Adding personal touches to your portraits

Open a portrait in Photoshop. This will be used for marketing purposes so the quality of the photograph is important.

Adding Embossed Text

Begin by using the Type tool.

The font and size are important, as some are more successful than others. You may need to try several combinations to get one that you like.

#1 Type the text #2 Click “Commit” #3 Move text, if needed with the Move Tool

fx #5 Choose “Bevel and Emboss” #4 Click “Add a layer style” at the bottom of the layers window fx #5 Choose “Bevel and Emboss”

#6 Style: Inner Bevel Technique: Smooth Contour

#7 Change your fill to 0%

#8 Reopen Bevel and Emboss Adjust Angle, Highlight & Shadow Opacity

Adding a Stylized Border

#1 Open the Layers window. #2 Click and drag your Background Layer to the New Layer Icon

#3 Click the New Layer Icon to create a new empty layer.

#4 Drag “Layer 1” under “Background Copy” #5 CtrlBackspace This will turn “Layer 1” white.

#6. Use the. Rectangular. Marquee Tool. to select just. inside the #6 Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select just inside the border of the image.

#7 Add vector mask to the background copy

#8 Filter Brush Strokes Spatter

#9 Choose and adjust your border

Save the same image with different borders in order to present this to your clientele. This is important in marketing because this can be included in different packages as well as charged for individually.

Optional: You can match the border to any color in the photo.

The eyedropper tool: This tool will sample any color in the photograph and insert it into your toolbar as the foreground color. #1 Choose a color from the image that you would like to insert and use the eyedropper tool to click on it.

#2 Click on the eye of the background copy so that you can see “layer 1”.

#3 Use the Paintbucket Tool to apply the foreground color to “layer 1”. Paintbucket is located under the gradient tool.

#4 Click on the eye of the background copy to see the final product.

Using the Eraser Tool to add effects.

#1 Click the New Layer Icon to create a new empty layer.

#2 CtrlBackspace This will turn “Layer 1” white.

#3. Change the layer. opacity so that. you can see the. original photo #3 Change the layer opacity so that you can see the original photo behind the layer.

You will Erase “layer 1” so that the original photo comes through the white foreground color. Goto Large List so that you have the most eraser options. The following example uses “Chalk”.

#4 Erase If you change your opacity, it will take a little more off with every stroke. This gives a nice layered effect.

#5 Experiment.

Adding a Darkroom Print Border

#1 Drag your Background layer to create new layer in order to make a background copy.

#2 Image Adjustments Canvas Size

#3 Check Relative #4 Inset 1 inch for Width and Height #5 Select Background

Your photo now has a one inch border… But only on the “Background” layer.

#6 Create a new layer #7 Drag this layer below “Background Copy”

You will use the brush tool to paint the border onto the image. Goto Large List so that you have the most brush options. Oil Medium Wet Flow works best for this. Brush tool

#8 Highlight layer 1 and draw the border.

This dark area Mimics the light which passed through a negative plate when making a darkroom print It looks particularly good in Black and White.

Lastname.1A.Extras Using the same photograph, design 10 different finishing touches that you would offer to clients. You must use at least 3 different text options and at least 5 different border options. Each must have its own style name. This could be called “Paintbrush” It would be saved as Paintbrush.jpg

Lastname.1A.Extras Include: Actions folder (5 saved actions) Paintbrush.jpg Sandstorm.jpg Embossed.jpg Class of.jpg Firstname.jpg Crosshatch.jpg River.jpg Modern.jpg Glam.jpg Playful.jpg

The Actions Window: Making your life easy in photoshop.

Actions closely mirrors the history menu, so it is located behind it.

Begin by selecting Clear All Actions

Select New Set and name it “Portraits”

Select New Action and name it…

By selecting Record, you are recording all of your actions in photoshop to reuse on other images.

Here you can see all of the steps in history it took to build this border.

Go to your action window and stop recording.

Open your new image highlight the action and “play”

If you are happy with the results, Save Actions

Create your own actions folder and save all actions there for future use.

Other considerations: Crop to the original image size. It might be best to keep the size in the name of the action.

Because the purpose of this is to use it on multiple images, don’t add specific details to the action as it records.