Eyes really are the window to the soul, and the way they look in your images can be the difference between a picture being good and really great. If you have a portrait that you feel is lacking something, then adding depth and dimension to the eyes may be just what you need.
Matt Kloskowski is back once again with another insightful tutorial on adding life to the eyes. I've never actually seen the technique he uses in the video before, but what I like about it is how easy it is to implement and how much a simple adjustment can enhance the whole image. Kloskowski makes an interesting point regarding how the method used is not just for human eyes either. If your photographic subjects tend to have four legs and not two, then you'll still find this tutorial useful.
Like most post-production techniques, the best results are usually achieved when you try to keep things natural and subtle, and in my opinion, this video manages to do just that. If you're still in doubt how much is too much when it comes to editing eyes, then this article is a great reminder to help keep you on track.
Lead image by 3803658 from Pixabay, used under Creative Commons.
[via ISO 1200]
LOL vampire eyes...
Halloween will be here sooner than you think... ;)
For even less work- go through previous shoots and copy the white light reflections on eyes of any of your model resulting from strobes, softboxes, window lighting, etc, and paste them in a photoshop document on its own layer, filled with black (so you can see the selection). Select the one you want, paste it into the eyes of a new photo, resize as needed, adj opacity/color, and done.
Interesting workflow Jay, never thought of doing it that way. Thanks for the tip!
it is interesting, I personally just hand paint/ dodge and burn the eyes when I'm working on skin and it has the same effect, a little easier in my opinion
I agree Gabrielle, starting with the best possible eye to start with really helps... : )
Hope you can find some use from it. I prefer it because the catch lights you create are your own and from your own equipment. Placing and resizing a catch light image in each eye is literally a 2 min deal and you're done.
Holy crap! i've always kept my fingers away from eyes in post, just because it's so easy to mess up. thx so much man!
hahaha that's my mantra for ALL photoshop!!
You're wise to be wary when it comes to editing eyes, this technique seems to stay on the right side of things. All the best with it!
I still don't get why professionals are editing 8 bit JPG....
I guess for demonstrations it speeds things up? I know my machine would occasionally stutter when also trying to juggle screencasting software and also maybe video capture at the same time too... Good spot though!
Hey Dennis... a couple of reasons:
1) It was a demo - it keeps things moving quickly while recording video.
2) I don't really need 16-bit for most things I do. I don't have clients and I mostly just shoot for me and photos to teach with. So most of my photos either get shared online or I print them for my or friends/family. In a large percentage of those cases 16 bit doesn't help me. And if I come across a photo where I think I need the extra info, I'll keep it at 16-bit.
But for the most part, the 8bit file works just fine for my needs and keeps my post moving along faster.
This is really kool, cheers
Thanks Ben, it's a technique I've never seen before so wanted to share it. Just another one for the photoshop arsenal... : )
Thanks for sharing Paul!
I've been on a kick to go back and do tutorials that I did like 10 years ago. This was one of the ones that popped up in my list of oldies but goodies :-)
You're very welcome Matt, look forward to seeing more... : )
more like.."faking life"