Ageing a digital image in Photoshop is an easy process which doesn't take too long to do.

Step 1: Turn your shot to black & white

First of all duplicate your image then turn it black & white by going to image>adjustment>black & white.

Step 2: Create a sepia tone

We want to give the image a sepia tone to give the impression that it's older than it is. To do this create a new layer (Layer>New Layer) and fill it with an orange shade (edit>fill). Change the blend mode to overlay and reduce the opacity to lower the strength of the colour.

Step 3: Add some noise

Next we are going to add some grain to the image but first we need to create a new layer and fill it with black. Then go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Change the amount to around 30-40% then click OK. At the moment we can't see the original image but by changing the blend mode to screen reducing the opacity this will soon be rectified.

Step 4: Add a vignette

To finish the image off we're going to create a vignette. Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool and draw a circle in the centre of the image. Then go to Select>Inverse followed by Select>Modify>Feather. Change the pixels to 200 and click OK. Next go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Pull the lightness slider towards the right to lighten the edges of the image. Once you're happy click OK.



The final image:



You've read the article, now go take some fantastic images. You can then upload the pictures, plus any advice and suggestions you have into the dedicated Photo Month forum for everyone at ePHOTOzine to enjoy.