For me, the wonderful thing about making digital art boils down to experimentation. I’m a big fan of the vintage / retro aesthetic and enjoy incorporating these types of effects within my own work. Part of it stems from my own feelings of nostalgia, and part of it comes from the visual appeal.
The process of making digital art look aged has become a cottage industry for bespoke design asset vendors. For my own work, I use Texturelab’s Retratone plugin for Photoshop. It can take work that I’ve created, like this ROM Spaceknight #1 recreation below…
…and give it a more aged look. All within one or two clicks!
My latest video demonstrates how I use the Retratone plugin. I really like it for its ease of use and versatility. It comes with around 50 bespoke presets, which serve as a great starting point. And you can always make your own presets, too.
-Krishna