An Exercise in Photoshop Forensics
How was it done? You be the judge.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The solution to this exercise was posted in a separate blog post, you can view it here if you’d like http://new.jakegarn.com/solution-exercise-in-photoshop-forensics/
I used a couple very simple techniques to create these images and rather than offer a post-processing tutorial I’m going to turn the challenge back onto you, my blog readers. Sometimes the best way to learn your tools is to imagine how other photographers are using them, so in that spirit look at these images carefully and leave a comment describing the post processing techniques you think I used to ‘paint’ these images, if someone gets it right I will be sure to let you know!
(Click the images for a larger view)
Hair by Janae Johnson
Makeup by Paula Dahlberg
Models Sarah Whitmer, Crystal Coleman, Alexandra Mathews
Leave a reply
Fields marked with * are required
20 Comments
17 May 10 at 1:52pm
1
Not too sure, but I'd create the pattern, fill it with the colour/gradient I wanted and set that layer to overlay. Keeping the selection active, I'd select the bottom layer (image) and copy the skin. I'd then move that above the colour/gradient layer and set to overlay. I'd then use the dodge and burn tools slightly to give it depth.
17 May 10 at 2:02pm
2
I HATE that I missed this shoot! Absolutely HATE it.
17 May 10 at 3:07pm
3
I am going to say paint, multiply, then dodge/burn
17 May 10 at 3:22pm
4
Create the pattern, or paint it on in a new layer set to overlay. Warp it to fit the skin, maybe with the liquify tool...
17 May 10 at 4:57pm
5
Did you reload an original the play with the Hue and sat on the skin (ProbYellow/orange) then Layered above the "original"*original as in after the Garn Tweeks then the pattern is erased by some means prob Layermask and erases with a black brush or possibly cookie cuter for a shape
17 May 10 at 5:23pm
6
- It's possible that the background was lit as it appears, though probably not. If not, use favorite selection method to mask off everything but the model. Create a layer below the original image layer ("Backdrop"), set blue and white as foreground / background colors, and use the circular gradient tool or lighting effect to create the desired look. (Lots of ways to do this, some of which depend on what the original background looked like...assuming it's a solid color and there's good separation between the model and the background, it should be quick to mask if off.) -all the rest of the layers are added to the top of the stack- - Add a hue/saturation adjustment layer, dial in the saturation of the hair and eyes by picking the predominant color and playing with the sliders. - Use select by color to create a selection that includes the model's skin tone by shift-clicking over the different skin tone areas. - Create a new layer ("Pale Skin"), which will pick up the current selection as a mask. Fill that layer with white, set to Screen blending mode, and dial in opacity to get pale skin effect. - Create a new layer ("Design"). Sample the hair color with the eye dropper until you get the color you want for the design, and fill the new layer with that color. Set to Overlay or Multiply blending mode, and dial in opacity for desired effect. - Add a layer mask *and* a vector mask to the Design layer. Use the pen tool to create the shape of the design in the vector mask. Then clip the Design layer to the Pale Skin layer (keeping it from going outside skin areas). - For additional fine tuning, create a new layer ("Dodge & Burn") and set the blending mode to Soft Light. Using a fairly large, soft brush head set to low opacity (between 2-8%) in the Tool Options bar, paint in white or black in several strokes to dodge and burn, respectively. One final tip--on any layer I've set to some opacity, I'll often note the opacity level and turn it back up to 100%, then set the layer mask to that percentage shade of gray. In other words, setting a layer to 65% opacity, or 100% opacity with a 65% grey mask yield the exact same thing. The difference is, with a 65% grey layer mask, you can paint in it with a large, soft brush set to low opacity...use a white brush to intensify that layer or a black brush to back off that layer's contribution a bit. So after the dodge and burn layer, you can go back to previous layers and use this trick to do more fine tuning. (I'd be shocked if this sequence is what was actually done to these photos, but I think it would achieve a similar effect...am I close?)
17 May 10 at 5:45pm
7
Some of these guesses would probably get close to the same result, and others come pretty close to describing certain parts about the techniques I used but nobody has guessed right quite yet. I'll give you a hint... Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop were both used, original image was shot against a white wall.
17 May 10 at 9:07pm
8
As far as Lightroom goes, I'm guessing it was used on the background. Mask out the model, and then a gradient mask on the background, probably with saturation. I'm not sure...
17 May 10 at 10:59pm
9
Indeed, you used LR for the tones for the bg and the model... (i think) and those illustrations in PS... ok... so if they not vectors... or hand painted... then you were playing around with some of the filters, then used that result as a mask... if not in blending modes, it's in adjustment layer, like curves.
17 May 10 at 11:04pm
10
also! adjustment brush in LR... desaturating the skin tones... (auto mask on, at least near the hair)
18 May 10 at 5:34am
11
I'll stay out of the guessing game as far as the body paint goes. I do however have a question I was hoping you would answer. How do you achieve this desaturated to the point of white skin tone without getting it grey? Regards
18 May 10 at 6:05am
12
As far as getting the design on the skin, I would guess that you used either a vector or a special brush to paint on the design (on a new layer), then use a displacement map to conform it to the contours of the models' skin.
18 May 10 at 4:13pm
13
For the painting, I would guess a solid color adjustment layer, set to overlay or soft/hard light, invert the mask and then paint into the mask with white for the pattern with various brush tools
18 May 10 at 5:46pm
14
@Robert Purvins - that is a technique I've been perfecting for awhile, it's a combination of the lighting, model selection and a handful of post-processing techniques in Lightroom.
18 May 10 at 6:57pm
15
i'll just fill in the missing besides saturation plays of the skin - what i think is that on the basic level you made use of two exposure levels in lightroom. or in other words one version with levels to the darken the skin and one with highlights, one on top of the other and with the pan tool selected off the patterns you created revealing the darker version of the shot. besides that the bg is also a gradient that you filled after make a path selection of the model's body until about the hair line. peace
18 May 10 at 7:42pm
16
Ofir Abe is getting really close! Not quite exactly right, but very close! I will be posting the full answer within the next few days I hope!
18 May 10 at 8:35pm
17
My guess is that you are really good with Photoshop? As well as washing out the images with your flash? Total guess though!
19 May 10 at 5:45pm
18
[...] you to everyone that shared their opinions on how I achieved the Spiraling Out effect in my first Exercise in Photoshop Forensics post. I definitely think it was successful enough that I’ll do another one in the future [...]
06 June 10 at 6:19pm
19
[...] the popularity of Part I of the Photoshop Forensics exercises I have decided to do it [...]
07 June 10 at 10:02pm
20
I would guess use the paint brush tool to paint in the pattern. That's the only way it could have been done.