Grunge and Dirty Retro Photo Effect in Photoshop

Grunge and Dirty Retro Photo Effect in Photoshop

In this tutorial we are going to learn how to give a grunge dirty retro photo effect to any image in a quick and easy way. For this matter we are going to use the awesome Perfect Effects Free Edition Photoshop plugin, which is, by the way, absolutely free.

👁️
This is an older tutorial, and some external links or data sources mentioned may no longer be accessible. However, the content covers a unique topic and remains valuable despite any broken connections. We’ve kept the post intact for its educational and informative value.

I posted about this plugin a while ago and many visitors didn’t believe it was actually free. Mostly everybody expected a crippled trial or a time limited demo.

Well this is not the case. Perfect Effects Free Edition plugin is absolutely free. It is a slimmed down version (25 effects) of the full Perfect Effects 3 plugin with (300+ effects). So, you end up having an awesome piece of free software with 25 cool effects just for you at no cost. And if you decide that you want more, you can upgrade to the full version, or buy more presets in the OnOne Software Marketplace.

This tutorial will show you how easy and fast is to apply really cool effects using this plugin. You won’t need to play around with curves, levels or any other complex command. Just a few clicks and you are done.

Enough! Let’s start with the tutorial. Download the Perfect Effects Free Edition plugin. After filling the download form (no credit card required, just your name and email), you will receive an email with the download link and the installation instructions for Mac and Windows.

Download this image from Wikimedia.org and open it in Photoshop. You can use this image for your commercial or personal work but, please, first read the usage rights here.

Now open Perfect Effects. Go to menu WINDOW > EXTENSION > ONONE. A new palette with the OnOne Software logo will open. Under the logo you will see a list of all OnOne plugins installed (in this case chances are that you’ve only installed this one). Click on the Perfect Effects 3 Free button. Then double-click on the Open Perfect Effects Free title.

The plugin will open as a standalone application. In fact many, if not most, plugins work as a standalone application connected to Photoshop.

Let’s check the plugin interface:

I won’t go into much detail with the interface. As you see it is a similar layout as Photoshop. In the panel at the bottom you will find some kind of effects navigator that will let you try different effects with a single click.

On the right side there is a Layers palette. Each time you double click on an effect, you will create a new layer with that effect.

Each effect will be applied using the layer right below as the base image.

Let’s start adding effects. Click on the Effects tab and then start clicking (single click) on each effect and see how the image changes instantly. Also, the effect layer on the right changes its name accordingly.

When you are done trying effects, double click on the Cross Process Yellow effect. The preview image will look like this:

At the same time, you will see that a new empty layer was added to the layers palette, right above the Cross Processing Yellow layer.

Now let’s click on the Textures tab and select (single click) the Brownie texture.

In the Layers palette you will see that the layer that was previously empty, now has the name of the texture effect recently selected. Remember that when you make a single click on an effect, the current layer changes its name to reflect the effect just clicked.

Remember that a double click sets a layer with the effect just clicked, and creates a new empty one. In this case, since this is the last effect we are going to apply, then you don’t need to double click to create a new layer.

The preview image should be like this one:

Before applying the final effect to the image, lets save this preset for future use. Go to Menu PRESETS > SAVE PRESET… and complete all the info you need there.

Now click the APPLY button to apply the completed effect to your image. The plugin will close and you will be taken back to Photoshop.

And that’s it. Here’s your two steps grunge retro photo effect:

Since we saved our effect as a preset, go again to the Onone Software extension palette and click on the Perfect Effects 3 Free Edition button. You will now see the Grunge category you just created. Double-click on that category and all the saved presets (one in this case) will show.

Let’s try the preset on another photo. Download and open this photo – (usage rights) – and click on the Grunge Photo preset from the Onone palete.

And without doing anything else, the effect is applied.

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

Creating Pixelated Dither Effects in Photoshop

The pixelated dither effect transforms modern photographs into retro-inspired artwork reminiscent of early video games and vintage computer graphics. This distinctive visual style uses controlled color reduction and strategic pixelation to create images that balance nostalgic charm with contemporary design appeal. The technique relies on Photoshop's export settings...

How to Create a Vector Stencil from a Portrait Using Photoshop and Illustrator

Stencil art transforms complex portraits into bold, graphic statements using just black and white shapes. This simplified aesthetic has defined everything from street art to commercial design, creating instantly recognizable images that work across any medium. This tutorial demonstrates the complete workflow for converting a photograph into a clean vector...

How to Create Dotted Halftone Motion Blur Effects in Photoshop

The distinctive look of dotted halftone patterns combined with dynamic motion blur creates striking visual effects that bridge vintage print aesthetics with modern digital design. This technique transforms portrait photography into graphic art pieces with flowing, particle-like textures. The process involves layering multiple filter effects to achieve that coveted Instagram-worthy...

Master Photoshop Adjustment Layers for Non-Destructive Editing

Fine-tuning images without destroying original pixel data transforms ordinary photos into compelling visuals. Adjustment layers provide the flexibility to experiment with colors, contrast, and tones while maintaining complete control over every edit. This comprehensive guide demonstrates how to harness Photoshop's most powerful adjustment layers for landscape photography, from...

Understanding Color Theory for Digital Image Editing

Color theory forms the foundation of every successful digital editing project. From the visible spectrum to RGB channels, understanding how colors interact determines whether your adjustments look natural or artificial. This comprehensive breakdown covers essential color models, temperature and tint relationships, and the practical connections between traditional color theory and...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.