Photo X-Ray In Photoshop
In this article, we will be showing you How to Make a Photo X-ray in Photoshop! You will learn step by step how to make a photo X-ray in Photoshop Effects.
X-ray cameras can create very interesting and impressive images. But unless you are a radiologic technician, it can be very difficult to find an X-ray camera and use it to take images, not to mention the potential danger of using this equipment due to radiation.
Fortunately for us, we can use Adobe Photoshop to recreate these photographic effects with Photoshop stocks, Photoshop filters, and more!
Before we begin, your image should already be open in Photoshop. Otherwise, follow the method below.
See how to select and deselect in Photoshop in case you need to remove the background of an image
Set up a new project file
Let’s start by setting up a new document in Adobe Photoshop (File > New or Control-N). For this tutorial, we’ll use the settings below:
- Width: 1920 pixels
- Height: 1080px
- Resolution: 72
- Color Mode: RGB Color
- Then import your desired image (File > Import)
1. Duplicate and Invert the Background Layer
First thing, flip the image from positive to negative. This is about 70% of the effect.
To do this, go to the bottom right corner of the screen to the Layers panel and right-click on the layer called Background. From the menu that appears, select Duplicate Layer.
You now have a second layer called Background Copy.
Now, with the duplicated layer still selected, press Ctrl + I [Win] or Cmd + I [Mac]. Your layer should now be reversed.
2. Convert to black and white to create the X-ray effect
The image may be reversed, but it is still in color. To get it closer to an X-ray, we’ll have to convert it to black and white. To do this, go to the bottom right corner of the Layers panel and click on the Adjustments icon.
This will open the Settings menu. From the menu, select Black & White.
The Black & White adjustment layer will now appear in the Layers panel and your image will look like this.
X-ray film has some unique properties. Compared to other films, it is less sensitive to blue light and therefore blue areas in the image appear darker on X-rays.
So go to the Black & White Adjustment Panel above the Layers Panel and lower the saturation of Blues to darken the skin tones.
At this stage, the image starts to come together. However, it looks more like a film negative than an X-ray. To complete the look, we will need to perform some additional steps.
3. Add a blur
X-rays have something ghostly about them. To achieve this, we’re going to create a blur and overlay it, for which we need to create a blending layer.
Hold down the Shift key and click the Background Copy layer and the Black & White 1 adjustment layer to select them all at once.
Now press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E [Win] or Cmd + Option + Shift + E [Mac]. This will create a new merged layer from the previously selected layers.
Now we create the blur. In the menu, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
From the Gaussian Blur menu, select a radius of 50 pixels.
Now, back in the Layers panel, you’ll find the Blending Modes menu.
By default, it is set to Normal. Click on it and change the blending mode to Overlay. Change the Opacity to about 45%-50%.
4. Add Noise
Go to the bottom right corner of the Layers panel and click the New Layer icon.
Now go to Edit > Fill in the menu. This will open the File menu.
Change the content to 50% gray and click OK.
You now have a completely gray image.
Now again in the menu go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise
From the Add Noise menu, select a value of 10.
You now have a gray random noise image.
Now we need to overlay this over our image. To do this, go to the Layers panel and change the blending mode of the noise layer to Overlay.
Also, change the opacity of the layer to something below 50%.
5. Final Hand
In the Layers panel, go to the Adjustment Layers menu and select Photo Filter.
This will create a new adjustment layer.
In the Photo Filter menu, change the filter to cyan and decrease the density to about 10%-12%. This creates the cyan hue that is characteristic of X-rays.
And voila! Now we have a completed X-ray effect!
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully completed this tutorial. I hope you found this tutorial helpful and that you’ve learned many new tips and tricks that you can use for your future illustrations. See you next time! Please try to support vdtips by sharing this post thanks.
