Creating a Halftone background photo effect in Photoshop

• February 19th, 2024
• Photoshop

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a halftone photo effect using Photoshop.

Tutorial details

• Program: Photoshop
• Time estimation: Under 3 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

Preview

Step 1: Selecting an Image

1. Start by selecting a photo to work with. You can use any image you like. For this tutorial, we will be using an image from unsplash.com.

Step 2: Masking the Subject

1. Select the Object Selection tool from the toolbar.
2. Duplicate the existing layer by right-clicking on it and selecting “Duplicate Layer”.
3. Mask the selected object using the Object Selection tool. This will separate the person from the background.

Step 3: Adding a Gradient Layer

1. Select the original layer.
2. Create a new layer in between the duplicated layer and the original layer.
3. Press ‘D’ on the keyboard to reset the color palette to black and white.
4. Starting halfway between the model’s torso and head, draw a gradient from the top to create a gradient effect on the new layer.

Step 4: Applying the Halftone Effect

1. Select the new layer with the gradient.
2. Go to the “Filter” menu, then select “Pixelate” and choose “Color Halftone”.
3. Adjust the “Match Radius” to 60, and set all the channels to 20.
4. Click “OK” to apply the Color Halftone effect.
5. Change the Blend Mode of the layer to “Screen”.

That’s it! You have successfully created a cool halftone background effect using Photoshop. This effect can be applied to photos, magazines, posters, and more for various design projects.

Thank you for watching, and stay tuned to Creative Nerds for further quick tips on how to use Photoshop.

Video Transcript:

Hello, and welcome to Creative Nerds. In today’s Photoshop tutorial, I’ll be showing you how you can create a halftone photo effect using Photoshop. So what we want to do is start off by selecting a photo. So we’re using an image from orangeblush.com, and what we want to do is initially just mask the person from the background. So you want to start off by selecting the Object Selection tool. We’re going to duplicate our existing layer, so that’s okay, and then we’re going to mask our selection. So we’re going to select the model from the photo, and then from there, we’re going to add a layer mask, and then we’re going to select the original layer, and then create a new layer in between, and then this will be the gradient. What we want to then add to that new layer, ensure we press D on the keyboard, and that will reset the color palette to be black and white, and then from there, we want to start off halfway between the model, model’s torso and the head, and then we’re just going to draw from the top up to create our gradient, perfect, and then from there, we’re going to select Filter, Pixelate, and select Color Halftone, and I want to change the Match Radius to be 60, and then all of the channels, we want to become 20, and then select OK, and then we’re going to change the Blend Mode to be Screen, and there you go, we’ve created a cool halftone background effect that you can apply to photos, magazines, posters, it’s got such a wide range of uses where this can be applied across your design projects. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned to Creative Nerds for further quick tips on how to use Photoshop.