Add this classic dreamy effect to your photos. Now you can copy studio photo effects on your photos with this easy Photoshop tutorial.

Open an image

Choose File > Open. Browse for the image file and click OK. The image should now be loaded into Photoshop.

Duplicate the layer

Press Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer. Change the blending mode of the new layer to Screen.

Add a Gaussian Blur filter

Choose File > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the radius then click OK.

Duplicate the layer

Press Ctrl+J to create a duplicate of the current layer. Now change the blending mode of this layer to Overlay.

Fixing overexposed areas

We have the fog overlay Photoshop effect, but the highlights look clipped. In the image used for this tutorial, the wedding dress turned into a white blob. In the steps below, you will learn how to fix this problem and restore detail to overexposed areas.

First, select the two layers and press Ctrl+G to group those two layers. Then, select the layer group and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.

Select the layer mask then choose Image > Apply Image. Use the settings from the above image.

The above image compares the Photoshop effect without and with the layer mask. The layer mask reduces the effect from the highlights so that there is less blown highlights.

Final Results

Make your photos look classic! This professional-quality photo effect looks natural and is a great alternative to black and white or selective grayscale. Read this Photoshop tutorial to find out how you can add a professional touch to your photos.

Open a picture

Open a nice family photo into Photoshop. To open a file, start Photoshop and choose File > Open. Then, browse for the image file and click OK.

Create a new duplicate layer

In the Layers palette, you should have one layer called Background. If you press Ctrl+J or chose Layer > Duplicate Layer, you’ll get two layers. Do that then select the top layer that’s the new one. Select Overlay from the blending mode drop down menu in the Layers palette.

Desaturate to create a neutral color effect

Now we’re going to add a nice urban color effect that makes this Photoshop tutorial different from other selective grayscale Photoshop tutorials. This is the key effect that professionals use when they create a selective grayscale effect. It makes the color more neutral so that it doesn’t have too much contrast with the grayscale background that we’re going to create later.

To desaturate, simply press Ctrl+Shift+U. If that doesn’t work, you can choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and move the saturation slider to the very left (-100).

Duplicate the layer and add a layer mask

Now we’re going to add a traditional selective saturation effect. This will make the background grayscale while leaving the subject (the family in the photo) in color. This effect is a great way to increase focus in a photograph.

Press Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer then choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. You should now have a new layer that looks like the one in the above image. Make sure that the layer mask is selected before continuing. Click on the layer mask thumbnail and you should see a white outline around the thumbnail to indicate that it is selected.

Erase the foreground

Now we’re going to mask out the selective grayscale effect so that it’s only affecting the background. Select the Eraser tool from the toolbar and in the option bar on the top, set the Hardness to 75.

Begin erasing the  foreground/subject that you would like in color. To make this faster and more precise, zoom in at around 400%. To change the brush size quickly, press the "[" or "]" key on your keyboard.

Here’s what my layer mask looks like right now.

Final Results

Are you a project manager or someone who just needs to hire a freelancer? Freelancers usually do work at bargain prices, but you might not be getting the best price you could be getting. Learn effective negotiating techniques to save you money.

Ask for a discount. Ask for a discount. Ask for a discount.

This is always the hardest part in negotiation. Many fear asking the question because they’re uncertain what the

freelancer would say. There’s nothing to be afraid of; the most the freelancer can say is, "Sorry, this is the best price I can give you". Never settle for a price without asking for a discount.

Asking the Right Question

Don’t Ask a "Can" Question

When asking for a discount, don’t ask a "can" question. This gives the freelancer an option to say, "no". Instead, ask a "what" question that will force the freelancer to give you a number instead of a yes or no.

Asking a "Can" question:

Buyer: Can you give me a discount?

Freelancer: No, the price is already good.

Asking a "What" question:

Buyer: What is the best price you can give me?

Freelancer: $100 is the best price I can give. The project is intense and it’s not something I normally do.

Although the freelancer didn’t offer a discount, at least the freelancer gave an explanation. Asking a "what" question will increase the probability that the freelancer will give you a discount. If not, you’ll at least get a better explanation.

Ask as if the Freelancer’s Supposed to Give You a Discount

Ask the question in a way that will make the freelancer feel that he/she is doing what is reasonable rather than a method that makes the freelancer feel that he/she is being generous. For example:

Asking if the freelancer can be generous :

Buyer: What is the best price you can give me?

Freelancer: $100 is the best price I can give. The project is intense and it’s not something I normally do.

Asking if the freelancer can settle for a more reasonable price:

Buyer: What is the best price you can settle for?

Freelancer: Well, the project is intense and it’s not something I normally do, but I can settle for $80.

Asking what the freelancer can settle for compared to asking what the freelancer can give you makes a big difference. Asking the freelancer for the best price he/she can give will get you the price the freelancer wants to make. Asking the freelancer for the best price he/she can settle for will get you the minimum price the freelancer expects to make.

