How To Make Digital Photos Look Like Lomo Photography
The following tip on getting digital images to look like Lomo Images was submitted by DPS reader - Frank Lazaro. You can see his photography at his Flickr page and see some of his Lomo shots here NB: most of the shots in this post can be enlarged by clicking them. update: once you’ve read this tutorial and had an experiment with the technique head to our Forum to share some of your results.
From the first time I saw a photo that looked like this, I wanted to shoot one of my own. But, for the longest time I couldn’t figure it out how people took photos look like this. Then one day searching the web, I realized I needed a Lomo LC-A camera. This is a Russian made camera that was a knock off of another camera. It is poorly made and by Japanese camera standards, a bad picture taker too. As the legend goes, somewhere in the 1990’s a cult following developed and hasn’t stop since.
Low and behold I went out and bought 2 of these babies. I love them, but I also had a digital SLR - a Canon 20D. After shooting with the Lomo, I wanted to take photos from my 20D and give them the Lomo look and feel.
I searched and searched and after trying several different Photoshop methods, I finally came up with my own using a mix of different techniques. By all means, there are probably other ways to do this, but this method has served me well.
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Here is my step by step on how I take a digital photo and make it Lomoified. I do have one suggestion though, create an action script once get this down, it will save you a ton of time.
Getting Started - Creating a Vignette
The first thing you want to do is create the classic vignette that the Lomos are well known for and I achieve this by doing a freehand lasso of a circle around the photo. It doesn’t need to be perfect and to prevent hard edges, I set the feather to 80-90px before creating the circle.
Once you have set the feather (shown above) and have drawn the circle, you must invert the selection. You can do this one of two ways. #1 Shift-Ctrl-I (Shift-cmd-I on the mac) or #2 Go to the menu Select>Inverse.
Now to achieve the vignette, I add a Levels layer. Note: I still have the invert selected.
This will add a masked out layer on top of your original layer. I then adjust the levels by moving the center arrow to the right. This will darken the edges, giving me a vignette. The amount is up to you and in this case I went from 1.00 to 0.50 on the center number highlighted in the image below.
Now you have a vignette.
On to making the photo look Lomo
Another key to a Lomo picture is the color contrast and saturation. This occurs because people with real Lomos use color slide film and cross-process the film in C41 chemicals.
For those that don’t know what cross-processing is, it’s when you develop film in a chemical other then what it was made for. Standard 35mm film is usually processed in C41 chemicals and Color Slide film is usually processed in E6 chemicals. Interesting results happen when you mix and match.
Typically, Lomo owners will take color slide film (E6) and have it processed as standard 35mm film (C41). This results in over saturation of colors and at times some freaky results. All of which make Lomo as special as they are.
To get a digital photo to look Lomo, we need to fake the cross-processing effect (E6 film in C41 chemicals).
At this point I usually flatten the image using shift-ctrl-e (shift-cmd-e on the mac) or go to the menu and Layer>Merge Layers.
First, I add a curves layer and create a slanted S.
Then I create a new layer on top of the other two layers. I select the paint bucket and pick the color black and fill the new layer with solid black.
Then I change the blending mode and set it to Hue and reduce the opacity to 40%.
Sharpening and Saving
This has gotten us very close to be finished. Again, I flatten the photo by using shift-ctrl-e (shift-cmd-e on the mac) or go to the menu and Layer>Merge Layers.
Before saving the photo as a JPG, you need to sharpen the photo. I use the unsharp mask and Lab mode/lightness technique. The purpose of this step is that it adds more contrast and darkens some of the areas as well. Now you can use whatever sharpening technique you want, but the following method prevents the color halos that come with certain sharpening techniques.
Go to Image>Mode>Lab Color. If you hadn’t flattened the image yet, it will ask you if want to flatten, please do so.
Then select your channel window and click on the lightness channel. The 3 other channels should deselect.
Then go to the menu, select Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask.
I like sharpness, so I set the Amount to 50%, Radius to 50% and the Threshold to 0. Click Ok. This is completely up to you on the settings. Plus it will depend on the photo as well and use your best judgment/preference.
Go to Image>Mode> RGB Color. You do not have to reselect the unchecked channels, when converting back to RGB, the channels will automatically turn back on and the photo will go back to be in color.
