This tutorial is basically about an effect that I have wanted to do as designer for awhile. It seems every time I see an image that is either over exposed or double exposed it catches my eye. With that said I have been getting a lot of requests on how to make an image old looking, so I decided to add a little twist to it. You can use this photo for the tutorial, it is in the thepixlpusher flickr group.
pixl showcase

Before & After

This is the image I used.

This is the image we will be creating.

Step 1

Open the document and place the image in a second layer. Next in thelayers palette choose the adjustment layers menu icon and choose brightness/contrast. Set the contrast to 20. Click OK. Then again go to the adjustment layers menu icon and choose the hue/saturation and move the saturation also to 20. Click OK.

Step 2

Now we are going to adjust the curves. choose the curves adjustment layer. Choose the red channel and click and drag the curve to where I have it in the image. Stay in the curves adjustment layers, we are going to change blue and green also.

OK go to green and adjust this curve just like the image.

Do the same for the blue, adjust this curve just like the image. Then click OK.

Step 3

Now we want to ad a small vignette. With the image selected Go up to filter > convert to smart filters. You will now get a message saying that you are converting the image to a smart object. Click OK. Doing this you can adjust the filters you apply when ever you want.

Go back up to filter and choose distort > lens correction. Now go to the vignette setting and set it to 100. Then the midpoint to 50. Click OK.

You will now see a smart filter under the image with a lens correction under neath it. Next you will see a slider icon next to your lens correction, double click on that. Change the opacity to 70%.

Step 4

We are now going to tone down this very dramatic image. Make sure the image is selected and go down to your layers palette and choose hue/saturation. With the hue/saturation menu up, go to the bottom right and check the colorize and preview boxes. Drag the hue to 53 and the saturation to 25. The image should now take on more of a sepia tone. Click OK. Now with this adjustment layer selected go to the top of the layers palette and change the opacity to 50%.

Step 5

Now we get to the good stuff. This where we start to see the over exposure take form. Go to the adjustment layers menu again and choose solid color. Select 100% magenta and click OK.

Go to the top of the layers palette and change the opacity to 15%.

Step 6

Next start a new layer. With this layer take your brush tool and choose the size 2500px/0% hardness with a 30% opacity. The color needs to be solid white. Now use the brush in the lower right corner until you have a slight haze over almost the whole right side. With that done go to your color palette and double click in the lower right corner of the color menu. You will see the cmyk options. Choose C 0%, M 0%, Y 14%, K 0%. Basically it is a 14% yellow. Click OK. Now with your brush at the same setting as before, go down to the right corner of the image and use it there. You want to make sure you don’t cover up all of the white just a couple clicks of the brush and you are good. After that go to your layers palette and change the opacity to 50% and next to it the layer style to hard mix. I encourage you to play with the layer styles. The hard mix was just my preference, but a lot of the styles have good effects for this. If you want you can leave it like this to get that old look. Any further in the tutorial and you will be adding the double exposure effect.

Step 7

OK lets start putting the “double exposure” in with red and orange on this image. Create a new layer. Take your brush tool again and use a 1500px with a 0% hardness brush with a 18% opacity.Change the color to C 0%, M 95%, Y 90%, K 0%. Now with your brush on the right and bottom outside edges make a red vignette. After that take that same brush with a 2500px and the color is now an orange C 0%, M 50%, Y 100%, K 0% and click the brush on the right outside edge. Alright, now what I want you to do is use your rectangular marquee tool with a 5% feather and use it from the top of the image to just about the middle.

Next take your brush tool with the same settings and use it on the right ouside edge and let it fade to the middle of the image. Remember the burn is coming from the right of the image so anything you do with your brushes needs to start there. Know move the rectangular marquee up slightly and use that orange we used before.

Now that we are done with that, change your layer style to overlay.

Next double click the layer to get to your layer style menu. Go to gradient overlay and enter in the what I have in the image.

Step 8

Last layer, Last step. It’s an important step also. Ok so your image should look something like this right know.

We need to add that last little bit of severe burn to the right outside edge. So this what you do. Start a new layer. Take your lasso tool with a 10% feather and make a thin irregular selection all the way up the right side.

Now take a dark maroon color and lightly fill it in with your brush with a 70% opacity.

Next deselect the lasso selection and go up to filter > motion blur.

OK, Move the slider to 144px and 8 degrees. Click OK.

Now if you want I added some vignette to the lower left corner with that same dark maroon, just don’t over due it. Also in the left upper corner where you can see some of the sky I brushed in some 100% cyan. That’s it. Your image should now look something like this.

Conclusion

I am sure you realize that the settings will not work with all images but the basic steps are all there. You can also place another image on top with the opacity very low. This just adds to the double exposure effect. I recommend you play with the settings to get them to work with your image.