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Taking Single-Person Portraits Follow these portrait-shooting tips for professional looking results. From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-212

(Continued from page 2)

Erin demonstrates some helpful Photoshop tips for digitally removing marks and blemishes.

Digital Darkroom:
Removing Blemishes With Photoshop

If one of your photos is almost perfect but has a minor blemish such as a speck of dust or a rogue eyelash, don't worry. With a little help from your photo editing software, you can still end up with a great photograph.

Note: For this "digital darkroom" lesson, Erin used Adobe Photoshop image-editing software, so these instructions are based on the current version of that program and its interface. Other image-editing software packages typically offer similar capabilities and functions, though the interface and menu choices may be different.

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	When shooting portraits, don't be afraid to get creative with backgrounds, composition, angles. . .
	. . .and perspective!

Steps:

• Important: After opening your image using your photo editing software, use the Safe as function to create a copy of your image to work on. In that way, you can archive and retain your original, so it will always be there in its original form in case you need to go back to it.

• Next, make a duplicate layer by going over to the More drop-down menu, then select Duplicate layer.

• Zoom in on the imperfection using the zoom tool, which looks like a magnifying glass.

• Click on the clone stamp tool. A circle will pop up which represents your brush size. (You can change the brush size in the brushes drop down menu.)

• Be sure to pay attention to the opacity the clone stamp tool is set at. The opacity controls the translucence of the effect. Thus, for darker blemishes you will want to use a higher opacity and for more subtle blemishes you will want to use a lower opacity.

• Once your opacity is set, place the brush over a perfect part of the image near the imperfection so that you get a similar shading and color. Hold down the alt/option key and click your mouse a couple of times. Doing this will "pick up" the pixels, kind of like loading up a paintbrush with paint.

• Next, release the alt/option key and move the brush over the imperfection and click the mouse. Watch the imperfection disappear!

• Repeat this process as many times as you need to, adjusting the opacity accordingly.

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RESOURCES :

Photo and image editing software used in DIY's The Whole Picture demonstrations:
Adobe® Photoshop Elements 3®
www.adobe.com