Learn how to create this easy and fast trendy photo effect. This is a Photoshop CS3 tutorial but includes alternative instructions for older versions of Adobe Photoshop.

Photoshop Tutorial Preview

Step 1

Open a picture in Photoshop. This is the image that will be used or this Photoshop tutorial:

Step 2

Now add a Black & White adjustment layer. This can be found in Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Black & White. If you are not using Adobe Photoshop CS3, you can add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer instead. A window will appear but just click OK and don’t edit any settings yet.

Step 3

Change the blending mode to Overlay.

Step 4

Now, double-click back on the adjustment layer to edit the settings. Scroll through the presets to find the effect that you like the most then tweak the settings below if you want to fine tune the results. If you are not using Photoshop CS3, you will be using the Hue/Saturation tool instead. For non-Photoshop CS3 users, simply lower the saturation all the way and then click OK.

Step 5

Here’s the final result of this Urban photo effect Photoshop tutorial.