Using noise to create a mezzotint effect

Software: Canvas 5
Platform: Macintosh and Windows

This procedure will show you how to create a mezzotint effect using noise filters in an image.

This is the completed mezzotint effect.
For this procedure, we used a 300-ppi RGB image of a flower. You can similar effect withs lower resolution; in fact, lower resolutions might produce an even better, more abstract effect.

Original image before any effects

Step 1: Copy the image

Select the paint object and choose Duplicate in the Edit menu. You'll work with this copy of the image, then paste it back into the original later.

Add Noise filter

Step 2: Add noise

Double-click the copy of the image to put it in edit mode. Choose Filter > Noise > Add Noise in the Image menu. In the dialog box, set the Amount to 50, select the Uniform option, and turn on Preview to see the effect on the image.
If necessary, adjust the settings to get the effect you want, and click OK to apply the effect.

Highlights emphasized

Step 3: Bring out the highlights

To accent the highlights in the image, choose Adjust > Color Balance in the Image menu. In the dialog box, select Highlights and turn on Preserve Luminosity. Experiment by dragging the color sliders to the right by varying amounts. When you find a setting that brings out the highlights nicely, click OK. Don't be afraid to really exaggerate the highlights; in the next step, you'll see that the highlights will become muted when combined with the original image.

Filtered image and original image combined

Finishing touches

Step 4: Paste the filtered image back into the original

Choose Select All, and then choose Copy in the Edit menu. Double-click the original, unaltered image to put it in edit mode. Choose Paste in the Edit menu. Canvas pastes the effected image in the original image as a floating selection.

Choose Show Channels in the Image menu to open the Image Channels palette. Make sure Normal is selected in the Mode pop-up menu, and drag the Floating Opacity slider to the left. This lowers the opacity of the pasted image, and reveals more of the original image. We set the opacity to 15%, but the exact setting depends on the image and the amount of mezzotinting you want. When you are done, choose Select > None in the Image menu to defloat and deselect the image.

To add the finishing touches, we added a new channel to the image and used a soft airbrush to paint a white border in the channel. Then we selected the composite (RGB) channel and Option-clicked (Mac) or Alt-clicked (Windows) the channel with the border to load it as a selection. We set the background color in the Inks palette to white, and pressed Delete. This method lets you create a natural, "cloudy" vignette effect.