How to make a pictue look old, distressed etc?

[Tone-Deaf]

So, share your tips. Everything would be useful. I'm not currently using photoshop, but I will get it in a few days. Many artworks of Travis look that way, you know, kind of damaged, old resulting in a haunting effect. So, post some tips related to techniques used either on paper or on layers that are used in photoshop (or other programs) to make a picture look like that.

[FUBAR]

Photoshop is great for achieving this theres tons of cool filters and tools to play with. What program do you use now?

[Tone-Deaf]

Originally Posted by FUBAR

Photoshop is great for achieving this theres tons of cool filters and tools to play with. What program do you use now?

PhotoImpression, a very laaame program. I couldn't do anything good with it. I just found it somewhere and copied it, it's not even the full version so it is as If I'm not actually using a program. I'll get photoshop from a friend in 2 weeks, cause he will be away for a while and then I will work on it during summer holidays.

Those filters and tools are included in photoshop or its like an add or update?


Oh, I found some tips applied on paper

Tips for Making Paper Look Old

• Tea Bag Staining
  Drag a wet (not dripping) tea bag over your paper. Weight your paper down while it dries to avoid warping. The paper will be stained a brownish color. A lingering tea-smell might remain. Tea-bag staining is not acid free, if this matters to you.
• Coffee Grounds Staining
  Like tea, you can use coffee grounds to make paper look old. Apply wet coffee grounds to your paper. Remove grounds. The paper will be stained brown. Dry paper under a weight to avoid warping. As above, there is likely to be a coffee odor afterwards. Coffee grounds are also not acid free.
• Balsamic Vinegar Spattering
  Same as above. Expect odor. Vinegar is not acid free.
• Lemon Juice
  Paint your paper with lemon juice, then heat with a heat gun. The paper will take on a brownish, aged look. It will continue to darken as you continue to apply heat. Lemon juice is not acid free.
• Decorating Chalks
  These chalks are my favorite way to make paper look old. Apply the chalk (one of the brownish colors) to the paper using a cotton ball, makeup sponge, Q-tip or swab. This is especially effective on the ripped edges of paper or vellum. Allow the chalks to set, or spray with a fixative if speed in important. Decorating chalks have many uses when making altered books. Acid free decorating chalks are available at joann.com.
• Walnut Ink
  Walnut ink is made from black walnuts. It is usually sold in crystallized form, and must be hydrated before using. Apply the wet walnut ink to the paper, lace, fabric or other material. You can create various effects as you strive to make paper look old. For more information about walnut ink, refer to the Definitions page of this web site.
• Paper Tearing
  Instead of cutting your paper neatly, tear it. Holding the paper towards you while you tear will produce one look; holding it away from you will produce another. Color the torn edges with decorative chalk, walnut ink, tea bags, or similar to give an aged appearance.
• Bleaching
  Apply household bleach to your paper. Apply directly with an eye-dropper, brush or sponge, or use a water-color pen. If it is available in your area, a Chlorox Bleach Pen is also a good choice. Note that some papers could contain inks that are colorfast and bleach-resistant. You will find more information about bleaching in the tip on using bleach in this section of the website.
• Sanding with Sand Paper
  Lightly sand shiny paper or other paper to produce "tooth" or a worn look. Sand the same way you sand wood -- in a directional move, rather than circular.
• Paper Crumpling
  Crumple up your paper. Flatten it out, then crumple again. Repeat as often as you wish before using the paper in your layout. Iron the finished paper if desired, for a special look, or try placing the (thickish) paper in water before crumpling for yet a different look.
• Paper Burning
  Another way to make paper look old is to burn the edges of the paper. For safety's sake, do this over a sink, using a candle or stick of incense. Pinch the firey edges out with your finger. If desired, wet an inner border on your paper before applying the flame. You can do the wetting with a damp Q-tip, paint brush, or your finger. This prevents the paper from burning more than you want, since the wet inner border will prevent the flame from going further.
• Candle Waxing
  Write over your paper with a white candle, covering as much area as you can. Crush the paper so the wax cracks. Apply paint over the surface, forming random cracks. Remove the wax by ironing your paper. Place it between two sheets of paper towels padded with newspaper on both sides and use a hot iron.
• Matte Gel or Matte Medium
  These products will take the shine off paper or pictures, etc.

[FUBAR]

Yeah the tools and filters are included in the program. I've adobe 7.0 not sure how new or old this version is but its a top quality photomanipulation program. Cheers for the tips might have a play with some of those ideas sometime.

[Eyesore]

http://www.good-tutorials.com

This is a great site for people new to Photoshop, it's also good for those of us that know Photoshop, but may not know how to do dumb shit like make ghetto fonts like this:



That's me (on the left) as 2Pac, by the way. Hahaha.

[SheisMySin]

Easiest way would be to download some textures of old paper, or dirt, and paste them on a new layer in Photoshop. Then set that layer to screen/overlay/burn/multiply, etc. Play with the settings. Overlay is usually the most common.

Then you'd desaturate or colorize the image to mute some of the colors. Perhaps make it monotone.

The only key part would be in finding good textures. Here's a nice link for some:

http://resurgere.deviantart.com/

The other way would be downloading brushes that give cracked, worn out appearances. Just type look for brush sites on the net.

Scott

[Arjen W.]

If you have PS, the plug-in from the following site is pretty handy too:

http://www.optikvervelabs.com/

It's called 'Virtual Photographer'. I found it handy too make some quick effects.

[Lothlorien]

Originally Posted by SheisMySin

Easiest way would be to download some textures of old paper, or dirt, and paste them on a new layer in Photoshop. Then set that layer to screen/overlay/burn/multiply, etc. Play with the settings. Overlay is usually the most common.

That's what I would recommend. DEfinetly test alot of different textures as well, some that seem similar can give different results when put into a layer.

[Crenshaw]

textures textures textures