In this tutorial, I will show you how to create an eye-catching portrait illusion. This tutorial covers the simple techniques that I used to create a mask out of a photo of my own face. Let’s get started!
Step 1
Create a new document to these specifications.
Step 2
Activate the Gradient Tool (G). You might need to click and hold on the Paint Bucket Tool to see it.
Next, click on the long gradient rectangle at the top left corner to edit the colours.
Step 3
In the Gradient Menu, click just under the long rectangle somewhere in the middle to add a stop.
It should look like this:
Step 4
Double-click on the leftpaint bucket to open up a color picker menu. Enter in #18ecf6at the bottom and press OK.
Step 5
Enter in the values for the other to stops. #e3e3e3the middle and #544540 for the right. Your gradient should now look like this.
Step 6
Lastly, extend the midpoints closer to the ends (the little circles underneath the bar)
Step 7
Drag the gradient from top right corner to bottom left corner and you should be left with something like this.
Place the Model
Now that the background is set, you are ready to bring in the model photo and get it ready to be edited.
Step 1
Open the model source file and place it into the document. Name it Model.
Step 2
Now it’s time to extract the model from the background. To do so, grab the Quick Selection Tool (W) and set your brush around 35 pixels.
Start selecting only the models body. If the selection jumps and grabs some of the background, simply subtract it out by holding the Alt/Option button as you click the image.
Step 3
Once you have the model fully selected, click on the Refine Edge button at the top of the image.
Copy these settings in the Refine Edge menu. Make sure the View is On Layers.Essentially what this does is it outputs the layer with a layer mask included with the best possible edge.
Before you hit OK, make sure the hair area is properly selected. Selecting hair is very tricky sometimes, so to make sure you are getting the best selection, use the settings displayed below and paint a little area around the outer edge of the hair. You will see the hair selection get more detailed.
Your image should look something like this. Note: The Refine Edge Tool exported theModel layer with a layer mask and made the original Model layer invisible.
3. Making the Mask
We have our background and model ready to go, the next step is to start to create the mask.
Step 1
Duplicate the model copy layer by pressing Command/Ctrl-J
Right click on this new layer and select Apply Layer Mask.
Step 2
Select the Pen Tool (P) and begin to draw out the outline of the mask. I chose to start at the bottom of the jawline and work my way up around the side of the head to the forehead.
Take your time with this part and make sure the lines are nice and smooth. This is going to be the mask so it needs to be perfect.
Add a nice curved line at the forehead, using the hairline as a guide helps. If you need to delete the arm of a point, hold the Alt/Option key and click on the point. This will allow you to ‘break’ the flow of the path so you can make hard angles if needed.
Once your path extends past the forehead, you are essentially done with making the mask shape. Complete the path by drawing around the arm and back around to the bottom of the jaw line as shown.
Step 3
Right click anywhere on the image and select Make Selection.
Next press M, then right click again, this time selecting Layer Via Copy. Name
Step 5
Next we are going to add a bit of a shine to the top of the mask to make it look a little bit like plastic. Click on the FX button at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Bevel and Emboss
this new layer Maskand delete the layer below it that you copied from.
Step 4
With the Mask layer selected, press Command/Ctrl-T to transform this layer. Rotate it slightly by dragging one of the corners and lower it as shown. Once it is in a good spot, press enter
Enter in these settings and press OK.
Step 6
Time to create a slot where the string will go to. Create a mask for this layer by clicking on the mask button at the bottom of the Layerspanel.
Select the Brush Tool (B) and make a small hard brush with these settings. Make sure the Opacityis 100% and the foreground colour is black.