Using Layers to Make
Local Improvements

In the following steps two layers and an adjustment layer will be used to make some local improvements to the image from technique one.

The Finished Photograph From Technique One

This is a three steps technique to modify the appearance of the eyes, the teeth and the lips.

The Eyes

When we meet someone we always look at their eyes - either consciously or unconsciously.

With a portrait photograph it is easy to sharpen the eyes making them the focal point of the photograph.

Here is how to do it ...

1. Open your photograph in Photoshop and zoom in on the eyes.

2. Select the Lasso Tool and select one of the eyes.

3. Press the shift key and select the other eye. Pressing the shift key when making a selection adds to the selection. When you are finished you should have both eyes selected.

4. Press Ctrl-J (Windows) or Cmd-J (Max) to jump the selected eyes to a new layer. If you click the little eyeball next to your background layer only the new layer with the eyes will be visible - like this ...

   Eyes On Their Own Layer

5. Now lets sharpen the eyers.

   Select Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Keep the Radius and Threshold at 1.0 and move the Amount slider around and watch what happens in the Preview box.

   If you left click and hold on the preview box it will change from being sharpened to original. The Amount in my example is 149.

   Experiment with the amount slider until you are satisfied and then click OK.

   Sharpening The Eyes

It's amazing how a little bit digital dental hygiene will improve a picture!

Our digital hygiene will be done with a Soft Light Layer.

Cue the digital cleaning brush and let's go ...

Zoom in tight on the teeth in your photograph so they fill most of the screen.
1. Select Layer > New Layer and when the dialogue box comes up name the layer Teeth, drop down the Mode, select Soft Light and put a check mark in the Fill with Soft-Light-neutral color (50% gray). Click OK.

   Soft Light Layer

2. Now comes the fun part! Press the D key to make black and white the foreground and background colors and then press the X key to make White the foreground color.

3. If you are using a pressure sensitive Wacom tablet the next step is very easy. Select your brush tool and make sure it is close to the size of the teeth you will be cleaning. In the Brushes Palette click Other Dynamics and make sure that Pen Pressure is visible in the Control drop down menu. If it isn't, make it visible.

   Make sure you have the Soft Light Layer selected, take your brush and very lightly start painting white over the teeth.

   Check your work as you go by turning the Soft Light Layer off and on. If you think you have gone too far press the X key to make Black the foreground color and darken the area that is too light.

4. If you are using a mouse decrease the opacity of the brush and follow the same procedure.

   Digital Dental Hygiene

   Here are the teeth after they have been cleaned ...

   After Cleaning

All done with the teeth, now let's move onto the lips ...

Now we will make the lip color stand out a bit more with a Hue and Saturation Layer.

1. Zoom in on the lips so you won't be distracted by the rest of the picture.
2. Add a Hue and Saturation layer by clicking Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Click OK.

3. When the dialog comes up, drop down the Edit menu and select reds. You may see a bit of a change.

4. Start moving the Saturation slider (the middle one) to the right and watch your image. When you are happy with the new lip color, click OK.

   Hue and Saturation Adjustment Layer

5. Zoom out and check the overall picture. It is likely that the overall image will have a red cast that you want to remove. The easiest thing to do is to hit Ctrl-I (Windows) or Cmd-I (Mac) to invert the layer - now all of the red is gone.

   Press the D key to select the default color and then press X to select White as the foreground color.

6. Select your brush tool and if you are using a Wacom Tablet, select Shape dynamics to change size with pressure and make it a soft edge brush.

   If you are using a mouse select a small brush size with a soft edge brush.

   Now zoom in on the lips and carefully paint over them with white. That will bring back the red you applied with the Hue and Saturation Layer.

   All of the Layers

And here is the final image of technique one and the addition of different layers.

The Final Image

Return to Glamorizing Page from Layers Page.