Some leaves from our large Ash tree in the back garden. I have digitally turned this photograph into a faux cyanotype. I have made true cyanotypes in the past, but have been trying out various methods of applying them to existing photos. – Douglas

Ash Faux Cyanotype

Here are the steps I used in a current version of Photoshop (but you can probably duplicate them using your own favorite tools:

Create a Cyanotype look in Photoshop

  • Open subject file (leaves, etc.)
  • Switch to Greyscale
  • Remove background
  • Invert Image
  • Convert to Color
  • Create background layer
  • Fill with cyanotype color
  • Set subject layer to Hard Light (to take on the color of the background
  • Filter, Add Noise… to give some grain to the background or use texture file.

Find a variety of books about cyanotypes

Find supplies for making traditional cyanotypes