22 Professional Photoshop Image Enhancing Tutorials

May 1 2009 by Tomas Laurinavicius |

Adobe Photoshop is the premier tool for digital artists when it comes to professionally enhancing images. Whether youre a beginner just learning the ropes or an advanced user looking for unique techniques to add to your Photoshop arsenal, youll find some tutorials here that youll surely want to bookmark.

In this article, youll discover plenty of tutorials that deal with enhancing images, adding unique and impressive effects, and recreating digital replications of popular traditional photography techniques.

1. Cross Processing

Cross Processing

You can learn how to apply the Cross Processing film-developing technique digitally to your images by reading through this quick and educational tutorial that leverages the powers of the Curves tool in Photoshop.

2. Lomo Photography

Lomo Photography

Take your ordinary digital photos and simulate the Lomo Photography effect (also known as Lomography) that will apply a dreamy and surreal effect onto your images in this tutorial that uses a Levels Adjustment layer among other Photoshop techniques.

3. HDR Photo Effect

HDR Photo Effect

Create a pseudo-HDR image by reading through this popular Photoshop tutorial that uses basic Photoshop tools, options, and techniques such as adjusting Shadows/Highlight settings and changing layer Blending modes.

4. Gritty Effect

Gritty Effect

Improve your photos with a dramatic gritty bronze effect to make them truly pop though the techniques discussed in this Photoshop tutorial. The tutorial uses a combination of techniques including the utilization of a Curves Adjustment layer.

5. Dave Hill Look Photo Effect

Dave Hill Look Photo Effect

This simple but impressive tutorial takes inspiration from Dave Hills unique photography work to create stunning HDR-like renditions of ordinary photographs using a combination of techniques that involves the Unsharp Mask in Photoshop.

6. Soft Focus Photography

Soft Focus Photography

Learn about an image-enhancing technique that you can easily apply onto your images by reading through this handy Photoshop tutorial from photoshoptalent.com that uses a Color Balance adjustment layer as well as other Photoshop options and techniques.

7. Movie Photo Effect

Movie Photo Effect

By following along this Photoshop tutorial, even the plainest photos can embody a stylish Hollywood film look-and-feel. The technique involves a few Image Adjustment (Image > Adjustment) options like tweaking Exposure and Hue/Saturation settings.

8. Extreme Contrast Photo Effect

Extreme Contrast Photo Effect

In this Adobe Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to add some noise, how to take advantage of Photoshops sharpening tools, and how to add a simple Adjustment layer to give a photo an "extreme contrast" effect.

9. Infrared Photo Effect

Infrared Photo Effect

The infrared photo effect can be a unique and stunning way to create one-of-a-kind photos. Learn how to simulate this photography technique digitally through this helpful Photoshop tutorial that takes advantage of Photoshops Channel palette.

10. Soft Focus & Glow Effect

Soft Focus & Glow Effect

Do you want to change a plain and boring scene into a dreamy and surreal photo? If so check out this wonderful tutorial on applying a soft focus and glow effect onto your photos using the Gaussian Blur filter and adjusting layer Blending modes.

11. High Pass Filter

High Pass Filter

In this straightforward image-editing tutorial, you will learn a quick technique for enhancing your images to give them a subtle HDR effect by using Photoshops handy High Pass filter and adjusting layer Blending modes.

12. Vintage Photo Effect

Vintage Photo Effect

Renowned graphic/web designer Veerle Pieters discusses a method for putting on a vintage photography effect on images in this tutorial that uses a few techniques like adding a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer and utilization of Smart Filters.

13. Split Toning Black & White Effect

Split Toning Black & White Effect

Learn to apply the split toning (a variance of sepia toning) photography effect which takes ordinary photos to produce a vintage-style photo effect. This tutorial uses several Photoshop options like adding a Color Balance Adjustment layer and the Channel Mixer.

14. Change Hair Color Tutorial

Change Hair Color Tutorial

If you want to add a bit of spice in your photos one way to do so would be to change the subjects hair color. Learn about a method for coloring hair in this tutorial that shows where Photoshops notoriety for digital manipulation comes from.

15. Coloring Effect Tutorial

Coloring Effect Tutorial

In this quick and simple Photoshop tutorial, you will get a chance to discover some methods for coloring your images using a few tools and options such Adjustment layers, modifying Blending modes, and the Blur filter.

16. Light Effects

Light Effects

Enhance your images by adding a few cool lighting effects; learn how in this Photoshop tutorial. The tutorial uses various Photoshop tools such as the Gradient tool and taking advantage of the Pattern Overlay layer style.

17. Snow Photo Effect

Snow Photo Effect

Add some weather into your photos by viewing this tutorial that teaches its readers how to add falling snow onto a photograph. The tutorial adds in the snow by using the Add Noise Photoshop filter, blurring it, and overlaying it onto the images layer.

18. Streams Of Dusty Light

Streams Of Dusty Light

This interesting Photoshop tutorial shows you how to add a surreal stream of light to make your photos truly unique and eye grabbing. The tutorial leans on the Radial Blur filter to create the streams of light.

19. Photo Color Correction

Photo Color Correction

If you have an image that you would like to correct for color, Photoshop is here to help! Read this PSDTUTS tutorial in order to learn about one of Photoshops strongest tools: the Curves Adjustment tool.

20. Enhance Skin Tutorial

Enhance Skin Tutorial

In this Photoshop photo-editing tutorial, youll come across a process for effectively improving your subjects skin. One of the Photoshop tools youll be encountering in the tutorial is the Healing Brush tool.

21. Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur

Using the Gaussian Blur filter on images can result in unique photo scenes. If youd like to know how you could use this Photoshop filter in a manner that enhances your photos, you should read this excellent tutorial.

22. Tilt-Shift Miniature Fake Technique

Tilt-Shift Miniature Fake Technique

If want to use the Tilt Shift photography technique without spending boatloads of cash in purchasing the equipment to do so, read through this helpful tutorial on how to fake the popular technique.

Have a good Photoshop tutorial to add to the mix?

The comment section is a great place to find other resources that didnt make the cut. If you know of a good image-editing tutorial that we somehow missed share it with all of us in the comments!

*Edited by: Jacob Gube

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About the Author

Tomas Laurinaviius is a blogger and designer from Lithuania whos currently studying Multimedia Design & Communication in Denmark. Check his work at his personal portfolio site and follow him on Twitter.

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