how to prepare a washed-out base » 1 step

Going from to in one step~ This is usually how I prepare my really icky bases, hee hee ♥

Program » Photoshop CS2, but totally translatable if you have levels.
Difficulty » Easy smeasy!

01. Open up your base; sharpen, auto-color, etc. if you need it.

02. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels.

03. Input the following~
RBG
Input: 9, 0.79, 247
Output: 0, 255

Red
Input: 0, 1.13, 255
Output: 0, 248

Green
Input: 5, 1.03, 253
Output: 0, 255

Blue
Input: 10, 1.05, 250
Output: 0, 255
And you're done! Go ahead and add color balance, selective coloring, textures, etc. ♥