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Transform a Photograph into a Retro Photograph in Photoshop

Retro is style that never goes out of style, using the simple techniques outlined in this tutorial, you can take any photograph and transform it into a stylishly retro photo.

Check out the final product below:

Step 1 - Choosing and Downloading the Image

For this tutorial I chose an image of a city skyline, you can download it here. Later on in the tutorial, you may wish to use a texture like this one.

Create a new document in photoshop and place the city image in the document.

Step 2 - Adjusting the Layer

Next, open up Levels adjustment tool (Image > Adjustments > Levels) and set the Blue level to 60.

Next, open up the Brightness and Contrast adjustment tool (Image > Adjustments > Brightness and Contrast) and apply the following:

Now you should have something that looks like the image below:

Step 3 - Adding the Texture

This step is optional, but can really make your image look retro. Import the texture you downloaded earlier on to a new layer in the document. Change the layer’s blend mode to Multiply and set the opacity to 50%. Congrats, you have now transformed the image into a completely retro version.

The adjustment steps used in this tutorial can be easily applided to most photographs. Make minor adjustments to tweak the effect to achieve your desired effect.

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