How to Enhance Makeup in Photoshop
Polishing and refining an attractive portrait can mean accentuating your model's makeup or adding makeup's digital equivalent. Unless your image uses stylized makeup effects, the trick is to achieve a realistic look that flatters your model's face. That means thinking like a makeup artist, only using your mouse instead of the artist's real-world toolkit. The eyes, cheeks and lips are the most important facial features and your most likely starting points for makeup enhancement.
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Things You'll Need
- Adobe Photoshop
- Digital photograph of a girl or woman facing the camera
Instructions
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Eye Shadow
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Choose "File" then "Open" and navigate to the image you want to edit. When you locate it, click "Open." Zoom in on the subject's eyes so you can see them clearly.
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Go to the Layer Menu and choose "Layer," "New," "Layer." When the "New Layer" dialog box comes up on screen, set the layer name to "Eye Shadow" and the mode to "Hue." Then click "OK."
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Choose the Brush Tool from the Toolbox. Make sure your brush is no larger in diameter than the height of the subject's upper eyelid. Hold down the Alt key (Option on the Mac) and click on a fairly light area in the iris of the subject's eye. This will sample the color of the eye so you can paint with it.
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Start with the subject's left eye. Paint over the upper eyelid and above the crease of the eye to just below the eyebrow. You will see a sheer color like a lightly applied eye shadow. Repeat for the subject's right eyelid.
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Choose "File," then "Save As" and save your file in PSD format.
Cheeks
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Zoom in on the subject's cheekbones. Natural blush occurs on them, not below them. Go to the Layer Menu and choose "Layer," "New," "Layer." When the "New Layer" dialog box comes up, set the layer name to "Blush," the mode to "Hue" and the opacity to 50 percent. Then click "OK."
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Click on the foreground color swatch in your Toolbox to bring up the Color Picker. Set H (Hue) to 0, S (Saturation) to 80 and B (Brightness) to 50.
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Choose the Brush Tool from the Toolbox. Set your brush diameter to the height of the subject's cheekbone.
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Start with your subject's left cheekbone. Paint over it toward the nose. You will see a subtle, sheer blush appear as you paint. Repeat for your subject's right cheekbone.
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Choose "File," then "Save As" and save your file again in PSD format.
Lipstick
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11
Zoom in on your subject's lips. Go to the Layer Menu and choose "Layer," "New," "Layer." When the "New Layer" dialog box comes up, set the layer name to "Lipstick," the mode to "Overlay" and the opacity to 30 percent. Then click "OK."
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Click on the foreground color swatch in your Toolbox to bring up the Color Picker. Set H (Hue) to 0, S (Saturation) to 80 and B (Brightness) to 50. (Note: This is the same color you used for the subject's blush.)
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13
Choose the Brush Tool from the Toolbox. Set your brush diameter to the height of the subject's lower lip.
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Paint over the lips to create your digital lipstick. If you accidentally paint outside the lips or on the subject's teeth, switch to the Eraser Tool and clean up the excess.
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Choose "File," then "Save As" and save your file again in PSD format. Now you can save a copy as a JPEG or TIFF to share.
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Tips & Warnings
Visit a cosmetics counter at a local department store and ask the makeup artist to give you a quick tutorial if you're unsure what makeup techniques look good. Some stores charge a fee for this service.
Keep your digital cosmetics appropriate to the style of portrait and the age of the subject. Avoid applying the equivalent of heavy lipstick on a young girl or wild eye shadow on a mature woman---unless the image style or usage calls for it.
References
Resources
- Photoshop Diva: Select Articles by Katrin Eismann
- "Photoshop Restoration & Retouching, 3rd edition"; Katrin Eismann, 2005
- Photo Credit makeup image by max blain from Fotolia.com
