Buy. Download. Create. Get Adobe Photoshop now at the Adobe Store.
Find Photoshop CS4 tutorials and videos on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page.
Try before you buy. Download any Adobe product for a free 30 day trial.
Photoshop Fine Art Effects Cookbook
"Autochrome - Color Process Effect"
(Pages 58 and 59 from the Photographers section of Photoshop Fine Art Effects Cookbook - courtesy of O'Reilly Media.)
In 1907, the Lumière brothers introduced “autochrome,” the first commercially successful color process. Glass was coated in a fine mosaic of red, green, and blue dyed potato starches which acted as a filter over a light-sensitive emulsion.
During development, the emulsion layer became a black-and-white positive image, and the autochrome could then be projected or held up to the light, like an early version of a color slide or transparency. The process was enthusiastically received, and many photographers experimented with it, some of the best-known being Léon Gimpel in France and Frank Eugene and Alfred Stieglitz in the United States. Production of autochrome glass plates continued until the 1930s, when color film and printing first became available.
When you consider the characteristics of an autochrome, the most obvious is probably its Impressionistic or Pointillist appearance. Viewed close up, the colored particles can look rather like the color noise you sometimes find in digital photos. The particles also contribute to an overall softness, although this was sometimes the result of one-second exposure times and frosted-glass protective covers (you may want to simulate damage, too). In general, the colors are subdued and a little faded, in some cases unevenly.
 |
Lumière manufactured autochrome plates for over 30 years and for many types of cameras, and no single subject matter predominated. Some French photographers used autochromes to record the events of World War I, but if you want a typical “turn of the century” subject, you won’t go far wrong with portraits or flower arrangements.
 |
STEP 1
In the Layers palette, click the “Create new fill or new adjustment layer” icon and select Channel Mixer. Tick the Monochrome checkbox and adjust the channel sliders until you’re happy with the picture’s black-and-white tones. Unlike other early processes, you don’t need to bias the conversion in favor of the Blue channel—autochromists often countered daylight’s blue tone by using a yellow lens filter.
 |
STEP 2
If you feel the image contrast needs adjustment, click the “Create new fill or adjustment layer” icon in the Layers palette, select Curves, and drag the curve. This S-shape increases contrast.
 |
STEP 3
Duplicate the original picture layer. Use the Alt/Opt + Ctrl/Cmd + J keyboard combination, which triggers the New Layer dialog box. Name the new layer “Noise,” set its blending mode to Color, and click OK.
 |
STEP 4
Blur the Noise layer slightly by selecting Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Use a relatively low radius of around 7 pixels.
 |
STEP 5
At this point it’s very helpful to work at 100%. Use View > Actual Pixels or Alt/Opt + Ctrl/Cmd + 0 (zero), then move the picture so you can see a key feature such as the apples. Now select Filter > Noise > Add Noise. This represents the random mosaic of colored particles, so ensure Monochrome is not ticked and choose the Gaussian method, as this produces a more random effect. Set a low amount so that the graininess is apparent at 100% but less obvious when you zoom out.
 |
STEP 6
The Pointillize and Mosaic filters can be found via Filter > Pixelate. Again, set low values so the effect won’t be overwhelming. If the Mosaic filter looks too uniform, blur it or add some Noise..
 |
STEP 7
Another optional step is to fade some of the colors. In the Layers palette, click the “Create new fill or adjustment layer” icon and select Hue/Saturation. Pick a color from the Edit drop-down box and reduce its Saturation. The reds and yellows were the accent color in the apples and the windows, so I faded the blues and cyans instead.
 |
STEP 8
Experiment with the Noise layer’s blending mode. You could try Pin Light, but I found it too vivid fo r these flowers—as always, you need to trust your own judgment.
See more Sample Recipes from the Photoshop Cookbook Series.
Photoshop CS4 & Photoshop CS4 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe
Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended feature a newly refined, tab-based interface in a single, integrated window, with self-adjusting panels arranged in docked groups. Automatically keeping tools well organized and away from your work area means you get greater efficiency, less clutter, and better results, faster than before.
Delivering all the features of Adobe Photoshop CS4 software, including the new Adjustments and Masks panels, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended also provides breakthrough 3D editing and compositing power to paint directly on 3D models, create 3D animations, convert 2D images to 3D objects, and more; richer motion graphics editing; and more powerful and flexible image analysis and tracking. Learn more on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page. To download the free trial, see details on our Photoshop CS4 Free Trial Download Page.
Find upgrade options and package deals at the Adobe USA Store. Teachers and students get special pricing at the Adobe Education Store. You can also buy in your country currency and language at the following Adobe International Stores:
Adobe United Kingdom | Adobe Germany | Adobe France | Adobe Eastern Europe
Special Offer - Fluid Mask - Photoshop Masking Plugin
Fluid Mask is based on breakthrough segmentation technology inspired by the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing. When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask's segmentation engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups within the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and textures, a model is constructed which divides the images into objects.
Vertus Software is offering Fluid Mask at the special 'friends and partner' discounted rate. This is an exclusive offer to visitors of PhotoshopSupport.com. To qualify, visit the Fluid Mask Discount Price page. Find out more about Fluid Mask on our special Fluid Mask Page.
SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly
There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.
Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.
Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, this program turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, this program is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks.
Generate Your Web Pages Directly From Photoshop
By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.
Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.
Photoshop CS3 Book - CS3 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.
The Essential Skills Photography Series from Focal Press uniquely offers a structured learning experience for photographers of all ages, with both the underlying theory and loads of invaluable 'how to' and real-life practice projects - all from the most talented photography practitioners/educators in the world.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
Adjusting Exposure in Adobe Camera Raw CS3
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial High Dynamic Range
Special book offer - save 24%
Photoshop CS3: Essential Skills (Amazon.com - $28.08 - save 24%)
Photoshop CS2 Book - Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
An inspirational and user-friendly guide to creative image editing, Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills provides direction for photographers and designers alike who have ventured into the realm of the 'digital darkroom.' The book offers a progressive curriculum to guide you through Photoshop with a series of clear, step-by-step projects designed to place knowledge into a practical context.
Whether you simply want to retouch an image, create a glamour makeover or create a highly sophisticated montage - this book will give you the essential skills to complete the work to a professional standard.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
How To Sharpen An Image In Photoshop — Advanced Sharpening Techniques
Working With Shadows In Photoshop - Advanced Shadow Techniques
Special book offer - save 37%
Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills (Amazon.com - $20.76 - save 37%)
Exclusive 20% Discount On Select Total Training Products & Bundles
To redeem our exclusive discount coupon, use promotion code save20pss in your shopping cart. You could save hundreds of dollars. Use this special link to see the full offer.
Total Training for Adobe Photoshop
Learn Adobe Photoshop with 21 hours of interactive Adobe Photoshop tutorials. This is training for real-world situations and includes additional tips and techniques used by the pros.
View Sample Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash Pro Video Tutorials
Free Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorials
Free Adobe Photoshop CS2 video tutorials
Free Adobe Dreamweaver video tutorials
Free Adobe Flash Pro video tutorials
