Recreating that poster design and applying it in one of your photos would be super cool. Once the effect is achieved, you can upload the photo in Facebook, or make it your phone or computer wallpaper. You can also blow it up and print it as a banner for an upcoming gathering at your house.

So how do you achieve that same cool effect as that with The Bourne Ultimatum’s poster? Here’s how:

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop. For this tutorial, we’re using a photo of a man walking towards the camera to recreate that “Bourne Ultimatum” effect.

Photo Credit: Man Walking by catalin82

2. Duplicate the Background Layer. This will create a new layer in the Layers palette named “Layer 1”.

3. At the bottom of the Tools palette, click on the foreground color. The Color Picker box would appear. To create that bluish hue as in the poster, set the RGB tones with the following values: R = 48, G = 94, and B = 116. Click OK.

4. At the bottom of the Layers palette, click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and then go to Hue/Saturation. As soon as the Hue/Saturation dialog box is open, tick the “Colorize” box and then click OK. This would result to your photo having that bluish tone you’ve preset.

5. Now notice that everything, including human skin, has been colored blue. To retain that fleshy color of the skin just like in the movie poster, click on the Brush Tool.

6. Set the foreground color to black and the background color to white.

7. Decrease the opacity of your brush to about 30%. Make sure that the brush is set to the soft-edged one and Mode is set to Normal.

8. In the Layers palette, select the layer mask of the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer.

9. Using the brush, paint over the skin in order to remove the blue tones and restore the fleshy color.

10. Now that we’re done recreating the color, it’s time to apply that motion blur effect. Select Layer 1 in your Layers palette.

11. Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. In the dialog box, enter the following values: Angle = 40^o, Distance = 35 pixels. Click OK.

12. Now you don’t want the persons in the photo looking blurred too, so to remove that, select Layer 1 and then click on the Layer Mask icon in your Layers palette.

13. Remember Step 9 wherein you used the brush tool to restore the fleshy color of the skin? Use the same step in order to remove the blurry effect on the man in the photo. You may have to use a larger brush size for this. To increase the brush size, simply press the right bracket key on your keyboard several times until you get your preferred brush size.

14. Start brushing on the man to remove the blurred effect on him.

15. Now your photo would be looking quite “Bourne-ish”. To top it off, add some noise for more effect.

16. To add noise, add a new layer and place it on top of all the layers in the palette.

17. Make sure that your background color is white.

18. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. This would bring up a dialog box. Set the amount to 100% or more. The higher the resolution of your photo, the higher the amount of blur you should apply.

19. Change the Blend Mode of this noised layer to Color Burn. Lower the Opacity of this layer to about 10%.

Once done, save and remember to rename the photo to preserve the unedited version of the photo. Now you have a photo with effects similar with that of The Bourne Ultimatum’s.

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the original layer (CTRL + J).

3. Select the Lasso tool from the Tools palette. Using the Lasso tool, outline a selection around the hair roots.

4. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color then click OK. This should bring up the Color Picker box. Point the mouse to the hair where color is retained. The mouse pointer would change into an Eye Dropper tool. Click on any part of the hair to sample its retained color.  This would apply the sampled color to the selected hair area. Click OK.

5. In the Layers palette, right click on the layer bearing the hair selection and then select Blending Options. Change the Blend Mode from Normal to Soft Light then click OK.

6. Now the hair roots are covered with the same color as the rest of the hair is.

7. However, there would be visible edges on the hair selection you’ve made. To remove this, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

8. Set the radius to one that removes the edges and blends the colored roots with the rest of the hair then click OK.

9. If you want to lighten the hair color more, duplicate the layer containing the newly colored hair roots (CTRL + J). Decrease the Opacity to about 20%.

10. Save and rename the photo.

Photo Credit: True Friends 2 by white lion

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop.

 
2. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to one that will blur out the cellulite in the photo. Once satisfied, hit OK.

 
3. In the History palette, click on Create a New Snapshot. It’s the camera icon at the bottom part of the palette. Once you’ve clicked on it, it will create 2 images – the original image and the blurred image.

 
4. Select the original image. Click the blank box at the left side of the blurred image but make sure that the original image is the one that’s highlighted. After click on the empty box, it would be marked by a brush icon with a round arrow.

5. Select the History brush in the Tools palette. Use the brackets on your keyboard to adjust the brush size to one that fits your chosen image.

 
6. Paint over the cellulites using the History brush. Doing this would then remove the cellulites from the image, leaving a smoother skin surface.

1. Open the image you want to retouch in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background layer (CTRL + J).

