JPEG or PNG. How:
- Open the menu Image > Mode > RGB Color.
- Now your image is ready to be saved in the desired format.