Jordan Hofker, Fargonaut

Does anyone know how to get this effect? blows me away every time… [Page 2]: Retouching Forum: Digital Photography Review

Steps:

1) If you’re converting from RAW, choose a warm toned WB before heading into Photoshop.

2) Use your favorite selection method to select your subjects, and save your selection to be used later. With the figures selected, make a new levels adjustment layer. don’t adjust it-just click OK, then switch the blend mode to soft light, and lower the opacity to 50%

3) Make a new solid color fill layer. Choose Color: None, and click OK. In the color-chooser, fill in the values R84, G66, B4. Click OK, then switch the blend mode to Hue.

4) Make a selective color adjustment layer. Choose Colors: Neutrals, and set yellow at 39% and cyan to -8%.

5) Make a new color balance adjustment layer. Set midtones to 0 -7 and -13. Then select the highlights and set them to 0, 0, and -3.

6) Make another levels adjustment layer. choose the blue channel, and change the output level to 200 from 255.

7) Make a new blank layer and load the selections of your figures. Fill the selections with black, change the blend mode to Coor, and dial your opacity down to 50%. This will let your figures pop out from the golden background.

8) If the intensity of the gold tone is overpowering, just lower the opacity of your adjustment layers until your picture seems natural enough.