Paint a Portrait in Photoshop
Step 1. Open a photograph in Photoshop, select the Eyedropper Tool, and select the "3 by 3 Average" Sample Sizein the Options Bar.
It can be a photo of you, a friend, a parent or guardian, or a celebrity. The only caveat is that the photo needs to have sufficient details in the face. If the face is pixelated or blurry, you will be creating a challenge for your self. |
Step 2. Create a new layer above your photograph, and fill that layer with white. Then take the opacity of the layer down to around 50% (whatever works best for you, it doesn't have to be precise), and temporarily lock the layer.
The white layer will serve analogously like tracing paper. You should be able to see a fair amount of the details from your photograph through the white layer. |
Step 3. Create a new layer above the white layer you just created, and use a dark color with a small brush to trace the details from your original photograph.
This will be a guide for your painting. It can be as detailed as you feel necessary. One suggestion I will make is that you focus on the details of the eyes. |
Step 4. Once you are satisfied that your sketch is sufficiently detailed: unlock the white layer, select your paint bucket tool, open your color swatch pallet, select "40% Gray," fill the white layer with 40% Gray, increase the opacity to 100%, and lock the layer.
This will provide you with a neutral background, which is important for helping you achieve dynamic shadows and highlights in your painting. |
Step 5. If you haven't done so yet, save your work as a *.psd file.
Step 6. After you have saved your painting: open your photograph (the one you are using as the background layer of your painting) in Photoshop again, select Window > Arrange > Tile, and adjust the size of your tiles and work (zoom).
By doing this you can compare your painting with the original photograph. You can use the original photograph pick colors for your painting, and compare the details from the original to your painting. |
It is important that you work with Photoshop in full screen mode. Your work space is already going to be limited, you do not want to limit your work space more than necessary. |
Step 7. Lock the layer containing the sketch you created in step 3, and create a new layer between the 40% Gray layer and the layer containing your sketch.
Step 8. Select the brush tool, pick a medium sized brush (medium by comparison to the size of the image on which you are working), adjust the hardness of the brush to 100%, and hold down the Alt key on your keyboard to pick a color from the original photograph which represents a mid-tone skin color (not too dark and not too light).
Step 9. Use the brush and color you selected in Step 8 to paint in (fill in) the portion of your painting which represents skin. Be sure you are working on the correct layer, the one sandwiched between the 40% Gray layer and the layer containing your sketch, and paint in the lines of your sketch (to the best of your ability).
Step 10. Once you have painted in the entirety of the skin with the mid-tone you selected from your photograph: adjust the opacity of your brush to around 10%, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard to pick a color from the original photograph which represents a dark skin color (an area that is in the shadows)
Step 11. Use the brush and color you selected in Step 10 to paint shadows onto the same layer of your painting where you just painted the mid-tones.
Because the opacity of your brush is at 10%, the color you are painting with will not be as intense as the color you selected in Step 10. Because of this, you will need to go over the darkest areas of your painting multiple times in order to achieve the same darkness of the photograph. |
Tip: work from dark to light. |
Step 12. Once you have painted in the shadows: hold down the Alt key on your keyboard to pick a color from the original photograph which represents a light skin color.
Step 13. Use the brush and color you selected in Step 12 to paint highlights onto the same layer of your painting where you just painted the shadows and mid-tones.
Because the opacity of your brush is at 10%, the color you are painting with will not be as intense as the color you selected in Step 12. Because of this, you will need to go over the lightest areas of your painting multiple times in order to achieve the same lightness of the photograph. |
Tip: work from light to dark. |
Step 14. Once you have painted in your mid-tones, shadows, and highlights: adjust the hardness of your brush to 0%, find areas in your painting where the colors appear to need to be blended (where two different tones contrast against each other and create a line), hold down the Alt key on your keyboard to select one of the colors, and use small strokes to paint from the color you selected into the color that is next to it. Repeat this process until you have smooth transitions between your shadows, mid-tones, and highlights.
If you feel as if you have made a mistake -- perhaps you feel like you over blended something -- you can always pick a color from your photograph and use it to fix your mistake. |
Step 15. Lock the layer you created in Step 7, create a new layer, and use a similar technique to the one explained in Steps 8 through 13 to block in the hair.
You do not want to blend the hair in the same way that you blended the skin. In fact, you will want to preserve contrast lines that occur in the direction that the hair in the photograph is flowing. Because of this, you will want to be sure that you paint in the direction that the hair is flowing. |
During this process, you will sometimes need to paint using long strokes, and sometimes you will need to paint using short strokes. Really pay attention to the photograph of the subject you are painting. |
Step 16. Lock the layer you created in Step 15, create a new layer, and use a similar technique to the one explained in Steps 8 through 14 to block in the clothes.
Step 17. Lock the layer you created in Step 16, create a new layer, reduce the size of your brush, and begin working on the details of your painting.
Suggestion: start by adding details to the eyes. Zoom in around the eyes of both the photograph and your painting. Try to make the eyes in your painting look as much like the eyes in the photograph as possible. Pay attention to the placement of the pupil and iris, the different colors in the iris and sclera (the "white" part), and the highlights. |
Use as many different layers for the details as you need, and experiment with the types of brushes that you use. If you don't like something you have done, you can always undo (press Ctrl + z on your keyboard). |
Step 18. Hide the top layer, that you created in Step 3 (the layer that contains your initial sketch), and refine the details as you feel necessary.
Step 19 (optional): If you feel as if you have finished early, replace the 40% Gray background with an digitally painted background.
This background can be whatever you want it to be. The only limit is your imagination. |