Whitening Eyes

This is a quick and easy method that really makes the eyes of your model pop.

fig 1 fig 2

1. With your image open, duplicate the Background layer ⌘-J.

2. At the top of the Layers panel change the blend mode from Normal to Screen, this will brighten up the entire image as seen in fig 2.

3. Now, holding down the alt key, click the Layer Mask icon at the foot of the layers panel. This will hide the brighter version. Your Layers palette should appear as in fig 3.

fig 3

4. We’ll now use the Paint Brush tool to reveal this hidden brighter version only in the eyes. So, select a small, soft brush and zoom right into the eyes in order to make accurate changes.

5. Before you begin painting, ensure your foreground colour is set to white and that the opacity of the Brush is set to 100%. You are now ready to start painting in, slowly revealing the hidden, brighter layer beneath the mask. Now, as you proceed you have a decision to make. Do I paint in the whole eye or simply the whites? Around 80% of the time you will find that you’ll paint in the whole eye, however, this is a creative decision, don’t be afraid to paint areas back in (using Black) if you feel it necessary.

Note: Remember, if you make a mistake as you are painting in on a mask or feel you would like to return the darkness to the pupils, simply switch the foreground colour to black, this will have the opposite effect from the white brush.

6. Once you are happy with your painting, zoom out to reveal the whole picture. 99.9% of the time the models eyes will appear way too bright, but that’s ok, we can correct this by lowering the opacity of the layer.

Before

After

7. So, go to the opacity slider at the top of the Layers panel and begin but reducing this to 50%. Immediately, the eyes dull down to give a more realistic effect. Click the eye icon at the side of the Adjustment layer to view the change from the original. Mess around with the opacity until you have a balance you are happy with, perhaps somewhere between 15% and 30%, depending upon your taste.

30% Opacity.

Now move onto the Eye Enhancement Tutorial.