How to take a very ordinary photo and "glamorise" it.

Here is a pic of a model coming onto the cat-walk at a fashion show. The setting is dramatic, but the camera has not captured the full effect.

We need to treat the subject differently to the back ground, so we will select out the subject and paste it into a separate layer to work on it.

1. Selecting the subject:
Because the models hair is invisible against the black back-ground, we will make a work layer and reduce the black, so we can see the hair.

Make a duplicate layer (work layer) and open the Image/Adjustments/Selective Color dialog.

Choose Black from the top Colors box, and reduce the value until the hair is clearly visible (I used -76%)

Enter Quickmask (Q)
Choose a small (9px) soft brush and outline the subject completely.

Still in Quickmask (Q)
Choose a larger (38px) hard brush and fill in all of the selection.

LeaveQuickmask (Q)
Invert the selection(Ctr/Shift/i) from the background to the subject, and save it as "subject" in the Selection/Save Selection dialog

You can delete that (base copy) layer now that the selection is saved, and make a fresh work layer (base copy)

2 Create a Subject Layer

Copy the base layer to another new layer called copy

Load the Selection you saved as "subject" and (using Edit/Copy Merged) copy a selection of the subject to the clipboard.

The fast "one-step" way is to click Ctr/j - this shortcut will copy your selection, and paste it into a new layer above.

Use Edit/Paste to create a new layer and name it subject

Make a second copy and name it subject mask.

Change its blending mode from "Normal" to "Multiply"

Using an "adjustment layer" allows you to change levels, etc, without affecting the original, and your adjustments are saved with the psd file for future editing. You might come back later and add a "drop Shadow" for instance

This is the secret of this process -

We blur the adjustment layer, so its effect is diffused and spread. This makes the effect of an "Aura" of light on the subject.

Apply a Gaussian Blur. I have used 8px here so that there are no hard lines left

Now the fun part -

Open the Image/Adjustments/Match Color dialog and crank up the Luminance to max, drag the Color Intensity to nil, and leave the Fade at 0

Check the Neutralise box.

This has accented the difference between the light and dark shades

Notice that the skin tones have got a bit too dark as well

Take a soft brush, set to Opacity 30%, and a diameter nearly a wide as the models face and be sure the color is set to default white

Painting black on a mask hides what is under, and white reveals, so we apply light by clicking once or twice with the white brush where needed.

See from the shadows that the main spotlights are slightly left, above and in front, so we have applied more light to the forehead, shoulders and forearms to simulate that lighting.

3. The last step is to jazz up the background

Working in the base copy layer, load the selection (subject), and invert it (Ctr/Shift/i), to select and work on the background.

You can "hide" (Ctr/h) the selection marquee to see the effect on your background without "ants" marching around it.

Apply a Gaussian Blur to take it slightly out of focus

I used a 2px radius blur here.

Open the Image/Adjustments/Hue-Saturation dialog and play with the sliders till you are happy with the result

I used a -10 shift in the hue to bring out the red in the catwalk carpet, lifted the Saturation level to +50 to make the spotlight colors on the backdrop more vibrant, and dropped the Lightness 20 points for more contrast to bring the subject further into prominence.

That's it, your subject is now well lit and emphasised with contrast, the background is subdued, but more interesting - quite suitable for a publicity shot, or to use in a resumé

If you need a more extreme effect, use Linear Burn (See Below) instead of Multiply, as your Adjustment Layer Blending Mode.


The Evening Dress was an entry in the Fiber and Fleece Fashion Show at Opotiki(NZ) in 2002.