Expert: LizaL - 9/11/2005

Question
LISA

HI, I was wondering if you got the pictures that I sent. I bet you fell
off your chair laughing.  Is this something to difficult for me to
tackle.  

Please help

thanks

Ken


Followup To
Question -
LISA

Hi, I tried fixing the picture utilizing what you told me to do, I still dont like the results. Is there anyway I can send you both the original picture and the one I made.  Can you look at them and fix it for me, I have a feeling you have a better eye and have a talent for this, which as you will see, I dont

Thanks

Ken
Followup To
Question -
Liza

Hi, Need your help, Im trying to improve a photo,
I have a picture of a friend, I want to copy
Hair from one area of his head to another. I want
it to look professional.

Also, some of the areas of their face is a little red, I want to remove it, and make it the same skin tone as oter areas of the face.

Can you help me out

Thanks

Ken
Answer -
Hi Ken,

Without seeing the photo, it's hard for me to be really accurate in advising you as to which tools to use, but I can give you some general tips and let you experiment. Then you can post back if you need more help. You don't say which version of Photoshop you're using, or your platform, but these examples I've done are on a Mac, using Photoshop CS.


1. I like the patch tool for fixing skin. It's the fourth tool down on the left, in the tool palette. Basically what you do with this tool is select it, then drag an area of your picture that you want to fix. Make sure, in the tool options area at the top of the screen, that you have Source checked, and Transparent NOT checked.

Drag the area to be fixed to an area of "good" color information -- then release the mouse button. If you want to make a more subtle change, before you release the mouse button you can fade the selection (Shift+Alt+F in Windows, or Shift+Command+F on a Mac). Then use the slider or type in a value for fading.

Like this:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/patchtool.mov

But a word of warning: Use this tool in small selections. It won't look natural if you try and drag huge areas to other areas of the photo, in order to fix them.


2. The healing brush is also good for skin because it will recreate the texture and lighting of where you're brushing, making for a more natural fix. This tool is in the same tool palette location as the patch tool, so if you don't see it, click and hold the patch tool until you do.

Basically all you do is set your brush options, and brush the area you want to fix, with the healing brush. You can also sample other areas of your photo by Alt+Clicking (or Command+Clicking on a Mac), then brushing.

Like this:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/healingbrush.mov


3. The clone stamp is the most overused tool in the tool palette, I think. Overuse of this tool can make your picture wind up looking really fake, in a hurry. But if you use it in small areas, and especially areas that already have dense texture information, it's not as noticeable.

It's the fifth tool down on the left, in the tool palette. Select it, then hold Alt (or Command) and click another area of the photo you want to copy from. Then start "stamping." As you stamp, you'll see a little crosshair somewhere near your brush, and that shows you the area you're sampling.

Like this:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/clone.mov


4. For fixing the guy's hair, and moving one area to another, you can also try the lasso tool, but first set the Feathering option in the options bar to something like 5 or 7, so the edges of the selection will be soft. Then drag a selection, and while it's still selected, go to the Layer pulldown menu and select New Layer Via Copy. Then you'll have this hair selection on a new layer and can move it around as you wish.

Of course, you might want to do New Layer Via Cut if you're moving one area of hair to another.

An example:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/lasso.mov


Some other hair fixes include creating a custom brush, using layer masks, and adjusment layers. And the list of skin fixes is huge, too -- I use Color Balance and Replace Color quite a bit too. But it's hard for me to tell you which to use, without seeing the picture first.

Anyway, try these, and I hope this helps!

Lisa
Answer -
Hi again Ken,

If I fix it for you, I'd have to charge you for it, since retouching is part of what I do as a freelancer! I'm sorry, but my workload just doesn't let me do a  whole lot of free stuff, and I'm sure you can appreciate that.

I'd be happy to take a look at the picture, though, and advise you as to what you can do to fix it on your own.

Photo retouching and restoring really is an art -- there's just so much to it, and what's mentioned on this board doesn't begin to cover it. I've been using Photoshop since version 2, and know from having been a teacher that you can't just tell someone a few steps and expect the work to be perfect. There are all kinds of things to learn and consider like texture, lighting, and techniques.

So anyway, I'd be happy to take a look at your picture, and give you some advice. But remember, it takes a lot of time, practice and skill to effectively learn retouching. Believe me, it's a process.

Lisa


P.S. If you have a way of posting the picture on a server, you can do that and post back with the link. If not, my Web site email is lizal@little-works.com. I'm really busy right now with work, but I'll try my best to take a look at it this weekend. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Ken,

No, I didn't fall off my chair laughing -- the couch, yes, but not the chair. Only kidding!

Seriously, yes, this is something you can tackle, but you have to work at it. I think the tools I suggested to you will work, but I think you should remember that "less is more," and it applies here. Try to have less of a heavy hand and don't rely too much on any one tool -- like the clone stamp. Work in layers, too -- you can copy and paste part of his hair to a layer above the original image, work on expanding the hair there, and if you don't like what you see, just trash the layer.

Use Color Balance (Image pulldown menu > Adjustments > Color Balance) to remove some of the red from the overall picture, which will also lighten up his face. You can also isolate just his face with the lasso and remove red in the same manner, in only that area.

And when you're using tools with brushes, use the brush options to make the brush tips less dense, and maybe even change the opacity so that the end result is not so heavy.

But remember too that these things take time and patience. Just work at it!

Lisa