How to get a Vintage/Muted?Desaturated look?

[meganfoster08]

I have been trying to do this in photoshop but I just can't seem to get it right.
I am trying to get photos to look similar to photos like these:

goodbye, january. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I don't know what I am missing...Is there a tutorial out there somewhere I am missing?

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by meganfoster08

I have been trying to do this in photoshop but I just can't seem to get it right.
I am trying to get photos to look similar to photos like these:

goodbye, january. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I don't know what I am missing...Is there a tutorial out there somewhere I am missing?

Most likely the photographer is running a vintage action or preset on his/her images. Check out The CoffeeShop Blog and do a search for "vintage".

[mrpolitics]

This from Lifehacker may help.

Add Instagram-Like Effects to Your Photos with Free Photoshop Actions

[LynnDA]

I found this tutorial for muted colours and it works for me http://photoshopper27.blogspot.com/2...photoshop.html. I posted a couple of shots I'd done using this If you want to check them out here's the link Playing With Muted Colours. Have fun!

[Hill Country Hack]

Someone put this link onto one of my shots as a suggestion. I don't have Photshop so it was all over my head. Try clicking Create a Retro Photo and Background | Denis Designs | Free Photoshop Tutorials & Inspirations for Web & Graphic Designers

[RecurrentNerve]

IMO actions are a cop-out. They are also often unnecessarily complicated. You can achieve a retro, muted look with one Curves adjustment.

Open your photo. Make a new Curves adjustment layer. Click the dropdown at the top of the dialogue that says RGB. Choose Red.

Move the bottom left control point about a quarter of the way up the side. Choose the Green channel from the dropdown. Click in the middle of the curve and drag it down slightly.

Choose the Blue channel from the dropdown. Move the bottom left control point up a quarter and the top right down a quarter, then click the middle of the curve and move it down very slightly.

You will now have a retro-looking image. You can set the Blending Mode of the layer to Color to boost contrast while retaining the retro look. Experiment with the points you've moved to tweak the colouring.