Achieving the vintage look

[Legend83]

I have been marvelling at some of the more retro-feel photos (Nick Grant & tim-b's latest shots to name but a few). Without wanting to sound like a copy-cat, is this style achieved in PP or are there certain filters that assist achieving this style?

I am going to Harpenden Classics on the Common this evening and was hoping to get an idea of how to do this before I consider some of my shots.

Cheers,

Ed

[Nick Grant]

This might assist...

http://www.nickgrant.co.uk/content/?p=287

[Legend83]

Nick Grant said:

This might assist...

http://www.nickgrant.co.uk/content/?p=287

Thanks Nick, that is a nice straightforward tutorial.

[Pixel Pusher]

This needs to go in the Photoshop "How To" Wiki.

Lovely effect.

[tim-b]

Nice to see a lesson from the master

I now do all my processing in LR, and don't really use layers unless I'm doing something extreme like the cover page for my LMC set (which was actually composed of 2 images anyway, a tripod shot for light trails and a panning shot for the GT40 plus some blending layers like Nick showed):



It seems that my style is developing towards a less overt look though, which I think works for me because I also shoot new stuff as well as retro, and I want to keep a consistent approach to my processing. Anyway, a few tips to add to Nick's tutorial;

• Generally I use less contrast and more brightness to give a lighter feeling to the image, but I compensate with sharpening and sometimes more saturation so it doesn't look washed out. (For B&W more contrast works better though).

• Warm tones always give a nice nostalgic feel as well, depending on the subject; red, orange or yellow works best.

• Shooting RAW makes a big difference, because it helps with controlling the contrast (i.e. keeps more details in very light and very dark areas) and the WB can be adjusted so easily, to warm up the image.

• Be careful of overcooking the colours as it can have strange/distracting effects like making the sky green (which you can fix with PP filters if you want, or using layers to blend differently processed copies).

• I used to use filters infront of the lens, but rarely bother now as a correctly exposed RAW file carries enough information to deal with exposure tweaks in most situations, and of course WB is completely free. I do still use a graduated filter in more extreme lighting conditions though.

• Finally, and most importantly (and obvious), try to keep modern stuff out of your composition! While it can provide a striking contrast with your classic subject, it can also be jarring and kill the atmosphere.