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Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect

 

Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect

How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements.

This tutorial will show you how to give a comic book look to your photos using a couple of filters and some additional decorations.

Click on the image below to see the final results in a bigger size and without compression artifacts.

Original image by Rubén Colorado

Old halftone print effect

Download and open this photo in Photoshop. Now we are going to increase the overall contrast of the picture by burning it a bit. Go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > LEVELS…With this image we are going to set the INPUT LEVELS to 60 / 1.00 / 220. But this is only for this example. Choose the best settings for each photo.

In this step we are going to give the photo an illustrated look with some graininess to give the illusion of an old and bad quality paper. It is not a realistic effect, it is just some distortion to the image to help us achieve the final look. Go to FILTERS > ARTISTIC > FILM GRAIN. In this case we are going to use: GRAIN: 4, HIGHLIGHT AREA: 0, INTENSITY: 10. Try different settings for different photos.

Duplicate the layer and name the new layer HALFTONE

In this step we are going apply a halftone pattern to the image to give the final old comic book printing effect. Go to FILTER > PIXELATE > COLOR HALFTONE. Set MAX RADIUS: 4 and leave the rest with the default values. Press OK and then go to the LAYERS PALETTE and set the BLENDING MODE to DARKEN.

Adding comic book elements to the picture

The effect looks nice so far. It is not a realistic old comic book effect, it simple resembles that look. To make it more real, now comes the fun part. We are going to add some unique elements that are very popular on comic books and strips
Select the HALFTONE layer and set a STROKE LAYER STYLE of WIDTH: 20px, POSITION: Inside and COLOR: #F5ECE1.

Add a new layer and draw a small rectangle at the top left of the frame of the image. Give it a STROKE of 3 pixels and paint it orange. An orange to yellow gradient looks better. Draw another rectangle, a bit larger this time, on the lower left corner of the frame. Give it a STROKE of 3 pixels and paint it white. The final result should be like the one below:

Lets add a border to the image: Add a new empty layer above the layer containing the rectangles we created in the previous step. Select the RECTANGLE SELECTION TOOL from the TOOLS PALETTE. Draw a selection from the top left (right inside the frame) to the bottom right border of the image.

Go to EDIT > STROKE, set WIDTH: 4px, COLOR: BLACK, LOCATION CENTER and press OK.

DESELECT the current selection and go to FILTER > BLUR > BLUR MORE. Then apply a small distortion using FILTER > DISTORT > RIPPLE… (Amount 20%, Size Medium). Now, lets sharpen the stroke a bit with FILTER > SHARPEN MORE and there you have a nice simulated hand drawn border.

Adding captions using a comic book font

To add captions to the photo you can use any font you like, but only using fonts specially designed for comic books you will be able to achieve the desired look. Download the free font Digital Strip and install it. At the end of this article you will find a lot of free and commercial comic book fonts and resources.

Using the Digital Strip font you’ve just downloaded, type a date on the top orange rectangle. Play with the first letter of the text by adding a stroke, a shadow and a bright contrasting color.

Then write a caption for the photo at the bottom white rectangle. Highlighting some words in bold also looks good.

And that’s all. Your image should look similar to the one below:

Click on the image to see a larger and uncompressed version.

Adding other comic book elements to your photos

If you want to learn more about comic book design, you can browse sites like Comic Book Fonts or Balloon Tales for some inspiration. Balloon Tales has published a fantastic comic book lettering tutorial that you should read if you want to make some stunning sound effects. There are lots of comic book resources, but these two are very colorful and loaded with design tips and examples.

As an example, I’ve created two images using other design elements such as balloons and sound effects:

Click on the images to see a larger and uncompressed version of each one

Original images by Mary R. Vogt and Rupert Jefferies

Comic book fonts and resources on the web

Check this selection of freeware and commercial comic book resources:

free comic book fonts

FREE FONTS: Blambot
 

comic book sound effects

FREE SOUND FX CLIPART: Blambot

comic book balloons

FREE COMIC BOOK BALLOONS: Blambot

comic book fonts

FONTS: ComicBookFonts

Comic book lettering and tutorials

TIPS AND TUTORIALS: Balloon Tales

Comic book font

FONT: Monster Mash

Comic book font

FONT: Zoom

Comic book font

FONT: Braaains

Comic book font

FONT: Goosebumps

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 99 comments

  1. came across your site through blog rush widget. Great article I bookmarked your page! The monster fonts will work great with my website http://www.yardhaunters.net

    look forward to your posts in the future

  2. Hi, love this tutorial, great job! =] I found your site through Blog Rush too ^.^

  3. Thank you so much for your comment, it was much appreciated =] I’ll definetly use one of the links you gave me..Keep up the good work!

