DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

How To Post Process For Beautiful Eyes & Catchlights

Jan 2, 2014 by Guest Author 8 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

It has been said many times before, the eyes are one of the key elements that photographers try and capture.

How To Post Process For Beautiful Eyes & Catchlights

Here is a little video showing a technique that I picked up from Scott Kelby. The book was called Professional Portrait Retouching.

If you want to follow along. I have have made a few little notes.


Music by Rolobenz – rolobenz.com/

  1. Make sure the overall lighting matches the artificial highlights
  2. Use the blending modes & fade the layers down to look suitable
  3. Use very soft edging on everything
  4. Normal Blur & Motion Blur make a good combo
  5. Make one, then copy for the other eye
  6. Refine the shape using the prospective warp
  7. Use pure white to make the highlight
  8. Play about with blending modes, but I like overlay mode.
  9. If you make colour versions, you can get some funky effects
  10. Different shapes can create some very funky effects.

This is a full length edit that originally took 32 mins, it has been speed up so you can see how this is little section fits in to the wider story. As you can see in both videos, Photoshop is a very powerful tool and has clearly had an impact on the world around us. I prefer to use the program in a fun and interesting way that gives me more tools to work with than just a camera. Getting the balance right to when too much is to much is over ever a personal question or a clients point of view.


Music by Mallory Knox: Oceans (acoustic) Wolf at your door records (2013)

How ever.. if you want a very quick fix to brighten up the eyes and create that extra bit of sparkle… this quick tip might be just the thing.

About The Author

Dave Kai PapierDave Kai Piper is a UK based Fashion & Portrait Photographer. As well as being a Pentax Ambassador, Fuji X-Photographer, 3 legged thing & Lexar Ambassador, DKP works as a consultant though Ideas & Images for such companies as Future Publishing. DKP is also an Adobe Community Professional. Current projects include consulting on the UK’s flagship consumer and trade show, The Photography Show. You can follow Dave on his Blog, Facebook and Twitter.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How to photograph and post process water splashes using minimal equipment This is why you should post-process your photography Catchlights 101: Why they matter and how to get them right Default ThumbnailNasty In Vegas (A Post-PMA Post)

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: beauty, catchlights, eyes, Photoshop

Guest Author: from diyphotography.net

About Guest Author

We love it when our readers get in touch with us to share their stories. This article was contributed to DIYP by a member of our community. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact us here.

« Gopro Captured Footage Of Man And Lions Bro-Wrestling (In A Good Way)
How I Created A Cinematic Thieves Inspired Photo Story »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Sony unveils three wireless microphones for content creators
  • This is why you should stop shooting music videos
  • First look at the Laowa Proteus Flex interchangeable flare optics
  • The Fotodiox RhinoCam Vertex shoots medium format images on L mount cameras
  • San Francisco filmmaker tracks stolen camera gear, police do nothing

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy