Everyday People. {Jacksonville NC Senior Portraits + Wedding Photographer}

Welcome to another installment of "Everyday People."

Today I will be showing how I edit a photograph.  

Some say my way is incorrect, but honestly if I am happy with my out come, I am doing something right. 

Lets get started.

one UPLOAD your original photo in your editing software and adjust the levels and exposure to your liking.

original image:

Adjusted exposure and levels:

NEXT...

You are going to sharpen your image.

Duplicate your layer 2 times.

go to your blur filters and select Gaussian blur.

After this you are going to change the layer mode to GRAIN EXTRACT (this is what it will look like.)

Then merge your layer down. The next layer you are going to set to SOFT LIGHT.

I then, change to layer opacity to about 60-70 percent. 

I merge this layer down completely and duplicate the remaining layer.  After this, I grab my heal tool and find the BRIGHTEST and MOST CLEAR portion of the photo. (here you can see it is the highlights on the top part of her cheek bone.) I use the heal tool all over her face and smooth out any kind of beauty marks that will not be there in 2 weeks. (any freckles and scars will be there after two weeks so they stay... unless requested to remove.)

I will then lower the layer opacity to about 40 percent.

Merge the layers and duplicate the remaining layer.

Next I focus on eyes.  I will erase all but the eyeballs on the top layer so that when I change the layer mode it won't effect the ENTIRE photo. 

(here the background is white bc jpg will not allow a transparent background)

I then Will Burn the shadows on the pupil and the RING around they eye and dodge the highlights on the color of the eye. So that it looks like this.

Change the layer mode to SOFT LIGHT.

Set the layer opacity to about 30 percent

Merge the layers. 

Duplicate the remaining layer and open up your curves.

On the value raise your highlights and lower your shadows. (this adds contrast and it will be adjusted)

You want to change your layer mode to SOFT LIGHT.

NEXT Set layer opacity to about 15-20 percent so that your photo looks similar to this:

Merge the layer.  Duplicate the remaining layer and open up your levels. you are going to darken your shadows on the top two left sliders to the right and brighten those shadows by sliding the left bottom to the right. this is what it will look like.

Then set your layer opacity to about 60-70 percent.

Merge your layer. ADD A NEW LAYER.

and fill it with a cream color. (Mine is a little more on the yellow cream side)

Set your layer mode to DARKEN ONLY! (this color will ONLY show in the highlights of the photo.)

This looks pretty drastic... So lets bring down the layer opacity to about 25 percent.

Merge your layers and you are ALL DONE! 

So you started with THIS:

And this is your FINISHED product:

Happy MONDAY FRIENDS!