How to Paint Fingernails in Photoshop

If you want to send a photo of yourself to friends, but your nails look terrible, you could go to the salon for extensions and polish. Or, you could save yourself some time and money by altering your nails in Photoshop.

Instructions

1. Open your digital photograph and zoom in to see your nails better. Create a new layer named "Nails." Choose the pen tool and set the tool options to "Paths" mode. Drag a rectangle shape around your nails.

2. Choose the "Direct Selection" tool, which is in the same group as the Path Selection tool, and hold down the "Shift" key and click to select the two points at the fingernail tip. Then, hold down the "Shift" key and drag to extend the path to the length you want your finished nail.

3. Click on the left base edge of the fingernail with the "Convert Anchor" tool and drag the curve direction line out. Rotate the top handle above the tip until the direction line is parallel with the fingernail edge and the bottom extends into the finger; you should see a slight curve at the base of the fingernail. Hold down the "Option" or "Alt" key and drag the bottom direction handle until the curve conforms to the fingernail shape.

4. Use the Convert Anchor tool to convert the points at the fingernail tip. Hold down the "Option" or :Alt" key and select any curve handle to break the curve connections and then adjust the handles until the fingernail tip is shaped the way you want. Double-click the paths layer in the paths palette and name the path to save it. Click on the "Load Path as Selection" button at the bottom of the palette.

5. Make the nails layer active and fill the fingernail selection with any color you want. It will cover up the nail in the layer underneath. Use the dodge tool to paint highlights into to the nail surfaces. Apply the "Plastic Wrap" filter and adjust the settings until the nail looks glossy.

6. Repeat this process for every nail. Paint all the nails on the nails layer to keep things simple.

Tips & Warnings

• Try filling your nail selections with gradient blends made from similar shades to increase the sense of dimension.

• Make sure the shape tool is set to "Paths" mode. The shape and paint modes won't work for this technique and will only cause aggravation.