Easily Create a Gritty Sports Photo Effect in Photoshop

Photoshop Photo Effects

In sports photography, every image tells a story of strength, determination, and motion. A gritty effect amplifies these qualities, emphasizing texture and contrast to create visuals that are as bold as the moments they capture. Perfect for gym, fitness, and action shots, this technique highlights key elements, ensuring your subject stands out with unmatched intensity, and this effect can be achieved using a few layers and adjustments in Photoshop. So today, I will show you how easily you can craft a striking, high-impact look that elevates your sports photography to a new level.

Step 1

Open your image in Photoshop.

Step 2

Press Ctrl+J on your keyboard to duplicate the Background layer and rename the copied layer to "Lights & Shadows".

Step 3

Set the layer blending mode to "Hard Light" and decrease the opacity to about 60%.

Step 4

Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation window, decrease the Saturation to about -70 and click OK.

Step 5

Again, duplicate the Background layer and place it on top of all layers. Rename this layer to "Overall Details".

Step 6

Go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Step 7

Go to Filter > Other > High Pass. Set the Radius to 65 pixels and click OK.

Step 8

Set the blending mode of the "Overall Details" layer to "Soft Light".

Step 9

Duplicate the "Overall Details" layer and rename it to "Small Details".

Step 10

Expand the Smart Filters of the "Small Details" layer and double click on the "High Pass" filter.

Step 11

Set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Step 12

Lastly, duplicate the "Small Details" layer as many times as you want to increase the effect.