How to Make Your Eyes a Different Color in Photoshop

Light eye color.

Why bother with colored contact lenses when you can use Photoshop to change the color of your eyes? Use Photoshop's layers capabilities to alter eye color without changing your original image. Blending options allow color changes to be done without obscuring critical details. All irises contain variations and flecks of different values, which give the eye its transparent and natural character. Layer on digital glazes to add color and depth to pale irises. Layer on rich subtle color to brown eyes.

Things You'll Need

• Photograph
• Tablet
• Stylus
• Printer
• Printer paper

Instructions

Pale Eyes

1. Turn on your computer and open Photoshop. Scan in or upload your photograph. Open it in Photoshop.

2. Choose "Layers" from the Menu toolbar. Select "Duplicate Layer" from the pull-down menu.

3. Select the "Magic Wand" icon from the Tools pane. Type "20" in the "Tolerance" box on the horizontal "Magic Wand" options toolbar. Click on your subject's iris. A segmented line appears around the iris. Press "Shift" and click to enlarge your selection. Press "Option" and click to remove areas from the selection.

4. Choose "Select" from the Menu toolbar and "Save Selection" from the submenu. A window opens. Choose "Background Copy 2 Mask" from the "Channel" options. Click "OK" to close the window. A small black-and-white icon appears next to your "Image Icon" box in the "Layers Control" window. This is your "Layer Mask" icon.

5. Change the blend mode from "Normal" to "Overlay" at the top of the "Layers Control" window. Tap on the image window in your "Layers Control" window. Select "Edit" and "Select All." Press the "Delete" button on your keyboard.

6. Select the Brush icon from the Tools window. Choose a soft, 60-pixel airbrush. Tap on the "Foreground Color" box at the bottom of the Tools window. Choose a medium, saturated turquoise color from the color palette. Click "OK" to return to the main screen.

7. 

   Turquoise eye.

   Use your cursor to brush over the iris area. Notice that you are brushing on a transparent turquoise wash over the iris area only. The details of the iris remain untouched.

8. Save your image in PDF format and print out your images.

Dark Eyes

1. 

   Brown eye color.

   Follow steps one through four in the "Pale Eyes" section to change a dark brown iris to a deep blue.

   Then, choose "Screen" or "Lighten" from the "Blending" options in the "Layers Control" window. Click on the image icon in your "Layers Control" window. Select "Edit" and "Select All." Press the "Delete" button on your keyboard.

2. Select the "Brush" icon from the "Tools" window. Choose a soft, 60-pixel airbrush. Tap on the "Foreground Color" box at the bottom of the "Tools" window. Choose a medium pure blue color from the color palette. Click "OK" to close the window.

3. Type "15" in the "Transparency" box in the "Layers Control" window. Use your cursor to brush over the iris area. Notice you are brushing on a deep-blue wash over the iris area only. The details of the iris should remain untouched. Tweak the transparency levels until you are satisfied with the result.

4. Save your image as a PDF file. Print out your images on the printer.

Tips & Warnings

• Use hue/saturation controls to tweak deeply pigmented light eyes.

• Do not transform dark brown eyes into light intensely colored hues. The result will look unnatural.

• Save your work often. If the computer crashes, you will lose your work.

References

• "Photoshop CS Users Manual"; Adobe Systems; 2007
• "Photoshop Effects for Portrait Photographers"; Christopher Grey; 2006

Resources

• CreativePro: Photography