In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a vintage photo effect using brushes and adjustment layers in Adobe Photoshop.

I created a Vintage Photo Press with different vintage effects using the same method for my GraphicRiver portfolio.

Tutorial Assets

You will need the following in order to complete this tutorial: 

• Any photo you want to use for this manipulation. You can find some free photos on Unsplash and Pixabay or buy high-quality photos on PhotoDune. I chose this photo from Unsplash.
• A free brush created by me specifically for this tutorial.

1. How to Prepare the Document

Step 1

Go to File > New and create a new file to work with. Use the following settings: Width: 2000 px; Height: 1500 px; 300 dpi.

Step 2

Go to File > Place and put your image inside the document.

Step 3

Right-Click on the layer, and then click Convert to Smart Object.

Step 4

Select your background layer and then go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color and chose #ebebeb color.

Step 5

Now we need to delete the background layer by clicking on the Delete Layer icon.

Step 6

Create a new layer above the image using the Shift-Control-N shortcut.

Step 7

Select the image and the texture layers while holding Shift, and then click on the Create a New Group icon.

2. How to Create the Texture

Step 1

Select the smart object and then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Use the following settings: Amount: 5%; Distribution: Uniform; Monochromatic: On.

Step 2

Now let’s create a texture with our free brush. Select the texture layer and then click B to activate the Brush Tool and draw the texture you want to use for this manipulation.

Step 3

Change the Fill of the texture to 0%.

Step 4

Double Click on the texture layer and use the following settings: Knockout: Shallow.

Now the color of the texture depends on the first fill layer. If you change the color of the fill layer, your texture will also change color.

Step 5

Change the Opacity of the texture to 35%.

3. How to Create a Vintage Color Correction

Step 1

Now let’s create color correction layers. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map and create a black and white gradient.

Step 2

Change the Blending Mode of the gradient map to Soft Light and the Opacity of the layer to 25%.

Step 3

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast and create a new layer with the following settings: Brightness: -5; Contrast: -15.

Step 4

Create another gradient map as we did before, and use the following colors: #564e63 and #8c96a2.

Step 5

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Hard Light.

Step 6

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Exposure and create a new layer with the following settings: Offset: +0,0500.

Step 7

Now let’s go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and create a new layer with the following settings: Saturation: -25.

Step 8

After that, we need to create the last adjustment layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter and use the following settings: Color: #e49d16.

Step 9

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Color and the Opacity to 70%.

Step 10

Now we can add a vignette using the gradient fill layer. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient and create a black and white gradient with the following settings: Style: Radial; Scale: 100%; Reverse: On.

Step 11

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Soft Light and the Opacity to 20%.

Awesome Work, You’re Now Done!

In this way, we can create a vintage photo manipulation with a fade effect and a texture overlay using Adobe Photoshop.

If you would like to create similar effects in a few simple clicks, then check out my Vintage Photo Press item in my GraphicRiver portfolio.