*Hair Colour ReplacementThis is a ONE-DAY project. It is due at the end of class today!
So in the last lesson, we learned about adjustment layers and masks. Specifically, we used a hue/saturation adjustment layer to change the colour of a subject.
PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES INTRODUCED TODAY:
- Selective Colour adjustment layer
- Curves adjustment layer
- Inverting a mask (Ctrl-I)
- Changing the flow of a brush
- Sampling colours with eyedropper tools
WARNING: Changing hair colour is best done from light to dark.
Blonde to Black = Easy (or at least possible)
Black to Blonde = Nearly impossible
Some things you can do in Photoshop to make this happen:
CHANGING FROM RED/BROWN/DARK BLONDE (to a similar colour)
1) Create a selective colour adjustment layer
2) Choose relevant colours (that you want to change) within the dialog box and adjust the various colour levels to get something you like.
3) Mask out the areas whose colours you don't want to change
TIP
Selecting a mask and pressing CTRL-I will "invert" the mask, allowing you to "paint" back in the hair with a white brush.
REMEMBER:
"Black reveals. White conceals." Black brush on a mask reveals the layer(s) underneath, whereas a white brush will cover up those areas.
TIP
To make the hairline look more natural, use a soft brush and set your flow to a low value like 20.
CHANGING TO BLACK or GRAY (from a lighter colour)
1) Create a hue/saturation adjustment layer.
2) Use the eyedropper tool (found within the dialog box) to sample the original hair colour
3) Reduce saturation to 0.
4) If areas of the hair still haven't changed, use the "eyedropper with a +" button to add to your selection.
5) Mask out the areas whose colours you don't want to change (see tips above!)
TIP:
If there is skin or clothing that was accidentally turned black & white, here's how you can paint colour back in:
1) Create a new layer and select it
2) Use the eyedropper tool (left toolbar) to sample the colour of the skin/clothing you want to put back (i.e. sample from a neighbouring area).
3) Select a brush, change the layer's blend mode to "Color" and paint back in over areas where you want the skin/clothing to pop through.
4) Do this for each colour you need to replace.
6) Create a curves adjustment layer.
7) Adjust the curve by clicking in the centre of the line and moving it either towards the bottom-right corner (for black hair) or towards the top-left corner (for gray hair).
To add highlights:
8) Create another new layer.
9) Select a white brush (soft).
10) Paint over the hair.
11) Open the Layer Styles dialog box by right-clicking on the layer (just like we did for Outer Glow in the silhouette project)
12) At the bottom of the dialog box, look for the Underlying Layer slider. There is a moveable tab at the bottom left of it. Press ALT while dragging it to the right (ALT splits the tab in half, allowing you to change the blending range). Move both "halves" of the tab around until you are satisfied with the blend.
13) You can also adjust the opacity of this highlight layer to make it more subtle if desired.
If you missed the lesson, watch the video below to see these steps in action!
So in the last lesson, we learned about adjustment layers and masks. Specifically, we used a hue/saturation adjustment layer to change the colour of a subject.
PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES INTRODUCED TODAY:
- Selective Colour adjustment layer
- Curves adjustment layer
- Inverting a mask (Ctrl-I)
- Changing the flow of a brush
- Sampling colours with eyedropper tools
WARNING: Changing hair colour is best done from light to dark.
Blonde to Black = Easy (or at least possible)
Black to Blonde = Nearly impossible
Some things you can do in Photoshop to make this happen:
CHANGING FROM RED/BROWN/DARK BLONDE (to a similar colour)
1) Create a selective colour adjustment layer
2) Choose relevant colours (that you want to change) within the dialog box and adjust the various colour levels to get something you like.
3) Mask out the areas whose colours you don't want to change
TIP
Selecting a mask and pressing CTRL-I will "invert" the mask, allowing you to "paint" back in the hair with a white brush.
REMEMBER:
"Black reveals. White conceals." Black brush on a mask reveals the layer(s) underneath, whereas a white brush will cover up those areas.
TIP
To make the hairline look more natural, use a soft brush and set your flow to a low value like 20.
CHANGING TO BLACK or GRAY (from a lighter colour)
1) Create a hue/saturation adjustment layer.
2) Use the eyedropper tool (found within the dialog box) to sample the original hair colour
3) Reduce saturation to 0.
4) If areas of the hair still haven't changed, use the "eyedropper with a +" button to add to your selection.
5) Mask out the areas whose colours you don't want to change (see tips above!)
TIP:
If there is skin or clothing that was accidentally turned black & white, here's how you can paint colour back in:
1) Create a new layer and select it
2) Use the eyedropper tool (left toolbar) to sample the colour of the skin/clothing you want to put back (i.e. sample from a neighbouring area).
3) Select a brush, change the layer's blend mode to "Color" and paint back in over areas where you want the skin/clothing to pop through.
4) Do this for each colour you need to replace.
6) Create a curves adjustment layer.
7) Adjust the curve by clicking in the centre of the line and moving it either towards the bottom-right corner (for black hair) or towards the top-left corner (for gray hair).
To add highlights:
8) Create another new layer.
9) Select a white brush (soft).
10) Paint over the hair.
11) Open the Layer Styles dialog box by right-clicking on the layer (just like we did for Outer Glow in the silhouette project)
12) At the bottom of the dialog box, look for the Underlying Layer slider. There is a moveable tab at the bottom left of it. Press ALT while dragging it to the right (ALT splits the tab in half, allowing you to change the blending range). Move both "halves" of the tab around until you are satisfied with the blend.
13) You can also adjust the opacity of this highlight layer to make it more subtle if desired.
If you missed the lesson, watch the video below to see these steps in action!
HAIR COLOUR REPLACEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Your job is to find a high-resolution photo of a relatively light-haired subject (light brown, red, blonde) and create two different versions of coloured hair...one brown/red/dark blonde and one black or gray.
CRITERIA
- Choose an image where the head is featured prominently
- Crop your image if necessary so that the head is featured more prominently
- Avoid long-haired subjects whose hair is spread across the front of their body. Individual strands of hair against a background are notoriously difficult to colour properly.
Hand in Before, Colour1, Colour2 .jpgs to Classroom.
Your job is to find a high-resolution photo of a relatively light-haired subject (light brown, red, blonde) and create two different versions of coloured hair...one brown/red/dark blonde and one black or gray.
CRITERIA
- Choose an image where the head is featured prominently
- Crop your image if necessary so that the head is featured more prominently
- Avoid long-haired subjects whose hair is spread across the front of their body. Individual strands of hair against a background are notoriously difficult to colour properly.
Hand in Before, Colour1, Colour2 .jpgs to Classroom.