fake light leaks:

Is it just me or is digital photography nowadays all about looking like film photography? I've certainly played into this trend, it's so much fun to play around with pictures and it's quite a challenge to make them look as "analog" as possible. A lot of people have been asking me lately how I get light leaks into my photos: Photoshop! And it's so simple, too! Here's my original image, scroll down to see the process and the end result!:

1. Open your photo in photoshop. Make any adjustments that you would like.

2. Find your brush tool. You're going to want a pretty big brush for this, and you'll also want the hardness to be turned all the way down. 

3. Pick your color. Something in the orange family will work the best but feel free to experiment!

4. You can do this step either before or after you pick your brush and your color, I just happened to do it afterward. However, this is an important step so don't skip it! Go up to "Layer" and select "New."

5. Draw a big fat orange line right on that new layer. (MAKE SURE that it's the new layer that's selected!) If you don't like the placement of it, don't fret, you can change it later by going in to "Edit," "Transform," and then choosing whichever change you would like to make.

6. Here is the fun part! Above the layers, select the "Blending Mode" for the layer. Choose "Pin Light."

7. While the light and the original image are two separate layers, you can change the opacity, size, and shape of your "light leak."

Voila! Digital never looked so analog.

xo, e.m.