How to Airbrush Photos
Photos in magazines are usually airbrushed to make models appear thinner, smoother and ultimately more beautiful. Editing your own photos to look like those in magazines is a possibility that you might have overlooked. You do not need expensive software to create an airbrushed look. Airbrushing a photo can be done simply in a matter of minutes. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Using Adobe Photoshop CS3, click File, then Open, and select the image from your computer that you want to airbrush.
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2
Select the Spot Healing tool (the bandage icon in the Tool menu). Click on any blemishes you see in your photo. This tool should only be used on a small radius to avoid any major mistakes. This step helps to blend the bumps or redness in with the skin to reduce the appearance of blemishes.
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Click Layer, then Duplicate Layer. Next, open the Filter menu and select Noise, then Dust and Scratches. Adjust the settings to 4 pixels, 0 threshold. The photograph may look a little blurry, but in the next few steps, the two layers will be merged and the blur will disappear. This will create a clear, airbrushed skin tone.
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Open the Filter menu again and select Blur, then Gaussian Blur. Under the Filter menu again, select Noise. Adjust the amount to about 1 percent. Then check the Uniform and the Monochromatic boxes. By using this tool, you will add texture to the image so that the skin tone doesn't appear fake or plastic. Monochromatic adds black and white texture to a color image, and Uniform adds color texture to a color image.
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Click Layer, then Layer Mask, then Reveal All. Fill the image with solid black color using the Paint Bucket, located in the toolbox. This will allow you to add the new, smooth skin to the original layer or image. Paint the image with white paint, leaving the nose, eyes, ears and mouth alone to avoid any mistakes (the detail should remain). By painting the image with white, you are using the layer mask to add the airbrushed skin to the actual photo. If a mistake is made (you color the eyes, for example), use the Paint Bucket tool to paint black over the mistake and start again.
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Select Layer, then New Adjustment Layer, and adjust the hue level to your preference. This will help to remove redness from the image (sunburn, skin problems, etc.).
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Take a look at your photograph. If the image doesn't look right (it's too blurry, too grainy or doesn't look airbrushed at all), repeat the steps. Alter the adjustments as needed to fit the needs of your photograph.
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