Eery-Eye Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial I will be walking you through the making of an interesting art piece, “The Eye, the Key of the Soul.”
In this tutorial we will use the burn tool, dodge tool, brushes, layer modes and more to add an interesting effect to an otherwise regular stock photo.

Preface

Before we get started I would like you to know that this tutorial was written by Krinos, and the stock photo used is by xerolime, you can download it from here.

1.

Open up the stock photo you’ve chosen to be working with for this tutorial. Duplicate it once (just in case!) Find and get out the Burn Tool, change the range/mode for it to ‘midtones’ and set the opacity to something light-medium.
Using the burn tool now, pass in turn of the pupil of the eye and in turn of the eye. Now get out the Dodge Tool and set the mode to midtones again. Use the dodge tool to lighten up the pupil and also among where you used the burn tool to darken.

2.

Again using the dodge tool, make some ‘rays’ just outside of the iris, and lighten up any other areas you think may need it.

3.

Now use Lighting Effects (filter > render > lighting effects) to add an interesting lighting effect to the overall photo, you may want to mess around with the colors for the lighting effects filter. Try not to over-saturate the photo though on this step, if your lighting effects affect it too much, go to edit > fade lighting effects and put it at around 50%.

4.

Now it’s time to recolor the center of the eye. Do this by making a new layer (layer > new > layer) and brush a little bit inside of the eye with a soft brush, using the color of your choice (orange). After you’ve made your little bit of brushing inside of the eye, change the layer mode to Color and lower the opacity to around 50-60%.

5.

Using the dodge and burn tools again, add more light/darkness to the pupil to give it a stronger effect.

6.

To add more feeling to the photo, go to layer > new adjustment layer > gradient map and made a black & white gradient map. Change the layer mode for this layer to Luminosity and leave the opacity in tact. Repeat step 4 with the eye color part, you may want to use a lower opacity though, and a different color for the brush.

7.

A little more dodge & burn tool here, remember to mess with the ‘range’ and opacities for the brushes as well, get creative.
I also create another pupil-color layer, brushed inside of it it with a yellow-orange, changed the layer mode to Linear Dodge and lowered the fill to 10%.

8.

To finish off, apply a Selective Color adjustment layer (layer > new adjustment layer > selection color) and use the settings that you find look best. Again, in finishing, apply lighting effects again, but this time lower the opacity afterwards to around 35%.

source: www.photoshopstar.com

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top 22 Professional Image Enhancing Photoshop Tutorials

Adobe Photoshop is the premier tool for digital artists when it comes to professionally enhancing images. Whether you’re a beginner just learning the ropes or an advanced user looking for unique techniques to add to your Photoshop arsenal, you’ll find some tutorials here that you’ll surely want to bookmark.
In this article, you’ll discover plenty of tutorials that deal with enhancing images, adding unique and impressive effects, and recreating digital replications of popular traditional photography techniques.

1. Cross Processing

You can learn how to apply the Cross Processing film-developing technique digitally to your images by reading through this quick and educational tutorial that leverages the powers of the Curves tool in Photoshop.

2. Lomo Photography

Take your ordinary digital photos and simulate the Lomo Photography effect (also known as Lomography) that will apply a dreamy and surreal effect onto your images in this tutorial that uses a Levels Adjustment layer among other Photoshop techniques.

3. HDR Photo Effect

Create a pseudo-HDR image by reading through this popular Photoshop tutorial that uses basic Photoshop tools, options, and techniques such as adjusting Shadows/Highlight settings and changing layer Blending modes.

4. Gritty Effect

Improve your photos with a dramatic gritty bronze effect to make them truly pop though the techniques discussed in this Photoshop tutorial. The tutorial uses a combination of techniques including the utilization of a Curves Adjustment layer.

5. Dave Hill Look Photo Effect

This simple but impressive tutorial takes inspiration from Dave Hill’s unique photography work to create stunning HDR-like renditions of ordinary photographs using a combination of techniques that involves the Unsharp Mask in Photoshop.

6. Soft Focus Photography

Learn about an image-enhancing technique that you can easily apply onto your images by reading through this handy Photoshop tutorial from photoshoptalent.com that uses a Color Balance adjustment layer as well as other Photoshop options and techniques.

7. Movie Photo Effect

By following along this Photoshop tutorial, even the plainest photos can embody a stylish Hollywood film look-and-feel. The technique involves a few Image Adjustment (Image > Adjustment) options like tweaking Exposure and Hue/Saturation settings.

8. Extreme Contrast Photo Effect

In this Adobe Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to add some noise, how to take advantage of Photoshop’s sharpening tools, and how to add a simple Adjustment layer to give a photo an "extreme contrast" effect.

9. Infrared Photo Effect

The infrared photo effect can be a unique and stunning way to create one-of-a-kind photos. Learn how to simulate this photography technique digitally through this helpful Photoshop tutorial that takes advantage of Photoshop’s Channel palette.

10. Soft Focus & Glow Effect

Do you want to change a plain and boring scene into a dreamy and surreal photo? If so – check out this wonderful tutorial on applying a soft focus and glow effect onto your photos using the Gaussian Blur filter and adjusting layer Blending modes.

11. High Pass Filter

In this straightforward image-editing tutorial, you will learn a quick technique for enhancing your images to give them a subtle HDR effect by using Photoshop’s handy High Pass filter and adjusting layer Blending modes.

12. Vintage Photo Effect

Renowned graphic/web designer Veerle Pieters discusses a method for putting on a vintage photography effect on images in this tutorial that uses a few techniques like adding a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer and utilization of Smart Filters.

13. Split Toning Black & White Effect

Learn to apply the split toning (a variance of sepia toning) photography effect which takes ordinary photos to produce a vintage-style photo effect. This tutorial uses several Photoshop options like adding a Color Balance Adjustment layer and the Channel Mixer.

14. Change Hair Color Tutorial

If you want to add a bit of spice in your photos – one way to do so would be to change the subject’s hair color. Learn about a method for coloring hair in this tutorial that shows where Photoshop’s notoriety for digital manipulation comes from.

15. Coloring Effect Tutorial

In this quick and simple Photoshop tutorial, you will get a chance to discover some methods for coloring your images using a few tools and options such Adjustment layers, modifying Blending modes, and the Blur filter.

16. Light Effects

Enhance your images by adding a few cool lighting effects; learn how in this Photoshop tutorial. The tutorial uses various Photoshop tools such as the Gradient tool and taking advantage of the Pattern Overlay layer style.

17. Snow Photo Effect

Add some weather into your photos by viewing this tutorial that teaches its readers how to add falling snow onto a photograph. The tutorial adds in the snow by using the Add Noise Photoshop filter, blurring it, and overlaying it onto the image’s layer.

18. Streams Of Dusty Light

This interesting Photoshop tutorial shows you how to add a surreal stream of light to make your photos truly unique and eye grabbing. The tutorial leans on the Radial Blur filter to create the streams of light.

19. Photo Color Correction

If you have an image that you would like to correct for color, Photoshop is here to help! Read this PSDTUTS tutorial in order to learn about one of Photoshop’s strongest tools: the Curves Adjustment tool.

20. Enhance Skin Tutorial

In this Photoshop photo-editing tutorial, you’ll come across a process for effectively improving your subject’s skin. One of the Photoshop tools you’ll be encountering in the tutorial is the Healing Brush tool.

21. Gaussian Blur

Using the Gaussian Blur filter on images can result in unique photo scenes. If you’d like to know how you could use this Photoshop filter in a manner that enhances your photos, you should read this excellent tutorial.

22. Tilt-Shift Miniature Fake Technique

If want to use the Tilt Shift photography technique without spending boatloads of cash in purchasing the equipment to do so, read through this helpful tutorial on how to fake the popular technique.

Have a good Photoshop tutorial to add to the mix?

The comment section is a great place to find other resources that didn’t make the cut. If you know of a good image-editing tutorial that we somehow missed – share it with all of us in the comments!
*Edited by: Jacob Gube

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Creat a super burning man in Photoshop

It’s summer blockbuster season, and this image recalls a still from a superhero movie or big-budget television series.
In this tutorial, Photoshop maestro Fabio Sasso demonstrates how to fake a human torch using little more than stock imagery, a little patience, and a lot of Photoshop know-how.
Sasso will talk you through honing your use of layers, tweaking the same image several times and layering up the central model. You’ll use layer styles and adjustment layers to build up effects and achieve a subtle, polished finish.
Sasso also has plenty of tips on how to seamlessly blend stock photography, using the Warp tool, simple Photoshop effects, and some layer masks. Throughout the tutorial, you’ll be subtly applying blending modes until you reach the impressive effect shown above.
All the images you’ll need can be bought at a low cost from Shutterstock, or you can easily substitute your own photos if you’d prefer.

Step 1
Open Photoshop and create a new document measuring 1,920- x-1,200 pixels. In the Background layer apply a Layer Style (Layer > Layer Style) and use a Gradient Overlay, setting the blending mode to Normal, the opacity to 100%, and the style to Radial. Increase the scale to 150%. Now for the colours use 040302 for the darker colour, and 1b140b for the lighter.

Step 2
Now let’s add a photo: buy the image from Shutterstock at tinyurl.com/l3netx, or use a similar photo of your own. Then use the Pen tool (P) to create a path to extract the man from the background. Convert the path to a selection by holding Cmd/Ctrl and clicking on the thumbnail of the path.

Step 3
Duplicate the image onto a new layer and use a big, soft brush to erase part of the arm, painting over the mask. Name this new layer ‘model arm’, and the initial layer ‘model’.

Step 4
Duplicate the ‘model arm’ layer and go to Filter > Others > High Pass. Set the radius to 10 pixels, and the blending mode to Hard Light.
Step 5
Now duplicate the ‘model’ layer, naming the new layer ‘model glow’. Go to Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges. Set the edge width to 6, the edge brightness to 7, and the softness to 7.

Step 6
Still in the ‘model glow’ layer, delete the rest of the body, leaving only the arm. This will be the highlights of the fire. Also, change the blending mode to Screen.

Step 7
Add a new layer, naming it ‘model mask’, then select Filter > Render > Clouds, setting black and white as the foreground and background colours, respectively. Go to the Paths palette and load the path you created in step 2. With the selection loaded, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.

Step 8
Delete the rest of the body in the ‘model mask’ layer, leaving only the hand, then go Layer > Layer Styles, and select Color Overlay. Pick an orange, change the blending mode to Linear Dodge, and set the opacity to 88%. Use an orange for the colour and change the Blend Mode to Linear Dodge (Add). Change the layer’s blending mode to Color Dodge.

Step 9
Add another layer on top of the others and name it ‘smoke’. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Again make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground colours. Change the blending mode to Color Dodge and with the Eraser tool (E) set to a big, soft brush, delete most of the areas of the layer, leaving only the part close to the arm that you’re going to set on fire.

Step 10
Select Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color, then click on the layer to open the Layer Style dialog box. Select Gradient Overlay and change the blending mode to Overlay. For the colours, use orange and a very dark orange; set the style to Radial and keep the scale at 100%. Move the gradient so the lighter part is on top of the model’s hand.

Step 11
Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map, and change the blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 12
Now let’s add some flames. To do this, we’ll need another stock photo. You can buy the one used here at tinyurl.com/mpk9b3, or use a similar photo of your own. Start copying parts of the flame and pasting them over the model’s flaming arm. Set the blending mode to Screen, and then go Edit > Transform > Warp, and distort it to match the model’s arm.

Step 13
Now let’s add a fireball. Again we’ll use another stock photo – you can buy the one used here at tinyurl.com/mltl7m. Change the blending mode to Screen and select Image > Adjustments > Levels. Increase the white input a bit so that the colours match with the other flames. To finish the piece, you could make the eyes burn, or create some rays of light – for instructions on how to do this, see Sasso’s tutorial on creating movie posters in Digital Arts, October 2008 (or at tinyurl.com/n3mmtn).

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Fantasy light effects in Photoshop

Fantasy art scenes are usually handled with a liberal sprinkling of Photoshop plug-in fairy dust – but you don’t have to slavishly follow that route. By creating your own brushes in Adobe Illustrator, and using scanned elements with Photoshop, it’s a simple process to create otherworldly scenes that are alive with glow effects and shafts of virtual light.
This masterclass takes a standard stock model – a super high-resolution version is included on the cover CD, or you can use your own – and applies layers of light and vector shapes to generate the main image shown left.
During this masterclass, you’ll learn to wrap your source image into a multitude of layers that add a fantastical theme to your art. The key here is to tread softly. When recreating fantasy light effects, soft brushes and fine application is the order of the day. Anything that’s too heavy can ruin the look.
The masterclass also draws on a element that some Photoshop users are reluctant to explore – that of physical art then added to the composition. Here, Murilo uses tools such as a toolbrush and screwdriver in addition to digital design tools to create the whirling snow effect.
Obviously, the final result is down to you, but you should also experiment with colours and blends once you’ve mastered this technique to create your own look. The best thing is you can create images like this without using a single plug-in.

01. Open the file ‘wonderland.psd’ supplied on this month CD and create a new top layer. Fill the canvas with pink (C12 M30 Y0 K0) and change the blending mode to colour. Next, create another layer and select a soft round brush. Change the colour to a gold tone (C20 M15 Y65 K0) and set the brush size to 300px. Single-click on the middle of the canvas and resize this layer before you move to the top of your image for a smooth colour transition.

02. To create a snow effect, you have to get your hands dirty. Get an old toothbrush, and dip it directly into the paint (but wait until it starts to dry – if your brush is too wet you can’t control where you throw it) To get depth in your illustration, shake a few, larger drops onto the paper first. Then, using a tool such as a screwdriver, quickly raking across the bristles, releasing the paint in a spray. Alter the speed of release and distance from the paper to created varied splatters. Alternatively, open the file ‘painting.jpg’ supplied on the CD.

03. Scan the painting into Photoshop, and select Image>Adjustments> Desaturate. Go to Image>Invert, then select Image>Adjustments>Levels and increase the contrast, changing the input values to 60, 1, 244. Choose the best parts and import to your illustration.

04. Change the blending mode to screen, and move this layer to the top. Open the file ‘model.psd’ and move the model to your illustration under the snow layer. Copy parts of the painting layer and place these mainly over her hair. It should be applied as a very soft detail that will help to blend her to the rest of the image.

05. Now let’s create the heaviest ray of light. Create a new layer, and then make a rectangular selection from side to side and fill it with a white-to-transparent gradient. Make another selection as shown in the picture and hit delete. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 50 per cent. Rotate the layer and move it behind the model.

06. We’ll now make softer rays of light to place over the model. On a new layer, create a selection with the same size as the one described in Step 5, then select a soft round brush and set the size to 2,500px. Brush outside the selection so it will look like the light is fading out from the top to the bottom of the selection. Duplicate the layer, flip vertically and move a bit lower. Merge both layers, resize, and duplicate them as you wish. As well as the snow layer, it should be applied as a very soft detail over her.

07. Next, open Adobe Illustrator and create a custom brush. To do this, use the Elipse tool and create a symmetric oval shape as shown here.

08. With the Selection Tool, select the point on the right side of that circle and drag it out to the right. Select the Convert Anchor Point tool (Shift+C) and click on the anchor point you dragged to get rid of the handle bars and make it a sharp corner. Do the same to the other corner.

09. With the shape still selected, go to Effects>Warp>Flag and set the horizontal bend slider to 100 per cent. Select Window>Brushes and open the Brush palette. Move this new shape to the brushes window and select it as a new art brush.

10. Start drawing a few shapes as shown and apply the brush you have just created. Try to make smooth lines and change the stroke size if needed. Copy your best shapes to Photoshop and go to Layer>Style>Outer Glow, and change the size to 150px and the blend mode to Colour Dodge.

11. Have some fun experimenting with different settings and layer opacity. There is no limit to your creative freedom so always try different things. Once all the light’s shapes are done, change the layer order, moving some of them in front of the model and others behind the model.

12. Create a new layer and change the blending mode to Colour Dodge. Select a soft round brush and set the colour to white. Go to the Brushes menu and change Spacing to 70 per cent, Size Jitter to 55 per cent and Scattering to 480 per cent. Start brushing areas on the canvas, altering the diameter of the brush and other settings as well.

13. The image now is almost complete. Select a white soft brush and start placing various sized dots around the image on a new top layer. Pay attention to the model’s edges that don’t sit well with the rest of the image. This will help you create a convincing lighting effect.

14. For the final touch add more elements to your illustration. Butterflies? Fairies? Why don’t you try to put some vector and hand-drawn elements? Put some dreamy music on and start thinking about elements which could fit to the subject. This is a very good creative exercise. Film is another great source of inspiration. When you think your illustration is done, flatten your image, convert to CMYK and go to Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen. You may have to increase levels and saturation as well.

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