FREE Photoshop Tutorial: Greyscale Ghosting

When I originally posted this article a few years ago I thought the Ghost plug-in from Flaming Pear was pretty cool.  This plug-in could take any image and convert it in to a greyscale, semi-transparent layer that would magically blend with the layers below.  Then someone showed me how you can get the exact same effect in Photoshop without using a 3rd party filter.  Here's how to create a greyscale, ghosted layer using Photoshop CS4:

• Open an image
• Hit Ctrl+Shift+U to desaturate the image
• Place the newly desaturated layer over any other layer
• Change the desaturated layer's blending mode to 'Multiply'
• You can adjust the desaturated layer's levels (Ctrl+L) or opacity to adjust the blending effect.

So, really, the 'Ghost' filter is not a necessary tool; I never use it anymore.  I do, however, use layers with the Multiply blending mode in various ways, every day.  As a general rule, don't bother downloading unnecessary plug-ins and filters for Photoshop.  Most of these pre-made filters will turn out to be less than useful in the long run.  Instead, take your design/photo concepts as a challenge, and learn how to do it the right way in Photoshop.  Learning how to create effects from scratch will also give you more creative control over the final result of your projects.  This will only improve your design capabilities and make you better prepared to tackle future projects. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

-Andrew

Here's my original post, don't bother reading it:
The Ghost filter is a free plug-in offered by Flaming Pear Software. I have found this to be very useful when creating textures for 3dsMax in Photoshop. The Ghost filter can take any raster image and convert it into a black-and-transparent image. The transparency of the Ghosted layers make it super easy to use when adding texture and detail to other images or colors. The fabric example seen above is a very simple example of how the Ghost filter can be used. I have also used it to help make dozens of textures, like: wood paneling, shingles, concrete, brick, fabrics, stone, and even leaf textures for plants.

The Ghost plug-in is part of Flaming Pear's 'Free Plugins' download. Click here to go to the download site. Scroll down, the 'Free Plugins' pack is located towards the bottom of the page. There is also a link on the top of the Flaming Pear download page if you have questions about how to install the filter in Photoshop, it's very easy. Take a few minutes to play with the filter after you install it. I'm sure you'll find many other ways to make it useful.