In the last 50 years, graphics design moved up a lot, and if we look back, there are a lot of things to use as inspiration for turning our pictures into works of art, using Photoshop. Of course that in some cases, results may not be ready for an art gallery, but they should be enough to make you want to learn more, like the one below…

Now, let’s grab a picture and learn how to turn it into an image like the one above, shall we?

1. First of all, open the image you want to work on. Be sure to have a safety copy, or use “Save As” before starting to work on it, just in case…

2. Now go to Image>Adjustments>Threshold and adjust the settings to get the best our of your picture.

3. Duplicate the background layer.

4. Add a new layer, fill it with a gradient or even with plain color, as you wish, and move it under the copy of the background layer, as you can see in my screenshot. Don’t forget to change the blending mode of the layer above to Soft Light.

5. At last, you can use the Blur filter, if you think this is needed and, of course, crop and add a frame to your image…

As you already know, this can only be a small part of a bigger project, so feel free to experiment. I have shown you the way, and now you have the power to make me ashamed of my result and amaze all of us with your works. Don’t forget to drop a comment, as soon as you complete your work!