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How to Edit Photos: Makeup

Any photo editing program that uses layers will allow you to add makeup to a photograph, even if the person was makeup-free when you took the picture. Adjusting the hue and saturation of various parts of the picture is the key to creating realistic makeup. Knowing the right tools to work with and spending a little time adjusting the settings will give you the desired look instead of making the person look like a clown.

Things You'll Need

Photo-editing program

Instructions

- 1
  Open your photograph in a photo-editing program such as Adobe Photoshop or the free program Paint.net. Fix any blemishes on the skin using the healing tools or the clone stamp.
- 2
  Click the "Duplicate Layer" button to create a second copy of the photograph. Click the duplicate layer to work on it instead of the background layer. Select the area you wish to add makeup to using one of the lasso tools. Make the selection slightly larger than desired so you can adjust and erase later on for a perfect fit.
- 3
  Click the "Adjustments" menu and choose "Hue/Saturation." Drag the hue slider left or right until you find the right shade for that area of makeup. Adjust the saturation slider for lighter or darker versions of that color. Click "OK."
- 4
  Erase the areas you do not want affected by the makeup you added. Zoom in for harder or smaller areas, such as around the eyes or on the lips, and use a smaller eraser to cover fine details. In programs that use layer masks, add a mask over the layer before erasing. Then use a black paintbrush to deselect areas you do not want covered by makeup, and a white paintbrush to add areas back in if you erase too much.
- 5
  Click "Duplicate Layer" when you want to add makeup to a different area. This allows you to change the opacity of each layer individually.
- 6
  Drag the opacity slider for each layer to the left to soften the makeup effect and make it look more realistic. Leave the background layer at 100 percent opacity.

Photography