that can be used dramatically for a funky, artistic look. It can also be applied
subtly to enhance the texture of hair and clothing or the patterns of a back-
ground. I especially like to use it to create a surreal look in my high-contrast
black & white images.
Proportional Enhancements. Good posing should always be used to
enhance a figure. But today, software gives us the tools to further enhance
and flatter our subjects.
Back in the days before Photoshop 6, I used to painstakingly use the
Clone Stamp tool to shave a waistline. The addition of the Liquify filter, how-
ever, has made that technique obsolete. It gives you the ability to flatter a
woman’s figure like never before. In my opinion, the key to using the Liquify
filter successfully is to make your enhancements believable. I use good pos-DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND ENHANCEMENTS 95You can see the finished look in this selective-
color image of Fawn. This image started out as
a “wet look,” high-contrast black & white that
could have been sold as-is. Comparing the orig-
inal (above) and finished (right) versions, you
can see how the LucisArt plug-in enhances the
texture of her hair beyond reality. The effect of
the sculpture mode was used at 100 percent,
while it was layer masked to only about 15 per-
cent on her skin. But to enhance the “wow”
factor, I added a little selective color in Photo-
shop, painting in her eyes their actual color at
25-percent opacity, and adding bright pink lip-
stick at 10-percent opacity.