I recently discovered a fantastic collection of Daguerreotype photographs from the mid-1800s in the public domain, which I’ve transformed into the perfect tools for producing vintage photo effects. I picked the most deteriorated images from over 800 scans and photoshopped out the main subject to leave just the texture of the tarnished metal plate. They are all over 2500px in size with a high resolution of 300ppi and feature a variety of natural stains, scratches and scuffs that will give your modern digital images the authentic appearance of an antique photograph.
This pack of free vintage photo overlays contains 20 high resolution JPEG textures sourced from authentic photographs from the 1800s. Paste the texture over your artwork and use the Screen, Overlay or Soft Light blending modes to apply the vintage effects. For best results, use a Gradient Map to add a complementary sepia toned appearance. Look out for my upcoming video tutorial where I’ll show these techniques, along with a few other tricks to create your own Daguerreotype style photos.
Download My Free Vintage Photo Texture Overlays
Want more? Check out these great related products
The following resources cost a little money, but I definitely recommend checking these related products out to complement my vintage photo overlay textures.
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Well, hey! These are VERY nice! Thank you!
I just took a look at the originals! You did awesome, Chris! Wow! A lot of work! Thank you!!
These are fantastic, Chris! I’m a big fan of Daguerreotypes, so I’m looking forward to playing with these overlays.
Thanks so much!
They are excellent, thank you for all your teachings and resources!
Amazing work! What a great resource!
Amazing! Thank you so much.
Gracias!! Interesante pack de texturas.
Thank you!
Salam alikom , Yatikom E’Saha, Thank you so much for all.
Thanks for sharing Chris.
Thanks– I use vintage stuff all the time and this is great!
These are fabulous – thank you for sharing!
Thanks, these are great!
Hi Chris! First of all, thank you for providing such a stunning freebie! I have one question though: can I use them with any photo software, or do I need to have Photoshop to get the best out of them? I have (among others) Paint.NET.
I’m not sure how you got rid of the subject and retained the textures of the daguerreotypes, but it must have taken a considerable amount of work to do it well. Thanks so much for sharing this, Chris. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Love these overlays Chris! Thanks so much for sharing
Amazing and Very Useful Collection. Keep it up.
Great stuff , thank you!!!
Awesome!!! As usual simply great materials.
Awesome content that is sure to come in handy. Thanks Chris, you are my go-to-guy for tutorials and high quality materials.
This is just amazing!!! I love them! Thank you so much!
I think I love you Chris.. Thank You!
Very useful, thank you so much.
Thank you so much, love ’em
These are terrific – than you Chris for your generosity!
Thank you so much for your generous gift! I will have a blast creating with these. I’m off to try it on vintage Christmas photos.
Thanks a lot! Just what I needed for a job today! :-)
Thanks Chris!
What an awesome early Christmas present. I’m in the middle of editing some high school senior pics, and I’m sure these will be a blast to play around with. All your hard work is extra appreciated.
Richard M.
I was looking for vintage 1800’s film effects but didn’t know what to look for or where to find it. This is exactly what I needed for my project, I was amazed these were free and such awesome quality. Thanks so much, you saved my project!
Wow. These are awesome Chris. Thanks so much!
These 20 high-resolution JPEG textures are so authentic. Thanks for making them free. cheers
Thank you! very much Crist!
These textures are simply amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your talent so generously!
oh wow, thats great collection, downloaded. thanks for it.