Photoshop is a versatile, professional-quality tool that allows you to edit photos, create photo collages and make digital paintings from scratch. Several Photoshop techniques work to create a “magazine look” from ordinary images. While no single filter will make your photo look like it came from a magazine page, the right combination of tools can produce very convincing results.
Halftone Dots
- Magazines and other printed materials use many tiny dots to make up an image. Each dot is a different solid color, which blends visually to create a photo. You can give a smooth digital picture a half-toned look by combining the halftone filter with a few other tricks. First, under “Image > Adjustments > Levels,” change the levels to increase the intensity of brights, darks and colors. Under “Filters > Artistic > Film Grain,” add grain to texturize the picture. Duplicate the layer, then use “Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone” to halftone the duplicate layer. Set the layer's blending mode to “Darken. The result is a magazine-print style image.
Fashion Magazine Photography
- Tinted monochrome figures often appear in fashion magazine photographs. Photoshop can help you create this effect on an ordinary image. Select the whole image and create a duplicate layer, then desaturate that layer by pressing “Ctrl+Shift+U.” Change the duplicate layer's color mode to “Screen.” Duplicate the layer again and open “Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation.” Increase saturation slightly and alter the hue to give the picture the desired color cast.
Magazine-Style Retouching
- Ordinary photos often lack the crisp, clean feel of a magazine image. You can change even a snapshot to look more like a magazine image by giving it sharper details. Create a duplicate layer for your image, then select “Filter > Other > High Pass,” with a radius of about 10 pixels. Set the layer blending mode to overlay. Hold down the “Alt” key and click the Layer Mask button to create a new layer mask. Fill the mask with black, then paint in areas you'd like to keep sharp with white. This allows you to sharpen specific areas, such as eyes and hair, without drawing attention to blemishes or wrinkles.
Magazine Cover Layouts
- Compositing several magazine-style pictures together with text lets you create a magazine cover. Consider using gradient overlays in the background to add color, then give the image some texture with the Noise or Clouds filter. Remember to keep these soft, so they won't overwhelm the image. Cut images out of their background using the pen tool or the quick selection tool. This prevents unwanted “borders” around your subject. Choose one or two dominant fonts, and place text either in columns or in a triangular formation to simulate magazine placement. Keep your colors sharp and bright, so they'll resemble glossy print.