Countering the Replies

"Okay, I will give it to you for $x.":

If a freelancer gives you an honest reply, ask for another discount. Say that it is still too high or that you were looking for something lower. If the discount isn’t much, let the freelancer know. For example, if the project originally was $100, and the freelancer gives you a discount of only $10, say, "That’s not much of a discount. Can you give a more reasonable discount.". Now that may sound aggressive, but until the freelancer gives you signs that he/she is getting angry at your bargaining, you still have room to negotiate.

Did you know your website could be making over 200% more income with better Google Adsense placements? Learn expert methods and the science behind it to increase CTR.

Blending

While this may be common sense, it is the most important factor for increasing CTR. More and more viewers are becoming more experience in identifying advertisements. When viewers detects an advertisement, they pay less attention to it. By simply blending the colors to match the website, it makes it more difficult for the viewer to identify text advertisements which increases the chance that they’ll read the text ad and click on it.

By removing the border and matching the link and text color to the website, the ad becomes less perceived as an ad.

Place the Ad Where it is Most Visible

Another method to increase exposure to the ads is to place it where it would be read first. A good example of this position is right above the content/article. By placing it before the content/article, the viewer will read the ad first before they proceed to the content/article.

An example of placing an ad before content. The viewer will read or scan the ad first before they find the actual content/article.

Align the Ad with the Content

This is one of the least known techniques. Ads should not be placed arbitrarily on a website; it should be aligned with some content so that it does not look like an advertisement. If a text ad is placed by itself, the viewer will check to see if it’s an ad. However, if there is real content that’s aligned with the ad, the user will not check for an ad as strongly as it would if the ad was alone by itself or not aligned with other content.

By positioning the ad on the same imaginary line as the real content, the ad looks less like an ad.

Repetition

Blending an ad in a repetition is one of the most effective methods for blending ads with content. Although it may be tricky to implement into a website, it can dramatically increase exposure and CTR. To blend a text ad into a repetition of content is to place a text ad where normal content would usually be.

The text ad is less perceived as an ad because it is surrounded by and on the same imaginary line as the real content.

Images Beside Google Text Ad

This used to be the most common technique and can usually doubles CTR, but it’s against Google Adsense’s TOS (Terms of Service). We do not recommend using this technique.

We ask that publishers not line up images and ads in a way that suggests a relationship between the images and the ads. If your visitors believe that the images and the ads are directly associated, or that the advertiser is offering the exact item found in the neighboring image, they may click the ad expecting to find something that isn’t actually being offered. That’s not a good experience for users or advertisers.

Publishers should also be careful to avoid similar implementations that people could find misleading. For instance, if your site contains a directory of Flash games, you should not format the ads to mimic the game descriptions.

- Google Adsense Blog

You may think your online portfolio is great. Is it really? How do amazing designers fail to get their jobs? Find out how even the best designers can fail with their online portfolios.

Talking Too Much About Yourself

It may sound obvious, but many portfolios fail because of this. When including a biography of yourself, stick to the points that people care about and keep it short. Nobody likes to read an essay about your life. This isn’t just a common mistake in the usual “About Me” page, it’s also a common mistake in the descriptions of the projects.

When describing a project, instead of describing why you did what you did, describe why what was done was effective for the project. The key to this is to not use the word “I”. Remember that the viewer care more about what you can create than what you think. Below is an example of describing a project in two different methods. Which one sounds better?

I used orange as the main color for this brochure because I wanted to let people know that this hair product is unisex.

Orange was used as the main color for this brochure because the color describes this hair product as a unisex product

The second line sounds more professional because it’s talking about the project rather than the designer. This was done simply by removing the “I”’s from the sentence.

Difficult Menus

Menus are a great way to present your capabilities. Many designers create an exceptionally creative navigation system, but fail to make it functional. The purpose of menus is to let the viewer browse to different parts of the website. While it is a great idea to show off your abilities using menus, make sure that it’s easy to use.

Overly Abstract Artworks

A major problem with portfolios is that their artwork only shows that the designer can create something creative, but not useful. I’ve seen many portfolios with random geometric shapes with a modern duotone effect. Does anyone really want to pay you to create this? While this abstract effect may express your creativity, it does not show what use the designer could be to the viewer and certainly doesn’t show much skill. The best artwork to include are the ones that display a unique skill that’s usable in the real world.

Lacking Contact Information

So a prestigious design firm thinks your portfolio is great and they want to invite you to an interview. The problem? It’s too difficult to contact you. Either you don’t have any contact information, your contact information is hidden, or there’s not enough options to contact you. Make sure that the contact information can be easily found with at least a phone number and email. Many designers make the mistake of only including their email. It’s important to include a phone number because some people prefer to have instant replies via telephone than delayed replies via emails.

Too Many Faux Projects

When starting, many designers create work for fake companies. These are great for practicing, but shows little experience in the real world. Employers looking for designers always prefer hiring designers who have real world experience. If you can’t find any real companies to create work for, simply volunteer to do free work. Even a simple listing on a popular classifieds website will bring many potential companies for you to create projects for.