How to Switch Faces in Photoshop
Movies like John Travolta and Nicolas Cage's "Face/Off" may make it seem like switching facial features is as simple as a few minutes of surgery, but it's an unlikely procedure for anyone outside of Hollywood. If you ever wanted to see yourself with someone else's face or experiment with switching other faces, you can perform the "surgery" using Photoshop, a graphics software program available as part of the Adobe Creative Suite. Switch faces digitally, with no need for a scalpel, standby nurses or anesthetic.
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Instructions
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Open Photoshop, click the "File" menu and select "Open." Browse to the location where you have the photo with the faces to switch. Double-click the file to open the photo in the Photoshop workspace. If you're switching faces from two different photos, navigate to the photos, press and hold down the "Ctrl" key on the keyboard, click once on each photo, then click the "Open" button on the screen. The two photos tile into the Photoshop workspace.
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2
Click one photo to give it focus. Click the "Lasso" tool on the "Tools" palette on the left side of the screen. Draw a line around the person's face to switch, tracing a line from the hairline around the jaw, around the chin and up to the other side of the face. When you see the blinking dotted lines appear, press the "Ctrl" and "C" keys on your keyboard to copy the selection.
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Click onto the other photo and press the "Ctrl" and "V" keys (or just press "Ctrl" and "V" if you're using a single photo) to paste the copied face. It doesn't matter just yet if the face is out of position.
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Pull down the "Window" menu and click "Layers" to open the "Layers" palette; it may already be open on the right side of the screen. Right-click the new Layer 1 and select "Layer Properties." Rename the layer with the name of the face, such as "Mike."
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Click the "Lasso" tool again and draw an outline around the other person's face. Press the "Ctrl" and "C" keys to copy it, move to the other photo and press "Ctrl" and "V" to paste it or paste it right back into the same photo. Notice a new Layer 2 appears in the "Layers" palette. Right-click it, select "Layer Properties" and rename it with the other person's name.
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Click the "Move" tool, which looks like a black arrowhead and cross on the "Tools" palette, and drag the faces into place on the peoples' bodies. If they pasted in too large, click "Edit," click "Transform," click "Scale" and shrink them down to fit on the neck and head of the other person.
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Click the small lined icon at the top right of the "Layers" palette. Select "Flatten Image." Click "File" and select "Save As." Type a new name for the picture; don't save it on top of the original or you won't be able to access the non-switched version again.
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