How to Create a Vintage Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Posted on 17th June 2023

Step One: Open an image in Adobe Photoshop

Open the image you wish to apply the vintage effect to in Adobe Photoshop. For this example, we will be using the image below.

Step Two: Apply a Vintage Effect Action

There are a variety of ways to create a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop. One way is to use an action. For this example, we will be using the Vintage Effect Action from Envato Elements.

To apply the action, open the Actions panel (Window > Actions). Click the “play” button at the bottom of the panel.

The action will run and apply a vintage effect to the image. The effect is now complete!

Step Three: Save the Image

Now that the vintage effect has been applied to the image, it’s time to save it. Go to File > Save As and choose a file name and location for the new image.

That’s it! You’ve now learned how to create a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop.

To continue creating the vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop, the next step is to add a layer mask to the Levels adjustment layer. To do this, click on the Levels layer in the Layers palette and then click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the palette.

Next, use a black brush to paint over the areas of the image that you want to remain dark. In this case, we’ll paint over the woman’s face and the background. As you paint, you’ll see the dark areas of the image start to appear.

Now it’s time to add some noise to the image. To do this, go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. In the Add Noise dialog box, set the Amount to 5% and make sure the Distribution is set to Gaussian and the Monochromatic option is checked. Click OK to add the noise.

The next step is to add a film grain effect. To do this, go to Filter > Artistic > Film Grain. In the Film Grain dialog box, set the Grain to 5, the Highlight Area to 50, and the Shadow Area to 5. Click OK to add the film grain.

The last step is to add a vignette effect. To do this, go to Filter > Lens Correction. In the Lens Correction dialog box, go to the Vignette tab. Set the Amount to -50 and the Midpoint to 50. Click OK to add the vignette.

And that’s it! You’ve now created a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop.

Vintage Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Creating a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop is relatively simple and only requires a few basic steps.

First, open the image you wish to edit in Photoshop. Then, go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. This will remove all the color from the image, giving it a more vintage look.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. In the Levels window, drag the middle slider to the right until the image looks how you want it to.

Now, go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. In the Add Noise window, set the Amount to 5% and the Distribution to Gaussian. Then click OK.

Finally, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur window, set the Radius to 2 pixels and click OK.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully created a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop.

Open your image in Adobe Photoshop.

Create a New Layer.

Click on the New Layer icon in the Layers palette.

A new layer will appear above the Background layer in the layer stack.

Change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

With the new layer still selected, change the Blend Mode to Overlay in the top left of the Layers palette.

This will allow the colors of the image to show through the layer while still providing the effect we want.

Add a Layer Mask.

With the new layer still selected, click on the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers palette.

A white layer mask thumbnail will appear next to the new layer in the layer stack.

Fill the Layer Mask with Black.

With the layer mask thumbnail selected, press Alt + Backspace (Windows) / Option + Delete (Mac) to fill the layer mask with black.

This will effectively hide the new layer, as black is the default background color in Photoshop.

Invert the Layer Mask.

With the layer mask thumbnail still selected, press Ctrl + I (Windows) / Command + I (Mac) to invert the layer mask.

This will turn the black pixels to white, revealing the effect of the Overlay Blend Mode on the new layer.

Adjust the Levels.

With the new layer still selected, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels.

In the Levels dialogue box, drag the black Input Level slider to the right until it is just before the point where the graph starts to increase sharply.

Then, drag the white Input Level slider to the left until it is just before the point where the graph starts to increase sharply.

This will increase the contrast of the image, giving it more of a vintage look.

You can experiment with the sliders to get the look you want.

And that’s it! You’ve now successfully created a vintage effect in Adobe Photoshop.

Create a New Layer

To create a new layer, go to Layer > New > Layer in the menu bar.

In the New Layer window that appears, name the layer “Vintage Effect” and click OK.

Now that you have a new layer, you can begin adding your vintage effect.

Add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer

The first step is to add a Gradient Map Adjustment layer. To do this, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map in the menu bar.

In the New Layer window that appears, name the layer “Gradient Map” and click OK.

A Gradient Map is a layer that maps the gradient of colors in an image to the gradient of your choice.

To change the gradient, double-click on the Gradient Map layer in the Layers panel.

This will open the Gradient Editor. From here, you can choose a preset gradient or create your own.

For this vintage effect, we’ll be using the “Black, White” gradient. To select it, click on the drop-down menu next to “Preset” and choose “Black, White” from the list.

Click OK to close the Gradient Editor.

Your image should now have a black and white vintage effect.