3. At the top of your menu or screen, go to Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches. This should bring the Dust & Scratches dialog box. Set the radius to one which will blur the stubbles. For the photo used in this tutorial, the radius was set to 8 pixels. Click OK. Don’t worry about the blurred image. Just focus on the stubble.

4. Create a pattern from the blurred image by going to Edit > Define Pattern. When the Pattern Name dialog box appears, rename it “stubble”.

5. Undo the Dust & Scratches filter you’ve done earlier. Just press CTRL + Z.

6. Select the Healing Brush tool from your Tools palette and then set it to the “stubble” pattern you’ve created earlier. Check the boxes for Aligned and Sample.

7. Add a new layer and rename it “healing” then press OK.

8. At the top right corner of the Layers palette, reduce the Opacity to 50%.

9. With the Healing Brush tool, paint over the beard stubble. Don’t worry if the hour glass suddenly comes up on your screen. Just give the software time to apply the changes.

10. Now the beard stubbles have been reduced. However, this would also blur a portion of the subject’s face. To resolve this, select the “healing” layer and then click on the Layers Style icon at the bottom of the Layers palette (it’s the icon with the small F).

11. As soon as the Layer Style dialog box is up, select Blending Options. At the bottom of the new dialog box are two sliders under “Blend If”.

12. Move the white slider for Underlying Layer to the left until the stubble becomes more apparent.

13. Holt the ALT key and then drag the white slider back to the right. This would split the slider into two. Drag the other half to the right until the transition areas appear softer.

14. As soon as you’re satisfied with the overall appearance, click OK.

15. Save and rename the photo.

Now you have a photo with reduced stubbles and a portrait which is more presentable and clean.

Photo Credit: ( Stare ) by canjosh

Well, don’t worry because Photoshop is such a versatile photo editing software that it allows such processes to be done the non-destructive way. Here’s how:

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop.

2. Create a new layer. Usually, you’d do this by clicking on the New Layer icon in your Layers palette. However, for this tutorial, it’s better that you hold the ALT key and then click on New Layer so that you’d be directed to the dialog box. From there, set Mode to Overlay and then check the box for “Fill with Overlay-neutral color” so that you’d have a layer filled with 50% gray color. Rename the layer as well so that you won’t be confused. Press OK.

3. Select the Brush tool from your tools palette. Set white as your foreground color and then reduce brush Opacity to 10%.

4. Brush over the areas you want to lighten. For this tutorial, we’ve brushed over the cat’s face and the flower to make them appear brighter.

5. Set the foreground color to black. Brush over the areas you want to darken. For this tutorial, we’ve brushed over the vase make it appear darker.

6. Save and rename the photo.

Photo Credit: flowers 3 by xameron

Now you have subjects that are more apparent, and backgrounds that are more restrained without overdoing the dodge and burn technique.

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background layer (CTRL + J).

3. Let’s first put a nice lipstick color on the lips. Select the Brush tool. Press Q on the keyboard to Enter Quick Mask. Paint over the entire lips.

4. Press Q to Exit Quick Mask. Press Shift + CTRL + I to invert the selection and highlight only on the lips.

5. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Adjustment Color. Select the color you want. Press OK.

6. Select the layer from the Layers palette. Right click on it and then select Blending Options. Set the Blending Mode to Soft Light. Click OK.

7. Now lipstick has been applied onto the lips.

8. To add depth and make the lips look fuller, we’re adding some shine to the lower lip. Select the Brush tool. Mode should be Normal. Set the Opacity and Flow to 30%.

9. Brush onto the middle part of the lower lip, as if adding some light streak, making it shiny.

10. Select the Burn tool. Set the Range to Midtones and the Exposure to about 30%. Outline the bottom edge of the lower lip to make the dark areas darker.

11. Save and rename the file.

12. If you want the upper lip to appear more plump, go to Filter > Liquify. Select the Bloat tool. Set the Brush size to one that’s compatible with the lip size. Click on the upper lip area until you arrive at the amount of plump you want, then hit OK.

Now you have lips that are fuller and more luscious.

Photo Credit: close up of chin and lips by nokomai

 
1. Open the portrait you want to work on in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background and then zoom in on the eyes.

3. First, make the white part of the eyes a bit whiter to give them more depth. Select the Brush tool. Press Q in your keyboard to Enter Quick Mask. Paint over the white part of the eyes using the Brush tool. Don’t worry about the red / pink highlight in the eyes. It’s just to show you where you’ve already painted.

4. After selecting the white part of the eyes, hit Q again on the keyboard to Exit Quick Mask. This would create an outline or selection. Press Shift + CTRL + I on the keyboard to shift the selection only on the area you want.

5. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Press OK and then choose the white color and then press OK.

6. This would create an extremely white eye color. Right click on the layer you’re working on and then go to Blending Options. Set Blending Mode to Overlay or Soft Light and then reduce the Opacity to about 70-80%.

7. To give the iris more depth, take note of its color. Make the color pop out more by selecting the iris (same procedure as above using the Quick Mask process) and then adding an Adjustment Layer for Color Balance. Since the eye color of the girl in the photo for this tutorial is green, we’ve adjusted the colors sliders to make the green color pop out more. As soon as you get a brighter color, press OK.

8. To make those lashes appear darker and thicker, select on the Background Copy on the Layers palette. Select the Burn Tool in the Tools box. Resize your brush tool match that of the lashes. Paint over the lashes until they appear darker and thicker. You can also outline the eyes, as if you’re applying eyeliner so that the eyes would pop out more.

9. Once done, save and rename the photo.

Photo Credit: blonde girl by alesia17

1. Open the file you want to edit in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background.

3. Go to Filter > Liquify.

4. Once in the Liquify window, select the Pucker tool, then choose a brush size that will allow you to work on the braces.

5. Click on the brace over each tooth to reduce its size, giving you a wider teeth area to work on.

6. Select the Healing brush tool. Set it to Screen and Sampled. Hold ALT on your keyboard and then click on a metal-free surface on the teeth to sample it.

7. Release ALT and then using the Healing brush tool, start painting over the metal. Do the same with the other teeth until the metal is almost gone.

8. Now to remove the metal strip that binds the braces on the teeth, select the Clone Stamp tool. Hold ALT on your keyboard and then click on a surface behind each tooth to sample it.

9. Release the ALT key and then using the Clone stamp tool, paint over the metal strip until the brace is completely removed.

10. If you want to whiten teeth, see procedures in How to Whiten Teeth in Photoshop.

11. Save and rename file to preserve the original, unedited photo.

So how do you achieve this effect in Photoshop? Here’s how:

1. Open the photo you want to edit in Photohshop. For this tutorial, we’re going to use a photo of a car driving on a mountain road.

2. Go to Filters > Artistic > Film Grain. Use the following settings: Grain = 4; Highlight Area = 0, Intensity = 0.

3. Duplicate the layer and then rename the new layer as “Comics”.

4. Go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Set the Radius to 4 then hit OK.

5. Set the Blending Mode to Darken (right click on the layer in the palette, select Blending Options, then choose Darken in Blend Mode drop down menu).

6. To create the border, select the Comics layer. Go to Layer > Layer Style > Stroke. Use the following settings: Width = 20 pixels, Position = Inside, Color = Black.

7. If you want to make the photo looking even more like a comic book illustration, add some texts in the upper left side or the lower right side of the photo. Using comic book type of fonts (you may download it online), type in some captions that pertain to the photo. Since we’re using a photo of a car driving on a mountain road for this tutorial, its text could say “VROOM!”.

8. As soon as you’re done, save and rename the photo to keep the original photo unedited.

Photo Credit: Mountain Road by thomasje

There’s another way of adding more dramatic effect to a photo using the sepia tone. It’s called selective sepia photo effect. It’s when you apply sepia tone only to a chosen area or subject in a photo, leaving the colors on the other areas more bright and unchanged. It’s useful when you want to draw the attention only to a specific area in a photo.

Here are the steps on how to apply selective sepia photo effect:

1. Open the file you want to work on in Photoshop. For this tutorial, we’re editing a photo of a Monarch butterfly on a flower.

Monarch and Zinnia by muffet1

2. Click on the New Adjustment layer icon (the half white half black round icon) in the Layers palette then click on Hue/Saturation. This would bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog box.

3. Choose the color you want to keep in the photo. For this tutorial, we’re keeping the reds, so set the saturation for each color like so:

Reds: 0 Saturation
Yellows: -100 Saturation
Greens: -100 Saturation
Cyans: -100 Saturation
Blues: -100 Saturation
Magentas: -100 Saturation

4. Now set the Master saturation to -100 and then click OK. This would produce a grayscale photo.

5. Click on the Eraser tool and then start erasing the areas where you don’t want to apply the sepia tone. For this photo, we want the Monarch butterfly and the flower’s colors to remain bright.

6. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation then click OK without doing anything to the settings.

7. Double click the icon for the Hue/Saturation dialog box to reappear. Set the Hue to 42 and Saturation to 25. Check the box that says “Colorize” and then hit OK.

8. Go to File > Save As and to save and rename the photo while preserving the original or unedited photo.