Expert: LizaL - 1/26/2005

Question
Lisa,

Thank you for asking such good questions.  You can tell I am a self taught rookie.  LOL

First of all I am using a PC with XP.

And I have Photoshop CS.  Plus numerous other software programs.

I love to touch up pictures, add props, etc.  As well as a lot of Desk Top Publishing.

What I exactly want to do is to, for example, take away a double chin, or make a face look wider or narrower.  But I want to do it manually where I blow it up to 400 or 500 and sculpt it myself.

If I am remembering correctly the liquify didn't give me the tools I am looking for.  The funny thing is there used to be a website called Photo Island.com and you could upload pictures and they called it Morph and you could do exactly what I wanted.  However they are in the past.  I do have their software but it doesn't allow that.  It is basically for people that just want the basics.

I hope this answers your question.  If not please let me know.  You are the only one that has asked the right questions and seems to know everything.  LOL

Thanks again and have a GREAT day!

Kathy :)

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Followup To
Question -
I am trying to find a good morphing tool that is easy to use. One that will let you pick areas that you want to pinch, etc and not have it automatically do the entire picture.

Do you have any ideas?

Someone suggested the liquify but I am not sure that is what I am talking about.

Thanks

Kathy :)
Answer -
Hi Kathy,

Can you send me some extra information? Specifically . . . are you using Photoshop now, and if so, what version? Also, what type of computer are you using, and what operating system? This will help me pin down not only specifics about what tools you can already use, but maybe some plug-ins and/or other software packages for you to consider.

The Liquify tool in Photoshop CS will indeed help you "pinch" and tweak your photos in selected areas, without disturbing the whole picture. But you mention "morphing," and this term really applies to merging one image into another, yielding a totally different ending image.

So my last question is, do you want to morph images, or just tweak existing ones?

I do apologize for firing all these questions at you, but if you could please be so helpful as to provide me with a little more info, I will be more than happy to give you a specific answer. And we'll find the right tool for you to use!

Thanks, Kathy!

Lisa

Answer
Hi again Kathy,

Well, thanks for answering my questions, and not being put off by my asking them! And there's nothing wrong with being a "self-taught rookie" -- besides, I've yet to meet anyone who knows everything about Photoshop!!

So now I know you're using XP and Photoshop CS, and that's a good combination :)  I'm especially glad you're using CS, because that's going to make it easier for you to do the photo work you describe.

I know now what you're talking about, because although I'm not familiar with Photo Island, I do know the type of site you're talking about, and what you can do with pictures on sites like that. Cool stuff!

However, Photoshop would be best, I think, for what you're describing. You can use the Filters for an overall effect -- in particular, the Blur and Distort filters (found under the Filter pulldown menu) are particularly useful for creating huge distortions.

But for those situations in which you only want to tweak part of a picture, you should re-visit the Liquify filter. It's broken down into many useful tools.

Open an image, then select Liquify from the Filter pulldown menu. The top tool in the tool palette is the Forward Warp tool, and this lets you "push" sections of a picture. Bear in mind you can change your brush size, in the dialog to the right of the image area -- and this can help you with creating realistic "pushes."

I think this tool is probably the most useful when it comes to using this filter, and making realistic changes. The others are good, particularly the Twirl and Pucker tools (the third and fourth in the tool palette, respectively). But it'd probably be easier for me to show you with a little movie than try and explain them all.

Check this out -- I've opened an image in Photoshop, and have accessed the Liquify filter. I'm using the Forward Warp, Twirl, Pucker tools here, just for a quick example, but please feel free to experiment!

http://little-works.com/all_experts/liquify.mov

I think the key to using Liquify is to NOT have a heavy hand -- just ease into the alterations gradually. And remember, you can "Step Backward," instead of just having one Undo, and also Step Forward if you don't like the outcome.

The other thing to remember is the ability to change your parameters within this filter. You can easily change all the aspects of your brush, as well as mask parts of your image, too. The Mesh option is also helpful if you want to see a grid over your image that will assist you in knowing just what you're altering.

I hope this helps you! And please post back if you need any more assistance. I'm thinking about starting an online photo retouching class, and if you're interested, send me an email at lizal@little-works.com.

Happy Tweaking!

Lisa


P.S. Me, know everything?! You've got me confused with somebody else! :)