Dramatic Black & White Sepia Photo Effect

RafyA shows you how to convert your color photo into a dramatic B&W sepia photo in a few quick simple steps. But you do need to know how to work with curves, layers & masks. Its a nice technique to pick up if you are wanting to create a moody pix.

A Texture is also used for a dark grungy effect.

Links to the work files are provided for practice & effective learning.

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Skill Level: Intermediate

Tools: Gaussian Blur, Transform, Brush, Gradient Map, Photo Filter, High Pass Filter

SUMMARISED FOR THE BUSY PERSON

There is no voice or text narration. This summary will help explain the process & technique.

1. On a Duplicate Layer, apply Gaussian Blur of 7.0. Mask this layer to hide the effect on the face & front body – paint on the mask with black Opacity 50%, Flow 63%. This creates a Bokeh effect to isolate the girl from the background.
2. Add a Black Solid Color layer, Opacity 83%. Mask this layer (similar to step 2) but paint further out to the background as this creates the scene lighting
3. Add the Texture. Transform & Position. Change Blending Mode to Soft Light, Opacity 83%. Mask this layer to hide the effect on the face & skin of front body – paint on the mask with black Opacity 22%, Flow 63%
4. Add a Levels adjustment layer & tweak the Black levels as shown
5. Add a Black & White Gradient Map, Opacity 75%
6. Add a Warming Photo Filter, Density 19%
7. Create a Composite layer (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E) to merge everything into a single layer / copy
8. Duplicate the Composite layer. Apply High Pass filter, Radius 4.5 (you may omit the Smart Object step). Change Blending Mode to Overlay to see the Image Sharpening effect.