Creating stunning portraits involves more than just capturing a face; it's about bringing out the individual's unique characteristics and beauty. One of the most important features is the eyes, and this helpful video tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop to make them shine.
Coming to you from Mark McGee Photos, this instructional video provides a straightforward tutorial on enhancing eyes in portrait photography. McGee begins by using the Pen tool to precisely select the whites of the eyes, ensuring that the adjustments made are meticulous and targeted.
McGee then introduces a Vibrance adjustment layer to decrease saturation, followed by a Curves adjustment to brighten the eyes. This combination effectively enhances the eye's appearance, making them more lively and expressive. He further demonstrates how to add catchlights—a reflection that mimics the light source, adding depth and life to the eyes.
The process doesn't stop at enhancing the sclera or adding catch lights. McGee also adjusts the iris's brightness and contrast using a soft-edge brush and layer blending modes, which subtly enhance the iris's natural color and detail without overtaking the portrait's authenticity, an important tenet of post-processing. Check out the video above for the full rundown from McGee.
