Is it a filter? Overlay? BEEN searching for months...forgot about forum. :/

[Bubbles22]

Here is the problem. I have been seeing this editing technique all over. I can't figure out if it is a filter they use or what. Like 3 of my favorite people I follow are doing it.
Can Anyone help me figure out what it is? It is not just giving it a matte finish.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...81348052.21086.117154628394734&type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...81348052.21086.117154628394734&type=1&theater

It is like a hazy but a dark haze. So it wouldn't be done by how you add the lighter haze in the quick layer panel.

Anyone???
TIA
I hope I can post links...if not I will erase them. Sorry

 

[e.rose]

You can buy actions that do that.

I've done similar stuff, but I refuse to buy actions for anything, because I'm cheap and determined to figure it out on my own... because (see first point).

That being said...

It could be a number of things. Lifting the black point in curves and then playing with the color channels on curves... adding color layers and then changing the blending mode and lowering the opacity...

Everyone does it a little differently, and it depends on the hue you're going for and the exact feel.

 

[KmH]

Links are OK if you don't own a photo.

The yellow is a slight Curves adjustment (Curves Adjustment layer) in just the Blue channel:

Slightly more adjustment.

If you want haze, make a second Curves Adjustment layer (RGB) and just move the lower left end of the curve line up slightly:

 

[Gavjenks]

Simply lower contrast + raising the black point. Half a dozen ways to do either.
I'd probably do the same thing KMH did in the last photo, but a little less than he did then also drop the dot in the upper right a little bit, to achieve an overall similar exposure as the original, instead of lightening it. In your examples, it looks like the white point is dropped a bit too, so this is probably sort of what they did.


It looks like they may also have warmed the tone a bit in the OP images. And possibly slight desaturation.

 

[Bubbles22]

Hey thanks guys.
I'm going to mess around with it more today. You guys always have the answers. Oh and e.rose I'm the same way. Why spend money when I should know how to achieve it. I have to figure things out or it drives me crazy!

 

[e.rose]

Hey thanks guys.
I'm going to mess around with it more today. You guys always have the answers. Oh and e.rose I'm the same way. Why spend money when I should know how to achieve it. I have to figure things out or it drives me crazy!

You know what I've done a few times? I find free actions online that are CLOSE to what it is I'm trying to achieve, and then I reverse engineer them, and then figure out what component is missing to make it look *exactly* like how I want.

I've spent a few hours at a time in front of my computer figuring out one "look" like that.