TECHNIQUES CREATIVE HAIR RETOUCHING
QUICK TIP: DUPLICATE BACKGROUNDS
Once you have a dark colour as the background,
you can create one batch of detailed hair on a
single layer and duplicate it then move it to other
areas to save time. This will be then your
background hair, which will help you to add
volume and depth to the hair. On top of that you
should still create new detailed hair layers to
avoid a cloned look.04
CREATE YOUR BACKGROUND
For the creation of our background, we have used the images:
pink-1198578, room-762286, window-11380, window-669101. You can
use your own images if you prefer, but it is important that you are strict
with yourself to find the best match for a realistic perspective and
proportions between each object on the composition.05
MASK YOUR MODEL
It is best to always work in your Photoshop document using layers to give you
the opportunity to correct, change and improve details at any stage of your work. Once you
have your background composed, it is time to make the model. You can use the masking
method you like the most. Here we have used the Quick Selection tool because our model
was shot on a white background, and later in a more advanced stage we have corrected
details on the selection by using the Pen tool for a controlled manual selection.06
START PAINTING THE SHAPE OF THE HAIR
Always use new layers ensuring you name
them appropriately in order to maintain an efficient
workspace. Create a folder and name it ‘Hair’ then
create a new layer to start painting with a normal
brush with 100% Opacity and 0% Hardness.07
TRY DIFFERENT SHAPES
Paint the desired hair shape with a colour
that will represent the darkest tone of the model’s
hair, this way you will be able to use it as a
background for the individual hair strands, which you
can start painting using lighter colour tones. You
should paint on as many separate new layers as you
want to ensure you can go back at any time and
make any required changes.
To paint the hair detail simply reduce the size of
your brush to 1% and increase the Hardness to
100%. We advise using your digital tablet and brush
settings with Shape Dynamics>Control>Pen
Pressure and Transfer activated as well.
08START SMALL AND DEVELOP YOUR STYLE
Start painting the hair strands one by one
on a small area so you can see how easy the results
can be. Keep in mind that your traces should be in
order, try to avoid making crossed hairs and think of
a how a bunch of single hairs will look together.