Photoshop: Virtual Makeover / Photo Retouching

Today we are going to explore doing a virtual makeover.  In a previous assignment we took a face with scratches or pimples and retouched it to make it look a little more natural.  Today we are going to go a little further by beautifying someone.  In short, we are going to take a photo of someones face and smooth wrinkles, remove blemishes, adjust colors, brighten teeth and eyes, etc.  We can even try some "virtual makeup".  


Remember that we aren't trying to make anybody into a super model, we're simply trying to bring out their natural beauty.


You can search for "no makeup" on Google Images for some examples.  Click here to see a few: [LINK] or [LINK].


Here are some celebrities [mostly] without makeup: http://www.funzug.com/index.php/celebrities/celebs-without-makeup-portraits.html


Here are some examples of Virtual Makeovers:

If you would like to follow along with a video tutorial, you can check these out:

A Sample Image

Photoshop: Line Art Coloring

Coloring a line art image is basic on the surface, but to really get a quality result [and something you can get creative with] you should begin by separating the black lines from the white page.  Here are some steps to help you through this project:

Step 1: Begin by finding a good example of a line art image.  You can specify in your Google Search that you want large, line art images -- try this search for an example.

Step 2: Do a SELECT > COLOR RANGE and then click on the white area of your picture.  Drag the "fuzziness" up a bit to catch any straggler pixels.

Step 3: Press DELETE and also delete the background layer.  You should see a line art image with a checkered [transparent] background.

Step 4: Create a new layer and drag it beneath the Line Art layer.  Use the paintbrush to put down a good "foundation coat" which you can do without worrying about the lines.

Step 5: Click on the Line Art layer, select the Magic Wand tool, and click on the empty background area.  This should select everything around the object you are coloring.  Now click back on the "foundation coat" layer and press DELETE.  This should clean up the edges of your object (see above).

Step 6: Use your DODGE tool (looks sort of like a round push pin) and a small brush to add some highlights to areas where you would expect to see them.  In this example I assumed the light was coming from the top-left so I added highlights to the top of the dome, the top of the instruments, and along the tops of other ridges.

Step 7: Use the BURN tool (looks like a pinching hand) and a small brush to add "shadows".  I added shadows on the underside of instruments, under the lips of overhangs, under the extending spheres, etc.

Step 8: If you have spherical/rounded objects (such as the circles on the bottom of the Dalek), go to the Line Art layer and select the object(s).  If you have multiple objects (above) hold shift and select all of them.  Then I like to expand the selection a little by going to SELECT > MODIFY > EXPAND and then 1 pixel.  This will allow the new layer to slightly expand beyond the "holes you're putting them in.

Step 9: Create a new layer and use the paintbrush to paint into your selections.  We will add a bevel to these new pieces in the next step.

Step 10: Go to LAYER > LAYER STYLE > BEVEL & EMBOSS and adjust the settings until you get the roundness you want.

Step 11: Add details, textures, colors, etc.

Step 12: You can also add a background and a foreground if you choose.

Here are a couple more examples:

Photoshop: Virtual Jack O'Lantern

Today we will be creating a Jack O'Lantern using Layer Styles and some basic tools.  Although the steps are relatively simple (just follow along) the process can be very tricky.  I have put together this lesson a lot like a recipe -- meaning you should follow the steps closely and in order.

Getting Started:

1. Open the pumpkin picture (above) in Photoshop to use as the background for our creation (click the pumpkin first to view it full-size, then copy, open Photoshop, and paste).
2. Select LAYER > NEW > LAYER (call this layer "mouth")
3. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of a mouth
4. Fill the polygon with black
5. Select FILTER > DISTORT > RIPPLE (use a LARGE ripple so the edges aren't perfect)

Gradient Overlay:

1. Select LAYER > LAYER STYLE > GRADIENT OVERLAY
2. Choose STYLE > RADIAL
3. Choose ANGLE > 0
4. Choose SCALE > 100%
5. Double-Click the Gradient Bar
6. Set the "left triangle" to a bright orange
7. Set the "right triangle" to a dark orange
8. Click OK

Inner Shadow:

1. Select INNER SHADOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose BLEND MODE > COLOR BURN
3. Choose OPACITY > 100%
4. Click the "color box" and choose a semi-dark yellow
5. Choose ANGLE > -90 (drag the line to the bottom)
6. Choose SIZE > and around 2
7. Set CHOKE to 100%
8. Set DISTANCE to around 30 (you can adjust this to determine the pumpkins thickness)

Bevel and Emboss:

1. Select BEVEL AND EMBOSS (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose STYLE > EMBOSS
3. Choose DIRECTION > DOWN
4. Under Shading un-check the box that says "Use Global Light"
5. Set ALTITUDE to about 25
6. Choose HIGHLIGHT MODE > OVERLAY
7. Set the OVERLAY to about 40%
8. Set the SHADOW MODE to about 10%

Inner Glow:

1. Select INNER GLOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose LINEAR DODGE (ADD)
3. Change the color to a Light Orange
4. Choose TECHNIQUE > SOFTER
5. Set SOURCE to CENTER
6. Set OPACITY to 60 or 70%
7. Drag the SIZE up to 40-100 (depending on what looks best)
8. Set the RANGE as desired
9. Click OK

Other Effects:

1. You can also add an OUTER GLOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)  I prefer a lower OPACITY (i.e. 10%) with a larger SPREAD and SIZE.  You can modify any settings as you desire.

Create the Eyes:

1. Create a new layer (LAYER > NEW > LAYER) called "eyes"
2. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of an eye
3. Fill the polygon with black
4. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of the other eye
5. Fill the polygon with black
6. De-Select everything (CTRL+D)
7. Select FILTER > DISTORT > RIPPLE (use a LARGE ripple so the edges aren't perfect)
8. Right-Click the "mouth" layer and select COPY LAYER STYLE
9. Right-Click the "eyes" layer and select PASTE LAYER STYLE
10. Double-Click the fx indicator on the "eyes" layer to edit LAYER STYLE
11. Select INNER SHADOW and Un-Check the "Use Global Light" button.
12. Drag the pumpkin picture to adjust the shadow/thickness of your pumpkins eyes

Something Else to Try:

1. Try pasting these LAYER STYLE effects to a black Text layer
2. Try copying a pumpkin carving pattern, pasting it onto your pumpkin, deleting the white area, and applying your LAYER STYLE

After you have your layer styles all set up you can try using a different background.  If you start with a different background layer the effects may not come out correctly.  Here are a few that you might try:

Here are some student examples from last year:

You can also check out a YouTube video tutorial for this project: