Post a picture of yourself

[Rosy]

Another new one from the weekend:

https://flic.kr/p/oCLWWR
Self by Forkie, on Flickr

Forkie...tell how you edited your image, please

 

[EIngerson]

This is no good...too much clothes...sorry.

I took my cover off. Does that make it better?

 

[mmaria]

This is no good...too much clothes...sorry.

I took my cover off. Does that make it better?

NO!... and I'm sure she'll agree with me

 

[Forkie]

Another new one from the weekend:


Self by Forkie, on Flickr

Forkie...tell how you edited your image, please

Hey Rosy, sure! Long post coming up:

The style I used is called the Dragan effect so named after Andrzej Dragan who, I presume, first popularised the workflow. You can see his work here: Andrzej Dragan PHOTOGRAPHY

This is my original photo:



1. The first step was to remove all my blemishes and spots - my face is far from perfect! I always remove blemishes on a new, blank layer using the healing brush, spot removal and clone tools. I remove any stray hairs at this point too.



2. Merged the layers up: Shift+Alt+Cmd (or CTRL on PC)+E. This merges all layers together into a new layer. I do this after every step. That way if I change my mind about whatever I've done to it, I can mask it off or delete it altogether.

Now for shading. Added a new blank layer above the merged layer just created and filled it with black. Changed the blend mode of the black layer to "Soft Light", added a mask, inverted the mask and used a brush at 7% opacity to paint the black back in where I wanted to accentuate a shadow. You can do the same step with white to accentuate highlights too - this is my preferred method of dodging and burning.

After dodging and burning, I merged up again: Shift+Alt+Cmd (or CTRL on PC)+E. Now I added a Camera Raw Filter (only available on Photoshop CC). In camera raw, I pushed the Clarity slider to the max, and gave the contrast a hefty boost and pushed the shadows slider about 3/4 of the way up and the saturation to 0% so it was desaturated. I hit OK, and now my layer is a very contrasty black and white. Changed the blend mode of that layer to "Luminosity". The contrast stays, but the colour shows through from the layer underneath.



Added a mask to the layer and inverted it. Using the brsh tool at 7% again, I painted it back in using a "T" shape over the eyes, nose and mouth. This makes the eyes, nose and mouth "pop" from the rest of the face.



4. Merged up again. Adjusted the colour. I like to use the "Match Colour" tool under Image>Adjustments>Match Colour to fix my colour. It's non-traditional, but it does what I want it to do. It only works on a layer with pixels in it, so always merge up before using it. I pushed up the Luminosity a bit, and pushed the colour intensity right up to the max, then check the "Neutralize" checkbox and push the "Fade" slider up to max, then gradually bring it down again until happy with the colouring using the Preview on/off checkbox to check it.

Once done, I liked it, but it was a bit colourful, so I brought the Vibrance down a smidge and reduces the reds using the "Colour Balance" adjustment.



5. Merged up again. I didn't like that the right hand side of my hair stuck out more than the other side, so I used the Liquifier to push it back.



6. Merged up again. Skin Smoothing. Added a "Surface Blur" to the image and adjust the radius and threshold sliders until the skin looked smooth, but the eyes, nostrils and lips were more or less unaffected. Hit ok, then added a mask to the layer, inverted that mask and again with the brush tool at 7%, I painted the smoothing back in around the skin, avoiding the hair, eyes, nose and mouth. The trick here is to stop before it starts looking like it did before you masked it off.



7. Dragan effect: Merged the layers up yet again. Added a Camera Raw Filter and pushed the clarity to the max, pushed up the contrast, opened up the shadows and knocked the highlights right out. Once happy with the contrast of the image, making sure I can see pores and hairs and I can see detail in the shadows and highlights, I reduced the Vibrance of the image to dull the colours. About 3/4 of the way down the slider seemed to work. I hit OK. I then reduced the opacity of that layer until there was a nice balance between the colours below and the dull/contrast of the "Dragan" layer.



8. Merged up. Pushed the saturation, brightness and contrast of the whole image, merged those 4 layers together into one and added a mask and inverted it. And using my favourite brush tool at 7%, I painted it back into the irises of the eyes.



9. No merge for this one. Added a blank layer and added a black gradient on each side of the image and changed the blend mode to soft light, then added a mask and brushed out (at 100% opacity) where the gradient had bled onto my face.



To be Continued...

 

[Forkie]

Continued...

10. Merged up. Added an "Iris Blur" (I think maybe only available in Photoshop CC) to give the impression of a shallower DOF as I don't own an ND filter so couldn't open up my aperture wide enough to give me a real shallow DOF.



11. Merged up one final time. Changed the layer blend mode to "Hard Light" and added a "High Pass" filter. Adjusted the radius slider so I could just see the outlines of the detail in my eyes and hit ok.

DONE!



Hope this helped out a few people who like this style. It's also a good exercise in using layers and masks - which are the key to Photoshop. Once you've nailed them and how important it is to use a new layer for every edit and always mask, never delete, you can do anything in Photoshop.

Enjoy!

 

[EIngerson]

NO!... and I'm sure she'll agree with me

I AM NOT A PIECE OF MEAT!!!!!!! Lol

 

[runnah]

I AM NOT A PIECE OF MEAT!!!!!!! Lol

Now you gun don and did it.

It's best to just roll over and let it happen.

 

[mmaria]

I AM NOT A PIECE OF MEAT!!!!!!!

oh yes you are! and you're enjoying it

 

[runnah]

My my, well I guess the ladies love the guys with big...guns.

 

[mmaria]

My my, well I guess the ladies love the guys with big...guns.

not talking to you too

 

[pthrift]

Forkie should make a separate thread for that tutorial...its really good but going to get lost here in this thread

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4. probably at work.

 

[EIngerson]

oh yes you are! and you're enjoying it

Maybe just a little. Lol

 

[EIngerson]

Now you gun don and did it. It's best to just roll over and let it happen.

My bad. Such a rookie move....... I knew better......

 

[mmaria]

oh yes you are! and you're enjoying it

Maybe just a little. Lol

please don't lie... you're enjoying a lot

now... go and take another selfie or two

 

[mishele]

oh yes you are! and you're enjoying it

Maybe just a little. Lol

please don't lie...

now... go and take another selfie or two

mmaria is fired up today!! hehe