How is this look achieved?

[j.weegee]

I know that this is probably some kind of instagram filter, but I am wondering how to accomplish this effect manually in GIMP. I have been trying to recreate the effect in GIMP. Is it simply just a purple pinkish tint on top of an image? Or is there some other color wizardry involved?

 

[fjrabon]

looks like it has tint added, desaturation, plus a grain effect. I think the flare is also fake as well. also, I think a soft focus effect might have been added.

 

[sapper6fd]

You need to become a Hipster to begin with and start using instragram.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

At the risk of sounding rude...

Why in God's name would you want to emulate that photo? The composition is mediocre, the colors are awful and the processing looks like it was done by an iPhone app.

I'm sure you're capable of a much more compelling image all on your own without a POS filter trying to make up for a weak image. When your image looks great without all that crap on top of it, then you know it's strong and worth spending time to process properly and give it a little more "umph".

I'd like to see some of your images.

 

[j.weegee]

I do not want to emulate the image itself. I am trying to better understand image manipulation. I personally hate instagram But I would like to learn how to achieve looks such as this the more honorable way through step by step editing techniques. I fully understand that filters do not improve an already uninteresting image.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

^^^ That's good to hear. I don't know the first thing about GIMP, so I can't help you with specifics there.

With regards to Photoshop or PS Elements, probably the most important adjustment areas are levels, curves, color balance and channel mixer. Most of the types of weird color looks you're asking about can be achieved through the channel mixer. I VERY rarely use either color balance or channel mixer. Once I find a look I like, I set an action (in Photoshop) or a preset (in Lightroom) so I don't have to go through all the steps repeatedly.

 

[j.weegee]

Thanks for the help. I'll tinker around with the channel mixer and color balance a bit more. I'm am still pretty new to this as you can probably tell, but I find viewing photos (even the ones that use cheap phones apps) and dissecting how they can be achieved technically can only help my education in this area. Can you possibly explain to me a little bit about levels and curves? I have an idea of what they are but I don't have as good a grasp on their effect as I do for contrast or saturation.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

The levels adjustment is concerned with your black point, gamma (AKA midtone contrast) and your white point. If you have a flat, low contrast image, levels adjustment can really save it. When you first open the levels adjustment, you'll see the histogram for your image with slider tabs at 0 (for pure black) and 255 (for pure white) and a slider in the middle for gamma (defaults at 1.00). Playing with the sliders can drastically adjust the overall contrast of the image, as you can manually set the black and white points.

Curves I know less about from a technical standpoint, just never researched it... it deals with the overall contrast curve of all the tonal values in your image. I don't use curves nearly as much as I use levels. Many times, the only thing I'll play with is the levels, the HSL adjustment (hue/saturation/luminosity) and the sharpness. If you properly expose an image in camera, and you get your WB correct, whether by using a gray card or a tool like the expodisc (extremely useful), those are usually the only adjustments you'll even need to think about. Unless you're wanting to get weird color like your image above...

Help that helps!

Cheers!

 

[j.weegee]

That makes so much more sense. Thanks again!