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Holga Effect Tutorial

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Posted by Sasha on Dec 7, 2009 in Basic Tutorials, Downloads, Photography, Photoshop, Tutorials | 5 comments

Holga Effect Tutorial

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to achieve the Holga effect, that you can find in my latest group of actions.

before&after

1.  If you have retouched the image and made density corrections, press crtl-shift-alt-E to make a merged copy of the image.

If you are working from the original image, press crtl-J.

2. Now go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Apply the filter with a 5px radius.

step1

3. Add a layer mask and apply a Radial Gradient with white set as your foreground colour.

step2

I usually apply this over a face in the photo. If there are no people then just apply it in a random place on the image.

4. Now press crtl-shift-alt-E to create a new merged copy of all the layers. Go to the Layer Style palette and tick Gradient Overlay. Use the following settings:

Blend mode to Multiply
Opacity:100%
Reverse ticked
Style: Radial
Angle 90
Scale 100%

step3

4. Create Solid Color Fill adjustment layer. Use black as the color and set the blend mode to colour and the opacity to 15%.

step4

5. Create another adjustment layer on top of the color fill layer, this time the photo filter. Use Warming Filter (81), with the density set at 55%. Make sure the preserve luminosity box is ticked.

step5

By using adjustment layers and layer styles, you can go through your layers and adjust the effect to suit the image that you are working with.

Here’s the final image:

final

Here you can download the action on its own:

The Holga Effect Action is also available for download at the AllyKatDesign Shop.

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