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How to: Digital Painting Photo Realism in Photoshop
Rating: 4.4 out of 5(183 ratings)
1,552 students

How to: Digital Painting Photo Realism in Photoshop

Portrait of a Child
Created byChris Scalf
Last updated 11/2018
English

What you'll learn

  • This exercise conditions the artist to become better at many facets of painting. It is a lot like a musician practicing chords and scales to become a better performer.

Course content

2 sections • 32 lectures • 7h 37m total length

  • Introduction4:38
  • Start with an eye (mapping out the face)15:10

    Map out the face by aligning a reference photo to a layered canvas, using a unit of measure to place eyes, nose, and mouth. Refine with smudge and eraser tools.

  • Continue to map out the face13:20

    Master proportion techniques for portrait drawing by mapping the face, estimating nose lengths, aligning features, and refining details like the pupil and hairline.

  • Face mapped out, ready for tone15:57
  • Begin toning17:01

    Begin toning in Photoshop by blocking tones in grayscale, shaping light and shadow with soft and hard brushes, and refining facial features and hair for photo realism.

  • Toning cont.; Shapes13:37
  • Toning cont.; Tighten up the eyes.17:04
  • Continue to Tighten up the Eyes, eyebrows14:06
  • Tighten up the Nose and Mouth17:31
  • Tightening up the Hair.15:00
  • Tighten hair cont'd.15:00

    Master hair realism in Photoshop by refining tones, blending black and white with color palettes, and using smudge and brush tools to create random, flowing strands and realistic highlights.

  • Coat detail14:59

    Master coat detail in Photoshop by building dark and light tones, adding random hair strands and fur texture, refining edges with eraser, burn and smudge tools.

  • More Coat Detail7:30
  • Mirror flip; adjust eyes, begin background15:00
  • Tighten Background Detail15:00

    Refine the background with careful brushwork, texture tweaks, and seam detailing to enhance realism through highlights, shadows, and subtle blur.

  • Tighten Bckgd cont'd; Begin Color on Face15:00
  • Coloring cont'd; adjustments and tweaking on details20:21
  • Tighter Detail, Close Up15:31
  • Skin Texture; Eye Tweaks16:35

    Master skin texture enhancement and eye tweaks in Photoshop through brush work, color sampling, and dodge tool adjustments on mid-tones to refine highlights, edges, and color balance.

  • MORE Skin Texture; Eye Tweaks13:29
  • MORE Skin; Eye Tweaks cont'd...11:01
  • Skin Texture; added clothing/coat detail...11:28
  • More detail on the Coat.15:00
  • Coat Collar Detail...15:00
  • Add Detail to the Hair...15:04
  • Final Tweaks; Finish!13:09

Requirements

  • You will need PC or Mac computer, a graphics tablet (i.e. Wacom intuos, Intuos, etc)

Description

In this course, I show you my process for practicing being a better artist by creating a photo real portrait from scratch-- using a photo reference. This, in my opinion, is a VERY helpful exercise for all artists who want to be able to memorize depth and realism techniques for their paintings that they create from the mind. Think of it in terms of a musician practicing chords or scales before writing an actual song. Or even musicians who cover other bands songs before they create their own. I pick up a lot of detail and anatomy by simply studying real photos and then applying those similar parameters to original concepts from my mind. 

Who this course is for:

  • Students who wish to improve their realism and depth in their paintings.

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