For my Illustrative Imaging class, we were assigned to take a photo that was given to us and replicate an Instagram filter using Photoshop. The photo we were given to use was an image of a squirrel overlooking the Grand Canyon (original photo posted below).
The Instagram filter I chose to replicate is Nashville. This filter is recognizable by its blue tones and yellow highlights.
The first thing I did when I opened my image in Photoshop was to crop my image down to a square format. Then, I duplicated the background layer (we'll use that later).
To get the correct look for the filter, I had to use quite a few adjustment layers.
The first adjustment layer I created was Levels. For this adjustment, I selected the Blue Channel and adjusted the Output Levels from 0 up to 58.
Next, to tone down the blue and add the warmer highlights, I added a new Solid Color Fill Layer. I used hex color #f6ddad and set the Blending Mode to Multiply. The left the Opacity and Fill both at 100% since the blend mode I chose did a good job of layering the peachy color over the image.
Next, I created a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer. I increased the Brightness to 38 and decreased the Contrast to -13.
Then I created a Color Balance Adjustment Layer. I adjusted the Cyan/Red to -7. I adjusted the Magenta/Green to +10. I adjusted the Yellow/Blue to +28. This brought out the blue tones even more.
The next Adjustment Layer I created was Hue/Saturation. I moved the Hue slider for the Master to the right just a little (+8) to bring out a little more blue.
The Nashville filter in Instagram also has an iconic frame that you can choose to use. I wanted to recreate that frame. To do this, I began by creating a new layer. In this layer, I used the Rounded Rectangle tool to create the frame shape. I then selected the area outside the rectangle and filled it with black. Then I used the Horizontal Type Tool to add my text boxes. Using Courier New Regular (and a Glyph), I recreated the text and symbol from the Instagram Frame. My filter was finally complete!
I decided not to stop there though... Who uses an Instagram filter without adding other adjustments. Two of my favorite Instagram adjustment tools are Vignette and Tilt Shift, so I decided to replicate those, too.
Going back to the Background Layer Copy I created earlier, I renamed it "Vignette". I then used the Lens Correction tool under the Filters Menu to adjust the amount of the Vignette to create a dark area around the edges. Once I got the vignette how I liked it, I duplicated that layer.
I renamed the new duplicate layer "Tilt Shift". Under the Filter Menu, I chose Gaussian Blur and adjusted the image so it was sufficiently out of focus. I then added a Layer Mask. Using the black paintbrush in the Layer Mask, I painted out a circular area around the squirrel, making him in focus.
Below is my final outcome:
