To create sepia you have to convert your image into Black & White or Sepia monochrome. Here are a few ways to do it. One is to create a Black & White Adjustment Layer and check “Tint” which then allows you to play with the underlying color sliders to adjust the hues of the sepia. Another is to create a Hue/Saturation layer and change “Default” to “Sepia” in the drop down window.
Black & White Sepia Layer
Hue/Saturation Sepia Layer
Finally you can use the Channel Mixer first to convert the image to “Monochrome” by checking that box and then on top of that add a Curves Adjustment layer to complete the process. This last method gives me greater control in creating a tone that adds a golden glow to the image. An illustration of this follows.
Red Channel in Curves
Whichever method you use to convert to monochrome add a Curves adjustment layer on top and in the “Adjustments” tab select the “Red” channel only and increase the red highlights. You’ll be able to view the effect this has on your image as you pull the curve upward. Don’t worry it won’t wind up with this horrible planet Mars effect.
Blue Channel Curve
Then do the same for yellows, but here’s a small quiz. Since the channels are only RGB, Red, Green, Blue, how do we get yellow? What’s the complimentary color of yellow? It’s Blue, so in the same “Adjustments” tab with the Blue channel selected REDUCE the highlights on the blue curve to bring out the yellows. Neat trick, huh?
The combined effects of both the red and blue channels creates the sepia tone as YOU prefer it.
The advantage of this method is you, not the software, decides how you want to blend your sepia. Not enough red? Pump it up a bit. Too much red? Tone it down. More golden hue? Increase your yellows by dropping your Blue Channel curve. Have fun with this.
