How To Make a Color Infrared Photo
This is the coolest little editing trick I’ve seen in a while. This YouTube video by PhotoshopMama shows you how to create the look of color infrared film with your color photos. The best part… it only takes three clicks in Photoshop. Here’s the video:
In case you can’t see the video for some reason, here’s the process.
- Create an “Invert” adjustment layer to invert your photo.
- Create another “Invert” adjustment layer to un-invert your photo.
- Change the layer blend of the top adjustment layer to “Luminosity”.
That’s it, you’re done. I just took some already finished photos and ran them through the conversion. Here are my results:
Doesn’t anybody else think this is cool? Or is this old news and I was just left out of the loop? Either way, it kept me occupied for about an hour.
Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from San Diego, California. He's also the guy behind the Epic Edits Weblog. As a hobbyist photographer since 2003, his passion has been to constantly improve his photography skill set, to share his own knowledge with others, and to become an integral part of the photographic community.
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I’m with you in think that this is really cool. Especially the last two of your pics.
You should try it out on some of your photos and put them up on your new photoblog. I’d love to see them.
1. Hue/saturation layer – hue to +180
2. Layer blend to color
I’ll have to give that a try. Does it do the same type of thing? Or have you given me something new to play with?
On my eyes exactly the same effect – but hey, there is slider.
no fast internet in North Idaho it would take 4 days to down load so I will take your word for it.
That’s why I explained it with text too. Then again, you still refuse to use Photoshop. Better get on board, you can’t have me do all your editing forever.
I guess I should have waited for the pictures to down load. Seems you posted another “Dad photo” the Washington Monument pict looks familer. Did I tell you to take that one or not.
I don’t know what you’re talking about, and you can’t prove anything.
Bah.
It’s an interesting effect, yes. But it looks *nothing* like color IR film.
e.g. green leaves and green grass should be red… but the sky still needs to be blue.
Which is really sad, because I’ve got some rolls of it in my freezer and then it’s *gone* forever.
I was curious how true the Photoshop effect was… I guess that answers my question.
I’ts just easier and quicker to make just one invert adjustment layer and then set its blending mode to “color”. It’s the very same thing you are doing there with both adjustment layers.
Bingo! just the type of resource I have been looking for. Great tutorial. Best regards (SB).
I love this tutorial Brian.
Using layers is a great way to add these kinds of features.
The picture of the Biker in the air looks particularly cool.
Brian if you shot that one yourself, what was the setting on your camera?
Video tutoriasl always seem to work better than text which explains things step by step. With the popularity of video, it seems you can absorb things easier / faster. Appreciate your posting!
What u did is a good effect. but there are some corrections to be done.For example one dont need to create 2 adjustment invert layer. If you change the original picture to invert then the color mode to luminosity, you would get an interesting infra red effect!!
After i did your effect I adjusted the curves and it looked like a real beautiful infra red picture!!!
So thanx for publishing your trick!!!