Now you are done, save the file and share.
Final step, save as a Jpeg.
Before
After
update: once you’ve read this tutorial and had an experiment with the technique head to our Forum and share some of your results.
Read more posts like 'How To Make Digital Photos Look Like Lomo Photography'
November 21st, 2007 at 1:12 am
Very cool effect. The colors really “pop”.
November 21st, 2007 at 4:30 am
Hasn’t this been run before here?
November 21st, 2007 at 5:16 am
Love this effect.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:06 am
This article was run on istockphoto.com a little over a year ago. Luckily, by the same author. :)
November 21st, 2007 at 7:14 am
I used to do this all the time before I got an LC-A but this is a new approach to the effect that I’ve never even tried before. Nice.
November 21st, 2007 at 7:30 am
Hey, very cool tutorial. I created one following the process quite closely (except I used a 50 pixel radius for the sharpen instead of the 100px suggested).
Lemme know what you guys think of the results :)
And, thanks.
— from robinryan - (?)
November 21st, 2007 at 7:31 am
http://flickr.com/photos/robinryan/2050386859/
sorry, there’s the photo
November 21st, 2007 at 9:34 am
I have really been looking for something like this for a long time, I’m going to give it a go, thanks!
November 21st, 2007 at 9:56 am
I don’t like this.
It takes away from the whole spirit of lomography.
The whole point of lomography is to use a lomo.
It’s to shoot without thinking.
It’s to shoot anything.
It’s to shoot from the hip.
Turning photos taken by a dslr into lomo look-a-likes is just wrong.
It’s like dressing up a modern sports car and trying to pass it off as a classic.
If you want to shoot lomo then go buy a lomo, they are cheap.
And trust me, theres no sustitute for an actual lomo.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:25 am
Oh wow. This brings back memories…This was the post that caused me to return to film. (But I still shoot digital as well.)
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:18 am
one great effect…
thanks man…
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:08 am
hey! what a coincidence. i have recently discovered lomo and fell in love with the crazy colours and feel.
but i didnt get one as i already have a digital slr (and gone kinda broke for the other stuff i bought for it .. ha ha..)
then i googled (i love googling and that’s how i found this site too) to learn how to lomolised my pictures. i found some great sites on this. the steps i used although the pretty similar but they are easier. but it’s up to which ps u are using i guess…
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Thank you for the tutorial. I immediately tried on one of my photos and it’s amazing. It also motivated me into getting a real lomo camera to play with.
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:00 pm
So how can I take my Lomo images and make them look like they were taken with a Nikon D200?
December 6th, 2007 at 4:11 am
10 on the Coolness scale!
Thank you
g
December 8th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Stephen, your dislike of the photoshop Lomo technique is easily understandable, and the solution is obvious: don’t do it. Your sanctimonious lecture to everyone else about what they should do, however, is annoying. Do you like people issuing disapproving dictates on your photographic work? I didn’t think so.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:00 am
I agree, digitally recreating flaws that are part of Lomography contradicts the whole reason of Lomography in the first place.
It doesn’t make sense why you would go to such trouble to emulate something that’s ridiculously easy in the first place.
December 20th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Nice tutorial. Thanks for the Photoshop help!
December 25th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Nice effect. This totally cool!
January 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am
Great write-up! I love this effect, but i do have one question. You mention in the beginning, “I do have one suggestion though, create an action script once get this down, it will save you a ton of time.” What is an “Action Script”?
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:43 am
Thankyou Frank, it was a pleasure to try out.
January 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
my work ;) http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorananicic/2091330309/
January 8th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Aha! I have a Lomo Photoshop Filter action that may help speed things along (or screw them up worse) ;)
http://www.juicytools.com/graphics/free-lomo-photoshop-filter-download/
January 15th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Silly to criticize others for making art. Just because they don’t use the same tools as you doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Open your mind already.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:50 am
@Stephen - lomography is expensive, the cameras cost a bomb considering what actually goes into them, and running film through them damn near makes me cry, why shouldn’t people use digital to replicate the same effects??
I have an LC-A+ and a holga, and hate the associated costs (love the images from them both though), and would love to get some of the pictures from my Nikons looking lomographic - will try this at some point soon…
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Can someone please help me re create this in paintshop pro.
thankyou
February 5th, 2008 at 9:38 am
really cool effect dude. I searched a long time for a decent tute with a decent effect like this one.
