Cool Photo Effects

~ by Kyle Sassmann, Yearbook Print Consultant, Toronto East

A school yearbook is a cherished collection of memories, friendships, and milestones.  Adding cool effects to your photos can elevate the yearbook from a simple collection of images to a vibrant, engaging, and memorable keepsake! 

Why take that extra step?  Lots of reasons!

• Effects, when done properly, can transform ordinary photos into eye-catching visuals.  Whether it’s adding a vintage filter or a splash of colour, these effects can make your photos stand out and grab the reader’s attention.
• Use them to emphasize specific moments or achievements.  For example, a spotlight effect can draw attention to a student winning and award, while a sepia tone can give a nostalgic feeling to a group photo from a memorable event.
• Incorporating visual effects allows students to express their artistic side and provides an opportunity to experiment with different styles and techniques.
• It can add cohesiveness to your yearbook theme, tying it all together and helps with visual unity.

So how do you do it?  I’ve compiled a few easy tricks that you can do in Photoshop!

REMOVING COLOUR FROM PART OF AN IMAGE

Taking out the colour from a section of your picture is a cool looking effect and a great way to highlight the area you left with colour, i.e. maybe an action shot of a soccer game, but you want to highlight the kick by the scoring player, you can leave them as the only colour element in the shot.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose any of the selection tools you feel most comfortable with (or the one that best suits the image area you want to select (or leave with colour).
2. Go to SELECT > INVERSE.  This will reverse the selection you made, selecting everything else but the area you want to leave coloured.
3. Click IMAGE MENU and then ADJUSTMENTS > DESATURATE

ADDING A SPOTLIGHT EFFECT

This effect is an easy way to draw attention to a specific moment or subject, like the athlete who scored the game winning basket in the national basketball finals or the first-time soloist at the annual band concert.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Use the ELLIPTICAL MARQUEE TOOL to select the area you want to highlight
2. Go to SELECT > MODIFY > FEATHER and set a feather radius
3. Invert the selection (SELECT > INVERSE) and apply a CURVES adjustment layer to darken the background

CREATING A COMIC BOOK LOOK

If your school yearbook has a superhero or comic book theme, this can enhance the overall look of the book.  You can apply it to photos from events like the school play, highlight creative projects, or use it for profiles of students or staff to give them more pizazz!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Duplicate the photo layer and apply a POSTER EDGES filter (FILTER > FILTER GALLERY > ARTISTIC > POSTER EDGES)
2. Adjust the settings to get the desired comic book effect.
3. Optionally, add a halftone pattern (FILTER > PIXELATE > COLOUR HALFTONE)

ADDING A SPLASH OF COLOUR

Like the spotlight effect, this helps direct the viewer’s eye to the most important parts of the photo.  It can help to tell a story by emphasizing key elements and can evoke emotions.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Convert your image to black and white (IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > BLACK & WHITE)
2. Use the HISTORY BRUSH tool to paint back the original colour on specific areas.

CREATING A WATERCOLOUR EFFECT

If your school yearbook has a specific theme that aligns with a softer, more artistic look, the watercolour effect can complement it well. You can use it sections dedicated to art, creativity, or student projects to enhance the theme, or add it to individual or group portraits to give them a dreamy, ethereal quality.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Duplicate your photo layer and add a WATERCOLOUR filter (FILTER > FILTER GALLERY > ARTISTIC > WATERCOLOUR)
2. Adjust the blending mode and opacity to achieve the desired effect.

If you visit the FILTER GALLERY in Photoshop, there are a lot of really easy and fun ways to add colour, texture, and effects to your yearbook photos.  Remember, you can make a lot of neat effects in Adobe Express, built right into our DesignIt software too! Pop in, play around, and see what you can come up with!

Kyle’s interest in yearbooks started as a student at Dunbarton High School in Pickering, which led him to enroll in the GCM program at Ryerson; a B-Tech Degree that focuses on the print industry. He loves harnessing his education and work experience to partner with all of the wonderful Toronto East Yearbook Advisors. He can help you create incredible pieces of work that will inspire and bring joy to you and your peers for many years to come.