Vintage French Script
I will sometimes get emails asking me what the French says in the various Photoshop brushes and overlays I offer. I try to answer specific questions, but really, I think it’s best not to focus on the meaning of the text. The vintage script is meant to add visual interest and texture, not to convey a message. I love old penmanship and typography. Having hints of it in your image conveys a sense of old world nostalgia and visual depth. The meaning of the words shouldn’t be the focus. To that end I wanted to give you two tips that go hand-in-hand for using the vintage Photoshop Brushes and Overlays.
- Control the tone of the brushes and overlays by changing the colors, blend modes and opacity.
- Break up the script so that only parts of it show using layer masks.
This week, I’ll be posting several articles showing examples of using vintage French script in images as well as showing techniques.
This Image
- Macro photograph of hydrangea petals processed with Topaz Lab’s* Adjust 4 Photoshop filter using the Clarity preset.
- Texture 1: Northern Skies / Artiste Collection. Blend Mode: Multiply. Opacity: 100%
- Texture 2: Datura Noir / Artiste Collection variations. Blend Mode: Hard Light. Opacity: 29%
- French Script Overlay: Savoir Faire / Artiste Collection. Blend Mode: Multiply. Opacity: 81%
The Layer Panel
Here’s the Photoshop layer panel where you can see the layer order and layer masks.
Resources
Artiste Collection. Painted textures plus a vintage French overlay. Note that the Datura Noir textures is in the optional additional variations.
* Topaz Lab’s is an affiliate link. I get a small commission from any sales resulting from a click from this site (at no extra cost to you.) I really do love these filters. Nearly all of my own images use one of these filters. Thank you for supporting the site!
Watch for additional examples this week.
American Photographer and Designer living in France with my French husband, 2 Weimaraners and Cat Rescues. Camera, Mac, studio, garden.
Thanks as always, Nicole! Beautiful work and great use of the textures.
Lovely work and great use of the textures. As always, great information, Nicole!
Sorry that the comment duplicated, Leslie but I still meant it both times!
Hi, I am using the Vintage French brushes and overlays and really like the way they look. I was just wondering if there is an English translation for them anywhere on the site. Sometimes I’m not too sure if what looks good is actually appropriate. By the way I am really gaining a lot from your tutorials and products. Thanks very much.
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia, I don’t currently have any translations. It would be pretty time-consuming to translate them all and I’m not sure it’s important to know what they all say. As I mention in the post “… I think it’s best not to focus on the meaning of the text. The vintage script is meant to add visual interest and texture, not to convey a message.” I’ll think about it though! Sometimes it does say something like Kisses, but sometimes it’s just script from old legal documents.
Ok thanks. Mostly I was wondering about the 2 Chansons and if one would be suitable with an infant in entirety, or if there’s anything suited in particular to an infant.
Sorry so late answering this. I’ve been lost in site re-design / product production. Always better to ask customer support questions via the Contact page as I check that several times a day. 🙂 Can you remind me of where 2 Chansons is? I don’t have anything specifically related to an infant.