30 Awesome Photo Effect Tutorials

Photoshop is clearly our favorite photo editing software. In this article, we have listed 30 photo effect tutorials that will show you how to perform a wide range of tasks including age progression, Instagram-like effects, lomo effects, light leaks, as well as vintage and retro effects that you can use to help improve your photo editing workflow. Let’s take a look!

How to Age a Person in Photoshop

In this tutorial, Design You Trust will explain how to age a woman’s face in Photoshop.

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Enhance Detail Using Color Correction

In this tutorial, Ben Secret will go through three very common ways to make local color and tone adjustments in Photoshop.

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How To Give Your Photos a Cool Retro Analog Effect

Back in the days of analog photography imperfections were part of the job. Color washes, light leaks, vignettes and blurs were all common problems that appeared during the processing of your film, particularly from cheap cameras such as the Holga, or simply down to human error. While these problems dont affect digital cameras, we can recreate the cool effects in Photoshop to give our shots that cool lo-fi retro effect.

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Create Light Leaks and Lomo Effects Using Actions in Photoshop

In this quick tip tutorial, we will explain how to create light leaks and lomo effects for you photos using actions in Photoshop.

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Retouch Images With Frequency Separation

In this tutorial, Ben Secret will walk you through how he retouches an image from start to finish, using a technique that enables him to selectively process not only different areas of an image, but also different detail levels.

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Create a Lomo Effect in 3 Simple Steps

Lomo photos typically feature unique coloring, high contrast, soft focus and dark vignettes. The style was inspired by images produced from cheap Russian toy cameras like the Lomo LC-A. In this tutorial, Nathan Brown will show you how to create this effect in three simple steps.

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Instagram Your Images Using Photoshop

Instagram reinvented the photo sharing for social media. It’s a fast, beautiful, and fun way to share your pictures to friends and family. In this tutorial, Abduzeedo will show you how to create quick Instagram-like effects with Photoshop.

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Combine a Crocodile and a Frog in Photoshop

In this tutorial, we will use Photoshop to combine a crocodile and a frog to create a new animal species.

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Swap Faces With Photoshop

Lets "face" it, at some point you have thought about using Photoshop to place one persons face on another persons body. In this tutorial, Martin Perhiniak will explain how to do this using a few of Photoshops basic features.

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Use Split Frequency Healing to Retouch a Photo in Photoshop

Split Frequency Healing is a technique that you can use in Photoshop that will allow you retouch photos without affecting the photos respective tone or texture. In this tutorial, commercial retoucher, Daniel Meadows will explain this technique and how it can be used in your workflow.

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How to Create Masks of Transparent Elements in Photoshop

Selections are an essential part of any photo editing workflow, but often, selections arent as straight-forward as they might seem. In this tutorial we will explain how to make a selection of a glass that includes transparent elements.

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Create a Trendy Retro Photo Effect in 3 Easy Steps

Retro photo effects are all the rage! Theres plenty of apps to give your photos the vintage look in your iPhone, but what about your desktop images? Follow this super quick Photoshop tutorial to easily add a retro effect to your images in 3 simple steps.

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Integrate a 3D Render Into a Macro Photograph Using Photoshop

In this tutorial we will explain how to integrate a rendered 3D model into a photograph to create a macro photography effect.

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Create Hipstamatic and Instagram Style Effects With Photoshop and Retrographer

Mobile apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic make it easy to produce vintage, retro, worn, or decayed looking photos on your mobile device but unfortunately, it can be quite difficult and time-consuming to produce a similar effect using Photoshop alone. In this tutorial, Mark Heaps will introduce you to Retrographer, a fantastic plugin for Photoshop that will allow you to apply similar effects to your photos in minutes.

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Create a Cutout Photograph in Photoshop

In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a cutout photo using simple selections and advanced transformations.

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Create a Lambs Coat in Photoshop

In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a lambs coat in Photoshop using several stock photos.

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How to Turn Humdrum Photos Into Cinematic Portraits

In this tutorial, we will add drama and a cinematic quality to a photo in Photoshop using several techniques.

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How To Fake a Tilt-Shift Photo

Photoshop allows us to fake the look of a tilt shift photo very well. In this tutorial, we will show you how to do this in just a few short steps.

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How to Apply Textures to Uneven Surfaces

Realistically applying a texture to an uneven surface can be very challenging. In this tutorial, we will show you how to apply a tree texture to a man’s face in Photoshop.

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Lighting Effects for Vintage Photo Looks

In this tutorial, Fabio Sasso will show you how you can create retro lighting effects in Photoshop without resorting to plug-ins and with a degree of control that means you get the look you want without the trial-and-error aspect of the iPhone apps.

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How to Simulate X-Ray Photography in Photoshop

In this tutorial, we will show you how to simulate an x-ray image in Photoshop.

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Adding a Realistic Tattoo the Easy Way with Photoshop

In this tutorial, we will show you how to add a realistic tattoo to a person using Photoshop.

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Changing Your Background

One of the most common tasks in Photoshop is to remove some one or some thing from a background and place it on top of another. In this tutorial, Martin Perhiniak will explain how to do this in a completely non-destructive way.

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Antique a Photo Using Textures in 3 Quick Steps

Nothing tells a story like an old photo. Not only are they fun to look at, but they are also easy to create in Photoshop with a couple of adjustment layers and a good grunge texture.

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How to Make the Most of the Info Panel

In this tutorial, we will explain everything you need to know about the Info Panel.

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The Advantages of Camera RAW Editing

In this tutorial, Martin Perhiniak will explain the advantages of camera RAW editing, the difference between a JPG and Camera RAW file, and how to effectively manipulate a RAW file to get the most out of your photographs.

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Remove a Person From a Photo With Photoshop CS5s Content Aware Feature

In this tutorial, we will show you how to remove a person from a photo using Photoshop’s Content Aware feature.

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Desaturated Film Style Photos

In this tutorial, Abduzeedo will explain how to apply a desaturated film style effect to your photos.

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How To Give Your Photos a Vintage Polaroid Effect

In this tutorial, Spoon Graphics will apply a polaroid effect to a photo by adjusting the colors of the image with adjustment layers then use Photoshop brushes to distress the photograph for an aged appearance.

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Create an Elephant Sundae Using Photo Manipulation Techniques

Photoshop is great at seamlessly combing photos to create an entirely new scene. In this tutorial we will create an elephant sundae using several stock photos.