  4. Very nice tutorial, very useful

  5. Very nice tuto and very useful links

    Thanks you

  6. amazing.. very useful.. keep on that great job

  7. […] Retro, Comic Book Photo Effect on PhotoshopRoadmap […]

  8. stuck at ‘An orange to yellow gradient looks better’, cant get it yellow to orange.
    help!

  9. AMAZING!!! keep it coming… Very effective tutorial and yet very useful.. I wonder what font did you used on that masterpiece he he… Thanks for sharing…

  10. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect This is probably my favourite tutorial of the month. It’s simple and looks fantastic! Visit Tutorial […]

  11. muito xike esse blog …
    Parabens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    bjao
    Dryka

  12. i ve been wanting to do this type of effect months before, but always ended up into something else :p thanks. now i have the reason to make my photo album into some kind of comic book LoL

  13. I really love this tut! :)

  14. […] Tens daqueles retratos chatos e não sabes o que hás de fazer com eles? Este tutorial ensina a adicionar um look cartonesco bastante apelativo e engraçado. Um tutorial muito completo e que explica detalhadamente todos os passos, inclui inclusive exemplos de vários tipos de fonts que podem ser usadas e links para o download das mesmas. […]

  15. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect […]

  16. […] Read More… […]

  17. Thanks ! Nice tut (:

  18. […] Máis ps…..10102007 Tutorial Photoshop Avançado: Scripts e programação Photoshop for geeks Edward Hopper and Me ou como utilizar as cores de algunha pintura famosa nas tuas fotos usando PS. Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect Easy Watercolor Effects in PhotoShop Top Resource : Brush + Font Sites For Photoshop Bill gates degraded throughout history photoshopgallery of glory […]

  19. good tutorial. I will digg it !

  20. […] They also have a ‘best of the web roundup’ which is where I found a tutorial for this cool Retro Comic Book Effect. You can see my efforts below: […]

  21. dear friend
    tank you for nice work …..

  22. […] Visit Tutorial […]

  23. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect - a quick tutorial that looks great. […]

  24. I have been inspired by your tutorial to test it out on some of my own photos and have spent the last couple of weeks trying out some of your tips. I’m having so much fun with it - it’s a great way to learn a few PhotoShop tricks, too.
    Can’t wait for the next tutorial!

  25. Very very good resource. Thank you for the tutorial -and I hop you bring much more like this in the near future.

  26. […] Fotografia jak malowana Przetwarzanie zdjęć na obrazy w stylu w jakim tworzyli Warhol, Lichtenstein, albo tworzenie na bazie zdjęć komiksów, to zabawa, która może dać sporo radości. Co istotne - nie potrzebujemy "tych" zdolności manualnych i bez setek dni szlifowania warsztatu, oraz dziesiątek godzin stania przy sztaludze możemy uzyskać całkiem niebanalne efekty.   autor: Assaf Gadasi, Nes Ziyona, Israel 2007 […]

  27. […] How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elementsThis tutorial will show you how to give a comic book look to your photos using a couple of filters and some additional decorations… Pretty cool effect :o) Click here to visit >> […]

  28. […] To increase the retro comic book look, captions and sound text effects are added. Read more about Photo to comic book effect in The Photoshop […]

  29. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect Wehey! (tags: illustration design comics tutorials tips photoshop) […]

  30. […] recently read a very detailed tutorial about enhancing your photos with a retro comic book effect. The tutorial is an excellent example of one of the many and varied post-production techniques you […]

  31. I cannot for the life of me get the orange rectangle to get gradiant i love this effect some one please help me

  32. hi, cool tips i did a pic n it looks cool but i’m having a problem installing the comic fonts. they wont install and keep sayin invalid can anyone help please mail me
    mad-mace-1984@hotmail.co.uk

  33. Way too super … I abso love it!

  34. I have Photoshop Elements 5 and I am having some trouble getting the steps to work. Is there any advice someone can give me?

  35. I only had problem w/ putting on the comic font i downloaded…
    when i use the type tool box and try to type anything, nothing appears on the pic.
    how come???

  36. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book EffectHow about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  37. Very good job…I made one is using it as my myspace defualt…

    www.myspace.com/zazzyhat

  38. […] Aquí se explica como hacer que tus fotos tengan apariencia de comic utilizando Photoshop. (Ingles) […]

  39. Great job! Keep up the good work!

  40. Great tutorial! Thanks!

  41. Why not just do this with ComicLife Deluxe? Just a few clicks of the mouse…

    http://plasq.com - Mac or Windows

  42. Thanks

  43. great work!!!!