Finally someone who explains why you have to do this , do that , ….
thx
February 6th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Its funny i posted my first lomo on the local digital web site and members said it looked more an HDR than lomo :)
February 11th, 2008 at 5:54 am
I almost bought a lomo, but instead got a nice SLR for a gift. I did this tutorial with awesome results.. I still might buy a lomo for kicks, but now i can create the effect from my digital images. thanks. any other tricks?
I thought i was good at photoshop, but there’s obviously a lot more to learn.
February 13th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I have one question how or what steps would you take to make 35 mm slides or film from digital pictures? I can not find it anywhere
Kim
February 19th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Thanks. This is a great tutorial!!
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:43 am
Wow, I love this technique, it worked well for me! I really like the Lomo look but don’t know if I’ll get the camera, so this alternative is really appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to share!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
AH!
i love this, thanks so much!
February 24th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
i did it and it worked perfectly, but i dont have jpeg under the image types for saving???
February 25th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Great tutorial, thank you! You can see the results of my efforts with it here: http://philippaphotography.blogspot.com/2008/02/different-lomo-effect-tutorial.html
March 9th, 2008 at 7:26 am
This tutorial was rly awesome ^^
And very easy to follow :)
Thx a lot for sharing ^^
March 15th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Can you post a similar turotial for those of us who use Photoshop Elements? Thanks so much!
March 16th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Two techniques for Photoshop Elements users can be found here:
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=5&nav=messages&webtag=ab-graphicssoft&tid=8794
March 18th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Awesome. Would massively appreciate a similar tutorial for paint shop pro though, any idea where I might find one? Have been looking but with no luck…
Thanks
March 19th, 2008 at 12:05 am
For everyone who doesn’t understand why some people like “fake it digitally, allow me to explain.
1.”official” lomo cameras should cost in the single digit dollar range most of them, but you can’t buy them for less than 50. I can go to the local dollar store and buy a no flash, no focus, 35mm cheap plastic camera and get “lomo” shots with it fairly easily. You still have to deal with the hassles of film though. Doing the effect in photoshop allows you to take any digital camera, even a point and shoot and then get a lomo-esque photo with it. It doesn’t even have to hurt the lomo spirit. You can stil lshoot from the hip and not think and all that.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
isnt this alot like acid washed levi’s or those rediculous perma dirty jeans? “oh look dahling!, with a mere 300 dollars , I can look just like the little people , but without that icky feeling of being so unclean!”
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
In all fairness tho, it did take a quite a bit of creativity and retro engineering. I’ll give you that. Besides, if you cant get a lomo but you HAVE to have that look,….
March 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I’m here for exactly the reason posted by Daniel in his last post.
Here’s my first lomo, using another technique though:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garagenoise/2359113263/
April 17th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Stephen is a lomo snob.
this is a cool tutorial!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Hi,
Thanks for the tuto, I’ve used for first time with the lomo effect, and I love it, congratulations and thanks
Here the result, I hope you like it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crgomo/2419413180/
April 29th, 2008 at 4:04 am
very nice, thanks man :)
May 1st, 2008 at 12:49 am
Concerning digital and film…I have a Diana and a Smena as well as a digital rebel that I just ordered a lensbaby for. I like to use all my cameras. The film cameras are great and really fun to use. Film is more work but really fun getting back….like opening a present cause you don’t know exactly how the images are gonna turn out. However, digital offers instant gradification and more control than the real toy cameras. It’s all great. To me, its about creating great images and having fun. Weither its digital or film, the final product is what matters to me. Let people have fun and quit trying to push your own preferred process or personal creative convictions on others. (to those who like to do that) No one wants a plain ole digital image. Of course we want them to have character and style. Photoshop is such a brillant software. Use it up.
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I don’t see how this process is slower that actual lomography. It goes pretty fast. Film cameras go through chemical development processes before the end product. Photoshop is a digital version of that development process for digital photos. Regardless, photography is still a process in which a medium lies between the artist and the final result. I don’t think there is anything negative about it.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
is there such thing as a lomo digital camera
May 5th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Thanks a lot for your wonderful and informative tutorial, it helps me so much for my next photosession :-) Best regards from Germany Sue