Baggy eyes – begone (from my photos) in two simple steps

When working with portraits or any type of photos with close-ups on people’s faces, you will very likely run into the dreaded bags under the eyes issue.

The truth is, no matter what our age may be or how beautiful a person we might be, bags under the eyes are pretty much a natural coinsurance for just about everyone, at least from time to time.

So, I offer you two simple ways to get rid of these unsightly sacks once and for all, at least in your photos anyway.

Before and After

 

What you’ll need:

Photoshop or any photo editing application that has the tools specified below.

Method 1 – Cloning

Take a small selection form around the eye are and clone it using the clone stamp tool or equivalent. Then proceed to fill in the dark, baggy area with the cloned colors. This works well with people of any skin tone or ethnicity.

Method 2 – Dodge

While this method isn’t generally effective with those who have darker skin tones, it works great for those with lighter ones. Use the dodge tool (or again an equivalent) to cover over the dark, baggy areas. Be sure to set the tool’s exposure to a fairly low percentage so as to avoid the area turning out to white.

There you go, no more bags, at least not in your images.

How to convert images to Black and White effectively in Photoshop CS5

Method 1

The fastest method, can also use the shortcut Command+Shift+U on macs, and Control+Shift+U on PC’s

Step 1

Select your layer, then navigate to Image>Mode>Grayscale

Step 2

When prompted, select the discard button. We can always use command+z to undo any steps, so don’t worry.

Method 2

Step 1

By navigating to Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Hue/Saturation you can change the image to black and white while maintaining control over values. This method is also referred to as “nondestructive” because it can be reversed at any time (as long as it’s saved as a PSD).

Step 2

With the Hue/Saturation sliders on hand, lowering saturation, hue, and lightness values can give you a customizable black and white image.

Tutorial provided by CJ, a talented Photoshop enthusiast and intern for Three Rivers Creative Arts .