  44. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect (tags: photo) […]

  45. […] » Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design ele (tags: art comics fonts graphics photography tips photography/photoshop) Search […]

  46. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  47. The download link for the original photo doesn’t work any longer. Can you upload it somewhere or tell us the new link?
    Thanks

  48. I’m having trouble when pixelating the picture.
    the pixels are blue/purple etc and i don’t know how to change it to make it look like yours. help?

  49. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book EffectHow about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  50. […] » Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect (tags: photoshop tutorial comic effects) […]

  51. […] la web Photoshop Road Map han elaborado este tutorial con el que puedes conseguir dar un look de cómic retro a tus fotos con el Photoshop. Consta de […]

  52. […] » Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect - […]

  53. how do u get the drop show on the red A?

  54. […] Trasformare una foto in una effetto fumetto Come trasformare una foto, in un fumetto retro   […]

  55. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

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  58. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  59. […] Придайте своему фото эффект комикса.С помощью этого урока можно разнообразить ваш архив фото. Сделайте из своих фотографий комикс. […]

  60. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect […]

  61. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  62. […] I made a ‘retro’ comic book-like panel from a photograph of myself, using this tutorial and Photoshop.  Awesome baby. Let me know what you think of it.  Perhaps I’ll make […]

  63. Wow, this is awesome! I was looking for a tutorial on how to convert a normal photo to “comic” style, and this looks like it! Thanks much!

  64. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  65. […] Lo he hecho siguiendo  este tutorial: [Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect]  […]

  66. Cool tutorial. Thats a good effect, that can be used for alot of different designs and media. Nice lil tutorial to have in the arsenal. Thanks.

  67. […] Fonte: http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/2007/09/13/give-your-photos-a-retro-comic-book-effect… […]

  68. Those looking for the original source image used in this tutorial, it is now hosted here:

    http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/searchbrowse?q=portrait&uname=ruben.colorado.71&psc=F#10

  69. […] out this great tutorial on creating a comic book effect with ordinary photos, photoshop some color halftone effects and […]

  70. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  71. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  72. […] Pubblicato il 29 Febbraio, 2008 di surus Ogni tanto mi imbatto in tutorial di Photoshop. The Photoshop Roadmap ne propone uno interessante per dare alla propria foto un effetto da libro di fumetti. La cosa […]

  73. […] » Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect (No Ratings Yet)  Loading … […]

  74. Very cool effect. Thanks for the links for doing comic lettering on it too

  75. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect Posted by Retro Comic Book Effect in Photoshop | Leigh Nugent Web Design on October 15th, 2007 at 3:38 pm. dear friend tank you for nice work … … […]

  76. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book EffectHow about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  77. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book EffectHow about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  78. i did it successfully. i made 2 photos using this effect already. great job. :p

  79. Great !
    Thank you :)

  80. […] » Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect - […]

  81. this is a great comic tutorial effect. thanks for explaining this in the simplest form.

    more power.

  82. […] Retro comic book […]

  83. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect […]

  84. GREAT TUTORIALS!!!!! Here’s a few I did with your Tutorial (slight variance in technique)

    Thanks!

  85. http://a936.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/l_0270a954b28e597a2ea76a06773a7297.jpg

  86. darn, i tried to post a pic, but it didn’t work.

  87. Hopefully this’ll work…?…here’s one of them.

  88. This is an excellent tute! Thanks so much. I’m excited to try this out.

  89. this tutorial is awesome!! very very helpful! more tutorials to come! thankssssss:)

  90. […] Give your photos a retro comic book effect […]

  91. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect […]

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  94. […] Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect How about a fun effect for your incredibly boring photo albums? Creating a old comic book effect for your photos is easy and the results are visually appealing. More fun is achieved when adding captions to your photos using comic book fonts and design elements. […]

  95. […] Give your photos a retro comic book effect […]

  96. […] Via | The Photoshop Roadmap […]

  97. It’s nice to an original tutorial. Great work. Thanks for sharing I have a website design that this will come in handy for.

  98. […] ThePhotoshopRoadmap ha pubblicato un interessante tutorial che spiega come trasformare le vostre immagini in un fumetto dallo stile retrò. I passaggi sono molto semplice, ma l’effetto finale è di sicuro impatto. […]

  99. […] Professional “glamour style” photo retouch iMouse — creating Apple mouse Give Your Photos a Retro Comic Book Effect Space and Planet Tutorial Faking HDR in Adobe Photoshop 11 Super Awesome Photoshop Movie Effects […]

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